“I noticed that.”
“Were you craving my cock?”
“I’ve been aching for you since the moment we met,” I gasp out. “Dayton, can’t you see that?”
He doesn’t reply for a minute, then laughs. “You got my name right this time—”
“You said you were over that.” I pace in front of him. “Do you want to know why I called you Kel? It wasn’t because I wished you were him. It was because I was feeling the same thing for you that I had just felt with him. This burning spark in my chest and—”
“Stop it, Rosalina,” Dayton says, and his words are suddenly so sharp, so commanding, my voice cuts off.
“Why?”
He’s the one pacing now. “Because it’s not fucking fair. You can’t say stuff like that. Don’t you think I wish a light could burst forth from my chest and bind me to you and Farron forever? But you’re not my mate. The world doesn’t work that way.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Maybe Fare was right…”
His words tear something deep inside me. “Right about what?”
“Maybe it’s better not to give in at all. Ican’tgive into you. I see that now. For the Summer Realm. For my people. I have to set them free, the way Fare did with you. Regain my full magic and help my sister.”
Tears prick my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you have to find your mate. It’s just—”
Tenderly, he wipes away my tears with a calloused hand. “Here’s the thing, Blossom. If I give in to you, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll stay by your side, by Fare, and I’ll never want to find my mate.”
“But—”
“Fuck, Rosie. I’m this close to falling in love with you. I’m teetering on the edge of the cliff, and one wrong step, and I’m going to drop and impale myself on your heart. There will be nothing for anyone else. So, it’s got to be this way. But hey, it’s still fun.”
Logically, it makes sense. But everything in me fights to tell him he’s an idiot. Because he belongs with Farron and me. I want to press my lips to his and drag him back into the room with us and prove it to him.
But before I can do anything, the setting sun dips below the horizon, and Dayton shimmers, becoming the sea-drowned golden wolf.
“Get some rest,” he says, bowing his head. “Tomorrow, we fight for Autumn.”
“You too, Day.” Slowly, I return to the room, crawling in beside my mate.
Dayton’s words still ring in my mind, and I know no matter what he says, it’ll never be just fun between me and the Summer Prince.
Farron rolls toward me, pulling me into his embrace. I inhale his scent. Tomorrow, Coppershire fights for the realm. As I lie in Farron’s arms, I know I’ll be there, fighting for my princes however they need me.
77
Rosalina
Goldensungleamsoffthe hills, and there’s barely a cloud in the sky. Red, orange, and copper trees sway in the gentle breeze while dusty mist curls around their roots.It feels wrong to have a battle on such a beautiful morning.
It’s silly to have such a thought. I have to be strong for my friends and family.I clasp my hands in front of me to keep them from shaking.
I’ve been given permission to watch from the gate’s battlements, high above the fighting. I’m surrounded by soldiers. Farron’s father is here, making use of the height to observe the entire battle and communicate orders as necessary. They only allowed me to get this close because Ezryn’s scouting parties didn’t report any signs of artillery or long-distance weapons.
Most of the citizens have moved to the inner city or the castle’s barracks. Autumn soldiers line the outer walls with arrows, oil, and burning basins beside them. But it’s the sight before the gates that is the most stunning.
Five hundred Autumn soldiers glisten in golden armor. Footmen with swords or long spears, cavalry, and magefighting units all stand at attention to the fae man atop a great elk at their head. Farron, the High Prince of Autumn.
My mate.
He’s finally fighting for his realm.Farron has found his bravery. He looks so different from the person I first saw in the dungeon cell, the man who hid away in the library.He’s not hiding now.
Beside him on her own great elk is Princess Niamh, fitted in gold armor, her helmet pointed with antlers. Dayton and Ez are on horses. Dayton’s daggers shine as he twirls them, unable to keep still. Ezryn might as well be a statue on Dayton’s opposite side.
