“Where are you going?”
“To your home,” he says simply.
“Why?”
“To find this Lucas.” Keldarion’s eyes blaze, reminding me that my mate is no mere man. He’s a fae prince, one of immense power. “And when I do, he will beg me for the mercy of death.”
My breath catches in my throat. He doesn’t know Lucas is here in the castle. The others must not have told him.
I rush up to Kel and wrap my arms around his waist. “There’s nothing for me in that world anymore. My life is here in Castletree.”
He grips my chin gently. “I see that now, Rosalina. I do not intend to send you away again. The other princes have proven they can protect and care for you, even if I cannot. This is the safest place for you, but I will not rest until that man—”
A cold gust of wind blows into the entrance hall as the door opens.
Perth Quellos, Keldarion’s vizier, enters. His slender face is bereft of hair, scalp smooth and gleaming like polished marble. His complexion is pallid, with a faint bluish hue that brings to mind the chill of a winter’s night.
Feral anger floods me as I look upon the steward of the Winter Realm. As if feeling my emotions, Kel’s grip on me tightens.
“Ahem.” The vizier clears his throat. His lips are tinted blue as if he has savored a bounty of ripe berries. “I have come at your request, sire.”
“Apologies, but a more pressing matter has arisen,” Keldarion says.
“More pressing than the ravings of the Autumn Realm?” Perth asks. “You seemed quite urgent in your summons.”
Itisurgent. I grip Keldarion on either side of his face and make him look at me until his breathing steadies. “This can wait. The meeting with your vizier is important, Kel. For Farron.”
He fixes me with a steely gaze, then straightens. “This isn’t over, Rosalina.” Then he unlaces his jerkin and slips it off, revealing a tight black shirt. He drapes the fabric over me, covering my slightly torn dress and the scar on my wrist.
Does he realize now why I always wear long sleeves?
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Keldarion asks, keeping his attention solely on me as Perth sways from foot to foot impatiently.
“I’m okay.”
“Stay with the others until I return,” Keldarion commands before turning to Perth. “Come, let us retire to the council room. The staff recently cleaned it up.”
Perth nods, then slithers past me. “A pleasure as always, Lady of Castletree.” The title Ezryn dubbed me after he threw Perth across the gardens.
I narrow my gaze. There’s something odd about him today. He wears his typical white cloak with a geometric blue pattern. But atop his bald head lies a silver crown adorned with a large gem. I’ve never seen that shade of green before, almost phantasmal.
I release a breath as Keldarion vanishes up the stairs and into the council room with Perth. The weight of the vizier’s presence lifts from the room, and the air seems to stir with newfound ease. I rub my wrist, touching the scar. He saw. Kel saw my scar… and he didn’t call me a coward, or feel disgust, or think that I’m a pathetic little girl who let someone hurt her so deeply. No, there was only rage in his eyes. A deep protectiveness. Seeing him like that…He cares for me in his own strange way.
But he was ready to go off and murder Lucas. As much as I don’t believe Lucas deserves any compassion, I can’t be responsible for his death. I might be able to stop Keldarion from going to the human world, but if he finds out Lucas is in this castle, it’s game over.
I have to get Lucas home. Tonight.
Slowly, I turn to the large mirror beside the door. Tall, stretching almost to the floor, its golden frame is adorned with delicate inlaid roses that seem to bloom before my very eyes. The glass looks clouded and aged.
Castletree has helped me before by opening the bars in my cell and leading me to High Tower. Would it help me use the mirror like the princes can?
I was able to use the necklace to contact Ezryn, I can control the thorns.
Something simmers in me below the surface.
I’ve seen Farron send someone through. Dayton and I used it to travel to the Summer Realm. If this was how the princes came to Orca Cove, surely I can use it to get Lucas home.
Taking a steadying breath, I touch the glass. The mirror ripples, waves of metal water. “Show me Orca Cove,” I whisper.
