No, no, no.If this mirror doesn’t work, Keldarion is going tokillLucas. “Please.” The gilded edges gleam like the castle is listening. But the mirror does not open for me again.
“Rosalina,” a stern voice says from behind me.
Keldarion is here.
“Don’t tell him your name,” I whisper to Lucas as we turn. “And don’t be a dick.”
Lucas grunts in acknowledgment. He’s still got his arm slung around me. And yep, the mate bond must be perfectly functional because the fury on Kel’s face is clear. He storms down the stairs, leaving Perth Quellos scampering behind him. “Who is this?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue:Oh, the injured human Ezryn healed. I’m just sending him home.
But before I can say anything, Lucas straightens. “I don’t know who the fuck you are. I’m Lucas Poussin, and this ismyfiancée.”
I swear even Castletree takes a breath. I inhale, and Kel stills. Then all fury explodes. A blizzard thrashes down the hall, hail and snow rising around the Prince of Winter as he storms toward us and snarls, “Get your hands off my mate.”
28
Rosalina
IthoughtI’dwitnessedKeldarion’s wrath before—when Farron attempted to eat me, when Caspian crashed the ball, or even when I dared to enter High Tower. Yet, what I behold now is unlike any of that.
It’s in the unyielding set of his jaw, the controlled gait of his stride. A palpable fury that crackles the surrounding air. A rage so intense that each flake of snow and ice-tipped breeze falls into his command.
Maybe I should be afraid. But it’s like every part of my body wants to run to him.
Lucas springs his hands off me and stumbles to the door, tugging on it. But of course, it doesn’t open for him. “What the fuck, Rosalina?” Terror radiates through his words. “Where are we, you crazy bitch?”
“Kel, wait.” I hold up my hands. “I can explain.”
Keldarion ignores me. Behind us, Perth Quellos watches with a calculating gaze. Another fear bursts to life in my chest. Keldarion usually has complete control over his wolf, and it is a full moon. But what if it breaks free? The last thing we need is that foul vizier seeing the truth of his curse.
“Ez!” I call. “Day! Farron!” I’m going to need their help if I want to stop a murder and Kel’s wolf from breaking free.
In an instant, the three princes rush from the dining hall. Caspian must have left, which is for the best, because it wouldn’t do for Perth to see him either.
Dayton pulls me against his chest, and Farron grabs my trembling hands. Ezryn stands in front of the three of us, surveying the situation, every step charged with dominance.
“I was trying to send Lucas home,” I say, “but the mirror wouldn’t work, and then Kel came down and—”
“Kel,” Ezryn says, “what is going on? This man is my patient, under Rosalina’s request.”
Keldarion only gives the briefest grunt of acknowledgement. He stands over Lucas, who has slunk down, trembling in front of the door. I’ve never seen him like this, cowering like the animals he hunts.
Keldarion’s voice rumbles low and dangerous. “This man has committed an unforgivable crime. Death would be a mercy he does not deserve.”
Lucas looses a string of unintelligible curses. He whips his head back and forth, but I already know there’s no escape for him.
Dayton rubs my shoulders in a comforting gesture. “What’s going on, Blossom?”
Fresh tears spill down my cheeks. Farron takes hold of my face with a tender touch, his eyes full of empathy. “Rosie, we’re here for you. You can tell us anything.”
I shake my head, breaking free of his grip. “You’re going to be so ashamed of me.”
Ezryn turns around at my words, all three of them protectively encircling me. “You have seen our pasts laid bare before you,” Ezryn says, “yet you returned to us.”
Farron holds me with his amber gaze. “There is nothing you could tell us that would have us turn away from you.”
“Nothing,” Dayton agrees.
