He does want to protect it; protect a world he can’t even survive in himself. “We will,” I say, meaning it. “We’re going to stop it and yes, I would like your help with the spell.”
“Good.” Caspian gleams. “And you’re going to need my help getting ready for the party because there’s no way I can bring you looking likethat.”
I can’t help but laugh, running a hand through my hair. “We’ll see about that.”
“Come on,” Caspian says, turning. “We’ve got what we need. We should leave before Birdy returns.”
“Right.” I follow him, but something on the table catches my attention.
The Nightingale has an assortment of strange ingredients strewn across the table of potions: powders, gels, herbs, dewdrops in a jar. There’s one flower that draws my attention. It shines with a light blue glow. I know this plant, one that goes by many names. Friar’s Lantern. The Deceiver’s Bloom. The Lonely Lover’s Flower. Rosie found one in the Emberwood, which confused the will-o’-wisp she held.
“Coming, Farron?” Caspian calls from the entrance of the chamber.
“Right behind you,” I reply and quickly pocket the flower before heading after the Prince of Thorns.
CHAPTER 43
Rosalina
So much has changed these last few months. At times, Ezryn feels like a new person after all the layers I’ve uncovered. But in many ways, he’s still the same knight-in-shining-armor who gave me a room filled with cherry blossoms.
Through my sleepy eyes, I see him kneeling on the floor, methodically sorting the contents of his pack and laying out his sword and gear. His armor is made of leather and cotton now, swapped for bright silver metal, but his careful movements are all the same.
I pull the rough blanket up over my shoulder, unable to leave the warmth of the covers yet.
“Did you sleep well, Petal?” Ezryn asks, standing.
“Yes,” I murmur. Even though his curse hadn’t broken, our mate bond was strong enough to stop his shift, so long as he was wrapped in my arms.The same as Keldarion.For the first time, Ezryn and I spent the night entwined.
It was so peaceful, rocked by the gentle ocean waves, our naked bodies entangled, and my lips pressed to his chest, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his skin.
He’s wearing only loose dark pants now, and the lantern light paints patterns on his muscular chest.So handsome.
Yawning, I stretch. There are no windows in our little room, but I can hear the call of seabirds. We must be near land. Soon, Ezryn will leave.
Throwing my feet over the side of the bed, I get up, the blanket falling to my feet in a dark pool. I cross to my mate and wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing my naked body against his back. He’s so warm.
A low growl rumbles in his throat, and he reaches up to hold on to my forearms.
“You’re still wearing your armor,” I murmur against his skin.
“It’s different now,” Ezryn says, gesturing to the clothes before him.
“No, the armor within you. Ez, talk to me.”
He gives a long sigh, then spins, sitting on a small stool and pulling me onto his lap. My legs fall to either side of his waist. Ezryn tilts his head, gaze roaming over my body, as his knuckles lightly brush my back. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop being spellbound by your beauty.”
I weave my fingers through the waves of his dark hair, the tips of my breasts brushing his bare chest. “That’s not what I meant.”
He draws me into an embrace, his facial hair rough on my shoulder. “My mother used to be a brilliant tracker. She could find a man lost in the mountains using week-old footprints or lead herself out of the depths of a wood by navigating the moss on the trees. She never lost her way. Not in the wilds, not in her convictions.” His throat bobs. “Rose, I don’t know my way.”
I know he’s not just talking about navigating the Ribs and locating the Huntresses. His dark eyes shine with a vulnerability I rarely see in him. The expression makes my heart catch. Yesterday, we sweated out so much of the anger I carried. What was left slips out of me now. For all the mistakes Ezryn’s made, I’ve known they were never truly out of malice, but from hurt. From shame. Feelings I too carried for so long.
“You’ll figure it out, Ez. I know you will.” I take his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “You found your way back to me, after all.”
He places a hand above my heart then peers up at me through his lashes. His voice is barely a whisper. “Have I?”
“Of course.” The bond within my chest sings, but I know what’s between us is so much more than just the twining of fate. Our love has grown quietly, steadily, since I first saw him on the bridge at Castletree. From quick glances across the dining table to sharing our deepest pain, Ezryn and I have always been on this path. The one that leads us straight to the other.
