“Sarelle!” Caelian admonished, panic slicing through her scorn. “The Darkbriar Wood is dangerous.”
It was the darker part of the forest surrounding Terensel. The canopy of trees was so thick the forest floor barely earned a scrap of sunlight. The woods were eerie. Misty. Oddly foreboding. Not exactly harmful, but they were not the sort of place one wandered alone.
“She’s right,” Creslyn agreed, a look of dark interest passing over her face. She didn’t sound the least bit concerned. “No one goes into the forest. It’s an unwritten rule, everyone knows it’s strictly forbidden.”
“It’s fine, you see. Prince Aspen was there. I think he was waiting for me.” Her lips twisted to the side in thought, and she toyed with the ring on her finger. “Of course, I screamed because he wasn’t in his human form at the time. He’d shifted into the…oh, what’s the name of that terrifying beast form he takes?”
Caelian twisted the satin of her gown in her hands, wrinkling the delicate fabric. She gulped down the knot of apprehension threatening to strangle her. “The Eyrewolfe?”
“Yes, that’s the one.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, the way one might do when dealing with a temperamental child. “A most frightening monster, to be sure, especially when it chases you.”
“Hechasedyou?” Caelian’s knees nearly buckled at the thought that Sarelle could have been hurt or injured, but Creslyn seemed downright giddy at the prospect.
“No wonder you’re blushing.” She feigned fanning herself with one hand. “There’s something wickedly delightful about a male who gives chase.”
Sarelle’s cheeks and neck turned crimson. “Yes, well, he didn’t stay in the Eyrewolfe form for long. I’m assuming he recognized my scent. He changed back to his fae form after he…”
“After he, what?” Creslyn prodded, her grin widening.
“After he pinned me to the forest floor and sniffed me.” Sarelle’s expression was unreadable after her admission, but Creslyn squealed in delight and clapped her hands.
“Cres!” Caelian scolded. “You cannot be serious. Sarelle could have been seriously injured. What if Prince Aspen hadn’t recognized her? What if he?—”
“Bit her?” Creslyn suggested with a mischievous glint in her sapphire eyes.
“Ripped out her throat!” Caelian cried, panicked at the thought.
“Oh, please.” Creslyn flitted one hand through the air, dismissing Caelian’s concern. “It’s obvious Prince Aspen gave her that ring on purpose. Sure, the Eyrewolfe situation may have been an accident, but the fact that he recognized her scent is quite exciting.”
She wiggled her brows.
Caelian groaned and shoved her fingers through her hair. “How are you romanticizing this?”
“How are you not?” Creslyn’s smirk sharpened and she glanced over at Sarelle. “Tell me, dear sister, were you not the least bit thrilled when the prince gave chase, even if he was in the form of the Eyrewolfe?”
Sarelle gnawed her bottom lip, then smoothed some of the wrinkles from her gown. “To be fair, I was petrified at the start. But then I realized it was him, and I found myself smiling, because I suppose some part of me knew he would not cause me harm. Though I will say, when Prince Aspen reverted back to his fae form but kept me pinned beneath him…that was decidedly exhilarating.”
Creslyn snapped her fingers, proving her point. “I thought as much.”
“Stars above,” Caelian muttered, a dull ache forming between her temples. It was either the from lack of proper sustenance or the absolute absurdity of the conversation. “I, for one, am glad you are alive. And while I’m also equally overjoyed that the ring did in fact work, I must implore you to take more care.”
“Yes, yes. Of course.” But Sarelle’s airy voice was anything but troubled. In fact, she sounded more distracted than before as she held her hand up to the firelight, admiring the gilded ring. She pushed off the settee and wandered toward the door of the library, gazing at the miniature skull as though entranced. A small smile graced her lips. “Perhaps next time I shall be more specific.”
“I will be curious to see what sort of specifications she makes.” Creslyn giggled, then snorted, clamping one hand over her mouth as Sarelle drifted out of the library in a daze. She clasped her hands together, canting her head to one side as her gaze refocused on Caelian and her smile slowly faded. “How are you sleeping, Cae?”
Terribly.
She didn’t particularly want to tell her twin that she’d been suffering from chronic nightmares, or that she often ended up crying herself to sleep, or that the heavy silence was so loud it woke her at all hours.
“Well enough.” The lie slipped from her easily, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Are you certain?” Creslyn asked, a small line once again pinching her brows together, like she didn’t quite believe her. “You look as though the midnight hours last longer than they ought.”
“Sometimes they do, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Lack of sleep was the least of Caelian’s worries. Plenty of other concerns plagued her heart, and being unable to achieve a good night’s rest was not one of them. “The ability to sleep soundly will return to me eventually.”
At least, she hoped as much.
Creslyn studied her for a moment longer.
