“Your mate!” Astrid peeps, her long white ears going straight up.
“Oh honey, I’ve been waiting for us to dish about that juicy little development of yours.” Marigold heaves herself up on the bed.
So, all of Castletree knows about Kel and me. I lay back on the fluffy pillows, the hare on one side and the raccoon on the other.
“A mate who doesn’t want me.” I sigh. Thinking of his words cuts me like a physical blow.
“The master has always been secretive,” Astrid says gently. “Perhaps there’s a reason he didn’t want you near.”
“How can I be so disagreeable that he doesn’t even want to try to break his curse? At times, he looks at me and I swear there’s something there. But most of the time, it’s just…”
“His scary, frosty face?” Astrid says, and Marigold barks a laugh.
“That’s it!” I’m so grateful for them. Even in my worst moments, they’re able to make me smile.
“Well, whether or not he sees it,” Marigold says, “I’ve known there’s something special about you from the moment you walked in here. We all did.”
“Everything feels better now that you’re back,” Astrid says.
“That it does.” Marigold creeps off the bed, followed by Astrid. “But it’s long past time we let you get some rest.”
I sit up. “I’m not going to give up. I’m going to break this curse. If Keldarion wants nothing to do with me, fine. But it doesn’t mean I can’t help the other princes.”
“Thank you, Rosalina,” Astrid says, hopping after Marigold. “I can feel it. There’s a change in the air.”
Alone again, I spend some time reacquainting myself with my beautiful room. I go to the wardrobe, change into a long-sleeved pale-blue nightdress, and let my hair out of my ponytail. But as I snuggle deep into my bed, something doesn’t feel right.
A great uneasiness settles in my chest. I know both Dayton and Ezryn are asleep, resting after such an exhausting day. Keldarion is probably wallowing in his own torment from being the worst possible stink-faced, blue-balled icy fae male in existence. But Farron…
Farron is hurting. Not physically, but inside. He’s terrified.
I throw my legs out of my bed. The stars are still out, but I know what I must do.
I must find the Autumn Prince.
15
Rosalina
I traverse the thicket of coiling thorns that wind their way up the staircase to the dungeon tower. On one of my first evenings within Castletree, I dared to climb to the dungeon and rescue the prisoner held captive there. But I’d been ignorant of the terrible curse that plagued the princes—a curse that condemned Farron to become a ferocious wolf at nightfall. It was then I realized the true reason he was locked in that cell. For when the moon rises high and the beastly form emerges, he hungers not for freedom but for flesh.
Unlike the others, Farron has no control over his beast.
I clutch a book. It was one I’d left in my room before Kel forced me back to Orca Cove. Farron had recommended it to me, a collection of ballads and love stories from the Autumn Realm. Somehow, I know he’s in torment. It’s a silly idea, but maybe my presence will soothe him.
The door to the dungeon is a massive slab of iron with rust coating its surface. From beyond it, I hear deep growls and the thrashing of chains. My heart careens in my chest, but I force myself through. The creaking hinges groan as I push it open, revealing a dark and musty chamber.
My feet tread quietly on the stone as I grow closer to Farron’s cell. I thumb open the book, trying to see the words in the flickering light of the torches.
“‘As I traverse the forest with my dear companion, the world takes on a wondrous hue of cerulean. The leaves rustle with the gentle caress of the breeze, and the soft ground beneath our feet sings with the sweet melody of our footsteps.’” My voice is barely audible over the clinking chains. “‘’Twas in that verdant grove that we chanced upon the will-o’-wisps. Or, I should say, they chanced upon us.’”
The chains groan as I near his cell. The torch nearest is burnt out, and all I can glimpse is a dark mass of fur, the shine of sharp teeth in the moonlight from the window.
“‘The elusive creatures appeared as if from nowhere, their ethereal glow illuminating the emerald foliage.’” I swallow in a dry throat and blink back down at my pages. “‘They laid upon us, alighting my bosom and hers, revealing the depth of our intimate bond. In that fleeting moment, it was as if they could see into the very souls of our beings, and—’”
The chain rattles relentlessly, my presence sending the wolf into a deep frenzy. It bounds into the moonlight. Twigs, mushrooms, and branches are matted into the brown fur of the beast, as if the forest itself has woven its way onto the creature. I struggle to comprehend how the horror that stands before me could be my sweet Autumn Prince. The wolf’s eyes lock onto mine, and I feel as though I am staring into the depths of an endless abyss.
I know I should turn and run, but my feet are rooted to the ground. The beast lunges, jaws wide, and bites the bars separating us. They creak, shaking at the base—
I scream, jumping back, as my book falls from my hand.
A sound like thunder echoes through the dungeon as an enormous form leaps in front of me. Keldarion howls, and his massive paws slam onto the ground, spreading ice along the prison. The Autumn wolf’s growl descends to a whimper as the ice touches its paw, and it slinks back to the corner of its cell, curling into itself.
My heart bleeds with fear and pain and sorrow. Then the giant white wolf turns his frosty gaze to me. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I—”
He shakes his head before snatching me in his massive jaws. Great, so we’re back to this again. The white wolf carries me to my room, depositing me on my bed. And I hate that every part of me aches to reach out for him to stay and aches to return to the Autumn wolf in the dungeon.
Keldarion doesn’t say another word before he leaves.
I curl into a ball, knowing something deep within me. I have to save Farron.
Save him from himself.
16
Keldarion
A thin line of light glitters along the horizon. Dawn will be here soon. I feel the man within me aching to be free of this cage of flesh and fur.
Rosalina is safe now. I’d felt her fear like a drum beside my heart. I had no choice but to follow her to the dungeon. She should have known better than to provoke the beast. Then again, she should have known better than to return.
Though my chamber looks carved of ice itself, I can’t feel the cold. Every part of me is numb, and for that I am grateful.
Every time my mind wanders to the feel of her arms around my body, I force myself inward. To the cold. To the numbness.
Claws scrape against ice, and I feel his presence like a looming shadow. “So, I’m not the only one who can’t sleep,” I say without turning.
His silence is deafening.
I knew my decision to send Rosalina away would break me.
I didn’t realize how much it would break them, too.
“Have you come to ambush me in my chambers again?” I ask when he still says nothing. “Or perhaps to explain that other human scent I smell?”
“An accident occurred during our visit. The human will be gone as soon as he’s healed,” Ezryn says flatly.
I let out an annoyed huff. I recognized Rosalina and her father’s scent as soon as they stood on the castle grounds. This other wayward human is of no concern to me.
Finally, Ezryn sighs and strides in. There are bones tangled throughout his dark fur, little bird skulls cracked by fungi and covered in moss. Yet, his dark brown eyes shine brightly, flashing nearly yellow in the light.
Are they the same as the man’s? I wonder. Long have I yearned to look upon the face of my closest friend. Perhaps this is one small blessing from the curse. I get to see his eyes.
“You lied to us, Kel,” Ezryn says, the wolf’s voice deep and rumbling. “You knew she was your mate, and you hid it.”
I turn away from him. “I did what I had to. For all of us.”