Farron shoots a wary glance at all of us, then advances. “Caspian, I’m here to uphold my end of the bargain.”
A dark chuckle reverberates through the cavern, and Caspian steps into the light. My breath catches. The gems’ glow casts off his exquisite features. He wears a black jacket cinched at his slim waist, with swirls of purple thread embroidered at the cuffs. A brilliant silver cravat billows at his neck. His pants are tight, tucked into shining knee-high boots. He stops before us, sliding his hands into his pockets, long dark hair falling across his eyes. “Welcome, residents of Castletree, to the Below.”
No one says anything. Not a single thing.
“Happy birthday,” I blurt.
His eyes widen, and he smiles. He should not be allowed to have a smile that beautiful. “Let’s be sure to celebrate it.” He winks at Farron. “Nice pants. Taking inspiration from Kel now, little pup?”
Farron flushes. “What? No!” He’s wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, laces undone, tucked into high-waisted leather pants. My gaze drifts from him to Kel, who’s wearing his similar tight navy shirt and leather pants.
“They’re dressed quite similarly.” Dayton gives Farron a little pat on his ass. “Cute.”
“Shut up,” Farron growls.
“Let’s get this over with,” Ezryn says, black armor shining, his movements stiff and precise.
Keldarion doesn’t let go of my hand as we follow behind the Prince of Thorns to the other end of the cave. It’s completely enclosed. Where is he taking us? I cast a quick glance at our thorn portal, still shining. Twelve hours, that’s how long Caspian said it would stay open.
He stops in front of a shimmering cave wall. “I thought I’d plant the matching seed somewhere out of the way. Didn’t want your arrival to cause a scene.”
He taps a crystal three times and the wall groans then shifts open into a small passage. Kel gives me a slight nod and we follow him through. It leads to a hallway. The walls are the same stone as the cave, but they’ve been smoothed flat, the ceiling low above us. The ground, too, is polished and covered in a plush blue rug. Crystals light the way, set into elegant mounts on the wall.
Behind us, the stone door slams to a close. Our exit, gone.
“This way,” Caspian drawls.
“Wait.” I stop. “How do we get back in there?”
Caspian glances over his shoulder. “I’ll open it for you when you’re ready to leave.”
If the mirror in Castletree can’t bring us here, then what if the princes’ necklaces can’t bring us back? Like hell I’m letting us get trapped.
“Show me how to open it,” I say.
Caspian sighs, then storms past the princes. He grabs my arm, tugging me away from Kel. “See those stones in the wall? Tap the green one twice, then the pink once, and then the blue three times.”
His hand over mine, we go through the movements until the door creaks open. “Green twice, pink once, blue thrice,” I whisper.
“Aren’t you clever?” He drops my hand, then continues to lead us down the hall.
Kel prowls up to him and snatches his arm. “If you touch her again so callously, I will—”
“Chop my arms off? Behead me? Give me a talking to?” Caspian rolls his eyes.
I slow my pace, falling in step beside Dayton.
He doesn’t acknowledge me, just trails a hand along the smooth wall. Every so often, the wall dips into the shape of stone doors. Sometimes an odd clang comes from behind one of them, and I swear I hear the chitter of goblins.
I turn my attention back to Dayton. Only a few weeks ago it had felt like my soul was brushing against his. Now he feels a million miles away even as we walk side-by-side.
I know he’s been busy. Everyone’s been busy. But he’s barely spoken to me since that night.
Tugging my cloak tighter, I blink and ask, “Have you ever been to the Below before?”
“Hmm?” He raises a dark brow as if he didn’t realize I was there. “Oh, not like this.”
“Are you… Are we okay?”
“Why wouldn’t we be?”
I glance ahead, but Caspian and Kel are still arguing, and Farron and Ezryn are hopelessly trying to mediate.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I say, knowing I have to explain. “The reason I said Kel’s name—”
“Rosie.” Dayton draws my name out like a sigh. “Is that what’s got your pretty little face all scrunched up? Did you bruise my ego a little? Sure, I’m a man after all.”
“But all these weeks…” You’ve barely even looked at me.
“Have been a bore.” He tilts his head, golden hair cascading over his shoulders. “Work, kill frozen things, traverse across the hills, train. Boring. As much as I loathe Cas, his parties are revered around the realms. I am ready to wet my throat and other things.” He winks.
I flush. “Oh.”
He walks backward, throwing out his hands. “And didn’t you say we need to surround ourselves with people? Who knows, maybe my mate is in the Below, and they’ll fall on my dick tonight.”
I struggle to swallow, let alone form words. This isn’t the reaction I thought he’d have. But maybe it’s the one I should have expected. All I can do is nod.
“Rosalina.” Kel stops and turns, and I wonder if he can feel the pang of heartbreak through our bond. I scurry up past Dayton and join the rest of the group.
“We’re almost there,” Caspian says.
Ahead, the hall ends in two silver doors. Caspian pushes them open, and a blast of cold air hits me. It’s like we’re going outside, but we’re still beneath the surface.
We step into a massive cavern. The ceiling disappears into a murky gray mist.
A bridge of white stone weaves gracefully across the grand expanse. Glowing jewels light the railing, giving off a warm pink hue that lights the path to the other side of the massive chasm. I tread onto the bridge and peek over the edge. There’s a whole city down there, a labyrinth of serpentine paths and soaring buildings that spread as far as I can see.
I finally shift my gaze to the far side of the bridge. There sits a marble castle. The entire structure is adorned with intricate carvings, arched windows glowing with opalescent light, and high silver towers reaching for the mist. It’s reminiscent of a fairy tale, not a nightmare.
“Welcome to Cryptgarden,” Caspian says. His dark eyes sparkle as he whispers in my mind, Make yourself at home, Princess.
53
Rosalina
Nudity. Nudity everywhere. And sex. My breath convulses, and I can barely concentrate on anything else as Caspian leads us into Cryptgarden, his home.
We traverse the great bridge and venture into the castle grounds, avoiding the long line coiling around attempting to be allowed in.
He takes us to a grand courtyard, open air, with towers and balconies encircling the area. The courtyard is just as beautiful as any I’ve seen in the fae realms, everything cast in blue and purple tones. Crystallized trees are draped with gauzy fabric, and glowing enclosures feature plush seating and beds. Elegant silver tables line the edges, filled with all manner of bubbling concoctions, sweets, and fruit. Several fountains spurt brightly colored liquid, and people fill their cups with it. There’s so much going on, I can hardly comprehend. Every available inch is crowded with fae.
And they’re all fucking.
Okay, that’s not true. But my cheeks burn at the sheer amount of debauchery around us. Fae move and flow together in the enclosed space. They dance half-naked along a marble stage in the middle of the courtyard. A chorus of pleasure rises to match the haunting music that drifts down from a gathering of fae on one of the upper balconies, the musicians all masked in skulls.
“Come along,” Caspian says, leading us through the throng.
It’s like electricity sparks through everyone as the Prince of Thorns enters his own party. Fae start to surround him, but he waves them away. As we trail behind, I hear the names of my princes whispered among the fae.