“Someone you don’t want to anger.” Ezryn gives the woman a gentle nudge out of our alcove.
I drop my hold on the thorns as soon as she leaves, feeling something relax in my chest. I’m swept up in strong arms, the scent of pine and winter. Keldarion pushes me against the willow tree’s jeweled trunk, and my legs instinctively wrap around his waist.
He grips my chin. A strange satisfaction simmers in my heart at chasing that woman away from my mate.
“Did you want her?” I ask, knowing the answer.
Kel’s gaze drifts up and down my body. “Never.”
“Did I frighten you?” I’m less sure of this answer. Briars now lace around our willow. It reminds me of Castletree.
Kel’s pupils are dilated, breath sweet from the drinks. “You are ferocious and beautiful, my Rose. You deserve to claim what is yours after that display.”
“Claim what is mine,” I echo. You’re mine, Kel. I’m yours.
His hands roam over my body as I melt in his arms, letting go of all the worries and pent-up energy. “I have never wanted anyone the way I want you right now.” His mouth dips to my neck, teeth skittering along the sensitive skin. “I have never longed so desperately to show you.”
“Show me what?”
His lips are a hair away from mine. “My devotion to you.”
I sigh, becoming limp in his arms. My hips rock, feeling his steel length through the thin ribbons of my skirt. His hand snakes around to grip my waist, pulling me against him.
Spitefully, I think, Feel this, asshole. This is what it’s supposed to be like.
A beat passes, and Caspian’s familiar purr caresses my mind. And isn’t it delicious?
I press my lips to the exposed skin along Kel’s collar bone. A purely male rumble emits from his chest. I twist my head to give him better access to my neck and see Ezryn near the entrance of our enclosure.
He’s watching us.
A strange smile skitters across my lips as I continue to taste Kel’s skin while looking at Ezryn. It doesn’t feel strange that he’s here during this intimate moment. In fact, I can’t help but remember the time in the forest when he wound my hair around his hand as Kel laced up my bodice.
A deep moan escapes my lips, and I lick my way up Kel’s throat. A thrum of satisfaction crawls through my body at the sounds he makes with each press of my mouth. I look up at him through my lashes. How many times can I ask him to kiss me? So, I don’t ask. I rise up, lips parting, eyes closing.
He slaps a hand over my mouth as he growls, “I need to leave, or I am going to take you against this tree.”
He drops me, then stumbles, reaching out to a branch to steady himself. Ezryn darts forward, holding him up. “Don’t go out there right now, Kel.”
Kel grips Ezryn’s shoulders, his face a pained grimace. “I can’t be in here with her like this. Just look at her.”
Ezryn tilts his metal helm and regards me. “I’ll take her for a walk.”
“She—”
“I will not let harm come to her,” Ezryn says. “Trust me.”
Kel grits his teeth before he nods.
I tap Ezryn hard on his gauntleted arm. “Hey, do I not get a say in this?”
“No.”
“Did I mention how annoying it is when you two gang up on me?”
Ezryn leads me into the fray of the party, and I don’t look back. Stupid icy prick. Kel gets to storm around when he’s angry, but the moment my mating bond takes over a little bit, I get banished like a child?
“I’ll find us a quiet place away from the crowd—”
I break out of Ezryn’s grip. Rage bubbles in each of my steps. I know exactly where I’m going.
I march toward the thorn staircase.
Ezryn leaps in step with me “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to talk to the Prince of Thorns.”
“I can’t let you go up there.”
I spin and fix Ezryn with a glare. “I won’t let Caspian keep tormenting my mate. Trust me, Ezryn. Let me do this.”
“I do trust you. It’s Caspian I don’t trust.” A deep, reluctant sigh comes from beneath his helm. “I’ll be right here watching.”
“Good.” It’s time to face the Prince of Thorns.
56
Rosalina
I make my way up the staircase of briars.
Caspian’s still lounging on his throne and raises a dark brow at my approach. The fae man from the dance floor stands beside him. Thank god he’s tucked his limp dick away.
From this high, I have a view of the whole party, including our willow tree where Kel watches me with an intense gaze. I’m sure he’s not happy about this.
“Princess, how wonderful of you to pay your respects to the guest of honor. Me.”
I don’t let a hint of emotion pass over my face as I stand before him. “Enough with the games. Stop sending Keldarion your rejects—”
“You can’t talk to His Majesty that way, human.” The man beside Caspian glowers.
Caspian releases a long sigh. “Get out of my sight.”
The man with the long ice blond hair flashes a satisfied smirk. But within a heartbeat, Caspian pierces him with a glare. “You. Now.”
The fae man’s mouth opens and closes. Then he tilts his pointy chin in the air. “I see how it is. I suppose the human does look fuckable.” As he walks past me, he slaps me hard on the ass. I whirl, ready to rip his head off.
But I don’t get the chance.
Caspian stands and shoves the man off the raised platform. His face twists in horror, and he doesn’t have time to scream before a sharp thorn rises from the ground and impales him.
Blood and guts splatter as his ruined body slides down the thorn.
The music stops. Kel’s rushing out of the alcove. Ezryn’s halfway up the stairs. Even Dayton and Farron sprint off the dance floor.
But Caspian gently steps in front of me and eyes the crowd. “This is Rosalina O’Connell,” he says, not needing to shout to capture the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
I wave down my princes, not wanting them to get caught up in this. They slow their movements, watching me intently.
“She is a very special guest. If any of you touch her, you’ll join,” Caspian furrows his brow down at the bloody thorn, “whoever that was as a party decoration. And since you have a warning, I won’t let you die quickly. I’ll enjoy your screams alongside the music as you’re slowly ripped apart by my thorns.”
The crowd is still and silent, looking from the Prince of Thorns to the dead man hanging off the briars.
Caspian falls back in his throne as if exasperated, then waves an idle hand. “Carry on.” The music picks up its haunting elegance again, and the guests return to their activities.
I make eye contact with the princes, letting them know I’m okay. Caspian waves a hand and the throne he sits on twists, becoming larger. Large enough for me to sit beside him.
“Take a seat, Princess.” A crafted smile spreads across his lips, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Gulping, I take a seat.
This is… weird. I’m sitting on a throne of thorns with Caspian at his birthday party. And I’m not afraid. Which doesn’t really make sense considering I just watched him toss a man off his pedestal.
Though, I am nervous. Invisible wrinkles flee beneath my fingers as I smooth down my skirt for the hundredth time.
“It’s prettier here than I thought it would be,” I say.
“And how exactly did you picture the underworld?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “Blood dripping from the ceiling. Skeletons leaning against the walls. The sound of your victims screaming.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” He gives a wry smile. “What can I say? This is where I reside, and I’ve always been a fan of beauty. As for those other things you mentioned, you’ll have to go deeper.”
“I came to you for a reason. It’s about Keldarion,” I tell him. “We need to talk.”
“On my birthday, truly? Princess, you’re a constant thorn in my side, but for some reason,” he leans closer, “I can’t bring myself to pluck you out.”
“You have to stop sending those fae to us after you, uh, sleep with them. It’s cruel to them, and it upsets Keldarion. And me. It upsets me, as well. Why do you bother telling them to throw themselves at Kel? He’s not going to be mated with them. He’s already found me.”