They look up from the crowd.
I see them so clearly now: Farron’s golden eyes sparkling in the fading light, his mouth half-open, my name upon his lips. Dayton in the middle, a strange, genuine smile breaking across his mouth, strands of blond hair falling loose from his long ponytail. And Ezryn, face still hidden from view, but the stance of his body changing, his gloved hand reaching for me.
They came.
The High Princes of Castletree came for me.
10
Farron
I’d thought it really was the end. Castletree had held onto a bit of hope for the last twenty-five years, but that hope disappeared when she did.
But as I stare at her now, her messy brown hair trailing across that beautiful face, it’s like the sun has dawned again.
Rosalina. Our Rosie.
“Who the fuck is she with?” Dayton growls under his breath.
“I told you I should have brought my sword,” Ezryn says huskily, his voice clearer out of the fabric mask than his usual metal helm.
“You know what Marigold said,” I whisper back. “We have to blend in.”
We’d been ready to take the mirror to Orca Cove right after the altercation with Keldarion, but Marigold had chastised us: “You think you three are going to waltz into the human world dressed like you walked out of one of Rosalina’s storybooks? You should at least try to fit in.”
None of us have ventured to the mortal realm since the curse, over twenty-five years ago, but Marigold found some garments from the last journey. Though looking around now, these humans certainly have lost their penchant for color.
I give my head a shake to better focus on what the other princes are saying; I’ve been too caught up in the shimmer of Rosie’s eyes as she looks at each of us. But then I see it.
A man has his arm around her.
Anger burns hot and bright inside of me, like a flame fueled by a gust of wind. She’s obviously in distress, cheeks stained with tears. “Get off her,” I yell, but it doesn’t come out in words, but a primal growl.
“Easy, Fare.” Dayton touches the back of my neck. The feeling is electric, one of the few times his skin has been on mine in months. “We’ll handle it.”
“I. Want. My. Sword,” Ezryn says on his other side.
Dayton sighs. “When did I become the reasonable one?” He raises his hands before him. “We’ll break his nose and be on our way.”
We run, the crowd doing nothing to stop us. They merely stare at us agape; I wonder why these strange humans find us to be of such interest. I mentally file these observations away for further study. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a tall older fellow in a brawl with two younger, burly men. I think of helping him, but he seems to be holding his own just fine.
The man with his arm around Rosalina notices us. Rosie screams for us again, but he throws a hand over her mouth and drags her behind a boarded-up building to the right.
Dayton lets out an animalistic growl. “Fine, I’m with you. This guy dies.”
Breath comes ragged out of my throat. All this time, I thought she’d wanted to leave us. That she would be safer in the human world. But now I see…
Humans are just as monstrous as the fae.
“He took her in here,” Ez says, waving us behind the building. The human onlookers are scattering. I’m not sure if we’ve made them nervous or they’ve lost interest now that the red-haired man is out of sight.
Behind the building, there’s only a wooden door with a big brass knob. Ez tries it. “He locked it.”
“Get a little creative,” Dayton snaps. He places both hands on the knob and pulls. His shirt is so tight, I can see the muscles bulge.
With a terrible creak, the old door yanks from the hinges. Dayton tosses it away, and we run in.
The building is dark, the only light drifting between the slats of the boarded-up windows. It’s one big room, covered in half-opened boxes and partially set-up shelves. I recognize the stuffed replica of the majestic orca whale, but this is a terrifying version, the eyes gaping at unseen horrors.
Standing in the middle of the room is Rosalina and the red-haired man. His face looks nearly possessed, a demon of wrath and violence. He’s so focused on her and his rage, he doesn’t even notice us, despite the sound the door made.
Rosalina… My heart clenches, and I stagger forward, knees weak. She appears almost unfamiliar, scared and shrunken. I’ve seen her in fear at the Winter Solstice Ball or when my wolf nearly tore her leg off. But I’ve never seen that look of surrender on her face.
My breath feels too full for my lungs, my blood too hot. That’s not my Rosalina. What has this man done to her?
What have we done to her? We’ve left her. I believed Kel over myself. Even though I knew, deep within my heart, Rosalina wouldn’t want to leave Castletree, her friends, her work.
Wouldn’t want to leave me.
But I’d been afraid Kel was right. Too afraid to question it.
A vicious snarl tears from my lips, my body shaking with the raw power of my anger.
The man’s got her left wrist clasped in one hand and a knife in the other. “You don’t want to wear my ring? Fine. I’ll brand you another way.”
Ezryn steps forward, voice gruff and haunted. “You have a choice. You can walk away now, or we’ll rid you of your ability to walk at all.”
Rosalina stares at us. Tears shimmer down her face. “You came.”
For a moment, I can see through the fury. “Always, Rosie,” I whisper back.
“I don’t know who you three think you are,” the red-haired man rasps, “but this is between me and my fiancée.”
“Oh-ho-ho.” Dayton throws his head back in a humorless chuckle. “So, you’re the famous fiancé who’s unable to satisfy a woman?” Dayton strolls over, each movement laced with swagger. He grabs the wrist of the hand holding onto Rosalina. “Don’t worry. I took care of her for you.”
The man curls his lips over his teeth, but Dayton squeezes. Hard. A crack sounds through the dark room. The man howls and yanks his limp wrist back toward his chest. Rosalina immediately staggers to Dayton’s side.
“You fucking broke my wrist!” the man screams.
Dayton shrugs. “Count yourself lucky. I took the hands off the last guy who touched our girl.”
Rosalina glances frantically between the two of them. “Leave, Lucas. Just go.”
The man—Lucas—looks like his skin may melt off his bones. “Who do you think you are? Rosalina doesn’t know you. Get the fuck away from us!”
He raises the knife, a beam of sunlight gleaming off the tip. In a single fluid movement, Ezryn punches him in the gut. He snags the falling knife while Lucas doubles over, coughing.
“Last chance.” Ez holds the knife up to examine it. “Leave. Or we’ll make you leave.”
Rosalina trembles like a fall leaf beside them, her brown eyes frantic. Dayton and Ez have this demon. She needs me. Needs me to tell her it’s okay. We’ve got her. She’s not alone anymore.
But I can’t because every nerve in my body is alight. Like there’s no movement I can make, because if I even so much as blink, every piece of me will burst into flame. I should have come for you. I should have known.
I left you alone.
Shame floods me, but it changes to fury. She should never have been in this position.
Why wasn’t I strong enough to stop it?
The anger bubbles up inside of me like a noxious potion, filling my veins with heat. Even the surrounding air seems to grow thick, and I’m breathing too much oxygen, giving too much fuel to the inferno within. Stay calm, Farron. Stay calm.
Lucas looks up at Dayton and Ez. He isn’t aware of my presence. “Fine. Take your fucking whore. Just know she’ll come back to me.” He grins too wide. “She always does.”
I have but a single moment for one last thought: there’s nothing I can do. Farron is about to disappear.
And when he wakes up, he’ll have to live with what he’s done.
Excruciating pain rips through my body as the beast tears its way from my flesh and lunges straight at Lucas.
11
Rosalina