Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
Caspian
I sit on the edge of the pond in Castletree’s gardens, staring into the clear water. She approaches like a sunrise, a subtle warmth slowly crawling up my skin until my whole body glows like a damn star. Mate. My mate.
Not that she has any idea, or if she does, she keeps that part of herself hidden.
I can’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to be my mate either.
“Caspian.” Rosalina waves her hand, and my briars uncoil, making a path for her. The twilight paints her in a hazy orange, pink, and gold that filters through her gossamer skirt.
The stars must have been feeling particularly cruel when deciding to pair me with someone like her. How can we be mates? My blood is devouring flames and wicked shadows. Rosalina is light and love and beauty.
It’s better if she doesn’t know. Besides, if Farron is right and Aurelia can turn me human, what will happen to our mate bond? Perhaps fate will bestow upon me a small mercy and break the bond, so neither of us will have to be burdened with it. Though, I assume I won’t be so lucky. It was all too easy to speak in her mind and feel the pulse of our connection, even when her faedom was trapped within her. Not to mention, I suspect certain humans may hold more magic within them than they think. Rosalina’s lineage, especially.
“Quite the retreat,” Rosalina says, sitting on the opposite side of the pond from me.
After everything that’s transpired today, I’d needed to be alone. The last place I wanted to go was back to the Below. So, Castletree’s gardens seemed as good a spot as any. Not that there’s much garden besides my thorns now.
“I didn’t even know there was a pond here,” Rosalina continues.
The water is nearly hidden beneath curled briars. It would be impossible to get to without asking the briars to move. But I left a gap in this particular thorn bush, letting rainwater feed it, and surprisingly, after all these years, the water is still clear.
“What can I say?” A smile crosses my face. “I like to protect beautiful things.”
Rosalina lets her hand rest on one of the briars, nose crinkling in concentration. She’s thinking of my secret that’s not quite a secret anymore. I can only hope the princes keep it to themselves. If my mother ever found out … it would be the end of everything.
“The briars at Castletree help hold the structure up,” I explain. “I had to cast them wider, using the surrounding land to help feed life back into the castle. I’m powerful, but not powerful enough to keep Castletree standing on my own.”
“It hurts you,” Rosalina says. “The rot …”
“You mean my delightful black goo?” I say, rubbing my nose absently. “Yes, well, that has happened since I was a child. I can’t survive above ground forever. Using so much energy on Castletree speeds up the process.”
The warm summer air breezing through the briars tugs at the curls in her hair. “Are you okay right now?”
“As okay as I can be. I don’t have to channel as much energy into the briars when the princes are here, sustaining Castletree with their magic. I might even get a couple days on the surface, if I’m lucky. But who knows? Every dawn is different.” I shrug. There’s a flash of concern on her face, so I quickly add, “How did you find me, Princess?”
“Marigold told me you went outside and then I …” She trails off because the answer isn’t in words. It’s a feeling. Of course she knew where I was.
“Well, I know you haven’t forgiven me,” I say, tossing a pebble into the water. “So, why are you here?”
“I’m here—”
“To make sure I’m not leading your mates into a trap?” I finish for her.
“Once you all go down Below, you have the power, Caspian,” Rosalina says. “It’s up to you to protect them.”
“As soon as Kel and George enter the labyrinth, they’ll be beyond my help. Farron, however … I’ll do my best.”
She chews her lip, gazing at me.
“If you don’t trust me, trust in our common enemy. I don’t want the Green Flame coming to the Enchanted Vale any more than you. Freeing the Queen will ensure Sira can’t siphon her magic again.”
“If my mother is free,” she says, “she’ll surely take back Summer and Spring and the Below will lose control over those realms.”
“Kairyn and the Nightingale will lose control,” I clarify. “What do I care about the surface world? I can’t even survive here.”
Rosalina shakes her head; we both know there’s nothing I can truly say to get her to trust me. “You should have told me, Cas. About who I was, where I came from. You should have told me about my mother.”
“You know why I didn’t,” I say.
Her face scrunches in anger and she tosses a large rock into the water. “Yes. No. It’s impossible to know what’s going through your mind. God, even now you can’t admit this is where you want to be. You can’t even fully take our side.”
I crawl closer to her and grip her trembling hands. “I’ll do everything in my power to bring your mother back and protect your mates, Rosalina. How about that? I promise you.”
“It’s a start.” A few drops of her crystal tears fall onto our intertwined hands. “You’re still keeping secrets from me, aren’t you?”
“Many, but only two you’ll truly hate me for,” I answer truthfully.
“Does my mother know I’m here?”
“I’ve told her what I can, but it’s dangerous to exchange too much information.”
Rosalina nods. I crawl even closer to her until her breath caresses my face. “Do you forgive me?”
Something devious flashes in her smile, teardrops still dotting her full lips. “On one condition. You allow me to do something to you.”
“Anything,” I say instinctually. My body, my heart, my soul … it all belongs to her. She can do anything she wishes.
“Wonderful,” she whispers.
Her lips are only a breath away from my skin as she moves closer, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to grab her and devour her here.
“Caspian,” she whispers, fingers digging tight into my jacket. “I hope you know how to swim.”
Then my mate grabs me and pushes me into the pond, where cold water embraces me and the only thing I hear is her laugh.