24. Rosalina
24
Rosalina
T he Prince of Thorns is at Castletree.
Kel stands up so fast his chair clatters to the ground. Ice grows from beneath his feet, a sheet cracking along the floor. “What is he doing here?”
A little peep escapes me as a memory returns.
“What?” Keldarion snarls.
I throw my burning face into my palms. “When we were dancing at the Winter Solstice Ball, I jokingly invited him.” Peering between my fingers, I gaze upon three stunned faces and my awkward reflection in Ezryn’s helmet. “But it’s not a big deal. I’ll tell him his invitation is rescinded after he threw his tantrum and destroyed the entire ballroom with his thorns.”
I jump up before any of them can stop me and rush out of the dining hall. Unsurprisingly, I’m followed by a 6’5 frosty giant. As I scurry past Astrid, I whisper an apology. The poor thing, I can only imagine how traumatizing it would be to hear a knock on the door and see the bloody Prince of Thorns standing there.
I march into the entrance hall, ready to tell Caspian to go to hell, but stagger to a stop. I find myself unable to draw in a full breath as I look upon him, radiant and otherworldly in his beauty.
He’s really gone all out for this dinner.
The Prince of Thorns is resplendent in his formal attire. A rich maroon shirt emphasizes the purple flecks in his dark, alluring eyes. His toned forearms are on display with sleeves rolled up. The fitted black trousers perfectly hug his legs, while a matching waistcoat adorned with shining buttons completes the ensemble. A cloak of shadows, black as night, drapes over his broad shoulders, adding a hint of magic to his already striking appearance.
A half smile curves his full lips, while his dark hair has been slicked back, except for a single piece that falls over his brow.
Surprisingly, Kel hasn’t launched into a tirade yet. I turn to see his stunned expression mirrors my own.
I guess it’s not every day you see your arch enemy standing in your entrance hall expecting dinner. They have some sort of history. A betrayal. My gaze drifts to Kel’s wrist. He has a bargain with Caspian, one he refuses to tell me about.
“Well,” Caspian’s dark eyes roam over us, “if it isn’t my two favorite people in all the Vale.”
“You’re not welcome here,” Kel finally speaks, stepping in front of me.
Caspian picks an invisible piece of lint from his shirt, positively unbothered. “Really, Kel? After your mate was so kind to invite me?”
So, he knows I’m Kel’s mate. “That was before you decided to spread your thorns in the Winter Realm,” I say.
“Hmm.” Caspian smirks. “I thought you liked my thorns, Princess.”
Two small vines slither up from the ground and twine around my ankles. Pleasure and pain, remember? His voice echoes in my mind.
I remember the day he watched me pleasure myself in the castle gardens. Rage sweeps through me, and I free myself from the briars.
It won’t be enough to ask him to leave. He’s too powerful. He’s literally got the entire castle under his wraps. And the princes’ magic is weak because of it, while his own remains unbridled. Perhaps even stronger if he truly is sucking the magic from Castletree. Keldarion can puff his chest all he wants, but the only way Caspian leaves here is if he wants to. “Tell me why you came.”
“Is it so hard to believe I want to eat dinner with you lovely fae?”
“Yes,” Keldarion and I say at the same time.
“Stars.” Caspian holds his hands up in a peaceful gesture. “Fine. I heard you have an impossible problem. And I love to figure out the impossible.”
“Farron?” I breathe.
Caspian reaches toward me, almost as if to touch my cheek, before dropping his hand. “Come now, loves,” he purrs. “I can hardly discuss details on an empty stomach.”
I ’ve had my fair share of awkward dinners at this dining table. And I expected one with the Prince of Thorns to be the most awkward of all.
Except it’s not.
Not in the slightest.
Were the three fae princes surprised when Keldarion and I walked in with Caspian at our side? Indeed.
The vacant seat beside Farron and the ice wall didn’t please him, so he dragged the chair all the way around the table and pushed it between Keldarion and me, so now I’m in the middle of the Prince of Thorns and Ezryn.
But that was it, the only awkward thing. Because now, the wine is flowing, plates are empty and… everyone is laughing. Even Keldarion. And the Prince of Thorns has the goddamn cockiest shit-eating grin on his beautiful face.
I pop my fifth jelly tart into my mouth, waving away the wine Dayton offers me. Don’t these idiots realize the Prince of Thorns is here and we need to be on high alert? But they’re all so invested in some story he brought up. A memory of a lake by a place called the Prismatic Palace.
“I bloody knew it was you who put the frogs in Tilla’s bed,” Dayton laughs, his cheeks flushed from the wine.
Caspian just tilts his cup.
Farron clutches his belly and wheezes. “I remember asking Day if a rooster got loose in the palace. That’s what her scream sounded like.”
“Who is Tilla again?” I ask, losing count of all the names they’ve mentioned.
Caspian wipes a crumb off my cheek with a napkin. “Darling, swallow before you ask questions. No one can understand you with a mouth full of pastry.”
I meet his gaze, angrily swallowing. “Who. Is. Tilla?”
“Oh, Tilla .” Dayton draws out her name. “She was Kel’s old flame. Long golden hair, huge—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” I snarl, fire flashing inside me like a match lit.
“Huge armor .” Dayton slumps down in his chair. “She’d wear steel even over her dresses. She’s from the Spring Realm, after all.”
My eyes flick to Ezryn. At least he’s still on my side, acting his usual rigid self. Though I can’t see, I can feel his constant glare on Caspian.
“Why are they all acting like he’s some long-lost friend?” I whisper, leaning closer to Ezryn. “He’s the bloody Prince of Thorns.”
Ezryn gives a long sigh, and whispers back, “Because in a way, he is a long-lost friend. There was a time the five of us spent many nights like this together.” Ezryn hesitates, and I spy his fists tightening under the table. “And now we have no choice but to play this twisted game of pretend. With our magic so weakened, we cannot evict him from the castle. With his power unbound, challenging him to a fight would be unwise.”
I’d had the same thought earlier; I just didn’t think playing pretend with the Prince of Thorns would be so easy for the Princes of Castletree. Especially Kel.
“Ezryn.” Caspian leans on the table, twisting his body to us. “Do you remember? I think your brother came down to join us for a day, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” Ezryn says stiffly. “He lives in the Starweaver Mountain Range that encloses the Prismatic Palace.”
“Oh damn,” Dayton slurs. “You think Ez is intimidating in his armor? Just wait until you meet Kai. That guy is a scary motherfucker.”
“Kai is…” Ezryn immediately stiffens. “Kairyn is passionate about his beliefs.”
What’s Caspian’s game with this? If he’s trying to win Ez over, he just made him more uncomfortable.
“There was one night,” Caspian looks up as if striving to recall, “you both went out into the forest, and when we looked out, all the trees were lit up.”
Ezryn emits a soft sigh. “Yes. He was telling me about his time at the monastery. We came upon a dying tree. He wanted to show me what he’d learned, and we used our magic together.”
“To save the tree?” Caspian leans in, dark eyes wide.
Ezryn gives a breathy laugh, and it’s like I can feel a weight being lifted off his shoulders. “That was our intent, but our magic intertwined and spread through the entire forest. It was the first time I felt connected to him in years. I saw him and he saw me.”
My heart lifts at the happiness in his voice. Okay, so maybe Caspian’s story isn’t so bad. “What were you all doing there?”
“It was a celebration of the Spring Equinox, a small gathering for the High Rulers and their partners,” Farron explains. “Ezryn and I had just been crowned. Kel had yet to take the rule but came in his father’s stead.”
“You brought Dayton as your special guest.” Caspian gestures to the Autumn and Summer Prince.
Farron flushes, but Dayton throws an arm around him. “You were so nervous to ask me.” He smiles. “But Damocles was happy I was there. Made me go berry picking with him.”
Damocles. The name makes me pause. I overheard it in the Summer Realm. If Dayton didn’t attend as High Prince, it meant there was another High Ruler of Summer during that time. Caspian’s words from the ball play in my mind: The drunkard who let his brothers go off to battle alone.
But the memory doesn’t seem to haunt Dayton. It energizes him.
“Hey, it was a better choice than Tilla,” Farron mumbles.
All four of them collectively groan. I’m almost inclined to join in. Dayton had told me Kel had a former great love. Was it this Spring Realm woman? Is that why they all hate her?
And if this was a retreat for the High Rulers, why was Caspian there? It doesn’t sound like he was their enemy at that point.
But something about recollecting this time has allowed everyone to unwind. Even Kel has lowered his guard as he joins in the complaints about Tilla.
What is Caspian’s scheme here?
The easiest way to gain favor with people is to hate someone together. Caspian’s words float through my head even as his lips tell another story.
How is he doing this? Dark magic from the Below? I try to concentrate on the words in my head and push them back. Doesn’t seem like a great way to forge lasting relationships.
Oh, I don’t know, Princess. See how united your four princes have grown against me.
“Tilla was pretty though,” Caspian says out loud, and I’m drawn back to the conversation. “But her hair didn’t shine like polished mahogany in the sun.”
Five heads turn to me.
“No.” Kel’s voice is low, almost gravely.
“She also didn’t have the annoying habit of twirling her hair around her finger when she’s thinking,” Caspian continues, and I feel a hand on my thigh.
All the men at the table are watching me.
“Or,” Caspian’s fingers glide against the thin fabric, and the muscles in my core tighten involuntarily, “have eyes like a golden sunset.”
The breath catches in my throat. I refuse to be charmed by him. I’m not some idiot fae prince. I slap him away, but when I look down, I see his hand isn’t just on my thigh. His other hand is pressed on Keldarion’s leg.
Kel’s gaze is entirely on me. Does he even notice?
Something snaps inside me. Fire bursts in my chest, and I slide my chair back, screaming: “Get your hand off my mate!”
The thorns on the floor burst up, curling around Caspian’s chair, and whip him into the wall.
The other four princes all stand and gape at me. Caspian picks himself up and gives a small laugh. “Good show, Rosalina. It seems that mate bond of yours is really heating up.”
The breath is heavy in my throat and all I can do is glare. Keldarion lunges at him, grabbing him by the collar. “Is this your doing? Did you give her this power?”
The Prince of Thorns rolls his eyes. “Oh yes, I gave my greatest enemy’s mate the power to manipulate my thorns.” He slithers out of his grip gracefully. “Of course not.”
“How is this possible?” Kel stares at me.
“I told you I could control the thorns.” I redirect my glare to my mate. “You didn’t believe me.”
“You couldn’t possibly think the mate of the High Prince of Winter was only a mere human. She’s got power bubbling beneath the surface. All of you are too distracted to see it.”
“Does Sira know?” Kel growls.
Caspian’s face turns serious. “No. I have to have some secrets. And if you want to keep it that way, Kel, you better behave.”
“Then you’ve lost, Caspian.” I turn to him. “I’ll remove the thorns from Castletree.”
He tilts his head. “Rip them out. Burn them. Ask them nicely to retreat. Be my guest, Princess. But if you want this tree to remain standing, you’ll leave them where they are.”
“So you can keep siphoning the magic?” Dayton asks.
As if to test his theory, I concentrate on a cluster of thorns by the dining room window. My awareness spreads, traveling through the briars like a deep breath. I will the thorns to retract. It’s as though I can sense their resistance at first, not in words so much as a feeling. When I used the thorns to help the roses in High Tower and to save Kel’s life, they’d been eager to obey my command.
“Come on,” I whisper.
Reluctantly, the thorns spiral downward, revealing the dining room’s wallpaper and a bright window. Immediately, the glass caves in on itself, shattering. The wall crumbles, stones and bark crashing to the earth.
“Rosalina!” Ezryn grabs me around the waist. He tugs me away, even though the debris is across the room.
I release my control on the thorns, and Caspian clicks his tongue. With a wave of his hand, cords of new vines spring up, threading between the cracks on the wall.
The same thing happened when Kel ripped them out. Somehow, Caspian’s interwoven his enchantment with that of Castletree. I don’t feel any siphoning, as Dayton put it. But perhaps I still need to work on this connection, this magic deep inside.
“Told you so.” Caspian raises a dark brow but then his gaze shifts. “Now, as charming as it has been catching up, I did come here for a reason. Your impossible problem, Farron.”
Farron shakes his head. “There’s nothing I could possibly want from you.”
“This isn’t about want, Autumn Princeling.” Caspian strides toward him, his black cape curling like smoke. “It’s deeper than that. More insistent. A craving. You don’t want what I have. You need it.”
“What are you talking about?” Farron breathes.
Caspian stands in front of him, lips parted as he smiles deviously. “Don’t you see? I’m here to offer you a bargain.”