Chapter 124
CHAPTER 124
Keldarion
O utside of Keep Wolfhelm, snow swirls in furious eddies, whipped by a fierce storm. George and I made it back to Frostfang just in time and we have retrieved a treasure long thought lost. That man really can excavate anything. The shards of the shattered rose are now delicately wrapped in cloth, hidden in my chambers. Though whether the rose still holds any power remains to be seen.
When our destination was in sight, George collapsed, falling into that broken sleep. I carried him the rest of the way. Now, he slumbers in the medical ward.
Castletree is weak, which means the other princes have not returned. I have heard no report on Summer. Where is my Rose? Feelings of turmoil and confusion flicker through the bond.
I know what I must do. Castletree, my home, lies dormant, its magic dwindling in my absence. I must return to restore its strength, to ensure George does not slip away forever. Then, I must find my own path to Summer, to Rosalina.
Yet, amid my concerns, there is a nagging absence. Caspian has not reached out to me as I expected. He and Farron broke the crystals. Why would he not come to me to gloat? Ice floods my veins at the thought of him, of the vision the Fates showed me: Rosalina, his dark princess … I will never let that come to pass.
As if in response to my thoughts, tendrils of purple briars erupt from the floor, coiling and twisting in an ominous display of power. A growl emits from my throat, and I turn to him, snarling, “I expected you sooner.”
But there’s no answer. Instead, I see the flash of skin through the briars. An unexpected wave of jealousy and anger flickers through me—another one of his twisted presents ? He hasn’t used our bargain so frivolously in months, since his birthday party in Cryptgarden. A part of me thought he’d given it up. To use it now, after the night we spent together, after he allied with us, and without so much as a word—
Warmth and longing bloom in my chest, and suddenly where I was once half, I am now whole. The briars fall away, revealing a figure partially covered by a dark cloak. The rest of their body is bare, smelling of blood, sex, and lavender.
Rosalina tilts her head, a spill of curls falling over her shoulder. She blinks her large brown eyes, but there’s a milkiness to them.
“Keldarion,” she purrs, “I belong to you.”