Chapter 84 Keldarion
Keldarion
The Prince of Thorns should have chosen somewhere else to fight me. The deserts of Summer, the lush fields of Springs, even the murky forests of Autumn would have been a wiser choice. But not here, not in my realm.
And he should know better than to threaten my mate.
Ice crawls along the briars impaling me and then cracks them to splinters.
I leap to my feet, every fiber of my being ignited with fury, and close the distance between us in a single breath. Caspian has no time to react before my hand clamps around his throat.
“You will never touch her!” I snarl, slamming him against the jagged mountainside with such force that the ground trembles. The echo of the impact reverberates through the ice and stone.
Caspian’s eyes blaze, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “Fine.” The heat of his breath brushes against my face. “Then you will burn.”
Green flames erupt from him, consuming us both in an instant. They’re searing, alive, and all-encompassing, like a swarm of fire-driven serpents biting into every inch of my exposed skin. The pain is excruciating, but I don’t release him. Ice cracks and melts along my body, steam rising between us.
“Do you hear that?” Caspian whispers, leaning closer, his tone mockingly soft, lips brushing mine. “It’s the sound of Winter melting beneath my hands.”
I growl and shove him harder against the wall, my other hand forming an icy dagger, but the flames roar louder, making every breath a struggle. My vision blurs, but I refuse to let him go.
“We’ve done this dance before, Cas,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “I’ll never let you win.”
“Enough!” Rosalina’s voice cuts through the chaos.
Caspian falters, his flames flickering as he turns his head.
My breath catches as I see her in a place she should not be.
Rosalina has suspended herself off the side of the mountain, golden briars coiled around her.
The wind tears at her hair and dress, but the light of her magic glows bright against the cold, harsh landscape.
“Rosalina!” I yell, my voice raw with fear. If she loses control of her magic for even a second…
Her words ring clear in my mind, soft and sure. Trust me, Kel.
Trust her?
I look at Caspian, his expression dark, flames still curling around his hands as he watches her, warily curious.
Trust.
The word ricochets through me, cutting deep. Every part of me wants to rush and retrieve her from the side of the mountain. To save her. Because isn’t that what I’ve always been trying to do? Protect people. But Rosalina’s plea shakes a realization loose.
It wasn’t Caspian’s shadowed past that doomed us before. It wasn’t Sira’s meddling. It was me. My lack of trust.
I didn’t trust Caspian to stand with me, to be my equal. I didn’t trust him to endure the whispers, the glances, the sharp-edged politics of the Winter Realm. Instead, I let him go.
And Rosalina, our mate, our salvation… I haven’t trusted her enough to believe she could guide us through this darkness. If I’d broken my curse earlier…
Maybe we would have been strong enough to stand against Sira. Maybe we wouldn’t have lost Cas.
But I have no choice now.
I breathe in, the icy air biting my lungs, and loosen my grip on Caspian. My hands fall to my sides, magic dimming as I step back.
“I trust you,” I whisper, not only to Rosalina but to both of them.
The realization settles over me, a strange, fragile peace amid the chaos. If I want to save Caspian, I have to believe in the love that binds the three of us.
“Rosalina,” I call, my voice stronger now. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it now.”
“So you’re going to watch me kill your mate from up there?” Caspian calls to her.
“If you kill him,” Rosalina snarls, “I die.”
“Mm-hmm, as romantic as a broken heart is, Flower, I don’t think you’ll die from it.”
“You listen, Caspian,” she grits out. “If you touch him, I release these briars and fall down this mountain to my death.”
“There are other fae in the Below to fuck.” Caspian crosses his arms. But even now, even in this state, I recognize the snag of worry in his voice.
“Sure, in the Below,” Rosalina growls, “because that’s where you’ll stay. Trapped. You want to rule all the Enchanted Vale? You need me. You can’t survive on the surface without my magic.”
Caspian’s breath hitches.
“The Green Flame might be your birthright, but it’s also killing you. You’re half made of magic from another world, and it’s spreading rot through your body.”
She has him. His gaze focuses on her, not at all noticing the golden briars wrapping around my legs. In a swift movement, they drag me to her, suspending me above the cliff.
Here, so close, I take in how beautiful and wondrous my mate is: dark hair blowing in the icy wind, eyes flashing golden. But her chest heaves, hands trembling. She can’t keep this up.
“Clever,” Caspian says. “And what does my queen suggest?”
“Keldarion needs to break his curse, and that means he’ll have me. And I’ll come to you soon enough, better than I am now. A thrall to your every whim.”
I want to rage at her for the idea. A flash of the vision given to me by the Fate springs to mind. But she asked me to trust her, and I must do that. I will not distract her with my protests.
Caspian begins to pace, cape snapping. He snarls and hisses, “And if he refuses?”
“I won’t let him,” Rosalina growls. “You need to go. Leave Keep Wolfhelm and the Vale alone. Await me in the Below. If you come back before, I swear I will drive a briar through my heart.”
He stares at us, green eyes flashing, then a dark smile appears on his face. “Very well. I shall wait to take the Vale until you are my adoring queen.”
He bows low and, in a flash of shadow and flame, disappears.