Page 40 of Of Wind and Terror

“I’m not going anywhere,” Treyton interrupts, his tone glacial. “Not without Kassandra.” He turns towards me, and his eyes heat. “Kassandra, we need to go home?—”

Before Treyton can even finish his sentence, Aleksander’s there, his sword held against the Spring Prince’s neck, applying just enough pressure to nick the skin.

“I’m afraid that’s not an option, young princeling,” Aleksander says with a mocking laugh. “My little cherub has somewhere she needs to be. And soon.”

Treyton’s right eye begins to twitch. “Explain.”

“We don’t owe you an explanation,” Blaze snaps.

But Treyton ignores Blaze’s retort and focuses on me. Only me. He doesn’t even seem to care about the sword caressing his jugular. “Kassandra, can we talk? Alone?”

“No,” Blaze growls, at the same time Aleksander sings, “Absolutely fucking not.”

I ignore both idiots and give Treyton a nod. I’m curious what the Spring Prince has to say.

And I’m also desperate to know why he traveled all this way for me.

Is it just because I’m the infamous Death Whisperer?

Is he that desperate for my powers?

Perhaps he’s upset that his new toy got stolen under his nose.

Though I can’t help but think that there’s more to it than that.

Much, much more.

“If you may…” Treyton gives Aleksander a pointed look before flicking his gaze down to the blade at his neck.

Aleksander grins cheekily. “I definitely may. Or maybe I don’t may.” He shrugs a single shoulder. “Who can say for sure if I may or don’t may? It depends on the reason for the may.”

Despite Aleksander’s insane ramblings, he lowers the sword with a reluctant sigh.

Treyton immediately moves towards me, but Blaze refuses to step out of the way. He remains there, his chest heaving, his hands balled into fists, tension lining the rigid muscles of his back.

I place a hand on Blaze’s shoulder and give it a squeeze.

With an almost blistering speed, he whirls to face me, his eyes wild and fevered. Before I can ask him what’s wrong—besides the obvious—he grabs my hips and pulls me flush against his body. Then, his lips connect with mine, devouring each of my breaths as if they’re his own. I gasp slightly at the assault before melting against him, loving the way his tongue plunders my mouth.

And hating myself for loving it.

Blaze pulls away less than a tick later, his face brimming with satisfaction. With a low chuckle, he spins me to face Treyton and gives me a tiny shove, forcing my feet to move. My cheeks feel as if they’re on fire, but I don’t know if that’s because of embarrassment, shame, or lust. Perhaps it’s a mixture of all three. My emotions certainly feel out of control and erratic.

Treyton’s glaring at Blaze with an incandescent fury I feel in the hollow of my bones. A cold wind blows through me at the sight of it.

I stop in front of Treyton, and the Spring Prince finally pulls his gaze off of Blaze long enough to focus on me. He takes a deep breath, and his shoulders rise and fall with the movement. His long lashes flutter against his cheekbones as he continues to modulate his breathing, and when he finally reopens his eyes, the rage from before has dissolved. He offers me a tiny smile.

“If we may?” He extends an arm for me to take, and I place my hand in the crook of his elbow, allowing him to lead me away from the other two males.

“You only have a few ticks, cherub, before we need to leave,” Aleksander warns.

I nod to tell him I understand.

“If you lay a hand on her, I’ll rip you apart,” Blaze snarls.

Treyton gives Blaze a droll look over his shoulder but doesn’t slow his pace, leading me forward. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about women you actually have a claim on? Like…your fiancée?”

Treyton blinks his eyes innocently as a sick feeling swirls in my stomach.

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