Page 42 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

In that one word was a gentle rebuke. It was a stupid plan. Logistically impossible. There were far too many sleeping fae for the two of us to carry them without detection. But I couldn’t lose her. I wouldn’t.

“We have to do something,” I whispered as a single, traitorous tear slipped down my cheek.

“We don’t have to find the answers tonight,” she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. “I have some time yet.”

I let those words reassure me. “Lesha will know what to do when she returns,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

But Lesha was already late returning, and I had a feeling I knew what that meant. We were alone.

I was alone.

“Maybe,” she allowed. “In the meantime, venturing outside the wards is probably not a good idea. Each time you pass through, my magic drains.”

The reality hit me then, what she was asking. What she required.

“You’re saying I have to stay here. No more looking for a way to break the curse.”

“Unfortunately.”

I sat back, letting that sink in. If I couldn’t leave the wards, it meant being trapped inside the castle walls. No more missions or following leads, no more looking for a way to end this blasted curse. It meant accepting my fate and living my life as a prisoner to this wretched fucking spell. Because if I did leave, Sonoma would die. And as much as it pained me to accept my prison, I’d do anything to save the one giving her very life to protect me.

“In that case,” I said, forcing a smile onto my face, “I guess the dishes can wait after all. I’ve got all the time in the world to do them.”

According to the curse, I had forever.

Chapter Fourteen

Rydian

My boots were heavy against the stone floor of the throne room. Or maybe it was the fact that I would rather have been anywhere but this gods-damned castle. The dim light from the iron chandeliers above did nothing to combat the coldness of this place. Only the heat in my own veins chased away the perpetual chill. The fact that I had to come when summoned and not a moment later set my blood boiling. It was nothing more than a tug of the leash. One I endured for the sake of those I would die to protect. And Duron knew it. He never let me forget what he’d done for me, even as he squeezed every inch of use from the oath I’d sworn to him.

Across the cavernous space, he sat on his gilded throne, surrounded by advisors who looked down their aristocratic noses at me. I ignored them, my attention fixed on the way Duron’s tunic strained against his ample physique. Between his lack of physical strength and his waning magic, I would kill him easily in a fight. It was little comfort, though, knowing his loyal advisors would never let me get that close.

As if he’d read my violent thoughts, Koraz loosed a quickzap that struck the floor just ahead of me. I stopped short, snarling at him where he stood tucked beside the king’s shoulder. “Come out from your hiding place, and do that again.”

Duron raised his hand.

“Koraz, he’s no threat,” Duron crooned.

It took everything in me not to prove him wrong, but I forced myself not to reach for my sword.

“He disrespects you with his existence,” Koraz spat.

“Yes, well, no one is perfect,” Duron said dismissively.

Koraz continued to glare at me, as did the other advisors. Sorcerers, the lot of them. None had any true wisdom or diplomacy skills. But that wasn’t why Duron kept them close. The old bastard wasn’t interested in diplomacy anyway. He needed protectors—powerful ones. His own magic was failing him, though he went to great lengths to ensure no one outside his inner circle knew it.

“Will you not bow to your king?” Koraz demanded.

After a hesitation that bordered on treason, I bowed low, the movement precise, measured. Even as I promised to kill every single one of them someday. “Your Majesty,” I forced myself to mutter.

“What news?” Duron’s voice cut through the tension, already moving on from this ridiculous display.

Rising, I met his gaze, my tone steady. “Princess Aurelia of the Summer Court is alive.”

The advisors went silent.

The King of Autumn leaned forward, his interest unmistakable. “Alive?” His voice was a mixture of disbelief and calculation.

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