Page 75 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

The stars overhead glittered like shards of glass, their cold light offering no relief to my chilled skin. My cloak did little to keep out the bite of the wind, but I welcomed it. Anything to distract me from the restlessness churning inside.

Staring up at the sky, I rubbed absently at the tattoo on my neck. The black moon. The same color as my furyfire. And three stars—just like the three kings of Hel.

“You shouldn’t be out alone.” Rydian’s voice was quiet but hard.

I whirled, my heart leaping into my throat.

“It’s not safe,” he added smugly, noting my surprise.

“I can handle myself,” I said, not really caring to be lectured, least of all by him.

“Like you did the other day?” His words stung more than I wanted to admit.

I stiffened as he stepped closer. His dark eyes were unreadable, but his presence—strong, steady—grated on me even as it stirred my desire. A chemical reaction, I told myself. A result of seven years with no physical outlet. But I didn’t react to Callan this way. Or any of the Autumn Court soldiers, for that matter.

The fact that I reacted this way forhim—a male who seemed to loathe me as much as I did him—was beyond irritating.

“What’s your problem with me?” I demanded.

His jaw tightened.

When he didn’t answer, I said, “Is it about what happened in the Broadlands? Because I’m not going to tell anyone I saw you?—”

“No.”

“The party then. You insulted me before even knowing anything about me.”

It felt silly to bring up something that had happened so long ago, but he didn’t say that. Instead,something flickered in his dark gaze. A glimpse of power. A depth of emotion. There and gone so quickly I wondered if I’d imagined it.

“Were you protecting Callan then too?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Callan doesn’t know I was at that party,” he said.

I frowned, waiting for some other explanation.

“How did you survive Heliconia that night?”

It wasn’t the response I’d expected. “What?”

“Every citizen of Summer fell to that sleeping curse. Except for you.” He cocked his head, and my insides screamed at me to walk away. Or kill him. Anything to shut him up. “How did you escape it?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” I resisted the urge to touch the mark on my neck. “Besides, I could ask you the same thing.”

He shifted his weight, his gaze flicking away as if he were considering what to say. Finally, he sighed, frustration etched into the hard lines of his face. “I don’t have a problem with you.”

“I don’t believe you.” My voice softened, and despite the tense conversation, something about his nearness felt more palpable now. “You seem angry with Callan too. Why?”

At the mention of his brother, Rydian’s expression darkened. “Callan is reckless. He puts convenience above safety, and it’s going to get him killed.”

“He’s done all right so far, considering his military record,” I said wryly.

His eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the faint heat radiating from him. “Your record is provoking as well, isn’t it? A lost princess back from the dead—and at the perfectly opportune moment.”

Fury ignited in me. “I never claimed to be dead,” I said, glaring. “And I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Nothing about this arrangement is opportune.”

Surprise flickered at that. Or maybe disbelief.

“If you’re Callan’s brother,” I said, lowering my voice, “why have I never heard of you before?”

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