Page 35 of The Winter Prince

A spear of ice materialized in his hand. He drew his arm back and hurled the spear at the first creature. His aim was true. The spear buried itself in the beast’s shoulder before disintegrating to a mist that was sucked into the creature’s skin.

Enlo swore again. How could he have forgotten their immunity to magic? Not immunity—that wasn’t the right word. They were fueled by it, as evidenced by the brighter glow to the beast’s eyes and the way it bared its teeth in what almost resembled a grin.

Enlo had no weapon, and he would only be helping the enemies by using his magic. The two beasts prowled closer. In three steps, Enlo was at Kienna’s side. She hadn’t moved a muscle, her eyes still wide and pinned on the firstzruyed.She was the prey, frozen in place.

“We have to run,” Enlo said. “We don’t have anything to fight them with.” She didn’t look at him as he spoke, and he grabbed her arm. “Kienna, do you hear me? We need to get back to the castle. They can’t get past the walls.”

“I wasn’t supposed to leave the castle grounds,” she whispered.

Enlo stifled the growl that wanted to rise up. Leave it to a human to freeze in the face of danger.

He checked the position of thezruyedsagain. They prowled closer with every step, with the slow assurance that their prey had nowhere to run.

In a quick motion, he swept Kienna up and around onto his back, eliciting a quiet yelp from her. He burst into movement in the direction he and Kienna had come from. They had to get back to the castle. It wasn’t far. If they could just get back to the wall—

Enlo lurched back as a third monster lunged in front of him, blocking his path. His grip on Kienna tightened as he retreated back to the gazebo. Back toward the other monsters.

He never should have brought her out here. His scheme would have been effective but was not worth truly risking her life. She was the key to the Winter Court’s freedom.

Why were therezruyedsso close to the castle?

A tingle of awareness swept over him, chilled as a morning frost. Azruyed’s snarl cut off sharply, drawing the gaze of thezruyedin front of Enlo.

He took the opportunity to return to the gazebo’s center, shrugging Kienna to her feet and turning to see the new threat. But even before he set eyes on him, Enlo knew.

He knew by the chill along his neck and the dying snarls of thezruyedsas they launched themselves at the greater threat.

Revi was here.

Chapter 22

Revi

Revirippedthroughthezruyeds, hardly even aware of what he was doing. Fury governed his movements; he was more wolf than man at that moment. Kienna’s floral scent spurred him forward. It was a smell that he never should have encountered mixed with the acrid tang of the monsters, and the combination drove his vision red. He took down the first in a single sweep and lunged at the second. He could smell a third across the clearing, beyond Kienna. A threat. His current foe bit down into his shoulder, and he snarled, bucking it off and tearing through its throat. The body dropped as he turned toward the third one.

This monster, it seemed, had the heart of a coward, for Revi could smell the terror on it before it turned tail and vanished into the forest. Unacceptable. These monsters had come to the heart of his Court, to his very castle, and they had threatened Kienna.

He took off after it, closing the distance, gaining, leaping onto its back and burying his teeth in its flesh. It didn’t even get to put up a fight before he had finished it.

He lifted his snout to the air and breathed deeply. The threat was eliminated. He left the body where it had fallen, turning and stalking back to the clearing. Red still clouded the edges of his vision; adrenaline still pulsed through him. The need to fight, to make something bleed, was a steady thrum at the back of his mind.

There they were. Kienna, frozen in place, hair falling loose from her braid and ruffling around her shoulders, scent tinged with fear. He didn’t want to consider the source of that fear.

Beside her, against Revi’s express wishes, stood Enlo. Somehow his cousin had found a way around his promise.

“You,” he growled. He wasn’t even sure whom he was speaking to. Rage pulsed through him toward both of them.

Enlo stepped forward, placating hands raised in a gesture that only made Revi angrier.

“We didn’t know there would bezruyedsso close to the castle, cousin,” he said in Elyri. “I never would have brought her out here if—”

Revi snarled, cutting Enlo off and making Kienna flinch.

“You promised,” he said, also in Elyri. “You promised to stay away from her.”

“I never sought her out,” Enlo countered, his shoulders tensing.

Revi scoffed. He started pacing in front of them. “Since when do you use your silver tongue onme, cousin? You promised, and I trusted you.”

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