Page 40 of The Winter Prince

But if he hadn’t, this man was trying to pull her into a betrayal of the worst kind.

She was going to be ill.

“What will happen to the beast?” she managed to ask.

Something flashed across Enlo’s face. “Don’t fret over his fate. It’s inconsequential compared to all the innocents of the Court.”

She held back her questions. She was most definitely fretting over his fate. Someone had to, if his own family would betray him.

“I don’t understand howIcan help you win back your throne,” she said, biting her lip.

“Just trust me.” He brushed a thumb across her jaw. The motion sent shivers through her.

Trust him, he said. Just like Revi had asked her time and again.

The question came unbidden. “What’s your name?”

He gave her a bemused smile. “Enlo.”

Something twisted in her. How easily he gave it to her. Why hadn’t Revi been so quick to trust her with his name?

“How do I break the curse, Enlo?”

Delight gleamed in Enlo’s eyes. “You break the curse by marrying me.”

Kienna swallowed. The cottage suddenly felt too hot. “I... What?”

“The curse can only be broken by love,” Enlo said. “You declare your love for me and vow to give your life to me, and the curse will break.”

It seemed so simple. Was that why Revi had never told her anything? Did he believe she couldn’t love him?

“What if my feelings are not strong enough?” She turned from Enlo, breaking eye contact and moving away from his hands. She needed space from him.

She needed Revi.

“Love is a choice, Kienna. If you choose to love me to the point of self-sacrifice, the magic will recognize that.”

“But then...” She twisted her hands together. She didn’t have to feign her anxiety. “Then I would have to stay here forever.”

“Yes,” Enlo said. “But wouldn’t staying here be better than going back to loss?” The words were casually spoken, but they slammed into Kienna’s chest with the force of a hammer.

She whirled to look at him. “What do you mean?”

His eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” He shook his head. “No, it’s better that you know. It’s better that I show you. When your father plucked that rose and made that bargain, he tied himself to this Court…”

He trailed off, grimacing, and stepped toward the window. He passed a hand over the glass, and it frosted instantly; a hazy image began to appear. Kienna followed as if pulled on a string. She was absolutely certain she didn’t want to see what he was about to show her, but she couldn’t draw away. She had to know.

The frost crystalized and changed into a new image—her father, frail and weak in his bed at home. His skin was sallow, his cheeks gaunt.

Kienna stared at the image as her world crumbled around her.

“If you won’t do it for me, Kienna,” Enlo murmured, “if you won’t do it for all the innocents in my Court, do it for your father. There’s not much time left.”

If this was true… the Court’s internal strife felt distant in comparison. She couldn’t let her father die.

And yet… this man had to be deceiving her. She couldn’t bear to think any of his words about Revi were true. Revi had proven himself to her, time and again. She hadn’t earned his trust enough to hear the truth from him, but his actions had earnedhertrust. He at least deserved her faith in him until she could verify all of this with him. If he would tell her anything.

She closed her eyes. Pain consumed her heart. She just needed to know who was true here. Was it Revi, with his proud yet kind manner? Or was it Enlo, who begged for her help with his honeyed words?

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