Page 6 of The Winter Prince

“Your foresight, as always, cousin, is far better than mine.” Revi stretched and hopped from the sofa, brushing past Enlo. He nosed the book shut and sat back on his haunches. “Should we assign a maidservant to her?”

Enlo rose and settled on the sofa Revi had just vacated, withholding the smile that nearly sprang to his face. The question showed Revi was at least givingsomeconsideration to the coming guest, despite his gruff words, and that gave Enlo hope.

“I’ll find someone, if you so wish.”

Revi’s head tilted as he considered. “Yes,” he finally said. “Yes, that’s wise. Our people may not know anything about caring for humans, but, at the very least, another woman will understand any feminine needs that arise.”

“I’ll have someone picked out by the end of the day.”

Revi shifted, pushing off his haunches and shuffling his front paws a bit. After a moment, he rested his large head on Enlo’s knee and closed his eyes. It was a rare moment of affection from his cousin, something Enlo had never seen him do with anyone else and only occasionally with Enlo himself.

Enlo released a sigh and slowly brought his hand to rest on Revi’s head. “I have faith in you, Revi. I know you can save us all.”

“With the help of ahuman,” Revi muttered. He gave a sigh of his own and turned his head away ever so slightly from Enlo. “You have always had far more faith in me than I deserve, cousin.”

“I have always had exactly the right amount of faith in you, my prince.” He let his hands curl into Revi’s fur. “Have you tried dreamwalking to see if they’re near?”

“I can’t walk her dreams when I have not even met her yet,” Revi said, his voice low and rumbly.

“The leader,” Enlo pointed out. “He said he would journey back with her. Have you searched for him?”

A huff escaped Revi. “No,” he admitted. “I haven’t. But if no one arrives by the end of the week, I most certainly will.”

Enlo grimaced. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Revi gave a low huff of noncommittal agreement.

“You know,” Enlo said after several minutes of silence. “If you can figure out what her favorite animal is and shift into that form, that would probably make your task that much easier.”

Revi slit one eye open to glare at Enlo. “I thought the goal was to get her to marry me, not adopt me as a pet.”

Enlo grinned. “Of course it is, but a pet is a good start. Just look at how well you’re fulfilling my dreams of having a loyal hound right now.” He gave an overexaggerated scratch behind Revi’s ears to emphasize his point.

Revi growled. “Do that again and I will show you exactly what sort of pet I can be.”

Enlo bit back a chuckle. “You protest, but you can’t say that you don’t enjoy it.” Revi growled again, this time lower, and Enlo laughed. “See?”

“Enlo,” Revi said. “Shut up.”

Chapter 4

Revi

Afewdayspassedrestlessly for Revi, and his agitation only heightened when a scout came at dawn warning humans would reach the castle by midday. He had no appetite, and irritation scraped under his hide at every little thing, so he sent away the meat the chef had prepared for him and took to his garden. He shifted to his frostcat form and climbed a nearby tree, glaring at his frostroses and hoping Enlo wouldn’t come to find him.

It was a few hours after dawn when the wind blew their scent to him like a smack on his nose. It was one part familiar—that irritating mix of steel and oil and leather from the leader of the group—but entwined with that scent was another. Softer, floral, feminine. Revi’s hackles raised, and he dropped from his perch and loped to the front gate. They weren’t near yet, just a teasing aroma on the air.

The aroma of prey, one corner of his mind whispered—the bestial, carnal corner that was always too present these days. Good for hunting. Easy to bring down, to rip his fangs into. He growled and tore his mind away from that line of thought.

He might be trapped in beast form, but he couldn’t give in to that side of him. He was beast enough without adding the slaughter of innocents to his sins.

He was still grappling with the desire tohuntwhen the temptation itself arrived at his gate. He sheltered in the shadow of a looming tree, its boughs drooping despite the recent rains, as he studied the small group.

The first thing he saw washer. She wore a long-sleeved dress—wool, by the scent of it—that hugged her every curve and was made to protect from the harshest of winters. It was exactly the sort of thing that would have suited his Court, though the Elyri of the Winter Court reveled in the cold.

Sweat dripped down her cheek near her hairline. A cloak to match her dress lay across her saddle and knees. Her cheeks were flushed red from the heat, but her hair shone like spun gold, pushed over one shoulder to keep it off her neck. Her eyes glimmered a deep green, the same shade as winter evergreens that always looked brighter for the snow around it. He would never have mistaken her for an Elyri, not with her curves and round ears, but still she was stunning. More stunning than he had ever thought a human could be.

As an afterthought to her, the leader who’d stolen Revi’s frostrose sat atop his own horse, tension making him stiff. Revi could see the resemblance between the two. She had his nose, shared his eyes. He’d brought his own daughter, then.

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