Page 53 of The Winter Prince

“I forgive you.” The words were soft, hardly more than a whisper. She shifted closer, drawing Enlo’s gaze back to her. “And I know Revi does too. Don’t exile yourself forever.”

Enlo stepped away, toward the threshold. He ran a hand through his hair and cast her one last lopsided smile. “I’m sure you’ll see me again, Winter Princess.”

A hint of a smile graced her lips. “I’ll take that as a promise, for Revi’s sake.”

A surprised chuckle rolled from Enlo. There had been no Elyri magic lacing those words. He was not bound by them.

But maybe… maybe he would heed them anyway. Maybe one day he would return. For the Winter Court. For Revi.

Maybe. But first, he would go, to serve the Court in the best way he could right now.

Chapter 35

Revi

“Thisismadness.”

Revi looked up from his hands. It had been a few hours since he’d woken up—since Kienna had saved him, since Enlo had left. Revi had bathed and dressed, the motions strange and unfamiliar after so long as a beast. Then he had joined his wife—another thing to marvel over, that word—in the side room Zoya had put them in just as Kienna had almost finished telling her father all that had transpired since he had left her at the gates over a month before. Revi flexed his fingers, enjoying the feel of them as he looked at Boden.

Kienna’s father sat stiffly, his hand on his sword hilt, seeming ready to leap up and drag Kienna from the room at any moment.

She seemed unflustered by his outburst. “It might be a bit mad, perhaps,” she agreed lightly, “but that doesn’t make it less true.”

“Doesn’t it?” her father asked, eyes narrowing as they flicked to Revi. “How can I know you aren’t bewitched by charms or magic?”

“Papa—” Kienna began, but Revi leaned forward and met Boden’s gaze.

“I swear on the life of your daughter, on the lives of my parents, and on my Court that it is all true.”

“I have no proof that what the elves told me is true,” Boden argued stubbornly. “I have no proof that you can’t lie or trick me or my daughter in some other fashion.”

Revi tipped his head in acknowledgment. “True. You cannot know that for certain. And if you do not trust your own daughter’s words because you fear enchantment, then you will not trust her when she says as much, either. So, perhaps a show of good faith is in order. Give me a task, any task, and I will fulfill it to the best of my ability.”

Boden’s brows rose. It seemed the man was certain of his stance. He hadn’t expected to get even that much from Revi. It was as if he merely waited for Revi to show his true intentions. He was going to be horribly disappointed when he realized.

It was a marvelous start to their new familial relationship.

“Anything?” Boden asked.

“Anything.” He would do whatever it took to assure Boden.

“No,” Kienna cut in, shaking her head violently. “No. Anything withinreason, Papa. You may not ask him to cut off his own head or anything else equally awful.”

Boden scoffed, but Revi cast Kienna a grateful glance. He did not want to impose any restrictions when the whole point was to gain her father’s trust, but he appreciated her prudence in making the amendment.

Boden watched their silent exchange with a suspicious glare. “Allow my daughter to leave,” he said after a moment. “Rescind the previous bargain and allow her to return home. That is my request.”

“If that is what she wishes, so be it,” Revi agreed, though his heart clenched in his chest. If she had been lying to him, was withholding her true feelings, this would be how he lost her.

“A marvelous idea, Papa,” Kienna said. “I would like to get my own belongings and collect my rabbits.” She turned to Revi with a hopeful look. “That would be all right, wouldn’t it? I would love for you to meet Mushroom. And perhaps we can stay awhile so you can see where I grew up.”

The vise on Revi’s heart loosened. “You want me to come with you?”

She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Of course I do.”

Boden protested. “Hewas never invited—”

Kienna turned back to her father with a steely look. “Whether or not you believe me, Papa, everything I’ve said is true. And you’ll just have to find a way to accept it, because Revi and I are married—which you would know if you hadn’t interrupted my tale.”

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