Page 67 of Prince of Never

‘I think I could make peace with staying here.’

‘Believe me, there’d be no peacefor you.’He blew out a slow breath, shook his head.‘Let me get rid of Arun.’He paced around the bed, rifled around in a cupboard behind me as I bit my lip, aching to reach for him.As soon as he’d dealt with whatever was so urgent, I was going to lock that door.

The sounds of movement behind me stilled.‘What’s that?’Tarian asked.He drew closer to me, his fingers tracing a spot on the side of my ribs.

I looked down at where he was touching.‘Just a birth mark,’ I said, leaning into the touch.But there was a frown between his brows.‘What is it?What’s wrong?’I asked, fear dousing the warmth in my veins.It was such a small thing, a patch of white skin no bigger than a coin.I’d had it my whole life, but Tarian was looking at it like I had some kind of disease.

He said nothing for a moment, then he withdrew his hand.‘Stay here,’ was all he said before he stalked out of the room, still buttoning his shirt, leaving me naked and confused in his bed, fear gnawing at the edges of my mind.Was that it?Had his defences slammed back into place so quickly?Were those few moments of dozy morning all I was going to get before he perverted the previous night with all his doubt and his bitterness?I dreaded the thought of him returning only to tell me it had all been a mistake, a mask of indifference back in place over that soft warmth I’d seen in his eyes.

I collected my clothes, which had been scattered around the room, and pulled them on, not wanting to be naked when he returned in case I had to yell at him.Was I still supposed to carry on with my maid duties?As I debated it, something flashed out the corner of my eye and I spun around.

‘Ethan?’

He was standing on the window sill, the sunlight shining off his platinum hair and making his skin glow.He grinned at me, and waved me over before scampering down the vine clinging to the wall.This whole bloody castle was overrun with vines.I raced over to the window and eyed the leaves of the plant with trepidation.There was no orange on it, so maybe it wasn’t the same as the one I’d tried to escape down on my first night, but that didn’t mean it was safe.Ethan was already on the ground.How the hell he’d managed to climb down so fast was beyond me, but he waved me over again and I let out a shaky breath.Surely, Ethan wouldn’t be expecting me to climb down after him if it was dangerous.I didn’t want to risk the door and run into someone on my way out of Tarian’sbedroom with mussed hair and yesterday’s clothes.I didn’t want to have to explain whatever this thing between us was when it was still so new and fragile.But if Ethan had scaled a wall to find me, I had to assume it was for a good reason.Maybe he’d found a way to take me home.How was I going to tell him I didn’t want to go now?

I began the climb down much slower than Ethan had, cursing myself every few steps for not risking the stairs.Luckily, the vine was thick and clinging tightly to the wall.It felt almost as stable as a ladder, though the strangely fleshy texture of it beneath my fingers made something in me cringe.Finally, my feet touched solid ground again and I let out a sigh of relief.Ethan was already atop the boundary wall, balancing with his arms wide as he moved towards the hole I’d squeezed through yesterday.

‘Why is he so fast?’I complained as I took off towards him at a jog.He grinned at me as I neared the vine, finally standing still.

‘Ethan, I need to talk to you,’ I said, breathing a little heavier than I should.I was definitely going to need to work on my cardio.But Ethan just waved me over before dropping down the other side of the wall.

‘Damn it, Ethan!’I said.He was leaving me no choice.I took a deep, steadying breath, then shimmied myself into that bloody crack again, hating every second that I was in there until I finally emerged on the other side.Ethan was leaning against a tree and I made my way over to him, irritation tightening my shoulders.

‘What the hell, Ethan?’I demanded when I reached him, but he vanished into thin air as if he’d never been there at all.‘Ethan?’

‘I am sorry for the subterfuge, little rabbit,’ a familiar voice said.I turned around to find Solas standing behind me, dressed in a white coat with gilded detailing, his golden hair shining in the sunlight.‘It was necessary, I’m afraid.’

‘Solas?I don’t understand.Did you do something with my friend?’

‘Your friend was never here,’ he replied simply, offering me an apologetic smile.‘I’m sure by now you’ve worked out that fae have certain powers.Tarian’s is dark and destructive, for example.I can manipulate light; make it brighter, make it darker, create illusions.’

That sounded almost scarier than Tarian’s destructive power.His was dark and could cause immense damage, but Solas’s power?I’d spent most of my life worried that I was crazy, and here was a man who had the power to create illusions?‘Can you make people see whatever you want?’

He shrugged.‘All power has limits, and all magic comes at a price.’

Which wasn’t exactly a no.Maybe he didn’t want me to know the extent or the limitations of his powers, which made me wary.But I decided not to push it.‘Why the theatrics?What am I doing here?’I asked cautiously.Solas had been charm itself at the Hunt Ball.He’d given me no reason to distrust him, and yet I couldn’t help feeling like a mouse being stalked by a cat.

‘Tarian isn’t very good at sharing.I enjoyed our time at the ball.I found myself wanting to see you again,’ he said, his lips curling as if that was something that surprised him.‘And there is something of a mystery about you.’

‘Mystery?’I had been many things in my life, but mysterious wasn’t one of them.

‘Have you ever heard that fae have two names?We have a name our parents give us and a true name granted to us by the gods,’ he explained.

‘I know that in a lot of fae lore, true names have power,’ I said, not entirely sure what that had to do with me.

‘Indeed they do.To know someone’s true name is to have power over them, so we keep our true names secret.Generally, the only time a fae will share their true name is in exchange with their mate.Though, some are fool enough to give it to others.’

‘I don’t know Tarian’s, if that’s what you’ve come here for.And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you,’ I said firmly.

His smile widened for a moment.‘You are a bold little thing, aren’t you?Fear not, I haven’t come to take Tarian’s fiorainm.No, I’ve come about yours.’

‘Mine?’

‘Humans are different to fae.You only have the one name, and that remains your true name.But Imogen isn’t yours.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Imogen, come closer,’ he said, authority ringing in his voice.

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