Page 66 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
“The poor guy has been tearing his hair out for months now, balling unfinished letters and tossing them into the trash. He seemed to think you didn’t want him to write, so if you like him, why do you keep shutting him down? Is it only because of the engagement, or is there something else?”
I avert my gaze. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it always?” he sighs, nodding as if he’s making up his mind about something. “Very well. I will tell you Aidan’s precious initials, but you have to promise in return to make his life hell about it.”
My brows furrow at his peculiar turn of phrase. “I swear it.”
He licks his lips in a machiavellian manner. “It’s A. S. S.”
My jaw drops. “Are you telling me Aidan’s initials are actuallyass?”
He nods emphatically. “I bet his mother—on account of his big head of course—had a hard delivery and was feeling snarky when she named him.”
I lean into him, and we laugh together until tears stream from our eyes. Whatever sexual tension or unspoken attraction had existed between us dissolves, his allure fading. For the first time, I see his offer of friendship as genuine.
“Are you performing tomorrow?” I ask.
“In a way. I have to be up before dawn for the royal hunt, and Ethan, my father, expects me to bring my A-game. But I’ll be back in time to hear you sing,” he adds with a wink.
Willow was right about him. Deep down, Ezra is a big softie. Still, a part of me can’t help but wonder about the implications of his power, the endless possibilities it presents. If only I could become invisible, too, I might finally live the life I want—free from the fear of being spied on and thrown out of school.
Free to love without fear of losing everything.
Chapter 21
Hey, Jealousy
WONDER BOY
Devi’s lips part in surprise, the two of us trailing at the rear of the hunting party. The deer we’ve been tracking for hours steps into the clearing ahead, my heart pounding in my temples. Drawn by its appetite for the white windflowers, it grazes closer and closer to my hiding spot.
The royal hunt isn’t about feeding ourselves or protecting our lands from monsters. It’s a display of power. Golden-horned deer are sacred, their incredible healing capabilities making them nearly impossible to kill. We hunt only one during the solstice each year. Mounting a set of golden antlers on your wall is a symbol of triumph over your peers—a tradition in which one of the reigning monarchs almost always prevails.
The others have already crossed the river. This is our chance. The Spring Fae lowers her bow with a sad smile, a thick bush of rustberries blocking her line of sight. She tosses me a glance, equal parts eye-roll and encouragement, and motions for me to take my best shot.
My fire arrow is poised to fly true, the creak of the bowstring soft enough not to alert my prey. The deer’s gilded antlers glimmer under the orange glow of dusk, and a hot thrill surges through me.
Just as I’m about to let the arrow fly, accounting for the speed of the wind, a branch snaps off the tree beside me and falls to the ground. The deer lets out a loud, anguished grunt, then leaps out of the arrow’s path, the projectile missing it by inches.
Flaming hell.
I narrow my eyes at the tree for its ill-fated timing, the beast’s escape path taking it directly toward the river.
“What happened?” Devi scolds.
I grumble, “A stupid branch fell off,” and sling the bow over my back.
By the time we reach the rocky banks of the river on the opposite side of the meadow, voices boom through the vegetation, and we zigzag through the trees to rejoin the hunting party.
A clod of mud collides with my face as the deer thrashes on the ground under Ethan Lightbringer’s foot. The arrow sticking out of the beast’s hide has reached its heart, and yet the sacred animal is not dead. Left to its own devices, it might even recover.
“Well done, Ethan,” my father praises his friend. “That was a long one.”
“Not at all. It was almost too easy, Jayden.” Ethan serves us a wide, self-satisfied smile.
The sting of defeat sears down my spine.Too easy my ass.We’ve been at this since dawn.
Blood pools on the ground, and I look anywhere but at the majestic animal, hoping the King of Light will stop gloating and put the poor beast out of its misery. His long blond hair catches in the breeze, his hooded blue eyes almost black and difficult to read.
