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“I’m going to shift, and I need you to climb onto my back.”

“Why?”

“I can’t explain right now. But it’s imperative that you come with me.”

She searches my face. “All right.”

Taking a small step back, the transformation ripples down my spine, twisting bones and sinew in an instant, fur replacing skin as my paws dig into the soil.

I lower myself to the ground and Rapunzel climbs onto my back without hesitation.

“Hold tight to me,”I speak through the mind link, and then bolt into the trees. We race through the castle gardens, over the hedge, past the stone walls, and out into the wild forest beyond.

CHAPTER 48

RAPUNZEL

The wind whips through my hair as Ren races away from the gardens. My hands are fisted in the thick fur of his neck, my long braid trailing behind me like a banner.

“Ren!” I shout, breathless. “Where are we going?”

“Away from Prince Theron,”his voice hums in my mind.

“Why?”

Instead of answering, he sprintsfaster,weaving through the trees, leaving the castle far behind us.

Ren finally stops when we reach a clearing. A hidden glade with a gentle stream, lined with weeping willows. He moves beneath the closest one. The long branches hang like a silken curtain, shielding us from the outside world.

He lowers himself, and I slide off his back. In a whirl of wind and scattered leaves, he shifts back into his two-legged form. With his shifter ability, he conjures the appearance of pants, but his upper body is bare, revealing his broad shoulders, the thick bands of muscle that wrap around his arms and the sharply sculpted contours of his abdomen and chest.

He turns to me, amber eyes blazing. “Do you love Theron?”

I blink at him. “What?”

He takes a step closer, his jaw tight as he asks me again. “Do. You. Love. Theron?”

“No… I mean, yes, but only as a friend,” I reply, flustered. “Not romantically.”

“Thank the gods.” He breathes out a sigh of relief. “IknewI was right.”

“About what?”

“That you werebewitched,” he replies matter-of-factly.

My head jerks back. “Whatare you talking about?”

“I believe Theron cast a spell upon you. A dark enchantment to woo you into his arms.”

“Ren…”

“He conjured a flower for you,” he adds. “A classic sign of a bewitchment spell.”

“It was a rose.”

“Exactly. And no doubt made of sorcery… probably laced with illusion and moon-magic, or…” He waves a dismissive hand. “Whatever magic wielders use to create such spells.”

“I don’t understand.” I frown. “Why exactly do you think he bewitched me?”