Page 28

“Not much farther,” Asher murmured.

Suddenly remembering that she was forbidden from being here, she took a small step back toward the door, toward the safety of her room. She might be alone in there, but at least it was where she was supposed to be.

But Asher was there, silhouetted against the lantern-lit garden.For a moment, he looked like he was standing in the night sky among the stars, a constellation come to life. And when he reached out to take her hand, a pleasant thrill ignited inside her.

Asher didn’t lead them out into the grounds. Instead, he turned, and they slipped down an unlit path to the side. After a few steps, he halted and, with a quick look around to see if they were being watched, he reached his other hand into a hedge, pushing vines aside to reveal a door. It seemed ancient, carved from petrified wood that had warped since it was first put there. He pressed down hard on the handle, and, with a pop, the door opened. He pushed it open an inch and turned to face her, leaning his back against the door.

“Now, Lore, before I let you into this extremely confidential location, you must swear to never reveal what you see to anyone.” The mischievous smirk danced across his lips again, but she had a feeling he wasn’t joking. Whatever he was about to show her was his secret place.

Lore couldn’t hold back her grin. How long had it been since she’d done anything playful like this? Even with Grey, life had become more and more about taking care of others, with fewer stolen moments just for themselves.

She put her free hand over her heart. “I swear to the stars themselves I shall reveal this location to no one. Not even the King of Alytheria himself.”

Asher nodded, eyes sparkling and dimples showing. “Good. Now thereisan entry fee; you must give me something. But not just anything.” He brought his own hand up to his chest and tapped it three times. “It must be something that you cherish and hold close to your heart.”

Lore narrowed her eyes before laughing. “I’ve got the perfect thing.” She handed him the ruined lemon tart. Technically, shewasholding it close to her heart.

“Hmm, I suppose it shall suffice,” he teased. With a grin, hepopped the whole pastry into his mouth, his cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk’s.

Again, Lore couldn’t help but giggle. His bloated cheeks and impish grin were utterly endearing. He leaned back, opening the door just enough for them to slip through.

She entered a garden.

It was impossibly overgrown for it to be on castle grounds, especially since, in the other gardens, there wasn’t so much as a leaf out of place. But here was a secret wonder in all its wild, untamed beauty. Inside, although there were no floating candles or perfectly manicured hedges in the shapes of great beasts, her breath hitched just as it had done when she’d seen the festival in full swing. At the garden’s center stood an ancient tree with an old swing hanging from one of its proud branches.

She craned her neck, looking around for the bubbling brook she could hear nearby, but she wasn’t able to find it.

The garden path itself had long ago been reclaimed by the plants, as had the statues and benches. The tree’s branches covered the entire expanse of the garden like a canopy, but moonlight filtered through the gaps and pale night-blooming flowers reflected it back in every color.

She tore her gaze away for a moment and caught Asher’s starlit eyes. “This was worth the price of my payment,” she said.

His laugh warmed her from the inside out. “I thought it would be. I stumbled upon this garden as a child during a game of hide-and-seek. Needless to say, my brother didn’t find me that round.”

“I bet. This is the perfect hiding place.” Lore frowned. “It seems a shame though, a garden like this would be perfect for children to play in. I wonder why it was lost to time.”

“A shame, indeed.” Asher’s tone was mournful. Surprised, Lore glanced at him just in time to see a dark cloud pass over his face, so briefly she almost missed it.

“Oh, what’s that?” Lore asked, changing the subject. She set her bowl of sweets down and picked her way to the ornately carved swing. Flecks of gold paint peeked through the vines that had curled around the seat and up the twin ropes.

Lore tugged on the rope and frowned; too bad. There was no way it would hold her weight.

“It will hold.”

Lore glanced up, startled to see Asher by her side, munching on another pastry—a cookie this time. He’d crossed the garden without a sound.

Fae. Always so quiet.

Now it was Lore’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “This swing looks older than our village elder.”

“This swing isdefinitelyolder than your village elder. All the same, it will hold.” He reached out and tugged the rope as well. “Though you can see its age, it would have been spelled to never break while someone is on it.”

Lore tilted her head. He said that as if magic was something to be expected and taken for granted. She was curious about magic, which was such an integral part of his life—of all the fae’s lives—but was a complete mystery to her.

“Don’t these spells... expire?”

Asher chuckled with a shake of his head, licking dusted sugar off his thumb. Then he bit into another cookie he’d grabbed.

“Hey, don’t eat them all! I risked my life for those cookies.”