Page 47

REN

A few minutes earlier…

Crouching behind a very prickly shrub, I stifle a sneeze as a fern frond pokes me directly in the nose. “Can you see anything?” I whisper to my brother. “What are they doing?”

Rowan sighs beside me. “We have the same vantage point here, Ren. Why are you even asking?”

“Because I’m emotionally compromised and clearly suffering from an acute case of jealousy,” I say dramatically.

My ears twitch as I squint across the garden toward Rapunzel and Prince Theron, desperate to know what they are discussing.

Are they declaring their love for each other even now? Is he charming her with his magnificent horns and his chiseled stag looks? Is he reciting poetry, trying to sweep her off her feet with honeyed words?

She smiles at him, and I bite back a growl, wanting to claw his eyes out.

Leaning forward, I strain to hear what they’re saying, but I can hear nothing over the loud crunching in my ear. Finik sits on my shoulder, munching contentedly on a cracker Rowan gave him. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

I wince. “Finik, my friend,” I whisper, angling my head toward him. “Can you please chew quieter? I’m trying to hear what they’re saying. This is important.”

Finik blinks at me and cocks his head before he takes another big bite. Crunch.

Rowan snorts.

“Here.” I lift Finik from my shoulder and put him on Rowan’s. “Hold him while I try to listen.”

I turn my attention back to Rapunzel and the Stag Prince.

His eyes are soft and full of longing. He cups her face, and I stop breathing. My heart slams in my throat as he hugs her tight and she embraces him in return.

My stomach twists in a violent knot. “I’m going to be sick.”

Rowan leans in. “You don’t know what they’re saying. For all you know, she just told him she’s in love with you and she’s hugging him to soften the blow.”

His words soothe me a moment before they both laugh.

I purse my lips. “She’s laughing, Rowan. People don’t laugh when they’re breaking hearts. They sob. They throw things. They storm off dramatically.”

“How would you know?” he says.

“Because.” I grit my fangs as Prince Theron hugs her and spins her around. “I’ve read a lot of romance novels.”

Then it happens.

Theron lifts his hand. Green magic swirls like mist across his palm a moment before he produces a rose with his magic. He tucks it behind Rapunzel’s ear and then bows with a grand flourish as he smiles at her with his stupid, perfect face.

I gasp. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Rowan asks. “The flower?”

“The magic, Rowan,” I hiss. “The sinister, glowing green magic.”

“There’s nothing evil about it,” he counters. “Most Stag Shifters have some sort of nature magic.”

“That wasn’t just a flower,” I tell him. “That was a seduction spell.”

Rowan squints. “It was a parlor trick. Fae do things like that all the time.”

“Exactly. Fae do it. When they lure unsuspecting maidens away from their villages.”

“That’s a myth,” he counters.

“Is it?” I challenge. “And yet, here he is, using the same magic as the Fae to woo an innocent maiden into his clutches by weaving dark spells and bewitching her even further with an enchanted rose.”

“You think he… what? Bewitched her with a flower?”

“That’s exactly what he’s doing,” I stress. “It’s all coming together now. I knew he was too good to be true.”

Rowan sighs. “Ren…”

“No, listen. I was resolved to hate him. And then I met him, and what happens? He charms me. Me , Rowan! A fox. And we’re famous for our charm. So how does a stag outcharm a fox?”

“Maybe you just like him because he seems like a decent person.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I mutter. “I’m under the spillover effect of the enchantment.”

Rowan frowns. “That’s not a thing.”

“How would you know?” I gesture animatedly to Rapunzel. “I’m telling you: he bewitched her, and I was standing too close, and it somehow affected me as well.”

“If that’s true, then why am I not affected?” Crossing his arms, Rowan gives me an exasperated look. “Next, you’ll be accusing him of being a Dragon in disguise.” He sighs. “Besides, our kind are immune to the direct effects of magic, remember?”

Doubt begins to creep in. My brother does have a point. What if jealousy is clouding my judgement? What if I’m being ridiculous? Still… no one could out-charm a fox without some form of sorcery. Could they? “Maybe his magic is so strong, he found a way around this?”

Rowan pinches the bridge of his nose. “And what, pray tell, do you think we should do about this very real and not at all made-up magical situation?”

“There’s only one remedy.”

“Ren.” Rowan sighs as he gives me the look . “What is it? I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“I need to go rescue my fated one.”

“ Rescue her? ”

“She’s been enchanted,” I point out. “She probably doesn’t even know her own name at this point.”

My brother groans. “Ren—”

“A spell like that probably has some sort of range on it.” I frown, trying to figure out how far that might be. “If I can get her far enough away from Theron, the enchantment will break, and she’ll remember she’s in love with me.”

“Do you have any proof of that theory?”

“No, but doesn’t it make sense ?”

He stares at me, and I take that as agreement.

Across the garden, Theron leans in and kisses the back of Rapunzel’s hand and then winks.

She smiles brightly at him, and I snap. I’ve definitely seen enough.

“Stay here,” I tell him.

“Oh no,” Rowan mutters. “Here we go.”

Ignoring him, I drop into a crouch and sneak along the garden wall like a predator. “Take care of Finik while we’re gone.”

“Where are you going?” he whispers.

“I’m going to save Rapunzel… take her far enough away from here to break the spell Theron has her under,” I reply, voice low so as not to be overheard by anyone but him.

“Are you seriously going to kidnap your mate?”

“It’s not kidnapping,” I whisper back. “It’s strategic relocation.”

“Ren, this is crazy,” he hisses. “Get back here!”

As soon as Theron is out of sight, I start toward Rapunzel, slinking in the shadows as I position myself behind her. If she’s under a spell, I can’t risk her alerting the Stag Prince of my intention to take her away from his influence.

Lightning fast, I hook my arm around her waist and pull her against me as I clamp a hand over her mouth, worried the effects of Theron’s spell will make her call out to him.

“Shhh,” I whisper in her ear. “It’s me.”

She stiffens and then relaxes. Satisfied that his enchantment won’t make her yell for him, I remove my hand from over her mouth. “Ren?” She turns to face me, confused. “What are you doing?”

“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.