Page 9 of Forged By Malice (Beasts of the Briar #3)

8

Rosalina

T he sinewy string of the bow Caspian created pulls back with ease, and the thorn arrow sails through the air, striking the cherry blossom tree in my room. This thing is certainly easier to shoot. Or am I able to control the arrow because it’s made of thorns?

I stare down at the bow. The thorns entwine and overlap with each other in an almost delicate beauty.

My traitorous body still heats from his visit. I wish I could hate him, but a part of me knows there’s so much more to the Prince of Thorns. The most unpleasant aspect of him is the secrets he’s making me keep from the people I love. First our bargain, the book I stole, and now the truth of the briars weaving through Castletree.

Guilt simmers in my stomach. I have to tell my princes. At least about my bargain and the book. The last one doesn’t exactly feel like my secret to tell. But now they’ve all gone back to their own realms. Except for Dayton.

“Waffles and fresh strawberry syrup this morning,” Marigold says, pushing a cart into my room. “Prince Dayton brought home a basket from Summer.”

I give a long sigh, then raise my bow and craft a thorn arrow from my bracelet on to my waiting fingers. It had been tricky to figure out how to create the shape at first, but I’d laid a normal arrow beside it and practiced sculpting a thorn, a little like molding clay in your mind. The arrow flies, this time going wide and shattering a vial of oil on my dresser.

“Girl!” Marigold starts, hands on her hips. “Are you even listening? What did I say about using weapons in here?”

“Sorry,” I say sheepishly, lowering the bow. “I just don’t want to suck at this anymore.”

“You can’t get better if you’re not bad at something first,” Astrid says from my armoire, wrinkling her nose at the haphazard mess inside. Last night, I’d scrambled to put back everything Caspian had strewn about.

My eyes flick to the side of my room. There’s a tangle of thorns, my own grown from the bracelet. Hidden within is Caspian’s book. I’m eager to read it again. Why is he so interested in the Queen?

“Come now,” Marigold says. “Breakfast is getting cold.”

I slink over to sit on the edge of my bed and pull the tray closer. The waffles are still steaming, and juicy red syrup slides down the sides. I stab the fluffy cakes with my fork and sigh as they melt on my tongue.

“And don’t forget about the tea,” Marigold says. “Especially after yesterday in the library.”

“How do you know about that?” I ask, flushing.

“Nothing stays secret in this castle.” Astrid laughs.

“Ugh.” I grab the tea and take a sip. It smells like a field of wildflowers, with an almost nutty aftertaste. Marigold said a cup of this a week prevents me from being able to conceive. I know Farron’s been drinking it, too.

One day, we’d both like to have a family. He mentioned as much the other night as we sat before the library’s fireplace, adding to the memory book in honor of his mother. His childhood stories filled my heart with such warmth. But our future is a discussion for after curses are broken and Castletree is healthy.

“Knock, knock,” Dayton says, peering into my room.

My heart skips, and I quickly wipe my mouth of strawberry syrup. “Hey.”

“I’m heading to the training grounds if you want to meet me after breakfast.”

“Sure.”

He nods then pauses. “You still have that?”

I follow his gaze to where a stuffed lion with wings sits on my pillow. I giggle and grab it. “Of course, I do.”

Dayton waltzes into my room, and from the corner of my eye, I catch Astrid leading Marigold out, who has a devious expression on her face.

“I haven’t decided on a name for him, though,” I say, holding the soft toy in my lap. It might be silly to have this as an adult woman, but it’s special to me.

Dayton takes the little lion in his hands. “What about Aeneas? He was the first High Prince of Summer. Myth says he wielded a legendary trident blessed by the Queen herself.”

“Like Kel’s sword?”

“You mean that decoration? That’s all it is, for the amount he uses it.” Dayton chuckles. “If I had a weapon like that, I would not let it rot beneath my bed.”

I laugh. “Aeneas. Ani for short. It’s cute.”

“You did not just give the hero Aeneas a cute nickname.”

“But he’s so adorable.” I snatch the lion and fly it up into his tangled golden hair.

“All right, all right. I’m glad you kept it.”

“Of course, you bought it for me on our first date—” I stammer and quickly correct. “Not that it was a date.”

“Pretty sure I had your thighs wrapped around my face that night.”

“Right, but we didn’t even spend the night together. I ended up …” I trail off. Probably not the best time to bring up Kel figuring one of the last times Dayton and I were about to get intimate, Kel’s name came out of my mouth. It was all a misunderstanding, but I don’t think Dayton will ever forget it.

But the mention wipes the smile off the Summer Prince’s face, regardless.

“You ended the night in the arms of your mate, ” Dayton says, standing. “How’s a guy supposed to compete with that?”

“Day—”

He heads to the door. “Get ready, and for star’s sake, have a dip in the hot springs and wash off the Prince of Thorns’ scent.”

My fork clatters to my plate. “I—”

“And,” Dayton growls, “you better damn well tell me what he was doing in your room last night.”