Page 5

five

I stared at the man, barely breathing.

“I’m glad we were able to get to you in time. Death by wylks would be a terrible way to go. We heard howling and then saw you thrashing through the trees. Are you alright?” He moved towards me until he was in my personal space. His green eyes were bright and curious.

I thought about hitting him with my stick, but instead I stood frozen in place.

“May I?” he asked, stopping short of touching my face. I nodded dumbly as he reached out and wiped my cheek. “You’re bleeding. Were you bitten?”

My hand flew up to my face, but I felt no cut. I shook my head.

Behind him, another man emerged from the woods on a black horse. If the first man glowed like the sun, then this one was the moon and stars.

He could’ve been Aku, himself, with his shaggy dark hair and menacing gaze.

In an irritated tone, he asked, “Does she speak? Is she hurt?” He didn’t bother to get off of his horse; instead he glared down at me, as if I’d somehow inconvenienced him by almost dying.

“Be nice, Raf. She looks terrified.” A third voice. A red-haired man with freckles and the kindest face of the three gave me an easy smile as he trotted over on his steed.

His shining blue eyes caught my attention. They were the color of a tropical turquoise ocean—a shade I’d only seen in paintings .

The men had unfamiliar accents, which suggested they were from across the sea—from one of the Old Kingdoms: Corinthia, Rhavena, Altana, Plythe, or maybe even the deserts of Nathraza.

I’d never left the continent and was unfamiliar with the different dialects, but it was common for royal members from the five other Kingdoms to join our social season.

I turned to the brunette—Raf, they’d called him. Clenching my fists, I huffed, “I speak. I somehow lost my way. And then those… those things attacked. I’ve never seen anything like them before, and so close to the castle. H-how did you create that black smoke? How did you kill them?”

I glanced down at the beasts and instantly regretted it.

Adrenaline was leaving me in waves, but seeing them again caused it to spike back up.

“I’m feeling rather light-headed, actually.

I’d appreciate an escort back to the castle…

or perhaps you could fetch the guards. I-I think I need to lie down.

This is what I get for not listening to Thea… ”

Raf chuckled and my wide eyes shot to him, narrowing when I realized he was laughing at me . “Oh, she talks alright. Now I’m wondering if she ever shuts up,” he muttered to the red-head.

I sent a murderous glare in his direction, but he didn’t even notice my outrage as the three men exchanged wary looks, then collectively studied me.

“You’d like an escort back to our castle?” The red-head smiled.

Their castle? “A-are you new guards at Aurelius Castle? I don’t recognize you.” My eyes darted back and forth, waiting for someone to tell me what in Aku’s hell was going on.

“We aren’t guards. We are Princes . And you’re on private property. These are the royal woods—the Whispering Woods . Who are you ?” the bronze-haired man, still standing too close, asked.

The feeling of the forest floor falling out from under me was so strong, it took all of my strength to not slide down the tree I was still backed up against.

“Aurelius? In Erador? Is this your attempt at humor?” Raf asked.

“ Yes , Erador.” I held my stick tighter. Something must’ve been lost in translation. Wherever I was, surely I was still in the same world .

“Are you… human ?” the golden one asked, his nostrils flaring.

Was he sniffing me? I supposed I had gotten rather sweaty while I'd been running for my life. I took a subtle whiff. Wait… Had he just as ked if I was human? I raised an incredulous brow. “Of course I am. Are you implying that you aren’t?”

This was lunacy.

“Do we look human to you?” the freckled one asked with a grin.

I stared at them more closely, squinting. They were all unnaturally tall… and attractive . Two of them had pointed ears… perhaps a unique family trait?

They looked similar enough to be brothers… though, I couldn’t see Raf’s ears under all of his hair. And each of them had a distinct skin tone. The bronze-haired man had olive skin, the freckled one was fair, and the brunette was a sun-kissed shade of brown.

No third eyes. No fur or flippers. They looked human enough to me.

And then it hit me. I was dreaming. It was the only explanation.

I pinched my arm. Nothing happened.

Enough of this. I pushed off the tree and stomped past the men. Stomp is what I set out to do—limp is what I accomplished.

I brushed by the bronze-haired one. He was beautiful . They all were, but the way he looked at me… like a predator sizing up its prey. My pulse ramped up as I felt his eyes track me. I peered over my shoulder and batted my eye lashes at him. It was time to take control of this nightmare.

The self-proclaimed Prince jogged over, catching up quickly.

He jumped in front of me, forcing me to a stop, as he gripped my forearm.

My eyes flicked to the hand that dared to grab me…

and then up to his face. There had been a spark—a visceral reaction when we’d touched.

I jolted back as if I’d been burned, while we continued to stare at each other.

I knew this was a dream because he was too pretty—too symmetrical. He was glowing with virility . No one’s teeth were that white—and the way his sharp canines hovered above his bottom lip when he grinned… it was mesmerizing . I’d never been attracted to teeth before.

This was the most vivid dream I’d ever had…

“Who are you?” he breathed, emerald eyes sparkling.

“The woman of your dreams,” I whispered, as if in a trance. I grabbed him by the collar of his tunic, pulled him down to my level, and kissed him.

I’d never done anything so bold in my life… but I was dreaming. None of this was real .

A wave of heat washed over me as our lips touched… like a slow, inevitable flow of lava expanding to my lungs, my heart, then down to my curling toes. The force of it nearly knocked me over.

I tried to wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss, but he pulled back, severing our connection. His brothers were staring at us with both disgust and amusement.

“Did you hit your head when the wylks were chasing you?” My dream lover asked with a crooked smile, resting a hand on my hip.

“I don’t think so…” I said, feeling for any tender spots. My pounding headache came slamming back into me and I groaned, deciding I was ready to leave this dream. Closing my eyes and holding my breath, I concentrated.

Wake up.

Wake up, wake up, wake up!

I cracked one eye open. The men were staring at me as if I was highly volatile… and possibly insane.

“I’m not dreaming?” I asked with cold dread as I peered up at the man I’d just kissed.

“I’m afraid not,” he laughed. “Why don’t you come back with us? You can rest and get something to eat.”

“Rest sounds good,” I said weakly, feeling dizzy with embarrassment. My head was spinning so fast, I felt tipsy.

Gods, I wished I was drunk, then I’d at least have an excuse for my behavior.

My cheeks were on fire, making me self-conscious, which in turn made me blush harder. I didn’t want to go with them; I wanted to lie down and die of humiliation, but I also didn’t want to be left in the forest alone.

Feeling utterly lost and confused, I limped to his brown and black bay horse and let him hoist me onto its back. I was in such shock, I didn’t even protest as I felt him slide behind me in the saddle, pressing his large, solid body against mine.

He took the reins and we began to walk through the woods, trailing behind the others. The gentle rhythm of the ride jostled us, forcing us even closer together. The inescapable friction made it difficult to forget I’d just kissed this perfect stranger.

He eventually settled his hands on my lap, since there was nowhere else for them to go, and I did my best to ignore them.

Time seemed to move at a glacial pace as we rode on.

I was almost positive that he was purposefully torturing me by staying silent—waiting for me to acknowledge what had transpired between us.

“What’s your name?” I finally asked, desperate to break the tension.

“Do you typically kiss someone before learning their name? Or was I just in the right place at the right time?”

“I-I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” I stammered.

He squeezed my thigh. “Please don’t apologize. It was the highlight of my day. I’m Prince Galen Ruhn, heir to the Kingdom of Nymera.” He gestured to the others ahead of us. “Those are my brothers, Louis and Rafael.”

Nymera? I was certain there was no such place. He was lying . My stomach lurched.

“This is the part where you tell me your name,” Galen teased.

I stared ahead, trying to decide how much truth to give him. He and his brothers had just saved me from certain death, but nothing they’d told me so far made any sense. They certainly hadn’t proven themselves trustworthy.

Whoever they were, they were dressed well.

They didn’t look like thieves or vagabonds.

All three men wore matching grey velvet tunics with green emblems over their hearts.

I’d recognized the six-pointed star right away as the sigil of the gods.

I reached for my mother’s necklace, needing to feel it in my palm.

It was a common enough symbol, but I’d never seen it used as a royal crest. It was a strange coincidence—one I wasn’t ready to wrap my head around yet.

“I’m Lady Marigold of Aurelius."

“Marigold…” he drawled. “A lovely name, for an enchanting woman.”

I stiffened at his compliment. Sharing a saddle designed for one meant that every time he spoke, I could feel his breath brush against my neck, eliciting tingles that I didn’t want to feel. I leaned forward, trying to put space between us.

“You’re truly from Erador?” he asked. “From Aurelius? But how? How did you—”