Page 61 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

Oh, this was so much worse than if he looked evil.

Wilde’s eyes were half-closed and messy white hair hung in his face. He mumbled in a confused, sleepy voice, “Why’d you call?”

Fuck, he’s beautiful.Suddenly, I wasn’t in a dark, haunted forest surrounded by a bunch of nosy royals. I was in a soft bed, lying next to Wilde, waking up after a long night, exhausted for all thebestreasons. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his pale skin and moonlight hair.

Clearing my throat, I shoved the image away, firmly planting myself in the unpleasant present. Wilde wasnotsomeone to fantasize about. First, he was evil—literally, his whole goal in life was to become an evil mage. Soft beds and sunlight didn’t suit him. Second, his idea of affection was probably to tie someone up and order them about and whip them if they didn’t obey—dammit, don’t react to that!

I shifted uneasily, hoping none of the others noticed my unfortunate arousal. Obviously, my brain had malfunctioned from all the quest related stress. “Uh, sorry … but we need your advice.” Maybe if he knew we had an audience, he’d forget about making me beg.

The reflection shifted as he set the compact down, offering a glimpse of his pale chest. There was the barest hint of a pink nipple, then he disappeared from the frame entirely so all we could see were black silk sheets. By the time he’d returned, he’d put on a shirt.

Disappointment unfurled in my chest before I ruthlessly quashed it.Not the time, place, or person!

“By ‘we’ do you mean your friends?”

“Fellow champions,” I corrected.

“I’m his cousin!” Delilah said excitedly, squeezing herself in front of me. “He probably talks about meall the timebecause we’reveryclose.”

I couldn’t see his expression with Delilah blocking the mirror. I planted my hand on the top of her head and shoved her down. “Sorry about her.”

“Is she wearing a magical collar?” he asked, leaning closer to the reflection. His pale hair slipped into his eyes, and he tucked it gently behind his ear.

“Yes!” She almost smacked my chin with the top of her head as she bounced back up. “Uncle Rick made it for me! It gives me ears”—she grabbed her furry ears to show him—“and a tail!” She held up her tail, obscuring the image as she waved it in his face.

“Clever. I’d love to examine it more closely.”

I finally pushed her to the side and ordered, “Stay out of the way.”

She hissed at me but stayed down.

“I’m calling because we’re lost, and I hope you can help.”

He arched an eyebrow, but thankfully didn’t say something like ‘are you prepared to beg’ or anything else that would raise questions. “Lost how?”

“We’ve been walking in circles.”

“Hold up the mirror and show me where you are.”

Turning the mirror toward the forest, I showed him the stream and the campsite.

“Good boy.” Wilde’s voice was still soft and husky from sleep, giving the simple praise more allure than it deserved.

Even though Wilde couldn’t see me, I scowled at the mirror.This is not obedience training. ‘Instructions’ and ‘orders’ are two different things!

He continued to give instructions without offering any more praise. After I walked him all around the campsite, he explained, “You’re stuck in a spatial loop. They’re scattered throughout the Grimnight Forest to trap trespassers.”

“How do we escape it?” I asked.

“Find the trap you triggered and break it.”

I looked around the forest. “Does anyone remember triggering anything?”

The others shook their heads.

“It’s easiest if you can sense magic,” Wilde offered, his tone light.

Gods, I know where this is going.Still, I held onto hope and asked, “Can anyone here sense magic?”