Page 13 of Woven by Gold (Beasts of the Briar #2)

13

Rosalina

A s I step inside of Castletree, a great weight lifts from my heart…. replaced by a sinking sense of dread. Something is terribly wrong.

This is not the Castletree I remember. A thick, dangerous layer of ice covers the entire entrance hall. Icicles hang from the rafters like stalactites. Thorns pierce through every surface, creeping along the edges and weaving across the ground in such abundance that the marble floor is obscured from my sight. What happened here?

Everything feels heavy, like a suffocating blanket has been draped over this once vibrant place. The air carries an acrid scent, and the sickness of Castletree lingers on my tongue. The princes’ magic is weaker than ever.

My legs shake, and I clutch Dayton and Ezryn’s fur to keep steady.

An electric shock surges through my body, and my gaze snaps to the top of the grand stair, where I see his silhouette. The giant white wolf, pacing and snarling. He’s bigger than I remember, a layer of frost covering his fur, blue fire dancing in his eyes.

“You shouldn’t have returned.” His deep growl reverberates through the air.

“I promised I would,” I snarl back, lacing the words with my own sort of venom.

The wolf shakes his head in anger before prowling down the stairs, jagged shards of ice shooting up with each step.

Ezryn and Dayton both bare their teeth, but I gently run a hand along their heads. “Thank you for coming for me,” I whisper. “But I am not afraid.”

I step out from the protection of my cursed princes. It’s true; the gnawing terror I’d felt back in Orca Cove has vanished from my being entirely.

The wolf halts in the middle of the entrance hall, a frozen tomb of his own creation. I step closer, observing his massive teeth as long as my arm, the giant maw, the whirl of emotion in those icy eyes.

Maybe I should feel fear or anger or betrayal, but as I stare up at the Prince of Winter, a human girl in a silly sweater and sneakers, there’s one feeling more prevalent than all the others. Tears flow down my cheek.

“I really missed you,” I gasp before throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his fur.

The embrace of winter hits me immediately, and a fire blazes inside my chest, relieving an ache that’s been tearing me apart for the last four months. “I fucking hate you, Kel.”

Then I’m falling, crashing to the floor, braced against a hard chest as arms wrap around me so tightly, I can barely breathe.

Kel… Kel is a fae man. Even though it’s night. Like when we shared the cave together. He tucks his head into the crook of my neck. I want to touch every part of him. I run my hands over his muscular shoulders and tangle my fingers in his hair. A gasping sob escapes me.

“My Rose,” he murmurs into my hair.

Slowly, I pull back because I need to take him in. Yep, he’s completely naked. And I’m in his lap, my legs wrapped around his torso.

Dayton and Ezryn slowly creep closer to us, each step wary.

Kel’s heart beats frantically as I press my palm to his chest. I trail my gaze higher to take in his face. In classic Kel fashion, his wild, white hair looks like it hasn’t been washed in months. His eyes are half-lidded, as if he’s taking me in the same way I am him. However, my focus is drawn to his lips, remembering how they felt against my own. “You kissed me.”

A rumble resonates in his chest. Does he remember what it felt like?

But another growl sounds as Ez prowls forward. Even with the wolf’s features, I can tell he’s surprised. “How is this possible?”

The answer is so clear now. So clear now that we’re pressed together, two pieces of the same star, my heart beating in time with his.

“Because,” I say, “Keldarion is my mate.”

Ezryn scrambles back as if the very words have pierced him. Dayton waves his head back and forth. “Kel, is this true?”

I stare across at my mate, knowing he cannot deny it now. Not with this magic blooming between us like a star igniting.

Something passes over his features, hard and unreadable. He pushes away, and I land on the icy ground. The moment he’s no longer touching me, there’s that crackle of magic, and he shifts back into the giant white wolf.

“Kel?” I gasp.

“It is true,” his deep voice drips with ferocity, “and I could not have asked for a crueler fate in all the stars. The Enchantress’s curse is nothing compared to the utter torment of being mated to you .”

And with that, the Prince of Winter prowls from the room.