Page 76 of Woven by Gold (Beasts of the Briar #2)

76

Rosalina

I ’m carried in someone’s arms, maybe Farron’s, to the attached privy where I’m washed. He throws a nightdress over me.

We’ve left the bed a tad messy, the scent of sex still in the air. The three of us shuffle over to Farron’s room and slip beneath the crisp sheets. I wrap an arm around Farron’s waist, his back to my chest. Dayton crawls in behind me and drapes an arm over both of us.

Feeling safe, sheltered, and utterly protected, I drift to my dreams.

Something wakes me up, and my eyes shoot open. I don’t think I’ve been asleep long. Farron is still in front of me, breath steady and deep. Good, he’ll need his rest for tomorrow.

There’s a chill on my other side. I sit up and catch Dayton leaving the room.

I should let him go, but I softly pad out of bed and follow him into the main sitting area. Red sunbeams spill over the seats from the large windows.

“Dayton,” I ask, “where are you going?”

He turns, flashing me a charming grin. “Light sleeper, eh, Blossom? You know Fare and I don’t do the whole sleepover thing.”

I level him with a measuring gaze.

“And,” Dayton continues when I don’t reply, “it’s almost sunset.”

“So? The bed’s plenty big enough for you, even as a wolf. Or we could move all the pillows to the ground—”

“It’s alright. Go and cuddle with Farron. Have a good sleep. We’ll need to rest before tomorrow.”

“But…” I say, my voice quavering. “I want you to stay. In whatever way you are. There’s no form of you I don’t—”

He quickly clutches my hands, cutting off my words. “Listen. What we did? Fucking fun. It was amazing, but it’s just fun. You and Farron, do your whole mate thing. I’ll happily join in on the other stuff.”

I yank my hands away from him. “I don’t buy it. You can’t kiss us like that, make love to us like that, and say it’s just fun.”

He angles his head, still smiling, like my words are meaningless to him. “But we didn’t fuck. Not technically, Rosie.”

“I noticed that.”

“Were you craving my cock?”

“I’ve been aching for you since the moment we met,” I gasp out. “Dayton, can’t you see that?”

He doesn’t reply for a minute, then laughs. “You got my name right this time—”

“You said you were over that.” I pace in front of him. “Do you want to know why I called you Kel? It wasn’t because I wished you were him. It was because I was feeling the same thing for you that I had just felt with him. This burning spark in my chest and—”

“Stop it, Rosalina,” Dayton says, and his words are suddenly so sharp, so commanding, my voice cuts off.

“Why?”

He’s the one pacing now. “Because it’s not fucking fair. You can’t say stuff like that. Don’t you think I wish a light could burst forth from my chest and bind me to you and Farron forever? But you’re not my mate. The world doesn’t work that way.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Maybe Fare was right…”

His words tear something deep inside me. “Right about what?”

“Maybe it’s better not to give in at all. I can’t give into you. I see that now. For the Summer Realm. For my people. I have to set them free, the way Fare did with you. Regain my full magic and help my sister.”

Tears prick my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you have to find your mate. It’s just—”

Tenderly, he wipes away my tears with a calloused hand. “Here’s the thing, Blossom. If I give in to you, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll stay by your side, by Fare, and I’ll never want to find my mate.”

“But—”

“Fuck, Rosie. I’m this close to falling in love with you. I’m teetering on the edge of the cliff, and one wrong step, and I’m going to drop and impale myself on your heart. There will be nothing for anyone else. So, it’s got to be this way. But hey, it’s still fun.”

Logically, it makes sense. But everything in me fights to tell him he’s an idiot. Because he belongs with Farron and me. I want to press my lips to his and drag him back into the room with us and prove it to him.

But before I can do anything, the setting sun dips below the horizon, and Dayton shimmers, becoming the sea-drowned golden wolf.

“Get some rest,” he says, bowing his head. “Tomorrow, we fight for Autumn.”

“You too, Day.” Slowly, I return to the room, crawling in beside my mate.

Dayton’s words still ring in my mind, and I know no matter what he says, it’ll never be just fun between me and the Summer Prince.

Farron rolls toward me, pulling me into his embrace. I inhale his scent. Tomorrow, Coppershire fights for the realm. As I lie in Farron’s arms, I know I’ll be there, fighting for my princes however they need me.