Chapter 15

15

KASSANDRA

P rince Treyton of the Spring Court pushes away from the wall, looking, for all intents and purposes, like a lackadaisical animal prowling through a field. He stalks towards me like a man possessed, and neither Blaze nor Aleksander relax.

“Kassie,” Treyton breathes, shock evident in his tone.

Shock…and something I would almost describe as reverence if I believed Treyton was capable of such a thing.

“Isn’t this fun?” Aleksander claps his hands together and tosses me a beaming smile over his shoulder. “It feels as if it’s the start to a bad joke. An elf, a Fall Prince, and a Spring Prince travel through a monstrous forest…”

Treyton tears his gaze off of me to give Aleksander a passing glance, his eyes focusing on his strange ears a tick longer than polite. I wonder if Treyton recognizes him as San from the marketplace. They look eerily similar, the only differences being Aleksander’s height and ears.

“And who are you?” Treyton stills and continues to assess Aleksander with narrowed, icy eyes. His lips thin and tighten, compressing into a perfectly straight line.

Aleksander extends his sword like it’s a hand he intends for Treyton to shake. “Aleksander, elf extraordinaire, at your service.”

I wave my hand in the air to capture Treyton’s attention and then begin to sign. “Treyton, what are you doing here?”

His expression softens. It’s an abrupt transition. One tick, all of his facial muscles are rigid in a way that almost appears uncomfortable. Narrowed eyes. Downturned mouth. Scrunched nose. A furrow between his brows. The next, his eyes widen, his lips lose their haughty sneer, and relief sparkles in his blue eyes. He looks like an entirely different fae.

“When Calan took you…” He takes a shuddering breath, darkness momentarily clouding his expression, before he forces himself to relax and finish speaking. “I looked everywhere for you. You have to know that. One of my spies spotted you near Gaia’s temple. From there, it was just a matter of finding fae willing to talk.”

The Spring Prince left the safety of his castle and crossed into the Summer Court—enemy territory—to find me? Me ?

A strange, buoyant feeling bubbles to life inside of me. I can’t put a finger on what this elusive emotion is, but it makes me feel one hundred pounds lighter. Weightless, even.

When I traveled with Calan, it took us days to arrive here from the Spring Court. Treyton must’ve ridden nonstop this entire time.

To get to me.

Me.

Blaze growls low in his throat and shoulders his way in front of me once more. His biceps flex as he crosses them over his chest. I can’t read the expression on his face, not with his back to me, but Treyton’s eyes turn penetrating and flinty, his lips curling in a sneer.

“Leave, Spring Prince,” Blaze hisses harshly.

Treyton hefts his chin into the air imperiously. “You know I can’t do that, Blaze.”

Another rumbling sound echoes through Blaze’s chest. “I don’t know what made you so damn delusional, but?—”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Treyton interrupts, his tone glacial. “Not without Kassandra.” He turns towards me, and his eyes heat. “Kassandra, we need to go home?—”

Before Treyton can even finish his sentence, Aleksander’s there, his sword held against the Spring Prince’s neck, applying just enough pressure to nick the skin.

“I’m afraid that’s not an option, young princeling,” Aleksander says with a mocking laugh. “My little cherub has somewhere she needs to be. And soon.”

Treyton’s right eye begins to twitch. “Explain.”

“We don’t owe you an explanation,” Blaze snaps.

But Treyton ignores Blaze’s retort and focuses on me. Only me. He doesn’t even seem to care about the sword caressing his jugular. “Kassandra, can we talk? Alone?”

“No,” Blaze growls, at the same time Aleksander sings, “Absolutely fucking not.”

I ignore both idiots and give Treyton a nod. I’m curious what the Spring Prince has to say.

And I’m also desperate to know why he traveled all this way for me.

Is it just because I’m the infamous Death Whisperer?

Is he that desperate for my powers?

Perhaps he’s upset that his new toy got stolen under his nose.

Though I can’t help but think that there’s more to it than that.

Much, much more.

“If you may…” Treyton gives Aleksander a pointed look before flicking his gaze down to the blade at his neck.

Aleksander grins cheekily. “I definitely may. Or maybe I don’t may.” He shrugs a single shoulder. “Who can say for sure if I may or don’t may? It depends on the reason for the may.”

Despite Aleksander’s insane ramblings, he lowers the sword with a reluctant sigh.

Treyton immediately moves towards me, but Blaze refuses to step out of the way. He remains there, his chest heaving, his hands balled into fists, tension lining the rigid muscles of his back.

I place a hand on Blaze’s shoulder and give it a squeeze.

With an almost blistering speed, he whirls to face me, his eyes wild and fevered. Before I can ask him what’s wrong—besides the obvious—he grabs my hips and pulls me flush against his body. Then, his lips connect with mine, devouring each of my breaths as if they’re his own. I gasp slightly at the assault before melting against him, loving the way his tongue plunders my mouth.

And hating myself for loving it.

Blaze pulls away less than a tick later, his face brimming with satisfaction. With a low chuckle, he spins me to face Treyton and gives me a tiny shove, forcing my feet to move. My cheeks feel as if they’re on fire, but I don’t know if that’s because of embarrassment, shame, or lust. Perhaps it’s a mixture of all three. My emotions certainly feel out of control and erratic.

Treyton’s glaring at Blaze with an incandescent fury I feel in the hollow of my bones. A cold wind blows through me at the sight of it.

I stop in front of Treyton, and the Spring Prince finally pulls his gaze off of Blaze long enough to focus on me. He takes a deep breath, and his shoulders rise and fall with the movement. His long lashes flutter against his cheekbones as he continues to modulate his breathing, and when he finally reopens his eyes, the rage from before has dissolved. He offers me a tiny smile.

“If we may?” He extends an arm for me to take, and I place my hand in the crook of his elbow, allowing him to lead me away from the other two males.

“You only have a few ticks, cherub, before we need to leave,” Aleksander warns.

I nod to tell him I understand.

“If you lay a hand on her, I’ll rip you apart,” Blaze snarls.

Treyton gives Blaze a droll look over his shoulder but doesn’t slow his pace, leading me forward. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about women you actually have a claim on? Like…your fiancée?”

Treyton blinks his eyes innocently as a sick feeling swirls in my stomach.

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that Blaze is technically engaged to Treyton’s little sister—and my friend—Serena. I don’t like to think about the two of them together.

Blaze’s eyes frost over and harden. “I ended that engagement a long time ago.”

“Did you now?” Treyton lifts an eyebrow and then focuses on Blaze’s hand. Or, more specifically, the metal band resting on his finger.

A marriage band.

Blaze curses savagely and immediately removes the ring, but Treyton just chuckles and continues walking, guiding me along with him. He only pauses when we turn the corner and Blaze and Aleksander disappear from view.

Treyton tugs me into a tiny alcove and presses me against the wall. He bears down on me, his expression unreadable, his eyes like liquid mercury. I wait for the familiar tendrils of anxiety to grab ahold of me, but they never come.

“Kassie…” Treyton gingerly grabs a strand of my hair that escaped its ponytail prison and holds it in front of his face, studying it like one would a piece of fine silk you yearned to purchase. “We need to talk.”