Chapter 16

16

TREYTON

I t took me an entire night and day of nonstop riding to arrive here. My thighs burn, my throat is parched, and there are a dozen knots in my back that refuse to loosen.

Cayetana and some of my most trusted soldiers are a day or two behind, having chosen to take the carriages. Cayetana wasn’t happy that I decided to head into enemy territory on my own, but she didn’t dare stop me.

No one did.

It’d be suicide to get between a fae and his mate.

Mate.

My mate.

I take a moment to study Kassandra’s features, though I already have them memorized. They’ve featured prominently in my dreams since the first moment I saw her.

I inhale her citrus scent and allow the foreign feeling of contentment to cascade through me. Being in her presence after all this time… It’s like coming home. All I want to do is pull her into my arms and never let her escape. Not again.

And yet…

There’s so much I still need to know.

Where’s Calan? Why is she here? What the fuck happened?

And who is the elf that’s with them?

I can’t remember the last time I saw an elf in fae lands. Years ago, I think, when I was just a boy.

And why was that elf staring at my Kassie in such a possessive way? Like he owned her?

An uneasy feeling travels through me.

Kassie stares up at me in wonder, her perfect pink lips parted just slightly.

Her hands lift so she can sign. “You came for me.”

I’m not sure if she means those words as a statement or a question, but I take it as the latter and answer accordingly. “Always.”

Her breath hitches, and a rosy flush unfurls in her cheeks. The enticing red looks striking against her golden curls.

“Why?”

I take a step closer until my chest brushes against hers. “Because we belong together.”

Shock splays across her face, and she gapes at me, momentarily at a loss for words.

I want to tell her the truth about what she is to me— who she is to me—but now isn’t the time. Didn’t I decide that Kassie deserves better than a fae like me? She deserves to be romanced and wooed. When I tell her that she’s my fated mate, gifted to me by Gaia herself, I want the moment to be perfect. Romantic. I want her to walk away having no doubts in her mind about who she belongs to.

And who belongs to her.

“It seems as if you’ve had quite the adventure since I last saw you,” I whisper, yearning to place my hand on her cheek.

Would her skin feel as soft as it looks? I imagine so.

“I wouldn’t really call it an adventure…” She drops her hands and chews on her bottom lip.

It takes all of my self-control not to rip her lip away from her teeth. If anyone should be biting that plush lip of hers, it’s me.

“What do you call traveling into enemy territory with an evil ice prince and then ending up in a hidden village with an ugly oaf and an elf?” I tease, and a smile flits across her face, brief and fleeting.

Even still, I feel my breath catch. She’s beautiful normally, but when she smiles…

I go weak in the knees.

Me .

The man once notorious for bedding every female in his kingdom is now a simpering fool for one fae and one fae alone.

“It’s been a strange few days,” she confides at last, her gaze flicking towards her bicep.

Just beneath her sleeve, and above her mismatched gloves, rests a strange mark I’ve never seen before. It’s red and slightly raised, the edges appearing almost pink in the shadows.

“What’s that?” I reach forward to touch the discolored skin, but before my fingers can make contact, she jumps away with a startled cry, her back banging against the wall behind her.

“Don’t touch it,” she signs, her hands shaking and her eyes wide with something akin to fear. “I don’t know what it’ll do to you.”

“What it’ll do to me?” I parrot, canting my head to the side in confusion.

She hesitates, and once more, her teeth come down to nibble on her lower lip. “Have you heard of the Mark of Chaos?”

“The Mark of Chaos?” I frown. “Should I have?”

She shakes her head and flicks her gaze back towards the mark.

Understanding dawns.

“Is that brand on your skin…? Is that some kind of curse?” A strange feeling whirls in my gut the longer I stare at the puckered skin.

I’ve never heard of the Mark of Chaos before, but it doesn’t sound good.

“I need to get this mark off of me,” she confesses. “I don’t really know how else to explain it, but it’s dangerous. And the only creature that can help me remove it lives in Amorite.”

“Wait. Wait. Slow down. Back up.” I blink at her, attempting to assign some meaning to her absurd words. Dangerous? Amorite? “Is that where you three are heading? Amorite?”

She nods, the barest dip of her chin. “We’re going to pass through the Forest of the Damned to reach the Fall Court. From there, we’ll head straight to Amorite.”

“To remove this mark,” I say slowly. It’s not a question.

“Yes,” Kassie answers.

“Because the mark’s dangerous.”

“Yes.”

I run my finger across the stubble on my chin—longer than it’s ever been before, thanks to my hasty departure from the Spring Court and my nonstop riding. It won’t be long until it turns into a full-fledged pink beard.

“You know I’m coming with you, right?” My hands twitch by my sides with the need to pull her close, hold her against me, bask in her heat.

Her brows arch in surprise. “Your Highness?—”

“Treyton,” I correct immediately, recognizing what she’s doing.

She’s trying to remind me who I am. My title.

But nothing is more important than protecting my mate.

Isn’t it funny how one insignificant event can change the course of your life forever? Only a few weeks ago, nothing was more important to me than running my kingdom. I’m a prince, for fuck’s sake, and though I’m not an overly good one, I relished the prestige my title gave me.

Now, my priorities have shifted, and they all circle around this tiny slip of a girl with mismatched gloves, golden hair, and eyes that peer into my soul. My father can handle the politics of our kingdom and the impending war. I have other more important matters to deal with.

I feel a tiny pinch of guilt at the latter thought, knowing how incompetent my father is. However, I won’t stay away for long. As soon as my mate is safe, I’ll return to the kingdom, claim my throne, and save my people the way I should’ve done years ago.

“Kassandra…” I debate my next words, knowing that what I say next could either scare her off or draw her closer to me. “When you were taken, I started reflecting on my life.”

She blinks at me in surprise. Whatever she was expecting me to say wasn’t that.

I continue on before I can lose my nerve. “And not just on who I am as a fae, but who I am as a prince.” A wry smile tugs up my lips before I can quell it. “I don’t think I’m good at being either, if I’m being completely honest.”

I feel incredibly vulnerable at this moment, and I haven’t even told Kassie any of my secrets. Still, this is the closest I’ve come to letting someone in, allowing them to see past my jovial outer shell and calm, princely fa?ade.

“Something happened years ago, something that changed me. I vowed to do better, to be better. It wasn’t until I met you that I realized I failed. I was simply going through the motions, as if I could fake being a better fae. It didn’t work.

“But here’s the thing…I want to be better. I want to do better. Sometimes I’m worried that I’m too big of a monster to ever change, but is the world truly black and white? Is it possible that us, as fae, can be shades of gray? Can’t we balance that precarious line between good and evil? Is every action inherently bad? Or can we do bad things for the greater good?”

I realize I’ve gotten off topic, so I quickly try to backtrack, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. “Look, I’m not saying this right. I know most people don’t give a shit about me outside of my status as a prince?—”

“I give a shit about you,” Kassie interrupts, and then her cheeks burn crimson, and she drops her hands back to her sides.

I smile despite myself. “You might be the only one, sunshine.”

I force myself to take a deep breath and lower my head so I’m staring into her arresting blue eyes. They’re a lighter shade of blue than my own and seem to sparkle like diamonds adrift in a fathomless sea. The sight makes my heart lurch painfully.

“But I think that’s what I’m trying to say. I want you to give a shit about me. I’ve always thought I cared about what other fae thought about me, but that’s not true. Not really. I didn’t want their love…I wanted their respect. There’s a difference. You can gain respect by being kind and benevolent, or you can get it through fear. One is easier than the other.”

Fuck. I’m rambling.

What is happening to me?

I never used to ramble before. I knew exactly what to say and when to say it. Words were my weapon of choice, more cutting than any blade could ever be. Words can build empires but also destroy them. They’re unassuming killers, capable of slithering past defenses and burrowing deep inside a fae’s psyche.

Yet, for the first time ever, I can’t find the right words to say. They all tumble around in my head like a wheel that won’t stop spinning. Around and around it goes, and I’m just waiting until the moment it stops and my fate is decided.

“Treyton, I don’t understand.” Kassie blinks up at me with wide, guileless eyes.

“I want to do better. Be better,” I blurt, once again reaching forward to capture that escaped curl. I twirl it around and around my finger, relishing the feel of it on my skin. Silk. It reminds me of silk. “I want you to actually care about me and mean it. And, more than any of that, I want to deserve it. You shouldn’t have to care about a monster.” I release her hair and take a step back, instantly missing her warmth. Her scent. Fuck. “What I’m saying is I want to be your friend, sunshine. I don’t know if I’ll be a really good one, if I’m being completely honest, but I want to try.”

“My friend,” she signs, appearing stunned.

“Friend,” I agree with a decisive nod.

Because I’m not sure if she’ll ever accept me as a mate, but a friend? Perhaps she’ll allow me to be in her life as that. I wasn’t lying when I said I won’t be a good one. I’ve never really had a friend before, unless you count Cayetana and Serena.

But for Kassandra, I’ll try.

Gaia help me, I’ll try.

I thought she needed a monster, but I’m not so sure anymore. There are enough monsters in the world for her to face. Her mate shouldn’t be one of them.

So I’ll be her friend. I’ll repent. I’ll prostrate myself at her feet and pray for forgiveness. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll do enough to be worthy of her.

Gaia only knows there’s a lot I need to atone for.

My sins could fill an entire book, but I’m finally ready to share the tome with Kassandra. I want her to know me, my past, and the events that made me the fae I am today.

I just hope she can forgive me once all is said and done.