13. A Prince’s Vow

13

A PRINCE’S VOW

(RIVEN)

W hen I regain consciousness the next morning, the first thing I do is find Rowena. I rush to my feet, ignoring the cricks and cramps, my gaze scanning the space around me for any sign of her.

“Are you alright?”

I whirl to see Rowena step out from the bush a few feet away, a basket of moonberries in her hands. I breathe a sigh of relief and sink back down onto the mat.

“Where did you go?”

“There was a full moon last night,” she giggles excitedly. “So I went looking for moonberries.” She picks one of the small, silver-blue berries and thrusts it in my face.

“Here.”

I take it grudgingly, my heart slowing as I try to steady myself. “Why did you leave the circle? I worried about you all night.”

She frowns. “Didn’t you say you can’t feel anything whenever you’re in this stone state?”

True. But last night was different. When the curse took effect, the foremost thought on my mind was Rowena and a silent prayer that she would be safe. Somehow, all through the duration of the curse, I could still feel the weight of my fear for her.

It’s the first time it’s happening. I’ve never been able to feel anything during the curse before. As I look into Rowena’s confused gaze, I suddenly know why. My feelings for her have changed. I’m constantly thinking about her, noticing her, admiring her. This is more than a fleeting crush. It’s more…

“Riven?” Rowena feels my forehead with the back of her hands. “Eat the berry. We should leave soon if we want to get to Solavien by evening.”

I sink my teeth into the moonberry, moaning when its sweetness explodes on my tongue. It’s a rare fruit but one of the best, especially since it possesses a magical ability to heal wounds and replenish strength.

“Did you sleep well last night?” I finish the fruit and she hands me another.

“Not really.”

“Why?”

“I was anxious,” she answers. “Plus, I didn’t want to leave you unprotected. In that state, you can’t save yourself.”

My mouth falls open. She was worrying about me while I was worried about her?

“Rowena,” I groan. “I'd prefer that you don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. If there’s ever a problem, choose yourself. Save yourself first.”

She narrows her eyes at me, her eyes darkening. The sweet fruit suddenly tastes bland at the angry intensity in her gaze. I’m about to ask what’s wrong when she turns away and begins to gather our satchels.

“We should go,” she says. “We don’t have much time.”

I open my mouth to speak but decide against it. As bothersome as the tense silence between us is, it’s necessary. I need to get my head straight. Falling in love with Rowena is not an option. She’s a witch! It would never work!

A few minutes later, we’re on our way.

I led the way because Rowena vehemently refused when I told her to stay in front where I could see her. I let her walk behind me while splitting my attention between the path ahead and the one behind. This is the last phase of our journey to Solavien, and as peaceful as this forest seems, something tells me we won’t have it easy.

A moment later, Rowena suddenly grabs my arm. I turn to see her eyes wide with fear and anxiety. This spooks me because Rowena hardly shows this emotion. Seeing her eyes wild with fear is a novelty.

“Something is wrong.” She grounds us to a halt.

“What’s wrong?” I look around, but there’s nothing out of place.

“Listen, Riven.” She tilts her ears towards the forest.

I go completely still, straining my ears to pick up the slightest sound, but again, I hear absolutely nothing.

“There’s nothing,” I tell her. “I hear nothing.”

“Exactly.”

It suddenly dawns on me that the forest is eerily silent. The chirping of insects and the songs of birds are gone. The only sound we can hear is our labored breaths.

“Let’s keep moving.” My hand drifts to the hilt of my sword while I scan the forest, my sharp gaze darting between thick tree trunks and tangled under bushes.

“Stay close to me, please.”

“Okay.” She nods.

“Will you please walk ahead of me?” I ask. “I don’t have eyes at the back of my head.”

Rowena’s eyes flash like she’s about to argue, but before she gets a word out, a deep, haunting growl penetrates the eerie silence around us. Rowena screams and launches herself into my arms as the growl lingers in the air for a second and then disappears.

“What was that?” She asks nervously, scrambling into her satchel for protection amulets.

It’s impossible to trace the growl because it came from everywhere and nowhere all at once; I’m beginning to think I imagined it. But Rowena is shuddering in my arms, despite clutching her amulets, so it definitely isn’t a figment of my imagination.

“Don’t be afraid.” I hold Rowena for a moment, fighting the insane urge to kiss her. Instead, I let her go.

“Let’s go.”

We’re about to take another step when a gigantic spider-like creature materializes in front of us. It’s covered in eyes and scales that seem to pulsate all over its body. It has eight spindly legs with sharp claws that dig into the ground as it walks. The scariest part of this creature is its eyes. They are an otherworldly purple that illuminates the air around it.

It’s huge, so I’m not prepared for how fast it is. Before I can act, one of its spindly legs shoots out to grab Rowena’s ankles, yank her off her feet, and drag her into the underbrush and away from my sight.

For a second, I freeze, but Rowena’s terrified screams jar me out of my haze, and I dive into the bushes after them, pulling out my sword. The forest is dense, making pursuit hard, but I’ll die before I let this creature get away with Rowena.

Rowena’s screams guide me toward them, and soon, I catch up, bursting out into a clearing to see the ugly creature throw Rowena against a tree. Anger boils in my veins, and with a perfect flick of my hand, I throw my sword at the beast, severing its tail.

It hisses and turns to me, black viscous venom dripping from its long forked fangs. I hold out my hand, and my sword returns to me, the runes imprinted on it glowing.

I race forward, planting myself between Rowena and the creature as it lets out another haunting growl that echoes through the forest. I’ve never seen this creature in my life, so I’m not sure how to kill it, but I must try before it hurts Rowena.

The creature lunges at me, and I dodge, sliding under it and slashing its side as I roll in the dirt. It hisses again, its scales sizzling and falling off where my sword struck. It comes at me again, and I take advantage of its dangly, uncoordinated moments, leaping into the air and plunging my sword deep into its purple eyes.

The creature screams, its body flailing as purple liquid drips from its eye sockets. With one last ear-splitting scream, the creature collapses into a heap. Its body begins to wither and dissolve until it melts off, and only my sword is left.

I pick it up and rush to Rowena, my heart beating in my chest. “Rowena!”

She’s already standing against the tree, and I pull her into my arms, cradling her head against my shoulder. “I was so scared. Oh, Rowena, I cannot bear to lose you.”

I don’t know how the words tumble out of me, but I’m powerless to stop them. Seeing her almost lose her life opened my eyes in so many ways.

“Rowena.” I pull away, holding her face in my hands. At this moment, she looks young and fragile; I can’t believe I let her come on this journey with me. It’s dangerous. I should never have risked her life like this.

“Riven, I’m okay,” she says, wrapping her hands around my wrists and smiling. “I’m fine.”

She’s fine now, but her screams are imprinted in my memory. “I should never have brought you along on this journey.”

“What?” The light drains from her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Rowena, but I should have done this alone. You’re at risk. You?—”

She pushes me off her, her eyes flashing angrily. “There was no way I’d have let you leave me behind. This trip was my idea! Not yours.”

“It’s dangerous, Rowena. You were almost?—”

“You’re selfish!” She yells at me. “So selfish.”

“How am I selfish when I just want to protect you? There’s no?—”

“Don’t protect me! I’m capable of handling myself. I’ve been doing it on my own for years. I don’t need you.”

“You’re right.” I nod. “You don’t need me. But I need you.”

She gapes at me.

“Yes. Rowena, I need you. You’re not just my friend; you’re everything to me. I can’t lose you. Forgive me if I’m acting crazy, but I can’t lose you.”

“Why?” She asks in a small voice.

This is the moment of truth and I can choose to ignore my feelings and act like they don’t exist, but for some reason, I don’t want to. I’ve never felt this way about anyone ever and I’m tired of holding back.

“I love you, Rowena.”

“No!” She turns away from me, marching up the path. “Don’t say that.”

“Rowena!” I catch up with her. “You asked me why.”

“You didn’t have to say it, Riven. Why would you say that? It’s not fair to me.” Her eyes fill with tears. “You’re a fae, and I’m a witch. It can’t work.”

“I’m not asking for anything.” I take a step toward her, bridging the distance. “I’m just telling you how I feel about you.”

She shakes her head. “Riven…”

Her gaze drops to my lips and realization dawns. “You feel the same way,” I whisper. “Rowena.”

“Yes,” she whispers. “I—I love you, Riven.”

We are standing inches apart, our breaths mingling in the warm morning air around us. Rowena slowly reaches up to brush a strand of silver hair back from my face, and her touch sets my skin on fire.

As if drawn by an invisible force, I slowly lean toward her, the world around us falling away until she’s the only one I see. Alarm bells are ringing in my head, warning me that if I cross this line, there’ll be no turning back.

But Rowena is so irresistible. Her beauty is blinding and I simply do not have the strength to step away from her.

We close the distance, our lips meeting in a kiss that starts tender, but quickly becomes fierce when Rowena wraps her arms around my waist. I’ve never been so drawn to a woman, and the desire is overwhelming.

“Riven,” she moans into my mouth and I go completely crazy. The sword drops from my hand and I back her against the tree, deepening the kiss. Her desire matches mine, and she slips her hands under my cloak, touching my bare skin.

I trail kisses down her neck, my fingers deftly undoing the buttons of her cloak. As it slips from her shoulders, she stands before me, bare from the waist up, her skin illuminated in the soft light.

Her eyes are dark with lust and I’m struggling to hold on to the last dregs of my control. My gaze slowly drops to her chest, gasping at how immaculate her breasts are —two glorious mounds with pink tips just begging for my touch.

“Rowena.” I lower my head to her chest and capture a nipple in my mouth while I tweak the other with my finger. She arches her chest into my mouth, and my other hand slips down her body towards the heat between her legs.

Just as I reach her abdomen, we hear a rustling behind us and jump apart. A squirrel runs past us and we exchange glances before bursting into laughter. Rowena laughs so hard, she slides down the tree. I lower myself beside her, my heart expanding with affection.

“I suppose we should thank the squirrel,” Rowena says, shrugging her cloak back on. “We would have gone all the way, and I wouldn’t have stopped you.”

“I didn’t want to be stopped,” I answer truthfully. “Rowena, I meant everything I said.”

“And so do I,” she smiles. “But let’s not talk about it anymore until we find the key and lift the curse. There’s so many things at stake, we can’t afford to lose our focus.”

“You’re right.” I rise and pull her up with me. “Let’s keep moving. We’re almost there.”