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“Landi—can you wait up for a second?”
The fae continued moving at a steady pace, leading them through the trees. Since escaping the giant’s lair the friends had been moving fast in the opposite direction, casting occasional looks over their shoulders, listening carefully all the while. The fae had been speaking just as quickly, keeping up a breathless one-way stream of conversation, planning out their next few steps on the fly.
It might have been making up for lost time. It might have been something else.
“...obviously didn’t account for the giants, but it’s like Cosette said: a lot has changed in the last ten years.” He stopped abruptly in his tracks, glanced at the sun, then made a slight alteration to their course. “That being said, the geography itself isn’t different. As long as we continue heading due west we’ll eventually reach the river, which will lead us down to the sea...”
The princess stared at the back of his head, then continued walking up the trail.
While the fae had yet to stop talking, there was a lot he didn’t say. And strangely enough, she didn’t think it was the brush with a giant, the fight with his best friend, or even their subsequent fiery escape from an over-sized birdcage that weighed heaviest on his mind.
“...benefits of taking a larger ship, but at this point anonymity might beat speed...”
Since the friends were children, people had thought their relationship was a bit strange.
Three enchanting immortals, living in such close proximity? Studying with the same tutors, drinking at the same parties, sleeping under the same stars? How could they just be friends?
But since they were children, the friends had laughed those rumors away.
It was something they had never questioned. As natural as taking a breath. When you grew up with each other as family, you thought of each other as family. It was as simple as that.
There were no barriers between them, no secrets they hadn’t shared.
They sat together at funerals, handled each other’s break-ups, held back each other’s hair after a night of drinking. They had provided each other with enough outrageous alibies that, as a rule, no one at the castle believed a single word they had to say.
It was the friendship that sustained them. The eternal communion of three kindred spirits.
...and we just shattered that all to hell.
“—really just a matter of what kind of wood they’ve used for the hull. If we’re talking about something hard like oak, then it could probably navigate the passage in a few days. But there’s this certain kind of Odesian cedar that’s actually—”
She bowed her head with a sigh, glancing sideways at Asher instead.
The two hadn’t spoken to each other since leaving the garden. Both had effectively shut down the second they walked through the gate. It wasn’t that either of them regretted what had happened. Quite the contrary, the princess found herself in a dreamy kind of shock. It simply wasn’t something either of them knew how to discuss. Let alone in front of the others. Let alone having recently escaped a clan of giants with little clouds of smoke still rising from their backs.
The vampire was walking silently beside her, keeping his eyes on the ground.
Unlike the princess, who occasionally tried to interject, he’d made no attempt to disrupt the fae’s monologue. He simply trailed at the back of the group with a thoughtful expression, listening with quiet patience to whatever Ellanden had to say.
He’d shot his fair share of looks at the princess, not that she’d seen a single one. He’d even debated pulling her aside so they could speak in private. But for the most part his head was back in that garden, replaying what had happened again, and again, and again...
“—larch is what you really want. But that’s incredibly difficult to find. It’s only at certain elevations that you can even—”
“Ellanden!” the princess called, finally incensed. “Can we talk for a second?”
He glanced over his shoulder, looking surprised she’d even ask. “We’re talking about ships,” he replied.
“One of us is doing that,” Freya muttered under her breath. “One of us is considering setting the fae on fire.”
Evie clenched her jaw, stomping past the rest to join him at the front.
“Yeah, as fascinating as all that is—I really need to speak with you.” Her eyes narrowed as she struggled to keep pace. “Call me crazy, but I get the feeling something might be wrong.”
“What do you mean?” The fae held back a heavy branch for the others, releasing it before Asher had a chance to make it through. “Everything’s fine.”
The princess gave him a measured look, then raised her voice. “We’re setting up camp.”
The rest of them stopped at once, Ellanden glancing around in genuine surprise.
“Right now? Evie, we can keep going another few hours—”
“No,” she said shortly, “we can’t.” With a defiant plop she dropped her cloak onto the ground between them, perching on the rock beside it. “Cosette, why don’t you see what you can scrounge up for dinner? Freya, why don’t you go with her? Moral support.”
Translation: get the heck out of here.
The girls couldn’t nod fast enough. Tension had been building ever since their daring escape into the woods, and they had no intention of being there when things finally boiled over.
“Do you have any preferences?” Freya asked lightly as they backed into the woods. “We could try to get some rabbits, or maybe a nice ferret—”
Cosette grabbed her hand a moment later, quickly dragging her out of sight.
For the first time since emerging from the wizard’s cave, the three friends found themselves suddenly alone. Most days, it would have been a blessing. Today, it most certainly was not.
Evie stared at Ellanden. Ellanden stared at Evie. Asher stared at the ground in between them, wondering why the princess had insisted upon getting the three of them alone.
There was a split second of silence, then everyone started talking all at once.
“Look, this really isn’t—”
“We really don’t have to—”
“I’m sorry you saw the two of us kiss!”
The men turned as one to stare at the princess.
As usual, they’d been of exactly the same mind. Hoping to simply ignore what had happened until one or both felt comfortable sweeping it under the rug. It was a passive-aggressive compartmentalization method they were proud to have perfected over the course of their young lives.
The princess was a bit more direct.
“I’m sorry you saw the two of us kiss,” she said again, a little breathless this time. “It’s not how I would have told you. It had never even happened before today. It’s not like...” She caught herself, feeling suddenly unsure. “It’s not like we were trying to keep it from you or something—”
“That’s what you think this is about?” Ellanden asked incredulously, stopping the discussion in its tracks. “That’s why you think I’ve been angry?”
She froze uncertainly, mind going blank. “...it isn’t?”
The fae glanced up at the canopy of trees, trying hard to rein in his temper. It wasn’t exactly his strong suit, but when he looked back a moment later he was strangely calm.
“I could give a crap that you guys kissed.”
If it was possible, the princess was even more baffled than before. She shot a quick look at Asher, who was staring warily at the prince, before turning back in complete astonishment.
“...really?”
Ellanden took one look at their faces and broke down in spite of himself, letting out a quiet laugh as he raked his fingers through his hair.
“I mean, it’s a little weird, but...I’d never be angry that you kissed.”
Then, what? Evie thought desperately. The fight? That would certainly make sense, except that I wasn’t a part of the fight and he hasn’t been speaking to me either—
“You know about the bond,” Asher said quietly.
The two men locked eyes. Then Ellanden nodded.
“I was standing right there,” he said softly, glancing at Evie as well. “I was literally holding Asher steady when your blood splashed into his face.” His eyes tightened at the memory before resting on each of his friends. “Were you guys just not going to tell me?”
Evie grabbed his hands without thinking, both horrified and relieved at the same time.
“Of course not!” she exclaimed. “Of course we were going to tell you!”
The fae lifted his eyebrows slowly, wanting very much to believe that was true.
“We were in that cage for almost three days,” he began tentatively. “We were camped out on the tundra a full day before that. I kept waiting for one of you to say something, but—”
“I didn’t know how,” Evie interrupted, feeling suddenly bereft. “I...I still don’t.”
“We haven’t talked about it yet ourselves,” Asher added quietly, glancing between them. “I never meant for it to happen—you guys know how I feel about that sort of thing. It just caught me by surprise and I don’t...”
He forced himself to look at the princess for the first time.
“...I don’t know what it means.”
She let out a quiet sigh.
Yeah, me neither.
Time seemed to suspend as they stared at each other.
There was finally nothing chasing them. They were finally alone. But now that the moment was upon them, neither of them could think of a single way to break that unending silence.
Ellanden glanced between them, then folded his arms with a little grin. “Sounds like you two have a lot to talk about, huh?”
They stared a moment longer, then turned to him at the same time. Far from leaving the fae had settled in, leaning back on the grass as he stared up at them with an expectant smile.
It took Evie a second to realize what was happening, then her eyes narrowed with a withering glare. “And you’re staying right there, are you?”
He glanced between them with a look of total innocence. “I just assumed any conversation would include me.”
The princess’ fingers curled into automatic fists, but the vampire grabbed her swiftly by the arm and took her away, leading her deeper into the woods.
* * *
THEY WALKED A COMICALLY long time without speaking, effectively leaving the campsite and everyone in it behind. The setting sun, which had been hovering stubbornly above the trees, finally slipped beneath the horizon—cloaking the forest in darkness as they continued on their way.
Every so often they’d glance at each other, silently panic, then continue onward. It had gotten to the point where Evie was afraid they’d left what Ellanden had called the ‘Middle Country’ behind. Then, all at once, the vampire came to a sudden stop in front of her.
Finally, he’s ready to—
She trailed off as her eyes flickered a few feet past him. No, he wasn’t ready to talk. The two of them had simply walked themselves to the edge of a cliff.
...well, that’s ironic.
Her body froze in surprise as a sudden smile crept up the side of her face. She bit her lip, trying to keep Asher from seeing, but it got harder and harder the longer they stood there. Instead of seeing the humor, the vampire looked like he was having some kind of panic attack. His dark eyes kept flickering over the side of the bluff like he was honestly trying to find a way down.
“Should have brought some rope,” he murmured under his breath.
That did it.
A second later, the princess burst out laughing. The kind of long, uncontrolled laughing that took one’s breath away and only stopped when it was ready. The kind that was impossibly contagious, no matter how hard one might try to resist.
Asher tried hard. He was not successful.
His hands ran over his face as he took a deliberate step away from the cliff, shaking silently. All the more so when the ground where he’d just been standing crumbled into the abyss. The two were still going strong when they left it all behind, settling in a little clearing among the trees.
For the first time in what felt like ages, things felt natural between them. Reclining on a patch of moonlit grass, stretched out side by side as they stared up at the stars. How many times had they lain in exactly this position? How many nights had they drifted peacefully off to sleep?
When things finally quieted down, they made no effort to move. They simply nestled closer together, legs touching, smiles still lingering on their faces. Asher’s arm lifted invitingly and she slid automatically underneath, curling into his side, resting her head on his chest.
It was quiet for a while. Then all at once, his body stiffened.
“I felt this way before the bond,” he blurted.
She froze in surprise, slowly twisting her head to look at him. Never before had she seen such an expression. He was completely vulnerable, laying everything on the line.
“I...I’ve felt this way for a long time,” he admitted softly. “For a lot longer than I knew myself.” He blushed suddenly, lowering his eyes. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for even longer.”
The princess stared up at him in the darkness. She wanted to reassure him, to take his hand and promise that she felt the same way. But all she could do was stare, completely spellbound.
“So why didn’t you?”
His eyes flashed to hers, resting there for a while before he shrugged with a sad smile.
“Because it was you.”
Some people might have been offended, lost themselves in a tailspin of misinterpretation and self-doubt, but Evie knew exactly what he meant. How many times had she peeked at him from the corner of her eye, thinking exactly the same thing? That this beautiful dark-haired boy wasn’t hers to love as anything more than a friend. That they’d been through too much together. That there wasn’t a chance in hell he could possibly feel the same.
Without stopping to think she rolled onto his chest, tendrils of crimson hair spilling down his arms. They stared at each other for a long moment, feeling a bit like they were right back on the edge of that cliff, then she leaned down and kissed him.
For the first time since setting off on their grand adventure...time was on their side.
It started as something sweet, a gentle caress so exquisitely tender the feel of it brought tears to the princess’ eyes. His hand slipped into her hair, their faces angling naturally together as the light of the moon glowed silver upon their skin. Then it started to dawn on them that they were truly alone.
And kissing wasn’t nearly enough.
The temperature between them spiked as his body arched off the grass, taking her along with him. Her legs wrapped around his waist and the fingers laced in her hair tightened into a sudden fist, anchoring their faces together. His lips coaxed hers open, his tongue slipping into her mouth. Her heartbeat raced, and before she knew what she was doing she’d yanked his shirt right over his head.
It fell in the grass behind them. Her fingers started struggling with the clasp on his pants.
Then his hand closed gently over hers.
“Evie.”
His voice stopped her frantic efforts, soothing the fire racing through her veins.
For a second, she was almost too overwhelmed to look at him. The world was sharpening back into focus, and she was suddenly aware that her legs were hitched firmly around his waist.
“What’s the matter?” she whispered, afraid to meet his eyes. “Don’t you want to?”
A pair of cool fingers slipped beneath her chin. She pulled away instinctively, but when she finally lifted her head he was staring down with a tender smile.
“Of course I want to,” he said softly. “I told you, I’ve wanted to for a long time.” He paused a moment, staring at her in the moonlight. “But you’ve never done this before.”
Her cheeks flamed as she dropped her eyes to the ground.
Both of her friends were...experienced. That was a generous way of putting it. Since he was fourteen years old Ellanden had been sneaking off to the stables with the nymph of the moment, and Asher had always been too attractive for his own good. Women noticed. They noticed back.
The only one who hadn’t crossed that particular line was the princess herself.
“I know I’m not as practiced as some of the girls you’ve been with,” she mumbled, eyes locked on the forest floor. “But I could try to—”
“Seven hells, Everly!” Asher interrupted. “That’s not what I meant!”
He shifted her slightly so she was sitting on his lap instead of straddling it, still staring affectionately into her eyes. When she refused to look at him, he simply waited. When she finally conceded with a petulant glare, a little smile was twinkling in his eyes.
“My wrist is broken,” he said quietly, stroking back a lock of her hair. “The fae cracked three of my ribs. I’m not exactly at my best, we’re in the middle of the forest, and there’s a decent chance you have a mild concussion from when that giant smashed you into the ground.”
Evie considered this for a moment. “Well, everybody’s got problems...”
He pulled her closer with a laugh, pressing a tender kiss to the top of her head. “I’m saying, this isn’t how you want your first time.”
Perhaps she should have been embarrassed—that flaming blush had yet to leave her cheeks. If it had been anyone else saying it she probably would have fled the woods, never to return again.
But as it stood...she was sincerely touched.
“I want it to be perfect,” he murmured, flashing a sudden grin. “Ideally, I want it to be with me...” They laughed quietly before he stroked a lock of hair from her face. “But seriously, Evie, I don’t want you to regret anything. I want it to be exactly what you deserve.”
She stared at him a moment longer, then nodded. Two fingers started walking teasingly up his bare chest as a little smile played around her lips.
“So that’s it? You’re blowing me off?”
He laughed a little breathlessly.
“Yeah, that’s totally what I’m doing.” He glanced down at her fingers, adjusting himself with a bit of strain. “You don’t make it easy.”
She shrugged casually, raking a nail down the center of his chest. He shivered in spite of himself, trying to fight back every screaming impulse, then caught her face between gentle hands. Their eyes locked for a fleeting moment as his thumbs swept lightly across her cheeks.
“But it’ll be worth it.”
Her eyes warmed and she stopped her shameless teasing. She kissed him softly instead. “Yes, it will.”
The two shared a secret smile.
“In the meantime...I’ll just try to control myself.”
He reached behind him for his shirt, but she beat him to it—dangling it casually out of reach. His eyes sparkled as he leaned back on his elbows, letting her enjoy the view.
“This hardly seems fair.”
“This was your choice,” she said loftily, soaking it all in. “I wanted to keep going. You had the brilliant idea of controlling yourself. How’s that going, by the way?”
His teeth sank into his lower lip, fighting back a grin. “You tell me.”
It was a cruel trick, but vampires weren’t exactly known for fighting fair. And looking at him now, reclining half-naked in the grass, the princess couldn’t imagine being able to stop.
The man was sheer perfection.
It was as if he’d been carved by a master, every part of him designed to entrance. From the long sculpted lines of his body, to the waves of onyx hair falling gracefully to his chin, right down to those dark hypnotic eyes that seemed to hook somewhere deep inside her, pulling her ever closer.
Bathed in the silver light of the moon, he looked like the kind of fantasy you’d stumble upon in a dream rather than something that could actually happen in real life.
Evie blinked twice, aware that he was still waiting for an answer to his question.
“It’s going fine,” she said quickly, feeling a little light-headed. “Here—take your shirt.”
He pulled it over his head with a grin, sliding his arms gracefully into the sleeves before pulling her right back down in the grass beside him, curled contentedly against his chest. They lay in silence for a while, gazing up at the stars. Then she peered up with a little smile.
“How would it be?”
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she twisted around to see him better. “My first time—how would it be?”
He glanced at her in surprise, then softened with a thoughtful smile. “It would be...whatever you wanted.” His eyes swept briefly around the clearing, dancing at the thought. “It could be in a place not unlike this one, only at a better time. I’d take you out for a midnight picnic. Get you drunk. Hide your clothes. Demand payment for a ride back to the castle.”
She snorted with laughter, pressing her face to his chest. “So that’s what you meant by perfect.”
“Perfect for me,” he clarified. “I don’t really care how it is for you.”
“Good to know.”
His arms tightened as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. It was quiet for a while longer, then he glanced down with sudden curiosity. “Have you ever thought about it? How you’d want it to be?”
Yes.
“I was thinking right in the middle of a battle,” she deflected easily, flipping around so they were gazing up at the same starry sky. “Poised for victory, soaked in blood.”
“Soaked in blood,” he echoed with a grin. “Are you trying to turn me on?”
“We’d meet somewhere up on the battlements, our wounds would be mysteriously healed, our armor would be miraculously gone...”
She was about to go further, when the smile suddenly faded from her face. All at once, the fantasy was a bit too real. All at once, it demanded some answers of its own.
“Ash...what about the fae?”
“The fae is most definitely not invited,” he said decisively.
“I’m serious,” she murmured, easing off his chest. “Your shoulder is messed up, and you have a broken wrist. How were you even able to do all that with three cracked ribs?”
He propped up on his elbows, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. “Well, you happened to provide some excellent motivation—”
“Asher,” she admonished, stopping the banter in its tracks. “What are you doing to do about Ellanden?”
The vampire stared at her a second more before suddenly turning away. His knees pulled up to his chest as he gazed out at the moonlit horizon. Then he bowed his head with a quiet sigh.
“I almost took his life, Everly. I choked him out, yanked back his neck, and almost drained the life right out of him. And he’s right,” he added dejectedly. “...I think about it all the time.”
Evie stared down at the silver grass, remembering each moment as if it were burned into her head. The way he’d lifted the broken prince off the ground, sweeping back his hair. The way he’d pulled back at the last minute and strangled him instead, just so he wouldn’t see it coming.
It was unforgivable. But the friends were immortal. They’d be together for a long time.
“You need to find a way to fix it,” she said simply.
The vampire shook his head, as if she was asking the impossible. But she lay a steady hand on his arm, forcing him to look into her eyes.
“Ash...you need to find a way.”
He held her gaze for a moment, then nodded with a sigh. “Yeah...I guess I do.”
