I rubbed my face. Bright sunbeams filled theroom, so Aedan was probably outside as a drekkan already. I regretted running away from him. I could have spent one more night in his arms—
A male voice cleared a throat across the room. Panic and anxiety took over my thoughts until Koan spoke softly. “The king asked me to make sure you made it outside safely today.”
I sat up, making sure my nightdress and blankets covered me thoroughly, and found Koan leaning on the hall door. “Actually,” he said, “the king was very explicit in his instructions. I’m to stay attached to this door unless you’re in mortal danger.” His light-hearted voice shifted to a more serious tone. “He said you would be leaving us today.”
I sunk backward against the headboard. “Yes.”
It didn’t take me long to prepare for the day. I picked a blue dress with bell sleeves that stretched over my head and didn’t require someone to fasten a thousand buttons. When I opened the door to the hall, Koan stumbled.
I raised a brow. He wasn’t a clumsy elf.
He grinned and patted the door. “I told you—attached to the door.”
I rolled my eyes, accepted his elbow, and headed outside with him.
Spring had descended on the fortress with astounding vigor, and the gardens had sprung to life. I slowed our walk down so I could savor the scents of roses and irises. Koan matched my pace. “One last stroll, huh?”
I breathed in a sweet mixture of fresh flowers. “The gardeners must use magic here. I’ve never seen blossoms emerge so quickly after the snow melts.”
Koan laughed. “Of course they do. All the gardeners have a strong affinity for plant magic—it’s both the reason they love their work and the reason they get employed.”
We rounded another corner and Guyan’s tall form stepped away from a bush. He bowed to me and extended a flower. “Would the lovely Callista like a rose this morning?”
It was a sweet gesture, but all I could think about was Aedan’s rose tree underground. Were these bushes connected to it? Did picking flowers hurt them?
I dipped my head politely. “Thank you, but I’m meeting the king in a moment, and I won’t have a free hand to carry a rose.” I tugged on Koan to walk around him.
Guyan fell into step beside me and asked with mock drama, “Are you shunning me?”
I forced a chuckle and replied with equal flair. “I wouldn’t dare. The illustrious cousin of the great king? I’d rather make an enemy of a dragon.”
He laughed. “I’m sure that could be arranged. But accepting a flower politely and then discarding it when I’m not looking seems like a safer approach than refusing a small gift.”
I tipped my head at him. “Why are you so adamant about a flower? It makes yoursmall giftseem very suspicious.”
His laughter flowed so easily that I thought of Alastor again, trying to fool me by looking innocent. He kept pace next to me as Koan turned into the deepest part of the garden. “Maybe,” he said with a conspiratorial tone, “I’m hoping that you’ll prick your finger on a thorn, and I can dab up theblood. Maybe I’m hoping I can use your blood to break the curse on Aedan.”
My jaw fell. “Is that possible?”
He grinned. “Are you volunteering to find out?”
“She’s doing nothing of the sort.” Aedan’s gravelly drekkan voice tumbled out from behind the tallest fountain. “And if you trick her into donating any blood or body parts for any experiments, you will not live to see the results.”
Guyan tossed the flower to the side of the path and shrugged. “Such threats, Cousin. And here I thought you’d started to tamp down on that violent nature.”
“I will do anything necessary to protect the people I care about.”
His easy statement of something so enormous as caring made my heart lunge for him. I left Koan and let my body follow my heart’s nudging. I reached a hand out to Aedan, and he extended a clawed fingertip to meet it. Neither of us had any words, but I felt his emotions swell with love and longing.
Or at least, I imagined I felt it. Maybe it was the careful way he raised his finger to me or the way he lowered his head when I ran to him.
Guyan chuckled. “I’ll go make myself useful somewhere else before you two do anything that makes me sick.”
Koan folded his arms and did not move. Once Guyan was out of sight, he scowled at the path. “That was strange on more levels than I’d like to list.”
“Agreed,” Aedan rumbled. He met my eyes. “But the morning is late. Are you ready?”
I nodded, but Koan answered out loud. “Not yet. I don’t know where they are but—”
