Page 125 of Dare

—where I can steal a boat. That is, if I haven’t already built one myself.

She scripted the rest at lightning speed. Her fated quest. The evasive key to fulfilling her role in this campaign, in liberating the born souls of Summer. How the answer resided in these ruins. That once she found it, she would need to leave this realm, to enact her purpose.

With the same expediency, I lost my shit. Internally, I wracked my brain for an alternative. One that didn’t involve me getting on that fucking conveyance. Not yet.

Winter and Summer were hunting for us. If they found Flare and me together, they would arrest her.

With the iron grip I had on Rhys, he would not lift a finger to my beast. Regardless of the mayhem she’d caused, the king would be an idiot to override my authority. And even if he did, the man would fail as he had in numerous other pursuits. Ultimately, I could bend Summer to my will.

But I could not bend Winter.

The court would expect its prince to treat Flare as I’d always treated born souls. To do otherwise would rouse speculation. Provided I found a way around that obstacle, citizens would resent Flare for shipwrecking their future king. They would retaliate, which meant not taking the risk to begin with. Although I would mutilate anyone who came near Flare, consequences be damned, the only way to protect her from my kingdom was to keep her away from it.

Poet and Briar could give Flare sanctuary, if she were willing to leave with them. But she’d made her feelings plain. While I could fling her over my shoulder and dump her on Autumn’s ship, I had stolen enough of her choices. All the Seasons had.

While Flare had more to offer than simply what the rainforest dictated, she needed to figure that out for herself. Finding a purpose in this crusade was her decision, her ambition, her right. I would not take that choice from her. But until the day Flare located that key and set forth on that mission …

“You cannot live here alone,” I seethed, cutting off the questions and answers jumping between all participants.

Flare’s quill scratched across the leaflet at lightning speed. I have my fauna pack. I’ll survive.

“I did not say survive.”

She slapped her palm down, splattering ink across the paper’s surface. Flipping over the page, she wrote, I’ve forgiven you once. But if you sacrifice the fates of more people just to keep me company, I won’t forgive you again!

My fist rammed into the table. “This isn’t about keeping you company! This is about more!”

Oxygen vacated the room. Aspen had leaped off the furnishing. Aire’s palm extended in front of her, as if to block the stowaway from getting caught in the crossfire of shouting. Briar’s compassionate gaze strayed between me and Flare. And Poet …

The jester reclined in his chair, with one arm resting over the princess’s seat. The other hand was draped over his mouth in contemplation. From above his knuckles, the man’s probing eyes absorbed the scene.

Flare’s orbs glistened. My objections wounded her. I could handle anything—except that.

If she asked, I would renounce my crown for this woman. Whatever it took to stay by her side. However many throats I had to slit. Whichever sacrifices I needed to make. But more than that, I would do as she wished.

And she was right. I thought of my family, my kingdom. As a ruler, I would also do this for them.

My insides buckled. Decision made, I leveled my gaze on the clan. “Winter will join your enterprise. I offer my allegiance to your cause.”

Silence. Obviously.

For the second—or perhaps third or fourth—time, these insurgents regarded me as if I’d peeled off my face and revealed someone different underneath.

All except Flare. Beside me, I felt the intensity of her gaze.

After a flabbergasted moment, Poet spoke to Briar. “Sweet Thorn, reply on my behalf. I do believe Winter has rendered me speechless.”

I reined in my irritation. “Is that humanly possible for anybody to achieve?”

“What about Winter’s experimentation?” Briar asked. “Your medical testing?”

“In the future, I will devise a plan to extinguish and supersede those practices.”

“It cannot be as elementary as that.”

“It is not.”

The health of this continent relied on Winter’s advancements. No society would sacrifice that benefit so easily, no matter what anyone thought of equality.