46
Rosalina
They use me until I’m spent, nothing but a withering,trembling mess. Cas ties me up in thorns and fucks me fast and hard. I desperately clutch the bars of the cage as Keldarion stretches me within an inch of my life. Then I’m sent back to Cas, wobbly legged, only to have him throw me on the ground and shove his cock down my throat. Off to Kel after that, who tosses me around like a rag doll.
I’m dripping with the evidence of their love. It’s over my lips, my pussy, my ass. I descend into a haze of blissful delirium. And the only thing that would be better is if my other mates were here to see me, to love me too. Oh, what they would think.
I love every second of it.
And thankfully, so does the audience. Their eyes are on us. No one’s paying attention to the rose.
I’m riding Caspian’s cock on the throne, fully on display for the court as he runs his fingers along my body.
This time, he says,I’m not going to come, and you’re going to briar yourself away.
It’s really time?I reply, almost sadly.
He kisses my neck.We’ll play later when we’re all safe.
I sigh as he reaches forward and circles my swollen clit.
“One more time, Princess. I want to feel you come around my cock one more time,” he says, then spears me deep.
It’s enough. I cry out, blissful waves of pleasure coursing through my spent body. “C-Cas.”
“That’s it, you dirty girl,” he cries out to the crowd, tossing his head back as if in ecstasy. Then he throws his cloak around me. “Now, the Winter Prince will use you like the animal you are.”
But it’s not the briars of Caspian’s and Kel’s bargain that break through to grab me. No, I take control of his purple ones, wrapping them about myself and dragging me far away from here.
It’s time for the plan to begin.
47
Farron
“In Summer, we fight to death in the arena, and we still havemore dignified entertainment than the Below,” Dayton growls under his breath.
My stomach twists as I force myself deeper along the narrow boardwalk of cages. Cryptgarden’s menagerie is less a zoo than a prison. A decrepit ironwork sign looms overhead, the last E inMENAGERIEhanging by a metal thread. Broken, charred cobblestones line the way, cages crowding in on either side. Unlit lampposts jut like iron bars along the route. The whole cursed place presses inward, claustrophobic and grim. The cages lean against stony walls, and the path ends abruptly at a jagged cliffside. Though we’re in the open—or as open as it gets in the Below—the only hint of freedom comes from the swirling, misty excuse for a sky.
We’ve walked the entire length of the menagerie, that sickening feeling in my gut growing stronger with each cage. There is all manner of depressed-looking creatures, from winged horses to dire foxes, each one seeming in worse condition than the last. The bowls of water have green film, and some contain bones long past the point of gnawing. Worst of all, when one ofthe creatures meets my eye, there’s decades of sadness in their gaze.
“Sira will pay for this,” Dayton snarls.
The twins, lagging behind us, give grunts of approval.
“One of many things,” I agree. “But first things first. No Kel. They must have moved him.”
I run my hands through my hair, mind spinning for our next move. I wish Ez were here, always so decisive, never overthinking as I do. But we separated from him and George in the tunnel right outside Cryptgarden.
Once we reached the city, it became clear we had at least one advantage: Cryptgarden is empty. From our vantage in the tunnel, we could spot Sira’s tower, Nether Reach, in the far south. It appeared as if a great celebration was being held, and everyone’s gone to attend.
We couldn’t pass up such an opportunity. Ezryn and George headed to Caspian’s palace to search for Rosalina and the rose while Dayton, the twins, and I made for the menagerie to find Kel.
“Don’t get into trouble,” I said to Ez as we separated.
“You’re telling me that?” he responded, and I could practically see his brow arching from behind the underfae helm he wore.
We made it to the menagerie without incident. There’d been the odd goblin guard, but whatever’s happening at Nether Reach has pulled the entire city’s attention.
