Page 23 of Prisoner of the Lycan Prince

Goliath met my gaze over his shoulder. My anxiety must have showed on my face, because he flashed a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to worry about Prince Einar. I cloaked us.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s part of my magic. It doesn’t really hide anything, just makes people far less likely to look in my direction. As long as you stay close to me, it’ll cover you too.”

I moved closer, but we were already at the maze’s entrance.

Goliath held out his hand. “This only works if you enter with one of us.”

My heart knocked against my ribs. I’d tucked my mother’s notebook under an old corduroy jacket that buttoned down the front. The notebook’s spiral binding dug into my skin, but I welcomed the pressure. It reminded me I was alive. My mother had missed out on so many things. I had the opportunity to explore a world that wasn’t supposed to exist. It was the ultimate scoop. I had to go get it.

I took Goliath’s hand. “All right. I’m ready.”

His gemstone eyes reflected the moonlight. “It’s as easy as stepping forward. Okay? One, two, three.”

We entered the maze.

And the world changed in a blink.

The hedges were gone, replaced with soaring pine trees. Goliath and I stood on a forest trail lined with wildflowers in a riot of colors. The sky was the purple of twilight. Stars winked among fluffy white clouds. Mountains rose in the distance, their peaks capped by snow that looked like a giant had placed a dollop of frosting on every peak.

A warm breeze tugged at my hair, bringing the scent of pine and flower blossoms to my nose. Somewhere nearby, an owl hooted. When I turned toward the sound, I spied a waterfall spilling down the side of a mountain like a glossy blue ribbon.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, stepping toward it. The second my foot left the trail, water misted my face. I blinked, and the waterfall was directly in front of me, its roar drowning out my startled cry.

A tug on my hand jerked me backward. I stumbled, then gasped as Goliath steadied me. When I swung my head back toward the waterfall, it appeared in the distance once more.

My heart pounded as I turned back to Goliath. “How…?”

“Time and space work a bit differently here,” he said. “The Fae built the maze for Prince Einar.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “They do good work, but sometimes you just want a door to be a door, know what I mean?”

I wiped water from my face with a shaking hand. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Ward. Just stick to the trail, and we’ll get to the party without any trouble.”

“Please, call me Harper.” I smiled. “All my friends do.”

Goliath beamed at me, his tail waving. “Harper it is.”

We continued down the path, the beauty of the maze all around us. Fireflies danced among the trees on either side of the trail, their glow guiding our way. After a moment, the sound of lively music drifted toward us. A few more steps, and the trail veered right and then opened onto a clearing.

I caught my breath. A party was in full swing. It was a small gathering, but the participants were clearly enjoying themselves. A tall, dark-haired man played a fiddle as a woman and another man danced. Colorful lanterns hung from the trees above the clearing. Soft moss carpeted the ground. A huge tree stump appeared to serve as a table, its surface cluttered with teacups and a large platter piled with cakes and pastries. Smaller stumps around the clearing held candles that glowed as brightly as the lanterns. A black cauldron hung suspended over a fire, its contents bubbling. The cauldron looked like something straight out of a Halloween store display.

The woman whooped, her long skirts swinging in an arc as her partner spun her around. The woman was lovely, with stunning features and a willowy figure. But her hair, which flowed to her waist, was the same color as the moss under her feet.

Her partner’s hair was just as boldly colored. Fiery red, it cascaded down his back in a riot of curls. A matching beard shadowed his jaw, and his white teeth gleamed between his lips as he smiled. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary human with really great hair. A closer look revealed amethyst eyes that glittered in the moonlight.

They were a gorgeous couple, and they moved with a gracefulness that was impossible not to watch.

Between one twirl and the next, the man’s hair burst into flames.

I jumped, a yelp bursting from me.

The musician stopped playing. The couple stopped dancing, and the woman propped her hands on her hips.

“Not again, Leander!” she cried, her chest heaving.

The man’s hair continued to blaze, the plume of fire leaping for the sky. But his face and body remained untouched, and his expression was more annoyed than panicked as he strode to the table, picked up a pitcher of water, and dumped it over his head.

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