Page 26 of Prisoner of the Lycan Prince

Leander nodded as he looked at her. “That’s right. And no one can blame you for the forest fire. It could have just as easily been that gender reveal party.” He turned to me. “She was framed.”

“It was corporate greed,” Adina corrected. “Headquarters got nervous about me drawing too much attention to their stagnant operations. So they brought me up on charges and tried to throw me in prison. I came to Draithmere, where Prince Einar offered me a place to stay.”

“And we’re all glad he did,” Leander said.

“Hear, hear,” Keir chimed in, lifting his tumbler. I joined the others in raising my teacup to Adina, who blushed and waved off the toast. When we lowered our cups, Leander gave me an inquisitive look.

“What about you, Harper? Why did you come to Draithmere?”

“Oh.” I fiddled with one of the cakes on my plate. “Well.” My face heated. Something told me they wouldn’t look kindly on my father threatening to expose Einar and, by extension, the entire supernatural world. Would they hate me if I told the truth?

“You don’t have to tell us,” Goliath said.

“No, it’s okay,” I said, racking my brain for the simplest explanation. “My father and Einar had a disagreement. Einar is holding me at Draithmere until my father does what Einar wants.”

Keir frowned. “That’s not very chivalrous of Prince Einar.”

“Lycans are an arrogant breed,” Leander said, sighing. “But I trust that His Highness will do the right thing.”

Rolfe jerked, rattling the cups on the table. He released a snort that echoed around the clearing, then lifted his head and blinked big, brown eyes. “What did I miss?”

For a moment, everyone stared. Then laughter broke out. Adina pushed a plate of cakes toward Rolfe.

“Eat,” she said. “We’ll fill you in.”

The party continued, conversation and tea flowing. Keir stood and begin playing a slow, sweet melody on his fiddle. Leander pulled Adina to her feet and swept her into a waltz. The sky slid from purple to midnight blue, the stars winking like diamonds. More fireflies dipped and fluttered among the trees. A few times, a pair of glowing eyes gleamed from between the pines.

“Just curious passersby,” Goliath assured me. “A lot of folks in the maze are shy. Like Myrna.”

“What’s her story? Will she ever return to the maze?”

“Oh, yes, don’t worry about that.” Goliath lowered his voice. “Her situation is a lot like Leander’s in that she can’t control her power. So she ends up terrifying innocent people on accident. It’s all very embarrassing for her, which is why she flies off to the mountains when it happens. But she always returns. Well, either that or Prince Einar coaxes her back.”

It was hard to imagine Einar having the patience for such a thing. I gazed around the clearing. “Why did Einar build this place? What does he get out of it?”

Goliath frowned. An aura of discomfort surrounded him. “I don’t think he was looking to get anything out of it.”

Oh no. I’d offended Goliath. Einar was a kidnapper, but Goliath clearly didn’t think of him that way. I wouldn’t get any of the answers I was looking for by insulting a man Goliath considered a friend.

“I phrased that poorly,” I said. “I guess I just wondered why a lycan prince would go to such great lengths to build a sanctuary for other magical beings.”

Goliath’s expression grew thoughtful. “In the supernatural world, power is everything. Those of us with flawed magic usually don’t live very long. Broken magic is dangerous and volatile. Difficult to control. I can’t argue with the reality that it’s safer for everyone when broken magic is buried and erased. To do that, however, you have to bury the one who wields it. I suppose Prince Einar thinks that price is simply too high to pay.” Goliath turned his gaze to Leander twirling Adina around the perimeter of the clearing. “Or, to put it more simply, he believes we’re worth more than our flaws.”

I followed his gaze, doubts swirling as I watched Leander and Adina. Was I wrong about Einar? A pair of bright green eyes appeared on the edge of the forest. My heart sped up, and I leaned closer to Goliath. “Is anyone in the maze unfriendly?”

Goliath shook his head. “We’re all here because we can’t be anywhere else. We live peacefully. Draithmere is the only place where most of us can live at all. Many in the maze are antisocial because they come from traumatic backgrounds.” He chuckled as another set of eyes appeared next to the first. “But that doesn’t stop them from being nosy.”

Adina came by and refilled my tea. A second later, Leander pulled her into another dance. They twirled around the clearing as Rolfe ate the rest of the cakes.

Eventually, I turned to Goliath. “I should probably go back.”

He nodded. After a round of hugs and promises to return, I followed Goliath from the clearing and down the forest trail. Hand in hand, we stepped from the maze and onto the lawn. Wintry air seared my lungs. The moon was high in the sky, which was darker and less star-studded than the sky in the maze.

“It’s different,” Goliath said, clearly deciphering my thoughts. “Faerie is a more vibrant place than the human world. The Fae always make things warmer and brighter.” He led me through the house, which was as quiet as we’d left it. When we reached the top of the grand staircase, I gasped.

“I left my jacket in the maze.”

Goliath’s brows drew together. “I can get it for you.”

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