“True love, of course,” Rosa replied. “You have to kiss Briar, and he will awaken.”
I stole a look at my mate. There was nothing I’d have liked to do more. Ever since I’d first set my eyes on him, I had wanted it. But I had the feeling it wouldn’t be so easy.
Briar blushed again, the petals covering his body moving around restlessly. “We’ll have to go to the location of my physical body,” he explained. “It’s in the palace gardens.”
There was something in Rosa’s expression that told me he had some bad news for us. “What is it?” I asked him. “I get the feeling that there’s something you haven’t told us.”
“You’re right.” Rosa sighed heavily. “I’m afraid that even with true love, there are conditions. This particular witch was very powerful. Therefore, if you will attempt breaking the curse by kissing Briar, the curse will just change its substance and fall onto you as well.”
I couldn’t say I was very surprised. Larue and Victor Frankenstein had gone through that same thing, and while I hadn’t exactly known it at the time, my brothers had later explained it to me. However, Rosa had been the one to bring up the kiss thing, so I gathered he had a plan.
“I assume you have an idea to circumvent that,” I told him.
“There is a plant,” Rosa said after a small moment of hesitation. “Merlinians call it love herb. We dryads have a different breed of it, cross-pollinated with other plants. I can craft a potion out of it, using a drop of your blood and some of Briar’s petals.”
“And that would break the curse?” I asked.
Rosa shook his head. “If you drink it, you will fall asleep as well and you will be able to connect with Briar’s physical body, but in the dream world. The curse still works there, but you should be able to circumvent its nature and break it without risking drawing it onto you as well.”
“It’s too risky.” Briar shook his head. “He can get trapped there and never wake. No, Rosa.”
“I’m willing to do it,” I said at the same time. “I’m not afraid.”
“It’s not about fear. I can’t guarantee it will work,” Rosa warned me. “It’s likely that the witch will try to keep you from reaching Briar. Her spirit will be able to infiltrate the dream world.”
“But if that’s the case, she won’t have the advantage of insubstantiality, correct?” I inquired. “I would be able to fight back if she attacks me.”
For the first time, Rosa actually smiled at me. “Very good. Yes. And if you do manage to bypass her in the dream world, it would hurt her in the real one as well. There is one other thing you need to keep in mind, though.”
Why didn’t that surprise me? “What is it?” I prodded.
“Basically, once Briar awakens, your natural inclination will be to touch him and claim him like you did in your dream, especially if he pollinates. But a disadvantage of this plan is that the curse will not shatter. Rather, it will unfold. Until the very last person in the Dryad Kingdom awakes, you will not be able to share an intimate moment with Briar. If you do, you risk the return of the curse, or it falling on you.”
“Is there no other solution?” Briar whispered.
“Unless the witch’s offspring suddenly arrive here with a stronger incantation than the ones they used before, I highly doubt it,” Rosa answered.
I nodded in understanding. “I see. I will do this for Briar. I am his mate, no one else, and I can break this curse.”
I realized it would be hard—and I still didn’t know what pollination meant for them. I could make an educated guess, but my knowledge of Merlinians was limited at best. Just the same, whatever obstacles stood in our way, I refused to back down and disappoint Briar. I trusted my brothers, but this was my task.
“Leonard,” Briar whispered softly, “I don’t want you to risk your life like this. We’ve just met. I can’t lose you.” A single tear trailed down his cheek, evaporating before it fell to the ground. “Please. We can just wait. Your family will find a way to reach you.”
Except the witch was ready for them now. We hadn’t managed to beat her when we’d had the element of surprise on our side. Not to mention that the vampire who’d come to our assistance had disappeared into the portal before I’d fallen through. The gods only knew where he and his mate had ended up. I was the only one who could handle this.
“We can beat this, my flower,” I told him, the term of endearment slipping naturally from my lips. “You needn’t be afraid. I’m here for you now.”
Briar licked his lips, gazing straight into my eyes. For the longest time, we just looked at each other. Finally, Briar nodded. “All right, Leonard. We’ll try.”
“Don’t worry,” Rosa told the young dryad, wrapping an arm formed out of rose petals around my mate’s shoulders. “I’ll act as your mate’s guardian as well. I will guide him.”
Briar bit his lip, obviously still nervous. Even so, he didn’t question us again. “Come,” he whispered. “I’ll take it to my private garden.”
For some reason, that thought summoned wicked images in my mind’s eye, of what Briar looked like beneath those petals. Shaking away that thought—now was not the time for it—I replied, “Lead the way.”
Chapter Four:
In Which a Fight for Love Is Not a Bed of Roses
When I’d led Leonard into the forest of my guardian, I really hadn’t known what to expect. I had hoped that my godfather would confirm that Leonard was my mate, but beyond that, I hadn’t really considered the next course of action. And so, I was now leading Leonard to the location of my physical body, hoping I wasn’t making a serious mistake. I didn’t feel at all prepared for what Rosa had suggested.
Leonard and Rosa followed me in silence. I could feel Leonard’s gaze on me, and it made me want to turn toward him and beg him to reconsider.
He must have guessed my thoughts, because he grabbed my arm. I couldn’t help but gasp, having not expected him to be able to touch me. “Trust me, Briar,” he said. “I won’t fail you.”
His eyes were dark green, like the deepest forests of our kingdom. I desperately wanted to fall in his arms, and I actually managed to steal a quick embrace. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I do trust you. I just know the witch’s power, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t,” Leonard assured me. “Have faith in what we share.”
When he held me like this, I actually believed that. I leaned against his chest, breathing in his virile, wild scent. And then, Rosa cleared his throat and whatever strange enchantment had allowed us to touch vanished. As I became insubstantial again, I quickly pulled back, even if I knew I wasn’t swift enough to keep my mate from acknowledging the huge abyss between us.
Leonard took it in stride. “Soon I’ll be able to hold you,” he said, certainty in his tone. “Now come on. I want to know more about this place we’re going to.”
I took the opening and started to guide Leonard toward the palace once again. “Well, my private garden is the place where I was born. I know that, in some countries, there are rooms especially arranged for children which are called nurseries. It’s kind of like that.”
Except that I had never abandoned it when I’d grown up—not even when I’d been unhappy with the choices my parents made for me. It had always been my refuge, and even if I was nervous, I wanted to share it with Leonard. “It’s next to the palace, so you wouldn’t be able to even come close without me or Rosa around. I still think it’s very beautiful.”
“I’m sure it is,” Leonard replied. “After all, it belongs to you.”
My face heated up at the obvious appreciation in his voice—and I felt it even in my spiritual form. I sped up, wanting to reach my haven already. Even if I feared the moment Leonard would be forced to drink the potion, I wanted to face him, touch him, kiss him properly.
Finally, I reached the very edge of the forest. A large wall of thorns and briars stopped the path of anyone who would have dared to advance. I knew for a fact that it went on for mi
les and miles, since it was very close to the source of the curse.
I probably should have been a bit more wary about approaching, but the witch’s enchantment aside, I still felt close to this place. I waved my hand, and the thorny barrier parted, granting us entrance.
Leonard looked around, and I realized he was expecting some of the roses growing on the vines to approach and caress him. It still embarrassed me a little that I’d done that, but it hadn’t even been much of a conscious decision on my part. Where Leonard was concerned, I was going on pure instinct.
“The garden is pretty far,” I warned him. “Just be aware that once we get closer, things will be a little different.”
“Different how?” Leonard asked, sounding intrigued.
“You’ll see,” I replied.
We progressed through the forest of briars, and I heard the whispers of the plants, welcoming me home. When I stole a look at my mate, I saw Leonard was smiling, so I gathered he could hear them as well, at least to some extent.
I suspected Rosa could have easily taken us to our destination with a mere thought, but perhaps he wanted Leonard to understand the Dryad Kingdom before he was thrust into the dream world. That guess was confirmed moments later, when Rosa started to explain, “Remember that the dream world will be similar to this one, except it will lack a lot of the overgrown briars. Nonetheless, you’ll need to keep your eyes open for other dangers. It will not be easy, but at all times, focus on Briar. I will know when you need me.”
“If I go to sleep next to Briar, won’t I end up in the same place?” Leonard asked.
“I will try to make that happen,” Rosa promised, “but like I said, the witch will undoubtedly try to stop us. It might not work.”
Leonard opened his mouth, obviously intending to ask something else, but he didn’t get the chance, because finally we left the forest of briars, emerging in front of the labyrinth that was actually my garden.
The labyrinth hadn’t been crafted or built. Completely organic, formed solely of plants, it had grown specifically for me. Because of the curse, it had once held only hydrangeas and hyacinths—the flowers of my mother and my father respectively. Those blooms had survived here, because I would’ve never had the heart to uproot them. However, there were no hydrangeas around my special place, where I’d once hidden my precious treasure. No hyacinths grew near the core of my garden. Just roses, the roses that had grown out of me. Because while I shared a deep connection with the most beautiful flower in the world, these ones were special.
I found myself taking his hand and dragging him into the labyrinth. Leonard released a sound of wonder. My ability to hold him didn’t last, but it gave me hope. In no time, we reached the center of the labyrinth, where we both froze in our tracks, staring at the sight in front of us. Or at least—Leonard was staring at it. I was too busy looking at Leonard and taking in his reaction.
Leonard looked at my physical form, then back at me, and repeated the motion for several times. Finally, he said, “I will free you.”
There was so much decision in his voice that, suddenly, I had no doubt he’d do exactly that. Smiling, I nodded and guided him to where I lay. I wasn’t afraid anymore. Leonard had come here to break the curse, and undoubtedly, he would.
* * * *
When I’d first set eyes on Briar, I had known—or rather I had thought—that I would never see anything so beautiful in this life. Then, when I’d touched him and watched the blush spread over his cheeks and chest, I had truly believed that nothing could surpass the loveliness of it. With every second, he convinced me of how mistaken I’d been in that assessment.
As I stepped in the center of the labyrinth, I felt like I’d fallen into a dream before I’d even drunk the potion. Even if Briar was by my side, he also lay asleep in front of me, literally in a bed of roses.
The blooms were everywhere. Briar was sleeping, his hand curled around a single, blood-red rose. Pink petals covered his body, but Briar’s skin was so similar in shade that he seemed completely naked. My stupid brain chose this exact moment to remind me that, if those rose petals were organic, that was truly the case, but I managed to control my lust—a miraculous feat indeed.
It kind of helped that Briar lay on his side, breathing softly as he slumbered, and just the fact that he slept kept me focused on the fact that he was cursed. Also, the only thing that could have been considered a garment might have been the petals, but there were vines growing over his body, protecting him, but also caging him in.
I couldn’t allow the situation to continue. It wasn’t even about my own selfish desire to truly have him in my arms without fearing he would disintegrate. He was the one who mattered. He deserved to be free.
I stepped forward, with Briar—in his spiritual form—and Rosa right by my side. “Remember what I said,” Rosa warned me. “You can’t break the curse in this world.”
“I’ll remember,” I promised. I had to admit that my first instinct was to kneel by his bed of roses, part the vines, and brush my lips over his. But Rosa had warned me against doing that, so I held back.
The overgrown plants allowed us to pass without too much trouble. In no time, we stood next to Briar’s physical body. “You can lie down next to me, in the bed,” Briar said softly. I stole a look at his spiritual shape and realized that he was blushing brightly again. When I looked back at his slumbering form, I noticed that very same endearing flush there. It made sense, and more than ever, I wanted to help him. It had to be painful for Briar to have the two sides of him separated like this.
Without another word, I sat down on the bed of roses. Everything inside me screamed to touch the sleeping Briar, but I held back and focused on Rosa. The creature murmured something under his breath, and a strange-looking purple flower appeared into his hand.
“Extend your hand,” he told me.
I silently did so. A vine wrapped around my wrist, and its thorns scratched my flesh painfully. I didn’t even wince, having expected this to happen. A leaf collected the droplets of blood that fell from the wound, which were then delivered to Rosa.
Briar’s godfather placed the flower over the drops of blood, then stole one of Briar’s petals and added them to the concoction. He muttered yet another incantation, and a strange light appeared in front of him, where the ingredients had been. Seconds later, a glass vial manifested there, full of a liquid that swirled in various shades of red.
Wordlessly, Rosa handed me the item in question. Briar watched me with anxious eyes, fidgeting in front of me, obviously still afraid. I gave him a small smile and opened the bottle. Still holding his gaze, I drank the potion.
At first, it was sweet, and it seemed to hold a unique perfume that invaded my sense. Briar’s scent, so beautiful and perfect. I closed my eyes and embraced it, seeking the path toward sleep that would take me to Briar.
As I started to drift into slumber, though, something jarred me. The taste of the brew became bitter on my tongue. My stomach cramped, and my muscles seized. Pain exploded through my brain, trying to deter me from pursuing my goal.
It didn’t work. I didn’t ignore it as some people might have tried to. Instead, I opened myself to it, knowing that it meant I was making progress.
Briar wasn’t the one keeping me from him. Rather, the witch was standing in my way, trying to prevent us from going through with our plan. But that was all right, because while I hadn’t been able to beat her during the ritual, the dream world gave me a chance to fix that. Most importantly, it would allow me to finally reach Briar. And I wouldn’t allow anything, anything to stand in my way.
I used the agony I experienced to fuel my determination, turning it into self-confidence and strength. It wasn’t easy, but one thing Arthurians had learned from the beginning of time was that the rules of battle weren’t necessarily straightforward. In general, the best defense was offense, but sometimes, the offense needed to win a battle didn’t lie in pure brawn, but in strategy, endurance, willpower, and most importantly, t
he desire to protect someone. I had always fought for loyalty and for my affection for my family, but now I was armed with the knowledge of my connection to Briar. The memory of the way he had tried to cling to me and my promise to him were my strongest weapons.
Armed with that power, I pushed back the darkness and terror threatening to encroach on my mind. A million images burst into my head, nightmares born from the very depths of my soul. I saw everything I had ever feared and never told anyone. A vision of Camelot burning in dragon fire came to me, one which had plagued me when I’d first learned of Kirril’s connection to one of the Merlinian creatures. I wanted to believe that I’d wholly surpassed it, but while I liked Dineiro, trusting his kind didn’t come naturally to me.
I watched my home town crumbling, saw the people running, trying to escape only to perish under falling walls or dragon claws. “Prince Leonard!” one of the palace servants cried. “Help us!”
My instinct was to draw my blade and attack, protect my people. I held back, telling myself that this was only a dream and nothing else. I remembered the way Briar had smiled at me and focused on that, trying to find my way back to him.
And then, a voice shattered my concentration. “Don’t leave us!” my mother called out.
She was stumbling in the city plaza, supporting my father, who seemed to be hanging on to his last strength. With her other hand, she limply managed to drag around her sword.
Her dress was stained crimson with his blood. Her normally perfect hair had fallen in an abundance of messy, sweaty curls. Soot and blood stained her cheeks, and her gaze held desperation and yearning. “Don’t leave us, Leonard!”
My father lifted his eyes, and in those penetrating yet dazed orbs, I saw one of my worst fears. “You are king now,” he said. “You have to protect your mother and Arthuria.”
This was a scene I had imagined far too many times as I grew up. I had been groomed to become king, but that process only reminded me every second of the day that my father would die. It wasn’t impossible for a king to abdicate in favor of his heir, but I had never seen it as likely. In the end, I had grown to accept it, or so I thought, until now.
Briar Rose and His Not-So-Charming Prince [A Tail Like No Other: Book Five] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 4