violence as they had Gabriel, however. Instead they retreated to form a ring around me. Whether they were offering protection or seeking it had never been clear to me where this man was concerned.
I drew strength from their presence, however, and straightened my back.
“Leander.” I knew it grated him to hear his name without his title, and I relished the small act of defiance.
“Surrounded by your avian handmaidens, as always, Princess, I see,” he said, with a smile that held neither warmth nor goodwill.
I said nothing. I still hadn’t worked out if the swans were his doing or whether their appearance two years ago had taken him by surprise. Either way, there was no question that they neither answered to him nor liked his presence.
“What do you want?” I asked, although in truth I knew the answer to that question.
The knowledge that my tardy arrival would prompt a visit from him was almost as effective as the pain in ensuring I returned to this lake before darkness fell each night. Except for today. I sent a silent curse in the absent prince’s direction. Why had he arrived to upend my carefully balanced life?
“It’s been a long time since you were late back,” Leander said in friendly tones that somehow reminded me of nothing so much as a coiled snake—oily and sleek and promising danger.
“And what of it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from giving away any hint of my roiling emotions. “I’m here, am I not?”
I arched an eyebrow at him, trying to mirror the poise that always graced the memories of my long-dead mother.
“Such elegance, my dear,” he said, strolling around the edge of the lake toward me. “In spite of your dirt-stained cloak. How the fools in that town fail to recognize you for what you are continues to astound me.”
He stopped two steps in front of me, held back by the solid wall of feathers which pressed against me on all sides. I realized that no black broke up the monotony of white, and risked a single glance around, my breath quickening.
I only hoped Eagle remembered what had happened last time she tried to attack Leander. I’d had to nurse her for weeks.
Leander continued talking, all his attention on me. “But then, they let you slip through their fingers, so they clearly are fools. I certainly don’t intend to do likewise.”
I abandoned my surreptitious search for the missing swan and gave him the coldest look I could muster.
“You may have me trapped here, Leander, but you don’t own me.”
He gave a low chuckle. “Do I not, indeed? I suppose we shall see…”
The silence between us grew to uncomfortable lengths, and it took all of my determination not to wilt before him. Eventually he gave another slight chuckle.
“Really, you should be grateful, Your Highness. I only come to check on your welfare, you know—as I did that first time. Just imagine how terrible if you were injured on your way back and unable to complete the journey. No doubt you would welcome my presence then.”
I clenched my teeth together and said nothing. I did remember that first night, when I still didn’t really understand or believe the enchantment he had wrought. I had run straight from the forest determined never to enter it again. Even when darkness fell and the pain began, I had tried to deny it at first. By the time I acknowledged I needed to return to the lake, I had been far beyond the journey back. I had barely managed to stagger a quarter of the way.
I also remembered how long it had taken him to appear—how long he had left me to suffer to drive his point home. And almost as unsettling was the memory of what it had felt like to be carried in his arms, pressed against his chest. I suppressed a shudder. He had carried me as gently as if I were a baby, but I had still felt the need to scrub myself three times in the lake before I felt free of the lingering sensation of his nearness. There was a darkness in this man, and it rode all too close to the surface.
“As you can see, I am not injured,” I said. “You are not needed here tonight.”
“Pity,” he said, and his smile made my skin crawl. “I do so like to be useful.”
“It is late,” I said stiffly, “I need sleep.”
“Very well, then, my dear. I wouldn’t wish to disturb your rest.” He gave