Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 646: Reunite With Islinda

Chapter 646: Reunite With Islinda

"We will spend the night here, and then continue ahead, tomorrow." Andre announced to the human Gabi and the half-breed, Milo, stepping down from his horse.

They nodded at him with Gabbi stepping down from her own mount and then tried to help Milo, who scrunched his nose at her offer, displeased. As if to show off that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, Milo jumped down from the height and landed on his feet with stunning agility.

Gabbi was stunned but she quickly got over it. She rolled her eyes, muttering, "Show-off.

And then she tried to piss him off by pulling closer and tried to ruffle Milo’s hair, however, this was not the first time and the boy saw it coming, easily maneuvering out of her way with graceful moves.

"Why can’t you stop touching my hair like I’m some kid?" He glared at her.

"Well, guess what, you’re a kid." Gabbi shrugged unapologetically.

"No, I am not." He retorted, nostrils flaring.

And just like that the both of them got into another round of bantering. Yes, this was not the first time. Andre sighed as he stared at the scene, shaking his head. He didn’t even know what to say to those two.

Then, he turned, nearly jumping out of his skin when his gaze connected with the haunting blue orbs belonging to the Wrry cat.

By the gods, Andre laid his hand on his chest, frowning at the cat who still hasn’t stopped glaring at him? Didn’t Prince Wayne initially like him?

Prince Wayne had always been an intelligent, well mannered cat but the past few days have seen him becoming increasingly aggressive and in a sour mood. Gabbi ascertained it to the fact that prince Wayne was probably missing his mother in the name of Islinda. That was Gabbi’s words, not his.

Gabbi, Milo and Prince Wayne had been separated from Islinda without warning all thanks to the dark Fae prince — note the sarcasm — and now, courtesy of Prince Valerie, they will be reunited with her once more.

Andre stood watching the cat, hesitant about touching him and earning more "tattoos" from his claws. Good thing he had accelerated healing else he would be wearing long claw marks on his face, neck, and arms for the world to see.

"Why don’t we make things a little bit easy for the both of us," Andre spoke to the cat knowing he could hear him, "No more clawing. One mark and I’ll send you back to the palace until Islinda returns to claim you", He added, standing taller,

"Trust me, you don’t want to remain in the palace without my protection. The Faeries there are mean and I wouldn’t be trusted if we returned to find out they’ve made a stew out of you."

Prince Wayne meows in response.

"Is that a yes?" Andre said hopefully and tried to reach for him only for Prince Wayne to slash at him with his claws, missing him with just mere inches.

"I guess that’s a no." Andre sighed, running his hand through his hair with a sigh. This was the most patient he had been, and for what? An animal. Had it not been for Islinda’s sake, he would have sold the beautiful yet annoying Wrry cat and saved himself the trouble.

This right here was the favor Valerie had asked of him : deliver Prince Wayne and the others safely to Islinda. However, Andre knew deep down that the real purpose Valerie sent him to the Winter court was to ensure Islinda’s purpose and to spy on what Aldric was up to against the upcoming death duel.

Andre was not playing favorites, but in this situation, he had no choice but to choose a side. Only one prince would win this fight and the other died. The question remained then, who will win this fight?

On the surface, it was easy to bet on Valerie seeing Aldric had always relied on his dark powers, however, he would be bound from using it in the fight according to the terms of their agreement.

In this scenario, Valerie undoubtedly held the advantage, having dedicated his life to mastering his flames, unlike Aldric, who had little to no experience with his winter powers. Andre had never witnessed Aldric using his winter abilities, making it seem like a novice pitted against a seasoned warrior.

However, Andre knew better than to discount his brother. Aldric, had a knack for turning the tide of battles with his unpredictable tactics. Furthermore, Aldric wasn’t entirely inexperienced; his lifelong mastery over dark powers meant that controlling ice posed no significant challenge. If he could manipulate darkness, then ice would be just another tool in his arsenal.

Andre knew Aldric to a certain extent and his brother would never make a bad deal. Aldric must have the same thought, which was no wonder he readily agreed to the fight and Valerie’s terms. Andre’s stomach churned with unease, Valerie was going to die.

"I’ll have him." Milo said, snapping Andre from his train of his thoughts.

Before Andre could react, the young half-breed had already reached for the cat and he was too late to warn him. Except nothing happened.

"Huh?" Andre watched in confusion as Milo carried prince Wayne in his arms and nothing.

"See?" Milo was addressing Gabbi, "I told you that he hates the royals." He said and carried him away, heading to the inn before them while Andre watched on in confusion.

What does the child even mean by the cat hates the royals? He and Prince Wayne had been friends since the beginning of this journey and he was not saying it because he was jealous. Andre told himself. Also, how does Milo even know that?

Andre narrowed his eyes at the half-breed. The notion of him being psychic seemed unlikely. It wasn’t unheard of for half-breeds to possess abilities divergent from those of their respective Fae courts due to their mixed heritage. There were indeed a few rare cases of Fae born with abilities that set them apart from their peers, but psychic abilities were rare.

Nonetheless, Andre couldn’t wait to arrive at the winter court to give Islinda the important news he came with. Her time was running out.