Page 6 of Heart of the Fae King

Maren’s hand stiffened in mine, and I eyed her, wondering if she was tensing because of the castle looming in front of us or because the reality had finally settled in. It was probably a combination of both.

Squeezing her fingers reassuringly, I brought them to my lips, and her gaze settled on mine.

“You’re safe now,” I promised her. “You’re home.”

“I wish I could remember more,” she sighed as the vehicle came to a full stop between the double columns outside the main entrance.

“Maybe it’s better that you don’t,” I finally conceded, kissing her hand again. She didn’t seem convinced by my sentiments.

The two door guards headed down the wide marble steps to greet us, and we emerged.

“Moving trucks will arrive soon. Have everything sent up at once,” I told them without waiting to hear the concession, but it came, anyway.

“Yes, Alpha.”

I caught Maren’s dubious look, but I whisked her through the entrance and toward the wide, winding staircase before us.

“All of it?” she asked as we glided up toward the third floor, where my rooms occupied the entire area of the castle.

“For now,” I replied. “We can work out what needs to go into storage later. You spent a lot of time picking out what you wanted for that apartment, and you should have your things here, too.”

She clung closer to me, and I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Maren was home with me, where she belonged now. And no one was ever going to hypnotize her again.

When the movers arrived,I left three guards with her, including Drakias, who had returned with the transport company.

“You point out what you want up here,” I told her. “You’re also free to remove whatever you want of mine.”

She balked at the suggestion. “I’m not moving your stuff, Nyx!”

I smiled. “I’ve been wanting to redecorate for a while,” I fibbed.

But it didn’t matter to me what she replaced with her own. All I cared about was having Maren with me. Stuff was just stuff. Most of it hadn’t been my own choosing in the first place, hired decorators and other faeries picking the surroundings for me, based on their assumptions of what they thought I would like. Maren would have a much better eye for the space.

“Nyx—”

“Do whatever you see fit with our suite,” I insisted, emphasizing the word “our” and relishing the way her face lit up.

That’s right. It belongs to both of us—all three of us.

I drew her into my arms tenderly and kissed the top of her head. “I have some things to take care of. I want you to stay with the guards, okay?”

She pulled back slightly to stare at me warily. “You’re leaving?”

“No, not the grounds,” I promised quickly. “And I won’t be long. I promise.”

“Where are you going?”

I didn’t want to disclose that just yet.

“I just have some things to take care of,” I replied vaguely. “I swear, it won’t take long.”

She eyed me uncertainly. “Do you want me to come with you?”

It was a loaded question, even for her. A part of her didn’t want to leave my side, but the other part wasn’t looking forward to an afternoon of tagging along after me. But I didn’t want that, either.

“No. I want you to get all these boxes out of the way,” I teased, nodding at the pile. “The last thing I want to see when I get back is a bunch of stuff to unpack.”

She chuckled and nodded in agreement, a distinct expression of relief crossing over her face. “I wouldn’t mind getting my clothes out and hung up,” she agreed. “But that won’t take more than a few spells to make happen.”

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