Page 68 of Calling of the Crown

Rance and Dallas were right on our tail.

Khalani grimaced, and she tucked her white strands of hair behind her ear. “Ardley was at the border when they arrived, and he was the one who had them escorted here. He said they don’t pose any real physical danger. He said it would be emotional danger, if any. I don’t know what the hell that’s supposed to mean, but then again, it is Ardley.”

I shared a confused look with Rune. No one seemed to come to mind for him either as we drew close to the sitting room where our guests waited. Hushed voices came from the other side of the closed door, and with one final questioning look at Rune, I pushed them open.

My stomach immediately soured with apprehension.

Three sets of eyes immediately found me when I walked into the room, and I was surprised to see how unsure the three women looked considering how fierce they’d been when I’d previously interacted with them.

“Well, this is unexpected,” I began cautiously. “To what do I owe the honor Aidan, Yasmine, and Talia?”

Chapter Thirty-One

THE THREE LAND FAE ALL bowed their heads in respect and said in unison, “Your Highness.”

My jaw wanted to drop, but I kept it in place. Having Rune’s ex-lover and her best friends show me any ounce of courtesy or friendliness had me feeling like I’d stepped into the twilight zone. They’d been nothing but hostile to me during the week I’d spent at Rune’s family home—the place Aidan had also been staying in an effort to be chosen as Rune’s partner.

Rune stared at the three Fae he knew well, and the look of pure bewilderment he wore made me want to laugh, because I was feeling the exact same way.

This is fucking weird.

They were each in their Fae forms—Yasmine, the Red Fox; Aidan, the Silver Fox; and Talia, the Leopard. Nothing much had changed about the way they looked since I’d last seen them. Talia was the same with her brown hair and pouty lips that I knew spewed plenty of sass. Yasmine was still tall and slender with dark skin and lush, curly hair that framed her face. Aidan was as gorgeous as ever with flawless skin, perky boobs accentuated by her dress, and glossy black hair.

Yasmine cleared her throat as the three women looked up at me once more. “You’re probably wondering why we’re here.”

Fighting to make coherent words, I replied, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.” Remembering that I was technically meeting them as Princess right now, I waved a hand at the couches facing each other. “Please sit.”

Rune and I slowly made our way over to the couch facing theirs, and we sank onto the cushions. The trio slowly lowered as we did, fidgeting nervously as they stared over the coffee table between us.

“I’ll go grab some refreshments,” Khalani announced as she swiftly left the room.

Dallas and Rance remained by the doors, ready to defend if necessary.

“So,” I began. “What brings you here?”

“Did King Elias send you?” Rune asked. A clear warning laced his question.

“No,” Aidan answered. She crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. “We’re here on our own business.”

“And what business would that be?” I asked as I raised a brow at her. Suspicion bled into my words, despite myself. I was fairly confident that Aidan knew her chances of getting Rune were futile at this point, so I was left to guess at their motives.

It had been a while since the two figures were seen lurking along the shores of the mainland, and no more strange sightings had occurred since then. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a tactic from Elias to have inside eyes here. Though, he’d picked odd ones to send if that were the case, considering we hadn’t previously gotten along with this trio.

“Are you really aiming to end the war and bring peace?” Yasmine asked, and her brown eyes locked right on me.

I stared back and nodded. “I am.”

Yasmine seemed to let out a relieved sigh. “In that case, the three of us would like to join your side. We want to aid in your fight for harmony.”

My eyes widened. When I’d walked into this room and found these three, this was so far from what I’d expected to hear. I shared a stunned look with Rune, and seeing that he was just as baffled as me did little to settle my shock.

My first instinct was to doubt them and their intentions. After all, they’d been nothing but nasty to me before, and Aidan had always seemed proud of her part in the war. But, then again, I didn’t truly know Aidan, Yasmine, or Talia. I had assumptions and suspicions, but that was all. I asked my people to give Land Fae—their enemy—a chance, so despite what I had experienced with these girls, I needed to do the same.

“You want peace?” I asked, passing my gaze over the three.

“This war has taken a lot from everyone,” Talia said, brushing her leopard tail, which sat draped in her lap. She toyed with it as she continued, “When it reached a sort of standstill twenty years ago, back when you were hidden, we were all relieved. It almost felt like we could pretend the fight was over.”

“Until you ran into a Water Fae,” Aidan mumbled as she stared at the coffee table. “Then you were reminded of the anger, pain, and bloodshed.”

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