Page 5 of Calling of the Crown

Akira stood frozen next to me, but at the sound of his name leaving the man’s lips, he finally spoke in the softest of voices. “Jesiah.”

It was my turn to nearly fall over.

It was him, Akira’s missing lover.

“So this is Jesiah,” Bassel started, eyeing the Water Fae in the way a big brother might eye the boy his little sister just brought home.

“Bassel,” Akira hissed, narrowing his eyes at the liger.

“Your description didn’t do him justice, buddy,” Ardley teased, coming over to slap Akira on the back with a clawed hand.

Akira’s cheeks flared bright red, and he immediately ducked his head and shielded his body with his large, black wings.

“Don’t worry, Akira,” Imani said with a laugh. “Jesiah’s no better. He’s never shut up about you.”

Jesiah shot a warning look at the bold, dark beauty before shoving all the books he held into her arms. “These are Her Highness’s. I’ll go over them later with her.” He quickly came over to face me and said in a rush, “I’m Jesiah, your personal advisor and tutor. I apologize for the quick introduction, but I’ve got something important to attend to at the moment. I promise to introduce myself properly later.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned to Akira, who peeked out from behind his wings. Jesiah quickly grabbed his hand and led him up one of the sets of stairs before disappearing from view.

Rune tensed next to me, watching Jesiah lead his best friend from the room. “Is it fine to leave Akira alone with him?”

“Are you kidding?” Dallas asked. She waved a dismissive hand. “Jesiah has been absolutely head over heels for Akira for over a century. The only things in danger are anyone’s ears who goes near Jesiah’s room right now.”

Rance pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have such a way with words, babe. Truly.”

Dallas smirked. “It’s a gift.”

“Who knew Jesiah’s Akira was that Akira,” Imani noted with awe. “Small world.”

“One that keeps getting smaller for us Water Fae since we’re a dying race, which is why we’re here.” Dallas turned to me and Rune. “You two come with me. I’ll take you to your private floor and give you a tour as we go. Everyone else, follow Imani and Rance.”

Our group split up with Rune and me trailing after Dallas. She noted the different floors we passed and gave us a full tour. I tried focusing on all she said, but I was far too busy in my own mind. With every new corner, I was introduced to more sea life imagery and decor that either made up the spaces or adorned them as art. What I was not seeing were personal touches. There were no photos of my parents anywhere, and trying to search for them in vain left me feeling slightly deflated.

I just wanted to know who they were and what they looked like.

Finally, after climbing endless sets of stairs and weaving through corridor after corridor, we made it to one of the highest floors of the palace.

“This,” Dallas explained, “is yours. All of it. This entire floor makes up the King and Queen’s private spaces.”

A long hallway stretched before us, and a lush blue carpet swept down the corridor. Matching doors lined either side of us as we made our way down the hall, and Dallas explained that each door we passed was now mine and Rune’s. An office for each, a library for each, a living space for each, and so on. We came to a split in the hall, which went to our right and left, while also continuing straight. At the head of the hallway, down the center, stood massive blue doors.

“Here is your new bedroom,” Dallas said, stepping aside so that I could open the giant doors.

The bedroom was like something right out of a fantasy movie. The arched ceiling supported yet another ornate chandelier, this one resembling coral. A massive four-poster bed took up residency against the back wall with French doors on either side that led out onto a balcony. A fireplace that was taller than I was sat unlit to one side of the room, and across from it were doors that undoubtedly led to closets and bathrooms.

Swallowing hard, I crept in farther. “So this is Rune’s and my room?”

“Sure is.” Dallas strode in, her footsteps muted as she walked across the cream-colored carpet. She bellyflopped onto the blue and silver comforter adorning the bed. “Whatcha think, Big Guy? Like it?”

Rune’s head tilted back as he admired the room, and he mumbled, “The architecture is exquisite.”

I bit back a laugh, because of course, that’s what he’d focus on. Forget everything else. He just loved the design and make of the place.

Dallas raised a confused brow. “Okaaay,” she said, “so you like it then?”

“I love it.” Rune turned to me and asked, “Do you?”

I quickly nodded and went closer to the bed to run my hand over the plush duvet. “Absolutely. It’s more than I could’ve ever dreamed of.”

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