Page 91 of I Destroyed the Elf Prince's Harem

“That’s the contact. Let’s go. Stick close together.” Nylian put his heels into the flanks of his horse and leaped forward, racing toward the gate. I followed while Adeline and Jasper brought up the rear. It was likely a safe bet that this contact had bribed the guards, allowing us to enter the city. We couldn’t waste the opportunity.

As soon as our contact spotted us, they turned their horse and raced into the city, leading us down winding streets lit by warm, flickering lights that reminded me of fireflies in a mason jar. Even in the thick darkness of the middle of the night, my heart tripped to see West Vale for the first time. It was better than I could have ever imagined.

Where Ulmenor was elegant stone buildings poking at the sky, all of West Vale was made of trees. Every building was a living, growing tree that had been hollowed and shaped to contain shops and homes. In the darkness, I could still make out the browns and greens everywhere I looked. Even the air seemed fresher and sweeter here with the rich scent of greenery and blossoming flowers. West Vale was a living, breathing marvel. The only stones to be found were in the wall that surrounded the royal capital and the roads under the horses.

It was a struggle to keep my eyes on Nylian in front of me. All I wanted to do was slow my steed and take in the surrounding sights.

Our contact took us from the southernmost tip of the city to a quiet spot on the eastern side that was filled with elegant homes. A few had tall stone walls around them to keep people from getting too close and to add an air of privacy.

The cloaked figure reined in their horse and hopped down when a servant appeared out of the shadows to grab the horse’s reins. Nylian did the same, only waiting long enough for my feet to touch the ground before he seized my arm and pulled me with him.

Beyond the walls were more glowing lamps, revealing the soft elegance of a simple home made of a tree with white bark and large, wide green leaves. The figure waited a distance away, hand at their hip as if they were holding on to the hilt of their sword.

“Saida.” Nylian sighed, and the figure released their sword to pull aside the hood of their cloak, revealing a beautiful young woman with enormous blue eyes and gold hair the same as Nylian’s.

“Xeran!” she squealed. She raced the short distance separating them to jump into his waiting arms, hugging him tightly.

Someone tugged on my cloak, and I turned to find Adeline standing beside me, her eyes wide as she stared at the two. “Who is that?” she hissed.

“Saida is one of Nylian’s younger sisters, but from a different mother than his and Orian’s,” I whispered. Not that Nylian had told me that himself. The only member of his family that he ever spoke of was Orian. But I recalled naming some of Nylian’s six siblings. “I’m sure Nylian will be happy to introduce you?—”

Adeline jumped away and frantically waved both hands at me. “Nope. That’s okay. Completely unnecessary. I-I couldn’t…she’s just…no, that’s a bad idea,” she stammered. In the low lighting, it was hard to tell, but I thought she was blushing. I turned my head to gaze at Princess Saida again. She’d released her brother enough to look at him. She was rather lovely in a delicate way, with what I was sure was plenty of hidden strength. Had to be if she was the one to come out in the middle of the night to get us safely past the guards.

“Nylian?” Saida asked with a soft, breathy laugh. She looked at me and smiled. “I haven’t heard that name in years.”

Nylian shook his head and released his sister. “Don’t start. There were complicated circumstances while I was on the road. It was safer if I didn’t go by Prince Xeran.”

Saida placed her hands on her hips and stared right at me. “Uncle mentioned you were traveling with Prince Victor Montcroix, and I thought he’d lost his mind, but you really are here.”

“That is another strange and complicated circumstance,” I replied, bowing deeply to Saida. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess Saida. Thank you for your help.”

Nylian wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him, stealing the air from my lungs. “He’s not a complication. He’s my mate, and that’s all that matters.”

Saida blinked at him, her mouth hanging open, while a low chuckle jostled my shoulders.

“Going with the sledgehammer approach to introducing me to family, I see,” I teased.

Nylian smirked. “There’s nothing to be gained by doing it delicately. I don’t want there to be any room for misunderstanding.”

“Wow,” Saida exhaled. “I can’t wait to see how this goes over in the court.”

“That won’t matter until Orian is saved and my name restored,” Nylian countered in a sharp voice.

“Princess Saida, please let me introduce our other companions,” I interjected before the elf still clutching me tightly could begin growling. “This is Adeline Engleford, a mercenary who has been protecting us on the journey, and her younger brother, Jasper, a wizard in training. Oh, and the chipmunk in his hair is Master Binx, a wizard who met with an unfortunate accident.”

Adeline sketched a quick, awkward bow, keeping her head down as if she were afraid to meet the princess’s gaze. I couldn’t recall her ever acting so reserved. She’d met the king’s brother and had not had a problem being pulled together with him.

“A prince, a mercenary, a wizard, and a cursed chipmunk,” Saida listed. “Yup, that sounds like you.”

“All right. All right. Let’s go inside and you can tell me what’s been happening.” Nylian placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders and turned her around. Her giggles trickled out as Nylian frog-marched her into a dimly lit parlor with comfortable furniture.

“I told the servants to prepare rooms and then be scarce. They can’t get in trouble if they never technically see you,” Saida informed us.

“Thank you,” Nylian murmured as he selected a spot on the sofa and pulled me to sit next to him. Heat burned my cheeks while Saida sighed.

“Breathe, Xeran. No one is going to steal him,” she taunted.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” the elf prince muttered, his hand tightening on my knee.

---