After some searching, I spotted Nylian at a table in a shadowy corner at the back of the giant room. It was kind of surprising that he always got these dark spots. It was as if they were always reserved for that one secretive elf who was on the run and trying to hide from the world.
Snorting at my thoughts, I wove my way through the crowd, careful not to bump into anyone. I didn’t possess the ample bosom and rounded ass that would let me get away with kicking someone in the head.
As I reached the table, I found that my partner in crime wasn’t alone. Jasper and Adeline grinned up at me as I reached them.
“We’ve been making bets about whether the City Watch chucked you into prison,” Adeline teased as I dropped into the empty chair between her and Nylian on my left.
“No, I’ve kept my nose clean. Can you say the same?”
The woman’s mouth popped open with a loud laugh. “Fuck, no! The key difference between you and me is that I don’t get caught.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” I muttered. Before I could continue, a hand wrapped around my wrist and squeezed. My eyes met a pair of brilliant emerald eyes filled with concern.
“Everything went okay?” The light tone did not match the worry in Nylian’s gaze.
“Yep, all good. Nothing to worry about,” I replied with an extra-wide smile that was full of teeth, trying to hint that we’d talk more when we didn’t have Adeline and Jasper hanging on our every word.
“So, the governor bought your bullshit that you’re really Prince Victor?” Adeline blurted out.
My brain screeched to a halt, and my mouth dropped open. “What?” I gasped.
“They recognized you at the ogre camp,” Nylian stated.
“But—”
Adeline snorted. “Yeah, ’cause names like Adam and Nylian sound sooo real.”
“What?” This was more of a shriek.
“They recognized me, too,” Nylian added.
Jasper offered an awkward smile and nodded. “Adam is a bit of a strange name. You should have picked something a little more common, like Tybalt or Rafferty.”
Again with Adam being seen as a weird name when it was incredibly common. What…oh…fuck… I’d done it to myself. I’d always said I would never use my actual name for a character in a book. Because of that, the rule must have been made that Adam wouldn’t exist in their world, thus making it rare.
I scrubbed a hand across my face, trying to get my brain working in the right direction. Adeline and Jasper knew I was Prince Victor Montcroix, and Nylian was Prince Xeran Elrich. Fabulous.
“How? When?” I spat out.
“Adeline asked me one night after you’d fallen asleep. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t your prisoner,” the elf explained. I lowered my hand to take in his less-than-thrilled expression. Yeah, that had to be insulting. I couldn’t have held a prisoner if my life depended on it. Of course, that was why she’d been so hard core with her negotiations for her services. She’d known we were both princes and were good for the money.
After choking back a laugh, I cleared my throat and smiled at him. “I take it you vouched for me.”
“In a way. Ahead of your arrival, I updated them on what I’ve learned about your situation.”
“Thanks.”
Jasper leaned toward me, his countenance shining brighter than the sun. “Is there any way you could let me look at the coi?—”
“No!” Adeline and I shouted at him. There was no fucking way I was letting him anywhere near it.
“Gods, Jasper. It’s like you’ve got a death wish,” Adeline moaned.
“Anyway, I talked to the governor. Everything is fine so long as I get the hell out of town soon,” I said, trying to make that coin a distant memory in all our heads.
“Good.” Nylian slumped in his chair, appearing relaxed while his gaze skimmed over the occupants of the tavern. A barmaid popped over and dropped two tankards of ale in front of Adeline and Jasper while a cup of wine was placed near Nylian.
“Well, aren’t you a sweet thing?” she purred, staring down at me. “Where did you come from?”