Page 38 of The Fae King's Labyrinth

I rolled my eyes at Ghost’s word choice.

Calypso laughed. “Very well. I will rest on the edge of his bed.” She crossed to the end of the bed and plopped down on the edge.

“Good. Now Ghost can entertain you.”

“What?” Ghost asked.

“Can I ask him questions?”

Ghost regarded me grimly. The intensity of his scowl was such that I suspected pepper would be added to one of my favorite dishes as revenge should I agree.

“Sounds like a good use of the time to me.” I flashed Ghost the barest of smirks before disappearing behind the screen.

On the other side, Calypso didn’t give Ghost a chance to protest. “What is the difference between a wyvern and a dragon?”

“One is wild and untamed, while the other is civilized. Mostly.” Ghost’s gravelly voice betrayed none of his annoyance. Although he enjoyed being a dragon, he rarely talked about his people.

“How did the king manage to tame you?”

Ghost coughed. “I could ask the same of you. Humans are feral.”

She laughed. The soft sound caused the vine around my arm to warm and ripple with what I could only guess was pleasure. Apparently, it responded to her emotion.

“I suppose we are, especially shapeshifters.” Her voice grew closer. “Where do you come from?”

“None of your business,” Ghost observed in an irritated rumble. “So that is why you stink of cat. It is your other form.”

“Stink?” Her footfalls paced the floor, measuring out the distance between the screen and the bed. “Cats don’t stink. They are some of the cleanest animals I know.”

“Oh? Are you speaking of common cats or your unusual variety?” Ghost’s voice had grown raspy with sharp amusement. I could almost envision him gritting his teeth in anticipation of scoring a point. For all of his terseness, my chief bodyguard was skilled with more than just weapons.

“Both.” Calypso moved around the room with the soft swish of cloth rubbing cloth. As I washed quickly, my ears strained for the sounds of her passing.

“Shift,” Ghost commanded in a tone few refused to obey.

“Why? So you can attack me?”

Ghost snorted and the slight scent of smoke threaded through the air and around the edge of the folding screen. “I could attack you in this form and you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

“True. But you won’t.”

“Why not?” When Ghost growled, most everyone gave him space. Not my Calypso. She laughed again.

“Because you value your king, and we are bound. If you harm me, I suspect something bad would happen to him too.” My vine throbbed in assent. It was almost as though the binding itself was sentient. Pausing in the middle of rinsing my hair, Istared at the vine curling around my arm. The leaves let off a golden sheen.

“Shift,” Ghost ordered again.

“Why?”

“So that I know your form and can make sure no one kills you or drives you off for trespassing.”

Calypso paused in her pacing. “The guards would do that?”

“Dare you risk it?” Ghost’s voice lowered. “The moment you are carried outside of range, you will become insensible.”

“Fine.”

The vine tightened around my arm and the sensation of her magic washed through me. On the opposite side of the screen, the soft thud of a small body landing on the wood floor marked Calypso’s transformation.

---