Page 40 of The Fae King's Labyrinth

When neither male answered, I looked up. Both of them were staring at the cat in my lap.

“Well, that is a first,” Ghost muttered.

“Herman is a sithcat. A rare magical creature of mischief and general mayhem.” Azulin’s monotone drew my attention to his features, but his expression had turned cold and distant. Only his eyes betrayed that he felt anything behind the mask.

“Herman seems a strange name for a magical cat.”

Ghost coughed.

“I named him when I was six.” Azulin’s weary tone hinted at a story.

I regarded him with raised eyebrows.

“Herman was my favorite name at the time.”

“You must’ve really liked this Herman, then.”

“I was a lonely child to think a disagreeable cat was worthy of such a name,” Azulin snapped. “We should retire. Lady Anon, if you stop petting the cat, he will leave. The sun is up.” He glared at the cat still purring aggressively in my lap. “Herman, isn’t it time you should leave? The sun is up.”

I reluctantly paused my petting watching as Herman regarded Azulin boldly. The sithcat offered the fae king a very slow blink but didn’t move.

“Herman, I have had a very trying few days, and we are both exhausted. Kindly get off my bed.”

An explosion of magic and a blink and I was no longer on the king’s bed. Herman and I had been transported to the floor. I yelped, but when I tried to scramble away, I discovered I couldn’t move. However, I did violently sneeze thrice. Herman didn’t appreciate that.

With a protestingpst,pstsound, he bolted from my lap only to pause a few feet away and yowl at me in protest. Then, with tail held high, he disappeared with a pop of magic.

“At last!” Azulin exclaimed before stalking back toward the screen.

“The approval of the sithcat.” Ghost crossed the room to offer me a hand to my feet. This time, my legs cooperated.

“He definitely didn’t sound approving in the end,” I muttered before stifling a yawn.

“Nonsense. If he didn’t approve, he would’ve dumped you somewhere truly offensive like the dung heap. He has done that to quite a few of the stable boys who attempted to chase him with a broom.”

“He might still do that. He dumped me there quite often when I was young,” Azulin added as he reappeared around the screen. “Here.” He extended his hand toward me. “Give me your hand.”

I offered my left hand because it was closer to him.

He shook his head. “No. The other one. I am not marrying you.”

I frowned at him in confusion.

He held up a silver-and-gold circle, a ring. “Your protection.”

Claiming my right hand, Azulin slid the band onto my first finger. It was far too big, but before I could point out that it would fall off, he muttered a few words under his breath. The metal curved, separated into tendrils, and tightened, wrapping itself around my finger from knuckle to base, similar to theway the vine wound around my other arm. When it stilled and solidified again, the metal band had become an elegant gold-and-silver knotted ring.

I stared at it for a moment, experimentally bending my finger. The ring didn’t hinder the movement at all. “What does it do?”

He turned my hand over, examining something I couldn’t see. Then, closing my fingers into a fist, he squeezed it gently. “Keeps others from using fae binding magic on you.”

“But how?”

He shook his head wearily. “I can’t explain now. Now go and sleep well, my lady.” Azulin turned me by my shoulders and nudged me toward the dressing room door.

I obediently slipped into my makeshift bedroom and closed the door behind me. Within, I found that the servants had gone to great lengths to make me comfortable. But I didn’t have the energy to appreciate it all. Instead, I climbed beneath the blankets on the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I woke from a dreamless sleep to hear voices.

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