Page 12 of The Prince's Mate

“Yeah, because Walker never lies, right?”

“Why would he lie about that?” I asked with a shake of my head, and Ro'Shassz hummed.

“Why, indeed?”

And then he was gone in a usual Ro'Shassz move. Groaning, I got off the bed and walked into my bathroom and over to the bare wall opposite the sink. It was something Reece had made for me at my request, and over the past few years, I'd used it quite a lot.

Letting my claws slide out, I started scratching at the wall, pushing all the emotions I was feeling into the movement of my hands.

As new scratches appeared, the older ones disappeared, Reece's magic repairing the wall as soon as I damaged it. I put all my anger, anxiety, and nerves into the motion of my claws, ripping into the wall again and again and again until my fingers ached and I was too tired to continue.

I slumped against the wall before sliding down and sitting with my back to it, wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my chin on my knees. I stared unseeingly at the cabinet in front of me as my past and my present muddled together in my mind.

I had no idea where this trip to the human realm would lead or what would happen with Walker. All I knew was that I had no choice but to see it through, and not for the first time, I was tempted to say to hell with everything and just move to Afterworld. But I couldn't. Otherworld was home, and nothing could change that.

Ro'Shassz

Things looked dreary, but I had a feeling they were about to get better. This trip to the human realm would give me a lot of time to scheme, and I had quite a few tricks up my metaphorical sleeve.

Step Five: Get them to the human realm in one piece.

Six

Walker

“It's...dusty,” I said, glancing around the apartment my dads had lived in for a brief period when they'd stayed in the human realm. It had been Pops and Da's home first, and then Dad had joined them later on. They'd stayed here while Pops' memories were shot, and then come to Otherworld later.

“Well, that's what happens when a place is left closed for a while,” Caelan said sarcastically, and I laughed louder than it warranted, mostly because I was a little relieved. He had been subdued all morning, and I knew my dumb apology hadn't removed the sting of my words, but I didn't know what else to do. I wanted Caelan to forgive me. Hell, I wanted to go back in time and stop myself from ever saying those words, but I couldn't do that. We were stuck in limbo right now, and I didn't know where to go from here.

Caelan walked over to the other side of the room where the kitchen was. It was an open plan apartment, light and airy. Da had modeled their suite after it, though their rooms in Brume Villa were much fancier.

Caelan came back with two rectangular pieces of cloth and gave one to me. I stared at it, confused, and he rolled his eyes, though he looked more amused than annoyed.

“We gotta dust this place. No Reece's magic keeping things spotless here,” he reminded, and I nodded.

Should I be embarrassed that I was in my twenties and had no idea how to dust? I mean, I could infer the general concept from the context, but I'd never done it before, or seen someone else do it, for that matter. Like Caelan said, Da's magic has always kept the villa spotless, and there had been no need fordustingbefore.

Caelan started working on the cabinet where the flatscreen sat, his wrist flicking gracefully as he dusted the surface, and I copied him.

It was hard work and it took us nearly three hours to get the whole house done, but the place looked great once it was over. Caelan had thrown all the windows open, and the room was nice and breezy now.

“Phew, that's done,” Ro'Shassz said, and I turned to him with a glare.

“Don't act like you did anything, I told him, and he raised his head up, his yellow eyes glinting at me with challenge.

“I'll say whatever I want. You're not the boss of me,” he sassed back, and I rolled my eyes before turning away from him. Following Caelan's lead, I washed the dusting cloth in the sink before hanging it up, and then washed my hands because they felt icky.

As I was wiping my hands, my stomach growled loudly.

“Oh shit, I forgot you need to eat,” Caelan said, and I shook my head, waving him off.

“It's not your job to remember that,” I said, and he glanced away, though I didn't miss the fact that his claws had slid out and sunk into the side of the counter he was leaning against. What had I said wrong now? God, saying anything to this man was like walking on a minefield. I never knew which step would cause an explosion.

Caelan cleared his throat after a moment, his claws gone, and turned to me. “We'll need to go shop for some groceries, then.”

My eyes widened. “We're going to a grocery store?” I asked.

"It's just a grocery store.”

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