Page 58 of Exiled Prince

She kisses me again.

It’s almost worked out okay. I still need to find out who tried to kill her with the arrow because it wasn’t an accidental shot. Someone wanted her dead. And it might not be personal—they might have wanted to get to me through her—but either way, that threat needs to be eliminated.

Now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Saylor

Three Months Later

Seeing Bane and my brothers working together to fix up the nursery is making me emotional. As I requested, Bane is painting the walls a sage green, and Salem and Silver are putting up the crib. Shadow is building the baby a bookshelf, and Sage is sitting in the rocking chair, eating a cupcake I made.

It’s been quiet since the whole King Bax fiasco, and we’ve spent the time working on the Demon Kingdom, building a relationship with its people, and making any changes we see fit. Bane has been welcomed back with open arms, the exiled prince and the true heir returning. He’s a fair king and a good one. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

But more than that, he’s the best mate in the world.

“Sit down, Sunshine,” he says when he notices me standing there, frowning at Sage. “Sage, get your ass up and let my mate rest.”

Sage stands, another cupcake in his hand. “Okay, okay. I’ll get back to painting.”

“I’m going to go and check on dinner, anyway,” I reply, walking back down to the kitchens. I’ve been helping Flora plan meals. She’s a young demon female, and we get along really well.

She’s singing to herself and mixing some batter in a bowl when I enter. “Need any help?”

Her red eyes land on me. “And have the king murder me? I don’t think so. You take a seat and let me get you something to snack on. Fruit?”

“Sure,” I agree, sitting and taking a deep breath. “So, how did things go with Halo?”

She frowns. Halo is the captain of the Demon Army here, and the two of them totally have a thing for each other. “We aren’t mates, so I don’t know if there’s any point going there. What if I get feelings, then he finds his mate, and I get cast aside?”

“That’s the gamble, isn’t it? I had a little fun, but I never let my feelings get involved until I met Bane,” I admit, lowering my voice so no one else overhears that.

“Halo is hot,” she admits, her lips twitching. “That body of his. Wow. Every morning when he trains, I pretend I need to help with the gardening. Gardening isn’t something I like or need to do. We have gardeners.”

I’m laughing hard when Bane wanders in to find me, his eyes lighting up when he sees me. “Is my mate here annoying you again, Flora?”

She hands me a bowl of cut-up fruit, shaking her head. “Honestly, she keeps me sane, my King. She’s a blessing to the kingdom, that’s for sure.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” I mutter, taking a bite of apple.

Bane lifts me and my bowl into his arms and carries me out. “You know I can walk, right?”

My stomach has the smallest bump, and Bane has been acting like I’m about to pop. “I know, but I like carrying you,” he replies, nuzzling my neck. “And I’m hungry for you, and I can’t wait.”

“Where are my brothers?” I ask, frowning.

“They all left.”

Well, in that case.

Bane stops before the stairs, and I stop to see why. Axe and Kai are standing there, watching us with amused expressions.

“This better be good.” Bane groans, putting me down on my feet. “I was about to have my lunch.”

“You’ll want to hear this,” Axe comments, nodding toward thecouch in the new game room we set up. We all sit down, and Axe turns to me. He’s wearing a white tunic rolled up at the sleeves and tight black pants. He looks good. I’ve always known he and Kai to be attractive—they are incubi, after all—but there’s something different about him today.

“I have my hair tied up,” he announces, smirking.

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