Page 107 of Shrine of Fire

To the side was a large round table. It was made of heavy wood, that had been lacquered to a shine, and appeared large enough to seat us all comfortably.

Thick stacks of paperwork covered the top of the table.

The Admiral gestured at the table. “Please, have a seat.”

Stefan took the seat across from the Admiral, and I sat next to him. Lord Baylin sat to Stefan’s other side, and then everyone sat around us.

“Let’s get on with it.” Admiral Xilas gestured at the stack of papers in front of us. “I trust you’ve brought your advisor with you as well? You’ll see everything is as discussed.”

Stefan’s face was a perfectly courtly smile. Serene calm came from our bond. “As discussed?”

“The contracts.” The Admiral picked up a fountain pen. “I’ll begin to sign mine, to speed things along.”

“What contract?” Judging by the look of confusion on everyone but the Admiral’s face, I wasn’t the only one feeling like I missed part of the conversation.

The Admiral looked between me and Stefan. His steely gaze didn’t waver. “You are here to sign the contracts to bring me into the Royal Pack.”

“Are we?” I frowned. “I must admit, we were looking forward to getting to know you a bit before making a decision.”

Admiral Xilas scoffed. “I have spoken directly to the Ember King. It has all been settled.”

“Settled?” Stefan’s tone was dangerous. Now steely anger flashed through the bond, almost too fast for me to realize what it was.

“My lord.” Lord Baylin cleared his throat. “Perhaps we could back up a bit. Spend some time—"

“Gentlemen, everything has already been decided.” Admiral Xilas frowned across the table. “Look through the contracts, you’ll see I’ve been quite generous.”

Stefan gave the Admiral a stare. “You are addressing the Crown Prince of Ember Island. We are not a meeting you must check off your list before moving on to more important things.”

I wanted to kiss him for being so aggressive. He didn’t need to be an alpha to put people back into their face.

Admiral Xilas’s face went blotchy. “I was assured by the Ember King himself that I could take you at your word.”

“And you can, you can,” Lord Baylin held up his hands. “But surely you understand there is a process.”

“Process?” Admiral Xilas snorted and looked at me. “If you’re worried I will try to claim bedrights, Princess, it’s all covered in section three—"

“Of the contract?” I arched an eyebrow. “You’re not buying a ship, Admiral, but entering into a union for the rest of your life. Regardless of what you have spoken to the Ember King about terms,wewill be the ones you’re spending the rest of your life with.”

A quiet fell over the room.

The Admiral studied us, a slight crease between his eyebrows. He seemed to finally have gotten the idea we weren’t going to sign him into the pack this very second.

Stefan gave him another regal smile. “We would love to discuss terms. Spend some time getting to know you.”

The man glanced between Stefan and I, then looked at the rest of my pack.

The line between his eyebrows deepened, but then he relaxed his shoulders. “Ah, yes. Forgive my poor manners.”

I let out a small breath of relief, forgetting for a moment that I was supposed to still be looking regal.

“Perhaps we could take a different approach.”

“A different approach sounds like a step in the right direction.” Lord Baylin rubbed his hands together.

“If I may…” The Admiral looked at Stefan. “I would like to spend a little bit of time alone with my intended pack.”

“Certainly.” Stefan touched my arm. “Are you alright with that, my dove?”

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