Page 12 of Their Princess

My eyes welled with tears, and I threw my arms around her neck, sniffling loudly. “Nana.”

She patted my back and whispered, “You did great today, Lily. You showed the world what you are capable of. Well done.”

“I will be in touch,” Jol said. I turned to face him and he bowed to me. “Goddess.”

I would need to convince him to stop calling me that, but that wasn’t a fight for today. “Your Majesty,” I said and returned his bow. I started to stumble a step forward, but Trey wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me up so it hid my stumble.

Maya pushed her way through, my brother, Jaeden, and elf Tony on her heels. She hugged me tight and sniffled. “I was so scared you were going to explode.”

Laughing, I patted her back and said, “Me, too.”

“What?” Kayden shouted. “You thought you were going to explode, too?”

“For a second,” I admitted. “There was so much power in me, like that time the shadows exploded out of me.” The biggest worry had been for those nearest me.

Kayden growled. “Why do you insist on stressing us so much?”

“I think you just need to be more like Trey,” I teased.

Trey looked down at me, his arm tightening a bit around my waist. “Like me?”

I nodded. “You’re always so calm and collected.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “I was just as freaked out as Kayden. I’m just not as vocal about it.”

Kayden rolled his eyes. “He shouldn’t get brownie points for having repressed emotions.”

Mason snorted. “Yeah, we all know you’d win that battle.”

“What?” Kayden shouted. “Who are you to talk about repressed emotions, bird brain?”

Laughter bubbled up and spilled out of me as my mates bickered with each other. Finally, it was over.

We had won.

The weakness I felt was disturbing, but my people were safe, so that was all that mattered.

“Shall we return home?” Trey asked. “You are in desperate need of a shower.”

Looking down, I realized he was right. I was covered in dirt, blood, and debris.

Dhun yipped bye, and I raised my hand, watching him and the other demons go through the portal that Mom created.

Trey turned me away and we walked slowly towards our car.

Reporters shouted questions at us, but we ignored them, keeping our eyes focused on each other.

“I never would have thought there were multiple sirens,” he whispered. “How did you realize it?”

“It just seemed insane to me that one person could be so much more powerful than Nana and Great Aunt Leona. To make us see different events at the same time is especially what convinced me there had to be more than one of them.” It had been a guess, but it had paid off.

“I’m glad you’re on our side,” Kayden said. “That power was terrifying.”

Taking a breath, I realized that I couldn’t feel my shadow serpent at all. “It may be gone,” I admitted. “Something is gone.”

Mason shook his head. “You used up a lot of magic. I’m sure once you’re rested, you’ll feel her again.”

I hoped so.

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