Page 19 of Their Princess

“Yes, take me to bed,” I said immediately.

He snickered and gathered me into his arms to carry me up the stairs to my room. “As you wish, Princess.”

I didn’t respond because he was obviously being silly, but I loved being carried to my room by him. He climbed in, curled around me in the bed, and kept me warm throughout the night.

As I woke the next morning, he tightened his grip on me, purring as he nuzzled my neck. “Love.”

I hugged him tighter. “Yes, all of the love.”

“Mine.”

“Yes, yours,” I agreed.”

“Good,” he exhaled and relaxed.

That was … unexpected. Why was he so relaxed by those statements?

“Forever,” he whispered.

My heart thudded faster. “Yes, forever.”

Was he still that worried about me that even in sleep he had to confirm I was still here and his?

Or was it just his possessive nature?

Gently, I stroked a hand up and down his back and his breathing quickly evened out.

Whatever the reason, I did enjoy waking up to warm hugs like this, so I let myself relax and sleep a bit more.

ChapterEight

Mom kept her hand over my eyes as she made me walk towards something in the hybrid lands.

“Why can’t I look where I’m going?” I asked as I almost tripped over a tree root for the third time.

“Because it’s a surprise,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “You’ve always been a pain about surprises.”

“I just prefer to see where I’m going so I don’t fall,” I muttered. She was right, though. I hated surprises.

“Want me to carry you?” Kayden offered.

“No,” I said immediately, making Mom laugh.

“It’s about time you got here,” Riddick said. “We could hear you trampling through the forest like an ogre for over a mile.”

I growled at him, but that just made everyone laugh.

Everyone, I realized, included all of my fathers since there were four distinct male laughs.

Mom pulled her hand away, and I blinked at the bright sun, letting my eyes adjust.

At first, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at, until Dhun hopped through and yipped at me.

A large, stone rectangle had been built upright, like a doorframe, including a door that was open on both sides, and within it swirled a portal. A portal to the demon world.

“How?” I breathed as I stepped forward.

Dhun pranced next to me, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth in joy.

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