Page 42 of Their Princess

Kayden handed him to me, and my three mates formed a triangle of protection, with Elrith hidden between them.

“It’s alright,” I whispered as I rubbed his back. “They’re not bad people, just loud and bright.”

“Not danger?” he asked and peeked up at me from his lashes.

I smiled. “Not a danger.”

“You shifted,” he commented.

Nodding, I admitted, “It was a reaction to your fear and the loud noises.”

“Mama got a bit overprotective just now,” Mason whispered.

“Hopefully, now she understands why we do it to her,” Trey muttered as we walked through the reporters who had stepped aside to allow us entry.

Perhaps we should have brought guards with us after all, but I’d given them the day off to spend time with their families.

“Clothing store first?” Ezio asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

Now that he knew there was no danger, Elrith sat up and looked around, his eyes wide and mouth open.

A little girl with silver hair and slitted pupils waved at us. “Hi, Princess!”

I waved back. “Hello!”

“She knows you?” Elrith asked.

“Everyone knows her,” Ezio answered. “She’s the hybrid princess who can shift into a giant snake, after all.”

“There aren’t many shake shifters,” I added. “That little girl is one, too, judging by her slitted pupils.”

“She must get picked on,” Elrith said with a scowl. He looked up at me. “Did you get picked on?”

“No,” Mason said immediately. “We made sure to protect her when we were young.”

They had beat up quite a few kids, mostly purebred shifters who hated us for being hybrids anyways, and hated me more for being a snake.

“Good,” Elrith whispered. He looked back over my shoulder. “I hope she has someone to protect her.”

I had a feeling this boy was going to be a lady killer like his adoptive fathers.

“Are you going to put him in the hybrid school or the main school?” Ezio asked as we entered the children’s clothing store.

“Hybrid,” I answered at the same time Trey said, “Main.”

We looked at each other, eyes wide.

“You can’t seriously think we can send him to the main school?” Mason said.

“Heneedsto go to the main school, like Caleb did, to prove his rightful place is among the population,” Kayden countered.

Oh, boy. Seems we were divided equally about this issue.

“Obviously, you four have to discuss it more,” Ezio said with a smirk.

Truthfully, I still wanted to move to the demon world.

---