Page 72 of Their Princess

Trey dove under the water and kicked to propel himself away, towards safety, but Mason grabbed his foot, halting his progress.

We played until the sun set and our fingers were beyond wrinkly, but it was so worth it for all of the smiles and laughter.

After a shower and change of clothes, we sat at the small table in the gazebo and ate dinner, enjoying the waterfall sounds and peaceful night.

“I like it here,” Kora whispered around her food.

“That makes me happy to hear,” Kayden said, genuine joy filling our bond.

“I meant here, with you all,” she admitted, “but here, in this area is nice, too.”

“I have the best family,” Elrith said with a nod, but then his lips turned down. “Sometimes, I miss my family, though.”

Setting my hand atop his on the table, I smiled sadly and said, “That’s perfectly normal and okay. I miss my dad, too, what little I remember of him. My adoptive parents are incredible, but there’s something you can’t replace with blood family at times. Though, I think found family is great.”

“My parents are good,” Kora said, “but there’s a lot of fighting amongst the hounds and against other demons. It’s nice to be somewhere safer and quieter. Nights were always chaotic in the wilderness. There were demons that hunted us and so many sounds.”

Trey set his hand on her head and said, “You’re very brave, Kora.”

She smiled up at him. “I know. Dad says I’m the bravest pup.”

“Once things settle down more in the other world, I want to take them to visit the werewolves,” I informed my mates. “Papa Dan will love them.”

“Why not invite him here? He’s not king anymore and I know he misses you,” Mason suggested. “We could invite all your family for a housewarming of sorts.”

My eyes widened. Mason, the brooding, angery ball of wrath had just suggested a housewarming party. I looked up at the sky, but it was still solid, not falling apart.

“Rude,” Mason said with narrowed eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“I heard you say the sky wasn’t falling apart, suggesting it has to be the end of the world for me to say we should have a party,” he said.

“Wait!” I gasped and jumped to my feet. “Youheardme? Does that mean our bond is working, finally?”

“I heard it, too,” Trey admitted and looked down at Kora. “Did she not say that out loud?”

“She looked up, but didn’t talk,” Kora said with a frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Mates are supposed to communicate telepathically when close together once they’ve formed a bond,” I inform her. “Well, most can. We’ve not been able to. I thought it was because we’re a mixed group, but there are others without the issue, so we’ve been uncertain why.”

“Telepath… huh?” she tilted her head to the side, reminding me of her canine form.

“In our minds,” I explained and tapped my temple.

“Oh! Like Dad does with me!” she realized and smiled.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Try to say something else,” Mason urged me.

“I want a tattoo,” I thought mentally while looking at the snake he had on his chest.

“We can get matching tattoos if you want,” he said aloud, and then a huge smile split his face. “Wait, let me try.”

There was silence a moment and then…

“Trey should get a tattoo, too.”

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