Page 82 of Their Princess

“Tell Talrinir I said good luck,” I called as I ran after Elrith, who was running away from Kora towards the house.

Mason and Trey ran on each side of me, both waving to demons as we passed them on our way.

Elrith threw open the door and yelled, “I’m home!”

Dan and Kayden looked up from the documents they’d been reviewing and smiled at us.

“Welcome home,” Kayden called out as we all joined them.

Home. It was so nice to be home and have it filled with my family.

“Let’s eat,” Dan said as he pulled me into a hug. “I know this pup here is dying for a cookie.”

“Elrith already snuck one,” I said with a pout.

The wrinkles around the edges of Dan’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Is that so? I guess that means he won’t mind double training tonight, then? To work off those extra calories.”

Elrith set the cookie container on the counter and said, “I’m going to win this time. Today is the day I defeat you.”

“Good luck,” Kayden said with a scoff and patted Elrith’s shoulder. “Of all of us, only Lily and Mason have defeated Dan.”

“I won, too,” Kora said.

We all turned to look at her in disbelief.

“Yep, she defeated me last weekend,” Dan replied. “I swear she used a speed enchantment or something.”

“Just pure skill and talent,” she said and flipped her hair and quills over her shoulder, though I could see how happy she was to have defeated him.

“Maybe you’re just getting slow?” I taunted.

“What to test it out?” he asked.

Laughing, I patted his shoulder. “No, thank you. I’ve retired from fighting. I’ll leave it up to Elrith to defeat you.”

“No more fighting for you,” Mason grumbled and slid his arms around my waist from behind, hugging me back against his chest. “You just get pampered and loved.”

“Come on, let’s eat,” Kayden ordered as he pulled out a dish from the oven.

We all sat around the dining table after saying bye to Dan. Looking at my little family, the freedom I had now, I couldn’t have stopped myself from smiling even if I had wanted to.

It’s good to be home. It’s good to be loved. It’s good to be their princess.

“I love you all,” I said as I looked at the five of them.

Trey reached over and threaded his fingers with mine. “We know. We love you, too.”

Elrith and Kora smiled at me and both suddenly announced, “We started courting!”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

Kora nudged Elrith, who cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, Kora and I were talking and she agreed to let me court her, but then she found out that I’m not the only one she’s connected to.”

We had discovered on their sixteenth birthday that they were soulmates, a golden bond had formed between them, one they’d seen since they were kids, but hadn’t known what it was. Then, much like what I’d done, Kora had used shadow powers to connect her and Elrith.

It shouldn’t have been surprising that they were courting, they were seventeen, after all, with their eighteenth birthdays coming up in a few months.

“She’s also being courted by two others,” Elrith announced, though that wasn’t as happy an announcement.

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