Page 62 of Iron Unicorn

Will got up, careful to keep from damaging the unicorn foal, and he kissed his sister’s forehead. “Everything will be okay, and I’ll handle any needed announcements about the operation myself. I was a huge part of the reason for the delay, and I should accept responsibility for the harm my opinion created. Yes, I want people to love you because you’re you, but being able to breathe is important. And Terry?”

I bit back the urge to whip out a Your Majesty, instead replying, “Yes, Will?”

“Reset your counter. For every instance she earns a click, you tell me—I’ll make sure she has to do some horribly menial task in Montana before she can visit her figurine collection in New York. I’ll need an address to store them.”

I would need to hurry up and acquire a property, and I had a few ideas on how to trick the Montana princess into sharing residence with me. Narrowing my eyes, I opted to do something a little more reckless than normal; I made use of my phone, sent a text to my queen, and inquired if there might be property a tolerable distance from the palace I might use on my quest to secure a Montana princess.

A moment later, she replied with a confirmation that she could make such a property appear; the Royal family had numerous, and she would be rather pleased to offload a nearby pain in her ass. I texted back with a requirement for the princess’s figurine collection to be safely moved to the property along with a plea to spare my bank account somewhat.

She promised she’d pitch me a price I could afford in both money and sanity.

With that problem solved, I returned my phone to my pocket and said, “My queen will handle the address issue, and I will hold the entire collection hostage. I will keep a silent clicker to track good behavior, and I will issue rewards appropriately.”

Olivia regarded me with a rather suspicious expression. “What counts as good behavior?”

“Any time you are able to accept a compliment about your nose without complaint, flinching, or indulging in negativity, making any comments indicating you are pleased with your ability to breathe, and ready acceptance of your status as a beauty among royalty,” I replied, engaging her in a staring contest.

After a few moments, Olivia’s cheeks flushed, and she fled to the bedroom once again, indulging in a squeal once she made it to the safety of the bathroom.

Daphne bowed her head. “You’re going to be great for her self-esteem once she stops imploding every time you say something nice about her, Terry. Aren’t you laying it on a bit thick?”

“I wouldn’t have the foggiest. Will?”

“Terry, I was genuinely expecting to have to beat you over the head with a stick to knock sense into you. Instead, you’ve embraced the whole idea with alarming enthusiasm, leaving my sister as the one who is truly dense. You could conjure a ring, get on a knee, and she wouldn’t compute you mean it right now,” Montana’s king complained. “Get a second silent clicker to track how many times you try to indicate you welcome her advances without acting on it. If you make it to fifty, I’ll buy a getaway ranch for the both of you in Montanaandpay for the wedding. And you get two starter points for the ruthless use of your surfing photos and the figurine heist.”

“Isn’t fifty times a little much?” Edward asked, raising a brow. “Daphne figured it out after maybe ten times.”

“Being forced to listen to someone praise me like that should be counted as cruel and unusual punishment,” my friend complained. “But I find this romancing and pampering business to be quite pleasant, so I will tolerate this abuse of my person.”

“Do you think that’ll work on Olivia?” I asked. “Because let’s face it, Sabina was the driving force of my previous relationship.”

Daphne and Will exchanged long looks, and they turned to Edward for guidance.

“I have no idea why you two are looking at me, but I’d say if you did make it up to fifty clicks, by the time she figures out what you’re up to, she’ll understand you’re serious. And that’s the goal, isn’t it? If you can’t ask outright, bludgeoning her with indications of interest might get the point across eventually.” Edward regarded his future wife with wide eyes. “Have I done sufficient bludgeoning?”

“You’re doing just fine,” Daphne replied, and she managed to maintain a solemn expression for all of ten seconds before breaking down into laughter. “Stop looking so worried, Edward. If England wants you back, they’ll have to fight me for you. And that’s only if they get by our horses and cats first. I wish them the best of luck with that.”

“Do you think the kittens have destroyed our room yet?” Edward asked, and his expression turned to one of worry.

“We put them in their kitten prison specifically so they can’t trash the room unsupervised. And if theydidmanage to destroy the room, we’ll make Will pay the bill.”

Will heaved a sigh. “Is that all I am to you, Daphne? A payer of bills?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, you twerp of a cousin.”

“Well, at least you didn’t call me evil this time.”

“Take what you can get, Will,” I advised, shaking my head at the insanity of it all.

FOURTEEN

“People can be truly terrible.”

Within five minutesof her family leaving the suite, Olivia cracked and fell apart. I coaxed her to the sofa, sat with her, and waited out the storm. Relief could hurt as much as uncertainty, and pain and stress needed to be expressed before healing could truly begin.

Years ago, she’d done the same for me, providing a safe haven when my life had taken a sharp left turn and I had suffered from crippling grief. While time held some responsibility, she had been the real reason I’d been able to heal and move on.

Holding her while she cried hardly seemed like enough, but I also understood there was little else I could do beyond offer the comfort of companionship. Until she was ready to talk about it, being a stable presence would make the most difference.

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