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1: A Little Bit of Tea

Posy

Jayden was nice enough to stay for tea so that Luke didn't feel awkward as the only man munching on dainty little cakes with us girls.

Well, that's what he said, anyway. More likely, he knew Quartz would immediately kill the man the others were going to interrogate.

Oh, the boys tried to play it off, saying they had official business to discuss with the king while I enjoyed my time with the queen, but I knew where they were going.

After we woke up this morning, Lark told me the same thing Ash had last night. All she added was that the king had imprisoned the guy who'd supplied Kendall Briggs with the wolfsbane.

I didn't like secrets, but I gave Lark her privacy and didn't demand more details. Besides, I could only imagine how terrified she was the first time he'd drugged her. How could I ask her to relive it again just to satisfy my curiosity?

As for my mates, I didn't care that they were off to interrogate Burnt Oil Man, as Lark called him, but I did mind that they thought I'd buy their lame excuse. How gullible did they think I was, anyway?

Probably very, Lark giggled, and I was glad that she was back to her normal self.

Best to let them think so. Easier to manage them that way.

Definitely, she agreed.

I bet all of them will come back with a few blood splatters on their clothes, I thought with a sigh, or different clothes all together.

Burnt Oil Man is very bad man, Lark said. He deserve whatever he get. Gran say he brought harm to many others.

Oh? Do we know who?

The king telling the boys now, and Gran telling me. The king say Burnt Oil Man has his fingers in many pies. Yuck! Why put fingers in pies? Wait. He has no wolf, so how does he grow his fingers back?

I bit my lips to keep from laughing at her misunderstanding. Even I knew that idiom.

As we sipped tea and chatted, I thought about the situation. The boys hadn't lied to me, just downplayed what was happening, and I knew they did so out of their instinctive need to protect me. Still, I couldn't help feeling they deserved a little something for being sneaky.

No, for being obvious about being sneaky, I corrected myself.

Raising my teacup, I cut my eyes to Jayden and considered my options.

We punish them! Lark suggested and danced around on her tippy toes as she sent me steamy images that made my cheeks flush and my thighs clench.

No, not like that! I hurried to tell her.

But my daddies punish—

That's just between you and your daddies, I explained gently. It's only for the bedroom, not in public, and especially not during tea with the queen.

Aww! she pouted.

Let's start by pranking Jayden. That made her furry little face light up again, and I held back a giggle. We need to think of something subtle, though, because he's clever and observant.

After a few seconds of explaining that subtle meant low-key, she whispered an idea to me and I nodded. Turning to my unsuspecting mate, I waited until he took a big drink of water, having said no to tea.

"This is nice, isn't it?" I said in a bright tone. "So much better than beating a man to death in the royal dungeon, don't you think?"

As I'd hoped, he spewed water all over himself, much to Luke's amusement. He and the queen laughed while Gisela raised an eyebrow at my red-faced mate's efforts to mop up his mess.

Mission accomplished, Lark purred, then high-fived me.

It took all my willpower, but I managed to keep a straight face as he spluttered and brushed away the server's attempt to help. Looking at my choices on the silver tray in front of me, I selected a little white square cake with dark purple swirls and took a nibble. My eyes widened at the delicious flavor of raspberry jam and white chocolate.

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