Page 51 of Her Lawless Prince

“He will be treated well.” Falke lifted his hands to cup the sides of her face. “I feared for you, little one.”

“I’m safe,” she said. “I remembered what you taught me. I kept my mind on the future, to what needed to be done.”

Falke nodded at her words. “Your mother is waiting for you. Go to her.” He turned his attention to his son. “Both of you. Go. She will not forgive me if I keep you much longer.”

Her father held her face for a moment more before dropping his hands and turning to lead the way off the ship.

“Where’s Nyle?” Payton asked, dropping back to glare at Ryland as their father turned a corner.

“Inside the palace,” Ryland answered. “With Yevgen.”

“Did you hurt him?” She grabbed his arm. Her claws extended, and she couldn’t control them. She shook with irritation.

Ryland’s eyes flashed at the pain her grip caused but he didn’t fight her off. “You don’t have to ask me that. You already know I didn’t. But that man is dangerous. I don’t think you’re seeing clearly.”

“Stop arguing,” Falke ordered, his voice carrying. “Your mother wishes to see you. Do not keep her waiting.”

“You had no right to lock me in that room,” Payton fumed, releasing his arm.

“You’re not well, Payton,” Ryland countered. “You think you’re married to a cyborg and you’re sleeping with—”

“And you’re a coward. You had to get our father before letting me out because you knew I’d kick your furry ass up and down this corridor.” She thrust her fist toward him before marching to follow their father off the ship.

“I love you, Payton,” Ryland said, not bothering to yell after her. She heard his soft voice easily. “I don’t care if you’re mad at me. I won’t apologize for helping you when you need me.”

The first smell of forest air, as she exited the spaceship, caused her to pause and take a deep breath. It felt amazing to be home, but for some reason, she hesitated before stepping off the ship and crossing over the stone landing platform toward the steel doors that would lead inside.

The dock was an extension of the cat-shifter palace, reserved for honored guests and visiting dignitaries. The wide, flat area was high off the ground, with stone turrets providing a lookout from above. King Kirill’s banner, a dark blue flag with the head of a panther hung down the side of each one.

Wind whipped her hair around her head. A softer blue-green light said that it was evening though it wouldn’t get much darker at night.

She looked across at the short wall railing around the edges. She heard the faintest hint of voices on the wind. They came from the village outside the palace.

The castle palace jutted above the trees. Centuries of craftsmanship had gone into the design. The forest below stretched into the distance. Normally, she’d be calculating the fastest route into the trees, which meant scaling down the side of the exterior palace wall. There were no stairs leading down from the platform, only steel doors.

“You won’t run,” Ryland said, drawing her attention back to the platform.

She hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking to stare at the trees.

“When we were children, it felt as if this was everything,” he continued. “Now, after having seen much of the universes, it all feels so much smaller.”

“Our lives here are not small,” Payton argued.

“I didn’t say they were,” he defended. “The planet itself feels smaller. It’s about perspective.”

She wasn’t inclined to agree with her brother on anything at the moment.

Payton strode toward the doors. “Don’t think you’re worldly just because you left us to play around in the skies.”

“Is that what I was doing?”

She heard the irritation in his voice. It made her feel a little better.

“As opposed to what you’re doing?” he countered. “Running feral in the forest because you can’t be bothered to say hello to a few visiting dignitaries?”

“I’ve been here, paws on the ground, helping to protect the people of Shelter City.” She pulled one of the doors open just enough to slip inside. The weight pulled shut behind her, almost closing her brother outside before he caught the handle to follow her.

“Hey.” He grabbed her arm to stop her from striding down the corridor. “You’re my sister. I love you.”

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