Page 80 of Enchanted Shadows
“But the couch,” she mumbled.
“Will suffice.” I put Kessara’s arm around me and ordered to the others, “The rest of you head in.” If I was the one about to collapse from burnout, I wouldn’t want the whole team standing around watching me.
Molly and Wren stayed to talk to Kessara while Vivian asked me, “You need help getting her to your cabin?”
“I’m good,” I told her with a nod.
“Owen,” Kessara said quietly.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think I can walk that far. Can I just nap here?”
“No,” I tipped my eyes to the sky. “I’m going to carry you, I just wanted everyone else out of here because though we are technically married, they haven’t let us forget about it for more than three damn seconds today.”
Molly wiped Kessara’s stray hairs out of her face. “We may have went a little hard today, sorry guys.”
I lifted Kessara into my arms and I knew she was already out of it because she didn’t say a word about it.
“We will do better,” Wren promised. “We just want the both of you to be happy and we—” she shook her head. “We overdid it.”
Kessara was already asleep. “Well, she was in such a rush to make it up to you all and be seen as valuable to the team that she pushed herself to burnout.”
“She was valuable to us before she used her Enchantments at all,” Molly argued.
“I know that,” I told her. “Getting Kessara to believe it is another story.”
Wren offered nicely, “Do you want us to come to your cabin and sit with her? If you have to go to the castle?”
“No. I’ve got it.” They were sucking up to me, but it wasn’t working. I was too tired and too pissed that Kessara burned out because of silly reasons. I loathed burnout and avoided it at all costs. I liked the rush of adrenaline as much as the next person, but with Enchantments, you had to know your limits. The last four years had proved to me that you always had to respect the balance of power.
“Love you,” Wren told my back.
“Love you, too,” I told her. Because I might be pissed off, but I wasn’t a total prick.
I put the sleeping princess in my bed, pulling up the covers to wrap around her and keep her warm. I wanted to use my magic to warm her also, knowing the chills and general achiness of burnout was the part I hated most, but I felt I should at least have her agreement for that.
I stepped back, trying not to stare at how peaceful she looked when she slept. In my bed.
On second thought, I considered that maybe she needed to be among the shadows for her burnout to recover faster, so I drew all the curtains closed, making it darker despite the fact that sunset was still hours away.
Knowing she wouldn’t wake for a few hours, I headed to the cabin next to mine to check in with Emric and hopefully Miles too. The maze planning was well underway, which would be the day following the wedding reception. Since word of Calix’s possible arrival, I had all of Team Three moved to the wall to help, and all of Team Four out to Nerede to help the team there keep watch at the docks. There were lots of moving pieces.
Day one of being married, and I found I wanted nothing more than a long shower and some food.
Calix could have her over my dead body.
CHAPTER 26
The day of our reception had finally arrived. It was our day of rest, the maze trial set for the following day. And here we were, in the middle of training and everything else, having a damn wedding reception.
Though most of the people present were clued into the real reason behind our sham marriage, because of the staff and guards present, we were to make it look believable. Which meant Kessara and I would be inseparable and would spend the night at the castle before heading back over for the maze trial in the morning. Krew and Jorah had demanded it. And when the king and queen made that call, the training rules had to bend.
I was annoyed. What was the point? We were already married. Her ex would show his face soon enough. Hopefully after our training break arrived so I had more free time to prepare and understand who I was facing. Based on all I already knew, maybe it was best to kill first, ask questions later. But if he was part of a preferred family in Agria, a bit of diplomacy would be needed.
Diplomacy was overrated.
Kessara was looking lovely again in a silky white gown which hugged in all the right places.
