Page 30 of The Lynx and the Llama
“You two will be married soon—I can picture it.” Carol let out a sigh. “Hopefully, I’ll be married soon, too.”
“What are you talking about? I thought that’s why I’m returning—to get you and King Rayan married off.”
“We were, but the human minister we hired canceled on us because he’s ill—had a heart attack. And since Mateo and Treasure were going to get married by the same minister the following week, they won’t get married anytime soon, either.”
“I could do it.” The words fell out of his mouth for no reason. He wasn’t a minister, had never done a ceremony, yet the idea felt right. “Shouldn’t be hard to find a church online to ordain me.”
“You’d do that for all of us?”
“Of course! I mean you’re my trainer, and Treasure is family. How could I not?”
The DNA test results had been waiting for him on Stan’s desk at FUCN’A. Not a question about it; he was Treasure and Lear’s cousin.
“Yeah, I forgot about that after this whole Zagan thing. How does it feel knowing that you’re a prince who could take over Skyros should Lear and Harriet wish to retire?”
“Probably just as surreal as it is for you to become a royal queen consort of Marathi Island. I’ve always had a hard time fitting in. And now? Now I’m part of a royal court. It’s weird, to say the least. But it feels fantastic to have a family, though.”
“Yeah, that’s a little trippy-dippy still for me, too. I actually fought with Stan about him assigning a BS detail to me. I’m glad it’s you, though. You were the best cadet out of your graduating class. Just don’t tell Treasure or Harriet. They’d kill me,” Carol said with a wink.
Quinn smiled.
“So, you ready to go see Erika? And have you told her the good news yet?”
"No. I’ve hardly processed the decision myself.” Since all he had to do was return to the plane with the same suitcase he’d been traveling with, it wasn’t like he’d had to pack all his things for his move. Stan said they’d have a team take care of all of that for him.
“There’s a lot to learn about being a prince,” Carol said. “Believe me, I’ve had to learn lots since joining the royal circle. But I can also tell you that it’smucheasier with the person you love at your side.”
“Speaking of which, why are you picking me up? Aren’t you supposed to be guarding Ray?”
“I got some other BS to watch him for a moment. I knew I might need to be here in person to make sure you didn’t chicken out.”
“I’m not chickening out,” Quinn said with a laugh. “But I’m not ready to see Erika yet. I want it to be a surprise.”
Carol jumped up and down and let out a squeal.
“I love surprises like this! It’s so romantic! What are you thinking?”
“Well, is Erika part of the bridal party?”
“Of course! She’s the maid of honor for both weddings.”
“Perfect. So when Erika comes down the aisle, she’ll see me, officiating.”
“Eek! That’s awesome! And you know what would be even better? What about a double wedding? Treasure and I have the same caterer, so combining everything shouldn’t be hard. We even have the same guest list,” Carol said with a chuckle. “I’ll have to ask Treasure, of course, but I’m sure she’d love the idea.”
“I love that idea, myself.”
“I’ll text Treasure on the chopper before we take off for Marathi Island, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t spill the beans about you.”
* * *
It was day three of the Shifter Hellenic Talks, and Erika let out a sigh as King Rayan left the podium. He’d executed her speech perfectly—as she knew he’d do–but when she heard the words, she only thought about Quinn. She checked her phone for what was probably the millionth time in the past minute, and there were no messages from him.
Not that she expected him to reach out to her. After all, he was only on an assignment. He didn’t owe her anything. And after she’d run out of his hotel room like a stupid, love-sick teenager, she wouldn’t blame him for losing her number.
Of course, now there was a whole other issue with Quinn. Treasure hadn’t been able to hold back the announcement that the DNA results confirmed that Quinn was a prince. That had made things all the more complicated, in Erika’s estimation. Like it or not, Erika had no business dating a prince. She never felt she fit into that lifestyle. Erika wasn’t bubbly like Carol, Treasure, and Harriet. So if she was honest with herself, it was a good thing he’d ghosted her.
“What’s the matter?” Treasure asked her, placing a palm on Erika’s arm.
