“That’s literally the best news I’ve heard all day,” I said, then beamed at the blueberry and lemon bread. “Well, second best. Come to daddy, you amazing goodness.”
“How unfortunate,” a deep voice came from the door to the medical wing. Maddox stepped through looking sinfully sexy, his black hair tousled and pink marks on his muscled torso from how hard he’d slept. Other marks were on him too. Those I’d made myself. A bit of possessiveness stirred in me. Yeah, I saw the appeal of giving a lover bite marks.
“Unfortunate?” I asked him. “You wanted to drink that nasty stuff?”
“No.” Maddox strode over and wrapped me in his arms, placing his mouth to my ear. “It’s unfortunate I don’t get to hear you whine as you take your medicine.”
“I could always whip one up for him as a precaution,” Briar suggested.
“I like the way your mind works, physician.”
“Both of you are so mean to me.” I tried to weasel out of Maddox’s hold, but he kept me in place. Not that I triedthathard. Having his arms around me felt too damn good. Even if he was a jerk who lived for my pain.
Maddox barked out a laugh.
“Here you are, love,” Briar said, handing me a plate with a massive slice of the bread. “I’ll make your coffee.”
“Do I get coffee and bread too?” Maddox asked.
Briar’s eyes gleamed from behind his lenses. “Perhaps. If you behave.”
Maddox shoulder-checked him before resting his hand on Briar’s waist. My heart warmed as Briar leaned against him a little, a hint of a smile on his lips.
“All of the happiness you’ve only ever dreamed of is at your fingertips, Evan,”Lupin had said shortly after I’d come to Bremloc.
And as I watched the two men I loved playfully nudge each other and start to bicker, I realized he’d been right all along.
Chapter Fourteen
Royal Luncheon Ruined by a Royal Pain in the Ass
“I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but you look like shit.”
Maybe not the politest thing to say to a prince who was kind enough to invite you to an awesome lunch in the palace garden, but this prince was quickly becoming a friend. Talking to him was easy. And he was seriously looking rough—tired eyes and a smile that didn’t quite reach them.
Prince Sawyer exhaled, a light chuckle blending with the sigh. “It appears I haven’t been dealing with the stress as well as I’d hoped.”
We sat at a table beneath the shade of a gazebo, and a warm wind swept through. The days were only getting hotter. The approaching of summer still made me anxious. I had decided to stay in Bremloc, but it didn’t make saying goodbye to my old world any easier.
“Wanna talk about it?” I asked.
“Since we last spoke, I’ve met with several bride candidates,” Sawyer said, petting the top of Kuya’s head, who sat on the ground, resting against his legs. He had been offered a chair but declined it, preferring to be as close to Sawyer as possible.
“Any winners?” I asked, though given his expression, I could guess the answer.
“One admired herself in every reflective surface she passed, uninterested in actual conversation. The closest she managed was to ask whether the emerald or sapphire necklace looked best with her dress before deciding neither was good enough and choosing one far more extravagant. Another lashed out at one of the castle servants for daring to bring her a pastry to enjoy with our afternoon tea.”
I frowned. “Why would she get mad about a pastry? Sounds like heaven to me.”
“She said the servant did it in a malicious scheme to make her fat.” Sawyer expelled another sigh. “Then there was the princess who was not only unsatisfied with the accommodations of her room during her stay in the castle but offended by them. Not enough frills on the gown given to her as a welcoming gift and too many windows. Because don’t we realize too much sunlight is bad for the skin?”
“Kuya loves the sun,” the cat boy said before snatching a jelly tart from the platter in front of us. He scampered away to curl up in the blanket of green grass beside the gazebo, his rainbow-colored eyes catching the sunlight as he devoured the treat.
“He didn’t like any of the women,” Sawyer said, his attention on Kuya.
“Sounds like you didn’t either.”
“What I like or don’t like means little to my father,” he said, voice strained. “Marriages are for political gain, not love.” He shook his head. “But enough about me. How are you? I heard about your incident in the forest, and of course, Kuya shared with me what happened when they found you. I wished to check in on you sooner, but…”
