“And I want the same for you. So, it seems we’re at an impasse.”
“I’ll be fine. Have you seen Kuya? He can bite and claw better than anyone. Bandits and any other bad guys who might pop out and try to attack us don’t stand a chance against him.”
Lake kissed the top of my head. “Are you taking lunch to Maddox and Briar?”
“Yep” I pulled back and situated the basket higher up my forearm. “Thought I’d stop in and see them since I’ll be there. I packed extra for Callum and the others too.”
Although Lake didn’t look happy about it, he agreed to stay at the cottage while I took Kuya to the castle. I didn’t have my own horse—not that I could ride it anyway—so we traveled on foot. Kuya didn’t seem to mind the long walk, since that was how he’d gotten there in the first place.
“Evan is so slow,” he said as we left the busier part of town and strolled along the main road leading to the castle. “Kuya could’ve been there by now.”
“You’re so nice to me, Kuya. Makes me feel special.”
He tossed me a toothy grin. One that smoothed a bit. “Evanisspecial to Kuya. He’s Kuya’s most cherished friend.”
I smiled. He was mine too.
The guards at the front gate allowed us to pass with no trouble. Not only did they know Kuya, but Sawyer had ordered them to give me free reign of the castle grounds too. It helped that I’d started giving them cookies when our paths crossed.
We were nearly to the castle courtyard when I spotted Sawyer.
He stood in front of the large fountain, one arm resting behind his back like a picture-perfect gentleman. The other was offered to the pretty brunette at his side. She pointed with glee as a blue bird with a vibrant purple tail landed on the fountain basin and splashed water on itself. The two of them then kept walking, her hand cupping his bicep. Sir Noah trailed behind them.
Kuya stopped, and his tail sagged to the ground. Tears pooled in his rainbow eyes. “He didn’t even realize Kuya was gone.”
But that proved to be untrue as Sawyer’s gaze flickered over to us. His expression had been smooth as he chatted with the woman. Cool and composed. Yet, one look at Kuya, and that mask shattered. He quickly said something to her before leaving her side, walking slow at first but then picking up speed until he was outright running.
“Kuya!”
Kuya made a little sound before springing forward. Toward him. Sawyer’s arm came around Kuya as they met beside a bed of colorful flowers.
“Where have you been?” Sawyer asked, crushing Kuya to his chest. “Dear gods, you gave me quite the fright. I was so worried.”
“Kuya’s sorry.” He nuzzled Sawyer’s chest, purrs rumbling in his throat. “He went to see Evan and ate cake.”
Sawyer nodded to me. “Thank you for bringing him home.”
“Ah, it was no bother. He livened up the café this morning. Besides, I needed the exercise.” I looked at the woman. She stared at us, hand over her eyes to help block the sun. Noah then said something to her, and the two approached a shaded awning. “Is that Lady Alina?”
“It is,” Sawyer answered, squeezing Kuya once more before, reluctantly, letting him go. We were in public, and he had an image to uphold. “She arrived this morning and will be staying at the castle for several days while I show her around the kingdom. Show heroffto the kingdom, I should say.”
“Oh, right. You mentioned that last time.”
“Would you like me to introduce you?” he asked.
Kuya hissed low. “She is stealing Kuya’s prince. She won’t steal Kuya’s Evan too.”
Sawyer touched Kuya’s hand. He didn’t grab it; merely pressed their fingers together before pulling away. “No one can steal me from you. My marriage to her won’t change what I feel in my heart.”
Kuya’s purrs intensified.
“Well, I should get going.” I nodded to the basket on my arm. “I have men to feed.”
“How fortunate for your men,” Sawyer said with a smile.
I opened the basket and pulled out a muffin. “I think this has your name on it.”
Kuya snatched the muffin from my hand and ran away with it.
