Yeah. Hisstudies.More like, he’d been given a shitload of work to keep him distracted and confined to the castle. The kingdom of Haran had orchestrated the kidnapping attempt in order to force King Eidolon to agree to their demands—whatever those demands were.
“And you?”
“Me?” I asked the knight.
Noah’s cheeks darkened a shade. “Since your capture. How are you…” He shifted in place. “Doing?”
Bless him. He was trying. “I’m good. Just staying busy with work.”
Prince Sawyer had been the intended target when Rowan captured me. How, might you ask, had I gotten dragged into the middle of it, then? Apparently, people thought Sawyer and I looked alike. Silly, right? Sure, we both had golden hair and a similar shade of green eyes, but that’s where the resemblance ended.
The prince was a high-end, brand-name luxury item, and I was the knockoff version found on a sketchy website.
Noah looked at Kuya. “We should be on our way.”
“No. Kuya doesn’t want to be tortured again!” He bolted away from Noah, jumping up onto the armchair and squatting down. The last cupcake was in his hand.
“Tortured?” Alarmed, I looked at Noah.
The stoic knight seemed close to shattering that stoicism as the muscle in his cheek jumped. “It has been recommended that Kuya take… classes.”
“Be tortured.” Kuya’s tail flicked in the air behind him as he shoved the whole cupcake into his mouth. He wiped at his lips, then glanced at the back of his hand and licked off the frosting. “Kuya must learn how to behave all fancy.”
“Etiquette lessons,” Sir Noah said.
Kuya hissed.
Before they left, Kuya attacked me with more snuggles and promised to visit the café soon. But only ifIpromised to have cake waiting for him. A castle attendant then came and asked for me to follow her from the sitting room. The staircase curved down to the ground level, and we passed walls of windows.
A light tap on the glass drew my attention. Looked like the rain wouldn’t hold off after all.
“I’ll call you a carriage,” the woman said.
“Thank you.”
As I stood on the castle steps beneath the awning, I watched as more rain started to fall, heavier by the second. The rumble of distant thunder had me clutching my basket closer. Freaking irrational fear.
“Afternoon, Ev.”
I turned to see my favorite cinnamon roll. “Callum! Do you have business at the castle?”
“I do.” He gently took my basket and offered me his other arm. “You.”
I slipped my arm through his. “Maddox sent you, didn’t he?”
“Aye, he did. He would’ve come himself, but he’s in an important meeting and asked for me to come in his stead.” His eyes crinkled with a smile. Rain dampened his brown hair, and several drops ran down his armor. “But I would’ve come anyway. I remember how you don’t care for storms.”
“Thanks.” The rumble of thunder grew louder, and I pressed closer to his side. “What kind of meeting? With who?”
A covered carriage arrived, pulled by a white horse with gray spots on its rear. The driver tipped his head to us.
“Captain Vander of the Royal Order.” Callum guided me forward.
“Why?” I asked as he opened the carriage door and helped me up the step. The interior seat was super plushy, and my butt sank into it. He seated himself beside me. “Is it about Haran?”
“Matters of security, mostly. Patrol schedules, locations to station certain units and when.” He patted my leg. “Worry not, Ev. All is well at the moment.”
“At the moment,” I muttered under my breath. “I doubt any of you would tell me the truth anyway even if somethingwashappening. Haran sent people to kidnap Prince Sawyer. That can’t just be swept under the rug.”
