Page 61 of Atop the Faerie Throne
Gryffin is grinning even as Prae folds her arms across her chest.
“I have not.”
My mouth floods with the bitterness of a lie, and I make a face.
“I believe it’s high time we tied the knot and made a respectable princess out of you.”
“I will stab you in your sleep.”
“No violence in the mating bed,” Gryffin pipes up.
My eyes are bouncing between the three of them as, behind me, Jaro quakes with silent laughter.
Prae glares at the autumn prince before turning on Florian again. “If you think?—”
“They’re good,” Gryffin tells me. “Arguing is her love language.”
Florian’s brows rise. “If that’s the case, she’s been infatuated with me since we first tried to kill each other.”
“Okay…” I take a step back, drawing Jaro with me. “You have an hour to discuss… things. Then I need you all working on how we’re going to clean up my palace. Maybe Prae can invent something, I don’t know.”
I’m babbling, practically racing from the room as Gryffin says, “That’s enough time for a quickie.”
“They’re not really going to…?” I ask Jaro as we pause on the stairs, grinning.
A low moan echoes from above us, and he makes an exasperated face. “I didn’t think Florian had it in him. They better wipe down the table.”
I pause, frowning at him in confusion. “The table…?”
His chuckle is low, and he reaches down to kiss his markagain. “Still so innocent, Rosie. I’m shocked the redcap hasn’t taken you on one yet.”
Blushing, I shake my head. “No… But we did enjoy ourselves on Cedwyn’s throne.”
Jaro’s smirk turns into a full-blown laugh, but the noise is covered by a tortured masculine groan, and the two of us exchange a look, then flee before we can overhear anything else.
“Do you think…” I begin.
“That it’ll work out?” Jaro shrugs. “I trust Danu knows what she’s doing. Florian’s always in control, always in charge. He needs someone to challenge him and make him cut loose.”
Silently, I wonder if Prae and Gryffin will challenge him or simply drive him insane, then dismiss it. They’re all adults. They’ll survive… probably.
Twenty
Rhoswyn
All of our laughter has dried up by the time we make it to the outer wall. The armies have already begun the long, messy, and sickening task of collecting our dead.
I manage to compartmentalise rather well… Right up until the point that Wraith bounds up to me and drops a teal blue torso in front of me. His white fluffy ears are pricked as he pants and wags his tail, but there are still intestines dripping from the abdomen, and itreeks.
I gag, but Jaro calmly picks it up and tosses it into the distance, the barghest eagerly giving chase.
“Lore really should’ve taught him to stick to bones,” the shifter mutters. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” I swallow back my disgust as I catch sight of Drystan and Caed standing together on the outskirts of the small camp that’s begun to take shape.
A tiny flutter of hope sparks in my chest, and I bite the inside of my cheek as I remind myself they could just as easilybe arguing as talking. Their posture is relaxed, but that means nothing.
Then a familiar female figure strides up to the both of them, a redcap by her side.
