Page 143 of Finding Love with the Fae King

“Who better to take care of a princess than a king?” I smiled and grabbed his arm to walk away from the stuck-up snobs. Lucca started snickering. “To think I thought they were the motion of the ocean at one time.” Father rolled his eyes as we continued down the pathway.

Unlike the last time I visited the Atlantean palace, the gates were opened wide for us as we walked in. Servants and guards stood on each side of the pathway to the main doors. Father kissed my forehead and told me to have fun while Lucca grabbed my hand to lead me away for my pampering session.

Tulip and I used to have pretend spa days when we were little. We would try to massage each other, but it ended up in a wrestling match when it was over. Lucca led me to the bedroom I stayed in for a few hours the last time I was here. When I finally met my father and my brothers for the first time, they all talked until the clock hit midnight, and even then, they followed me to my room and talked for a few more hours.

The light purples and blues made the room peaceful, and I instantly yawned. I hardly got any sleep last night, and with that exciting day and a few rounds of lovemaking, I was spent.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Tulip popped out of the bathroom. She had a few different colored bottles of oils in her hands, as well as a few towels. “Go strip. It’s massage time.” I looked at her warily until she started snorting. “No, silly, I won’t give you the massage. They have special people do that here.” I let out a breath of relief that there would be no sisterly massages.

Lucca joined us as well. He said he spent a lot of time in the spa portion of the palace while growing up. Yet he didn’t know he was rooting for the other team? Or did it not cross his mind? Either way, he enjoyed the massage so much he ended up falling asleep while the rest of us got our manicures and pedicures. His soft snores only made me joyful inside. Poor Sean had been wearing him out since yesterday.

Sean continued to pop his head in from time to time to check on Lucca. With a bunch of us naked women walking around, he didn’t seem to mind when he finally saw Lucca's face down and asleep on the table. Picking him up gently, Sean wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the room they were staying in. Whether or not he let Lucca continue to sleep, I wasn’t sure.

The girls continued their treatment on my body. I was rubbed with a sugar scrub to rip off any dead skin, then dipped into a mineral clay. On top of that, they wrapped me up in seaweed and put cucumbers on my eyes. “I’m hungry,” I groaned. This relaxing stuff was hard work. We had been at it for six hours, and I had yet to see my dress.

Amora came in with champagne and small crab cakes and placed one in my mouth. I moaned how marvelous it tasted. “More!” I mumbled before I could even swallow.

“Yeah, that is what you are going to be saying tomorrow night!” Tulip chided, while Clara snickered in the corner, feeding Evelyn.

“We probably shouldn’t drink much,” Amora stated as she had her second glass. “I kinda got in trouble last time.” Amora leaned close to my ear. “My mate doesn’t enjoy talking about our ‘private times.’”

“Yeah, Osirus doesn’t want me to discuss how big his little king is, but let me tell you, it isn’t little,” I added while Clara burst into laughter.

“You both are awful!” whispered Clara as she covered her mouth.

“Are we talking about one-eyed nightcrawlers?” poked Tulip.

“No, magic sticks,” Amora deadpanned.

“Oh, you mean a womb raider!” Tulip yelled out loud, only to have my father walk into the room. We all sat wide-eyed in our robes, holding onto our champagne flutes, and he immediately walked back out the door.

Evelyn was a doll. Every chance I could, I held her in my arms. She was only a month old but had the strength of a six or seven-month-old. She was sitting up and almost crawling! Clara said that the supernatural have more robust bodies than humans, and I should expect to see the same thing with Osirus and I’s children. As much as I wanted to have children, we had a long time before Osirus and I had to supply an heir. We had forever to have babies, and I wanted to explore this world more before we started bringing in stubborn and dominating children.

I was finally stripped off the wrap and was shoved into the shower. My skin had turned into silk and almost glowed porcelain as the water instantly beaded off. The hot water felt amazing, but it only made me tired. We had been at it too long, and my mind was ready to shut off. The alcohol, crab cakes, and way too much honeymoon information on positions had me sore at my sides from laughing.

Evelyn was asleep on one side of the bed while I lay on the other. Coming out in just a robe, the lights were dimmed low, and Clara was the only one left in the room. Soft little pants came out of Evelyn’s mouth as she dreamed of her mother, most likely.

I yawned quietly as I laid my head on my arm. Clara radiated that peace that Tulip spoke about. Not once did Evelyn cry around her mother, and that was when Kane was the calmest. “We didn’t wear you out, did we?” Clara poked fun as she massaged her finger on Evelyn’s hand. She stirred, but quickly went back to sleep.

“A little,” I whispered. “But I’ve had a lot of fun. Everyone seems like family here.” Clara hummed in response.

“We are. I’m glad Osirus found you. I’ve been worried since I met him. He was such a lost soul. I felt like he had given up on life.” I wrapped a blanket around my body to listen to Clara more closely.

“When I met him, I was angry at Kane over something silly, but he was right there to help me realize I was stronger than what Kane thought of me to be. I wasn’t his worthless mate. I was strong physically when Kane thought otherwise, even after fighting my own battles. What I mean to tell you is... Just know you are stronger than you think, Melina.”

Clara laid beside Evelyn and covered her with the blanket. I blinked a few times, meeting up at her gaze. “You are strong physically, too. You don’t always need Osirus or a dragon to save you. Osirus will always be there to help you, but don’t you dare give up on yourself. You are more than what you make yourself to be.”

“How can you read me so well?” I whispered.

“It was a gift given to me by the Gods. Plus, you are totally easy to read. You don’t think you are worth it being here in this palace. You are, and you’re strong. Now that you are with Osirus, you are stronger.”

I wanted to believe her words, but I still needed to prove it to myself. Even with a dragon, I was scared to death to lose Osirus, and if I had gone in alone, I surely would have died. I was no fighter.

“You are a fighter, Melina.”

“Cut that out. It is weirding me out,” I cried. Clara gave a smile and pushed a piece of long hair that fell into my eyes.

“Just remember that.” Her eyes darted at me mischievously.

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