Page 72 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

“I don’t know yet. Let’s go find the girls and see if we can’t figure that out.” With my arm around Sarah’s shoulders, we went in search of Evie and Vivi.

* * *

We found Evie alone, sitting at a table in the library crying onto a battle map.

“Where is Vivi?” I asked Evie, looking around, half expecting her bright blonde hair to pop out from behind a bookcase or a table, laughing and saying they “got us.”

“She’s gone.” Evie started bawling again. Her eyes were bright red, not only from the large crocodile tears currently streaming down her face, but her irises were the same deep crimson as her wings which lay limp behind her.

Murmur sat in the chair next to her and pulled Evie into his lap. Wrapping her in his arms, he rocked her back and forth, shushing her. A soft blue light came from his hands, and he placed them on her back.

I looked at Sarah, who watched him work with fascination.

“He can manipulate emotions a little,” I explained. “He is calming her down so she can talk.”

Sure enough, a few moments later, Evie’s tears slowed and her sobs stopped.

“Okay, what happened?” Rune asked.

“Someone stole Vivi,” she cried. Tears started streaming down her face again.

“We should call the dads back,” Murmur said.

“No, we’re in charge,” Rune said. “If we need to, we will. But only as a last resort.”

“Rune, be reasonable.” Murmur continued to rock Evie on his lap after she dissolved into tears again. “The girls were both attacked today. We still do not know why, and now the youngest one was taken. We are out of our depth.”

“We should only call them when there is an emergenc—”

“My sister is missing,” I interrupted him. “I think that qualifies as an emergency!”

“I know, that’s not what I meant…” Rune explained.

At the same time, Murmur argued they needed to send for the actual adults who had experienced adulting, Evie wailed again, and Sarah yelled for them to get Vivi back.

I covered my ears with my hands. I needed the noise to stop so I could think.

“Quiet,” Tab boomed. His voice demanded the order be followed.

The room went dead silent for a full minute, everyone’s eyes focused on Tab.

He stood casually with his hands tucked into his pockets, leaning against a nearby table. “Quiet, please,” he said again, and this time his volume was lower, but the order was still clear. “Before we determine what path to take, we should get all the information from Evie. Only when we know everything can we decide on the best course of action.” Tab stood up straight and walked over to Evie.

Rune seethed, and his finger nails elongated. “You are an angel. This is none of your business.”

“He is right,” I said, stopping Rune. “I don’t care if he is a demon, angel, or the fucking Easter Bunny. He’s right. We need to get all the facts so we can bring my baby sister back.”

Rune stared at me for a second, clenching his jaw. It reminded me of the promises I made less than an hour ago.

“Please,” I said. “I need her back.”

His eyes softened a little, but his jaw didn’t. He didn’t like it, but with a nod, he agreed.

Taking that as permission, Tab knelt in front of Evie on the floor. He raised his hand that let out a soft, warm, golden glow, not unlike Murmur’s blue light. “Little red raven, may I touch your hand? I am just going to give you some calming energy to replace the fear and anxiety Murmur is taking from you.”

Evie watched him through her eyelashes warily. She looked up at Murmur, who gave her a reassuring nod. Then she placed her hand in Tab’s. Murmur placed his hands on Evie’s shoulders.

It was amazing to watch both men work, focused on a little girl, taking her pain and giving her a feeling of comfort. Evie’s body physically relaxed. Within a few moments, her breathing slowed to a normal cadence. When her eyes opened, they were back to their beautiful brown.

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