Who knew what would happen now? It was a tough call with Garrin running the show. Even her mother couldn’t control him. And her mom, now that Lex was near her again and remembering more, was pretty strong-willed.
Lex had forgotten the details of her mom, but with them face to face, flashes of memories had returned. Her mother’s favorite fruit, the noise she made in the back of her throat when she was annoyed. Only Lex couldn’t remember this place. Not the castle and not Dark Kingdom. She also had no memory of her father. Maybe that would come back too?
Lex couldn’t hate Garrin too much. He’d brought her to her mom. And really, she didn’thatehim. He was frustrating and arrogant, but he was also protective and pretty damn cuddly at night for a giant Fae soldier who liked to boss people around. The man even smelled good without bathing; it was inhuman. Then again, he wasn’t human, so…
All Lex knew was that if Garrin didn’t get his unwashed butt back here, she was going to lose her shit.
She pressed her fingers to her eyes and tried to remain calm.
Thirty or so minutes had passed when Amund finally returned to the closet. Along with Garrin and her mother.
“I’ve informed the palace guards that I will visit my father once I’ve cleaned up.” That was Garrin’s voice, and he was right beside her.
Lex inched to the other side to give him space in the dark—and ran into her mother, who ran into Amund.
“Lexandra,” Garrin said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we are inside a closet.”
“I see sarcasm is alive and well in Dark Kingdom,” she whisper-yelled. The small room, which had been pleasantly warm a moment ago, instantly heated with the addition of two huge Fae and her mother crowding it. “Get me out of here!”
Garrin covered her mouth. “Fae have heightened senses, and guards are not far away.”
Lex breathed in the scent of him becausedammit, he still smelled good. And then she bit his finger.
He shook it free. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re under the impression you can control me!”
Her mother snickered beside her.
“Silence, pet,” he said. “We must wait until I can determine how best to introduce you to my court.”
“Pet?” Lex spat. “Did you just call mepet?”
“You did it now, prince,” her mother said. “It seems I didn’t need to be around for my daughter to grow into a strong woman.”
Lex glared in the direction of her mother’s voice. “Strong, Mom? Really? Jas has practically been holding my hand these last few years because I’m terrified of everything. And it’s all because you led me to believe you’d been killed in anavalanche.”
“That was poor judgment on my part,” her mother admitted. “Jasper insisted on a backstory for why you had no mother in the Earth realm. And then our reunion was delayed.”
Lex’s mind sputtered.Delayed?“That is putting it mildly.” Lex sensed Garrin flinch beside her, and she lowered her voice. “Why in the hell didn’t you come with me and Jas in the first place?”
“Many sacrificed to hide you in Dark Kingdom. I had put dear friends in a troubling position. I was attempting to shield them when the king found me. As it turns out, I have no idea if they lived or died. And you were never on your own. Jasper was with you.”
“Silence,” Amund said. “Someone approaches.”
Lex squeezed her lips together, but she couldn’t hold back for long, fear replacing good sense.“They’ll know we’re here!” she said. “They’ll sense us—our Fae energy, or whatever you call it.”
A warm finger touched her lips, smelling of pine.Garrin.
Lex closed her eyes and tried to breathe.
“They are gone,” Amund said and let out a sigh. “The castle is full of soldiers. Unless they have my skills, it will be difficult to predict our precise location. They knew we entered because of the Presence Charm, which is why His Highness alerted the guards of our arrival. When the prince has not returned to his quarters, they will count bodies and track us.”
“Unless someone senses a second royal among us, and they send everyone in search of who it could be,” Garrin said bitterly.
Isle made a sound. “Don’t look at me, Dark Prince. I may be royal, but I had my powers magically downgraded centuries ago to avoid your father. They won’t detect me.”
“This is true,” Amund said. “She doesn’t present with your power level.”
