A low grunt came from Liam’s throat. “Vampires… right. Here too, eh? Not just in Chicago?”
“They mostly keep to the kingdom of Nochtbend. And they sleep during the day. We might not even see one.” She waved a hand in the air dismissively. It was really nothing to worry about. No vampire would bother Liam with her around. Although he didn’t look happy about the situation. Oh well, he’d agreed to help her, and that was what was important. She’d spent enough time among dragons to be immune to his sour personality.
Alexander took a sip of his drink. “I need to get back to work. Where do you two plan to start?” He glared pointedly at Liam.
Few men could hold their own on the receiving end of a dragon’s stare. Alexander’s eyes were filled with fire, and the grit in his voice told her his question held a tinge of a threat. He didn’t trust Liam, or maybe he didn’t trust any man around Charlie. But Liam seemed unbothered.
He glared at her uncle and said, “We need an evergreen tree and a place to put it.”
“I’ll take him to Everfield,” Charlie said.
Alexander nodded, then stepped forward to grip Liam’s biceps, bringing his face close to the human’s. “Good. Find the tree, plan the party, and stay out of trouble. And remember, Princess Charlie is beloved by all, human.”
Liam held her uncle’s stare with his own. “Got it,” he gritted out.
Charlie swooped in and tugged Liam from her uncle’s grip, ushering him toward the door. “Thanks, Uncle Alex! I owe you one.”
Less than an hour later, Charlie was bumping along the road to Everfield in a royal carriage, Liam on the seat across from her. She’d sent a falcon ahead to Uncle Sylas and Aunt Dianthe, informing them that she was coming to the kingdom of the fairies and might need their help in finding a proper tree. There were only two places on Ouros with evergreen trees: Darnuith and Everfield. Collecting one from Darnuith was out of the question. Wards around the kingdom would alert Queen Penelope to her presence immediately, potentially interrupt the spell they’d be performing, and completely ruin the surprise. The Empyrean Wood in Everfield, however, claimed to contain every type of tree in their world and beyond, and with Dianthe’s help, she was sure they’d find the perfect one.
The carriage lurched to a halt.
“Why are we stopping?” Liam’s hands were planted firmly on his thighs, his expression as humorless as ever.
“Just the border toll to Nochtbend. We’ll resume in a moment.”
“Nochtbend? The place with the vampires?” Liam pulled back the curtain on the window and peeked out at the misty edge of Grimtwist Forest.
“Don’t worry,” she said with a laugh. “The suns are still up. They’re all asleep. Plus we’re not stopping, just passing through to get to Everfield. Even if it were the middle of the night, few vampires would dare interfere with a royal carriage on a major roadway.”
He leaned against the velvet seat and rested his ankle on his knee. “That’s right—the princess is beloved by all.”
She didn’t care for the disdainful tone of his voice. “Does it bother you that I’m a princess?”
“Only so much as it attracts threats from men like your uncle. You brought me here. I don’t appreciate being treated like I’ve got a gun to your head.”
She folded her arms. “Are all scientists on Earth as irritable as you?”
His brows shot up. “Irritable? You think I’m overreacting to the circumstances?”
“No.” She crossed her legs, her foot bobbing between them. Were scientists held in high esteem on Earth? What was their relative position in society? It was possible her title made him uncomfortable if he came from a lower caste. She tried to be empathetic as she responded. “I apologize on behalf of my uncle. He means well and he loves me, but that doesn’t give him the right to intimidate you.”
His only response was one curt nod, his eyes fixated on the window. Silence slid between them in the carriage, the only sound the clip-clop of the mountain horse’s hooves. She was relieved when he finally turned his face back to her.
“Do you enjoy being a princess?”
“No one has ever asked me that before.”
“First time for everything.”
She studied Liam’s face as she considered how to answer. A princess was simply what she was. She didn’t have a choice. “I think so. My parents run the kingdom for all intents and purposes. To be honest, I have few responsibilities for which I’m solely accountable. That’s part of the reason I wanted to throw this party. I want to prove to them that they can trust me with more.”
Casually, he uncrossed his ankles and stretched his legs toward her. “Seriously? You seem capable enough to me. Fuck, you jumped worlds into one of the harshest environments on Earth to bring me here. I’d say you’re a woman who can get things done.”
She smiled. “Thank you for that.”
“Which part?”
“All of it. But especially calling me a woman. My family still treats me like a child.”
