“Sojee is?” he asked.
Kaley said, “Yes,” then Tanek looked back at the big man, who smiled and nodded.
Jobi spoke loud enough to hurt Mekos’s ears. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to—”
Tanek looked at Kaley through her veil. “That means you’re related to Aradella. Are you a princess?”
Kaley smiled. “No, but you’ll always be my prince.” She turned to Jobi. “Please continue.”
“Are you sure? Or should we wait for a dodo bird to appear? You have no fairy tales to destroy? Maybe you want to introduce us to Rumpelstiltskin.”
Kaley gave him her sweetest smile. “I’ll save all that for later.”
There were no more interruptions for the rest of the ceremony. They were a happy group, full of stories, and they loved the cream-filled cake. Mekos ate three sugar roses and stayed far away from Kaley and her questions.
9
Early the next morning, Hale opened the door to Mekos, but she frowned hard, letting him know that if anything went wrong she’d be after him.
With a solemn nod of thanks, he took a step toward Aradella’s room. But then he turned back and kissed Hale’s cheek. “Thank you for taking care of her,” he said.
Her face turned red and she pushed him away. Her strength was such that Mekos almost fell, but he kept his balance.
Smiling, he went to Aradella’s room. It wasn’t daylight yet, but he could see perfectly well in the dark. It was a barren space, more like a cell than a bedroom.
Aradella was asleep, her breathing soft and quiet. As always, he marveled at how much he loved her. His grandfather had told him this would happen. “Basically, our family are still swans,” Roal said. “You’ll love once and it will be forever.” Mekos had laughed. There were so many pretty girls! He knew he could never choose just one.
But then he saw Aradella. She was sitting on that platform, securely fastened inside that outlandish garment, and staring at the crowd. All his senses went on high alert. It was as though he couldfeelher sense of resignation.
He saw her look up at Kaley in the window of a derelict house. Kaley always bonded with suffering animals and in this case, a human. Tanek said that Kaley attracted so many animals there was no room to walk. Sojee had said, “Are you afraid they’ll step on one of those noisy birds that followyou?” Now that they knew Sojee was Kaley’s grandfather, Mekos smiled in memory. And when he looked at Aradella that first time, he’d thought of those lost animals.
Quietly, soundless even to his own ears, Mekos stretched out beside Aradella on the narrow bed. A thin blanket was between them. He didn’t dare get too close to her or they’d be there until sunset.
He kissed the soft skin of her cheek.
“Mmm,” she murmured and turned to him.
He rubbed his face against hers.
She didn’t open her eyes. “You have whiskers.”
“They’d grow as long as my forearm if I didn’t cut them. I’d look like my mother’s father.”
She sleepily smiled. “Why don’t you have a tail like her?”
“My blood was corrupted by my father.”
“Ah, Tanek the Great.” She pulled on the cover to lift it, but he didn’t move.
“You have to get up,” he said.
“That’s what I’m to say toyou.”
He chuckled. “You need to get dressed in your disguise. The commanders of the men from Selkan have arrived and Sojee’s going to go over their orders. It’s in a room with a balcony and you and I are to hide and listen.”
Aradella opened her eyes and leaned away, but it was too dark to see him clearly. “I’d like to hear what he has to say.”
“I thought you would.”
