Only her mother had a key. They could be from her, but that didn’t make sense. She would’ve just given them to Violet during the day. Violet gathered her new things, deposited the shells safely in the box where she kept her others, and found a vase to hold the flowers.
After placing the vase on her nightstand, she sat on her bed and stared at the violets. The gifts should frighten her, she knew that, but they didn’t. Odd, seeing how everything scared her. Though since her father started teaching her self-defense techniques, she felt more confident in her ability to protect herself.
Sometimes, she’d swear the prince’s scent lingered in her room. At first, she’d chalked it up to her imagination or a trick of the senses, but it was just a lie she told herself. A part of herknewit was Roman.
Violet sat at her dressing table and stared at herself in the mirror, her emotions at war with one another. How often did the prince sneak into her home in the middle of the night, and why?
Picking up a hairbrush, Violet set to work on fixing her hair, wishing she could catch the prince in the act to prove she wasn’t going crazy, but he likely used his glamour. A sane woman would be scared.
So why wasn’t she?
13
TWENTY YEARS OLD
Lydia squeezed Violet hard enough to cut her in half, her excitement palpable. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us to get away from these two?” she teased. “Victoria and I would love to have you live with us.”
“Stop trying to convince my only friend to leave me,” Slayton grumbled.
“Hey,” Griff protested. “I’m your friend too.”
Lydia waved Slayton off. “Whatever girl you’re dating this week will keep you company.”
Slayton pulled Lydia into a quick hug before passing her off to Griff.
Griff squeezed his cousin for a long while. He played tough, but Lydia leaving affected him. He viewed her as a little sister. Releasing her, he cleared his throat. “I’ll miss your smartass mouth.”
Tears pricked the corners of Violet’s eyes. She was a crier and hated seeing her friend upset.
Last year, Lydia met her new wife, Victoria, and they were moving to the Garden Kingdom to be closer to Victoria’s family. Her sister’s husband had died suddenly, and Victoria needed to move home to help with her three nephews.
Victoria had left for the Garden Kingdom a week prior, wanting to get there as soon as possible. Lydia, having all her family and friends here in the Tropical Kingdom, needed longer to tie up loose ends and say goodbye.
With a last round of quick hugs, Lydia hopped into the carriage and left them all behind for a new adventure.What would it be like to travel out of the Tropical Kingdom?
“Are you alright?” a familiar deep voice asked from behind them.
Violet shrieked and flipped around. Roman stood impossibly close, his words laced with concern.Where in the hell did he come from?Her question died on her tongue as she took him in. As handsome as ever, he wore a fitted, long-sleeved, beige shirt that clung to his chest like a second skin. It only had a few buttons at the top, all of which were undone, and he ran a hand through his short blond hair, making his biceps bulge.
Her mouth dried; her farewell to Lydia momentarily forgotten. She’d moved on from Roman, no longer harboring a painful love for the boy who’d stolen her heart at twelve years old, but she wasn’t blind. Good gods, he got sexier every time she saw him. Royal fae were tall, and she guessed he stood at least six foot four or six foot five by now. Perfect for climbing.
Slayton elbowed her in the side to break her trance, and she cleared her throat, feeling like an idiot.What the hell is wrong with me?
“Yes,” she replied. “Just telling Lydia goodbye. She and her wife moved to the Garden Kingdom.”
But Roman wasn’t listening to her. At least she didn’t think he was, because his gaze narrowed at Slayton’s arm that had elbowed her in the side.
Griff snorted, and Roman looked over at him before turning his attention back to Violet. “I’m sorry, princess. I saw you crying and wanted to make sure you were okay.”
It touched her he’d taken the time to check on her, but it also made her feel guilty for ogling him like a piece of meat. “Thank you. These two promised to take me out for strawberry cake.”
Roman rubbed his jaw, his gaze never wavering from hers. “If you need anything, let me know.” He turned to Slayton. “If you hit her again, I’ll break your arm.”
Slayton, who clearly had a death wish, smirked with a mock salute. “Yes, Your Grace.”
Without another word, Roman nodded and walked off, leaving her to stare after him.
“Is it just me, or does he get moodier the older we get?” Griff asked when the prince was out of ear shot.
