“Bestfriend,” Slayton added.
Roman bristled. “I’m her best friend.”
“Sorry, prince,I’mher best friend,” Griff goaded with a smile to match Slayton’s.
Violet hiked her thumb toward the tigon. “War is my best friend. Stop acting like children.”
Roman raked a hand through his hair, resigning himself to his fate. “I prepared another carriage to accompany you.”
“What do I need an extra carriage for?”
“You’ll need more than you can carry in one carriage,” he explained.
Violet tilted her head. “Like what? I’m only taking two trunks.”
That morning, Slayton had helped Roman load a carriage with money, buckets of seashells, beads, food for their first leg of travel, and anything else Roman could think of that Violet might need. He’d also written to each king and the human queen to ask that they provide her with extra protection and a place to stay.
The Garden Kingdom was her first stop, and its king, Dean, ensured Violet’s safety. Roman expected the same from Rennick, the Mountain King, Amos, the Desert King, and Charlotte, the Human Queen, but he’d instructed Griff and Ares to keep her in the Garden Kingdom until Roman sent word that he’d received their replies.
Ignoring her question, he glanced over her head at the others. “Violet and I need a minute alone.”
They made themselves scarce without protest, and Roman took Violet’s face in his hands. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers. “I’ll miss you, princess. Promise to come back to me.”
Her stillness worried him. He shouldn’t have kissed her, but he refused to regret it. Finally, she nodded. “I promise.”
They made their way to the others waiting by her carriage in time to greet Ares, who’d arrived with the second carriage.
Violet said her goodbyes, and Roman stood with the Maekins and Slayton, watching everything good in his life fade into the distance.
“Protect her, War. If anything happens to her, Eden won’t survive my wrath.”
“With my life,”the tigon vowed.
“Thank you,”Roman responded.“I’ll check in tonight.”
War’s amusement trickled down the bond.“I expect nothing less.”
Slayton’s hand squeezed Roman’s shoulder. “Come on, prince. There’s a bottle of liquor at my place with your name on it.”
Sighing, Roman followed Slayton into town, toward the small loft he inhabited above his father’s grocery store. “She’s going to love seeing the other kingdoms,” Slayton assured him. “You did the right thing by not keeping her here.”
Roman stopped and closed his eyes to call on hisfamiliar.
“War.”
“Yes?”
“When she sees something that makes her happy, call for me. I want to see her happy, too.”
He could feel the tigon bob his head.“You won’t miss anything, Roman. I swear it.”
THE LETTERS
21
Happy Birthday, Princess.
I made you something (with Meri’s help), and you can’t laugh. I tried my hardest to do it on my own, but my hands were too big to thread the string myself. It’s a necklace with purple stones. (I have it on good authority from thirteen-year-old Violet that it’s your favorite color).
