His mother swatted his father’s arm. “Stop. If the roles were reversed, would you allow me to be within reach and not see you right away?”
The king contemplated the question, and his wife’s eyes flashed with outrage. Before she could tear into him, he chuckled. “You know I wouldn’t, dear, but we’re mates.”
If he’d thought that would placate her, he’d been wrong. Before Roman could crack his father’s jaw, his mother reached up and grabbed her husband’s neck. He hissed as she dug her nails into his skin. “If you insinuate Violet isn’t Roman’s mate again, I will choke you until you pass out.”
Roman’s father smirked and leaned forward. “Don’t tempt me, Sarah. You know I like it—”
“Hey,” Roman snapped, wanting to scrub his brain of the past few minutes.
The queen released her husband’s neck with one last warning glare and turned to Roman. “Be safe and come home quickly. Having to reschedule your coronation would be a pain.”
* * *
Violet peered out the window of the carriage, watching the small border town pass by. Their group had been traveling for a few hours.
She popped her head through the window. “How much longer?” Violet called to Griff. He either didn’t hear her, or he ignored her. If they hit one more bump, her bladder would ensure there’d be an embarrassing mess to clean up.
“What’s wrong?” Clover, the Desert Queen, asked Violet quietly. She didn’t speak much, and when she did, you sometimes had to strain to hear her.
She and Clover had become quick friends, despite the other woman not caring a lick about fashion and Violet not liking to read. Clover possessed a pleasant, albeit shy, temperament with everyone except her husband.
Violet didn’t know the full story, but for some reason, Amos sent Clover to the Human Kingdom after he’d found her at thirteen. He’d begged her to come back when they were sixteen, but unbeknownst to him, she’d heard from her brother that he’d claimed another girl to be his mate. Even though romance hadn’t factored into Amos’ engagement, it had destroyed Clover, and she’d tried to kill him when she saw him again.
“A lover’s quarrel,”he’d told Violet.
Regardless, the two complimented each other perfectly. They were a golden god and goddess come to life, rebuilding their kingdom King Amos’ father destroyed. Amos stood as tall as Roman with a leaner build, sun-tanned, whey-colored skin, and golden-blond hair that curled at his ears. Clover had wild, curly blonde hair and skin a shade lighter than the king’s. They were beautiful together.
“I need to relieve myself,” Violet grumbled. “I don’t think I can wait.”
Clover poked her head out the carriage window for a moment. “We’re close to the border. I can see the wall in the distance.”
If Violet knew Roman, he’d be at the border waiting for her, unable to wait until she made it to the capital. “If Roman is at the border, he’ll yank me into his arms before I can say anything.” At least, she hoped he would. “I’d rather not wet myself in front of everyone.”
Clover afforded Violet a rare smile and stuck her head back out the window. “Amos, tell everyone to stop.”
The Desert King, never far from his mate’s side, called for a halt, and the moment the carriage stopped, Violet hurried outside.
“Why are we stopping?” Griff griped. He was a terrible traveling companion. “The wall isn’t much farther.”
“I need to relieve myself,” Violet answered. Her bladder hurt too much to care if Amos and Ares heard her.
Thank the gods they were close enough to the Tropical border that tree groupings appeared on the Desert Kingdom’s side. The vegetation wasn’t as dense as in her kingdom, but enough to give her privacy.
Ares jumped from his mount. “I’ll go with you.”
“Roman will kill you if he finds out you were within ten feet of her exposed ass,” Griff deadpanned.
Ares sized up Violet. “He’ll mutilate me if he finds out I let her wander into the woods alone.”
“I can go with her,” Clover offered, reaching into the carriage for her sword. The queen’s skill outmatched both Ares and Griff, and they both knew it.
Ares nodded, but Amos jumped from his horse. “The hell you will.”
“Is that so?” Clover asked, her deceptively soft voice promising a painful death.
He halted and narrowed his eyes. They had a silent battle of wills before he sighed. “I’m scouting the area first.”
Clover’s lips quirked to the side. “Fine.”
