“I owe you that much.” The overlord leaned back against the cave wall, relaxing further. “I probably owe you more than that, Gwen, if I’m honest with myself.”
I cleared my throat and lifted my head. I turned my blue gaze on his brown eyes, not flinching under his heady, direct regard. I’d cared deeply about this vampire at one time—and it still hurt.
But I kept to the matter at hand. I questioned, “Is it worth it? The crown?”
His cheeks puffed out as he released a heavy breath. “Yes. Yes, it’s worth it.”
“Over everything else?”
Lord Pippin’s eyes flicked back and forth between mine, resolute in his stance—and much colder than he had ever been before he was a royal. “Yes. It’s wortheverything.”
For how long we stared at one another in the resulting silence, I couldn’t say. Time merely ticked by in an endless count that neither of us was willing to break.
One side of my lips curved up at the edges. “You’ve changed. It’s all in your eyes.”
His chuckle was quiet. “My reign as king wasn’t as long as some, but it kept me busy for a few hundred years. I’ve learned more than I ever dreamed possible. Experienced even more craziness.” His head of red hair tipped toward me. “As you may too if you become queen.”
I sat back on the bench and pointed at the book in his lap. “I gave you that.”
“I know. I was feeling sentimental, I suppose.”
I poked at the old tome. “I’m surprised it held up so well.”
“Well, I never really liked the damn storyline.” He snorted under his breath. “But you gave it to me, so I kept it.”
I leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. Then I stood up and brushed off my pants—there wasn’t a speck on them though. “It was good to see you again, Lord Pippin.”
“And you as well.” His brown eyes danced with a trickster amusement. “Try not to cause too much trouble while you’re still only a possible candidate. All right, Gwen? You don’t want to get kicked out before you even have a chance.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll try.”
Abruptly, it was an overlord staring into my gaze, all his previous humor gone in a blink. “Try real hard, Gwynnore. That’s your only warning from me.”
I swallowed on a dry throat. I whispered roughly, “Yes, you’ve definitely changed. Good day, Lord Pippin.” Then I turned and walked away, the man I had known no longer in existence.
* * *
I roamed the hallways, attempting to familiarize myself with the layout, and, even more so, trying to forget the man I once knew. Both would happen with time. That was all an immortal had… Time to change. Time to pass. Time to thrive in.
Still lost in my own thoughts, I found a small kitchen at the end of the royal area, the area secluded against all others living in the stronghold. My nose had inadvertently led me here, the smells divine pouring from the space. My stomach growled as I stepped into the adorable kitchen.
“Nope. Fuck no.” Lord Otto jammed a pointed finger at the entrance I had just come through. “You are not allowed in here. Not yet.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Oh.”
All of the overlords, minus a certain redhead, were sitting or standing around the kitchen, munching on some type of noodles with spicy sauce.
Again, my stomach growled. Louder.
Lord Xenon’s short black hair gleamed under the harsh lighting. With no inflection in his tone, he ordered, “Quit standing there like a lost puppy. Turn around. Leave. You do know how to do that, right?”
Lord Otto’s surfer looks, blond hair and blue eyes, were deceiving as he stood from his chair in growing agitation. He snapped his fingers in front of my face hard. “Hello, Gwynnore. Can you hear us?”
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“Then take a fucking walk out of our space.”
“Okay.” Still, I stood there for a moment too long.
