That’s when I would pass them over to Lord Xenon. The man had a silver tongue when the Royals wanted something. Everyone just needed to speak with him. It pinged on the ego a bit if I was honest.
“Are you truly friendlier, your majesty?” Lonzo took a step forward into my personal space. “Do you want to be my friend?”
Warning. Warning. Warning.
“Friendly, I believe, is what I said.” My brows furrowed low. “Actually, I talk too much for some people to be their friend.”
Lonzo laughed quietly and raised his remaining arm and brushed his fingers through his hair. “I talk too little, I’m told. Maybe we’d make the perfect match to be friends.”
I lifted a black eyebrow. “Tell me what you want to make a deal. I’ll make it happen if I’m able to. And my resources are grand.”
“I’ve heard that before.” He gently took hold of my hand and tugged me with exquisite care into the space where his washing machine and dryer were. The druid released my hand and waved it at the machines. “I need my laundry done. If you can manage to wash and dry and hang up every piece of dirty clothes I have right here in six hours, I will grant you what you wish.”
I blinked at the industrial washing machine and dryer, and then the tiny basket of dirty clothes sitting next to it. My eyes lifted to his. I questioned, “What’s the catch?”
Lonzo’s grin was slick on his pearly white skin. “You and Belshazzar will smoke with me first.”
I glanced at the lingering smoke still floating inside the room. “Wouldn’t you like something different than what you’re used to?”
“You mean, like having a man I hate wash my dirty underwear?” He shook his head. “There’s nothing I want more right now. And I need to leave for a few hours, anyway, so you’d have the place all to yourself with the cunt.”
Fucking shit.
I tossed a special glance at my lover but quickly returned my attention to the druid. “I need to know that you can accomplish what we need first.”
“Name it.”
I turned my head to the vampire next to me.
Because I didn’t want to fuck up and say the wrong thing and then be stuck doing his laundry again tomorrow.
Bel stated clearly, “Queen Gwynnore and I need a permanent translation spell done on ourselves. We need to be able to speak any language, understand when it is spoken to us, and also be able to read and write it perfectly.”
Lonzo hadn’t looked away from me the entire time the king was talking. He nodded once and stuck out his hand. “I can do that. Do we have a deal?”
I stared at his lone hand.
And shook it quickly. “Deal.”
* * *
Bel and I gazed at one another.
I whispered, “Did we just smoke something?”
“I think so…” Bel wobbled on the dryer he sat on. “It smells like springtime in here. Do you smell that, Gwen? Springtime. It’s glorious.”
“Oh! Puppies!” I exclaimed and pointed from where I sat next to him on a washing machine. “They’re so pretty. I’veneverseen dogs that are purple and pink before.”
My lover inhaled deeply, and sang, “Springtime is here…”
“Wait a second,” I mumbled. I leaned forward and squinted. “Those aren’t dogs. Those are peacocks. No wonder they’re so beautiful.”
I quieted and watched the peacocks walk around, ruffling their stunning tails like they were listening to the sweetest and most loving and generous man serenading me with songs about his favorite season of the year.
I whispered, “Bel, did we smoke something?”
“I’m pretty sure we did.” He scooted on the dryer, back and forth. Back and forth. His head tipped back, and he groaned. “You’ve got to try this, Gwen. It feelssoamazing.”
