Caspian opened the door, words already spilling from his mouth, “Trix, you have had—” He halted hard in place, his dark blue eyes instantly shuttering at the view in front of him.
King Athon peeked up at him, and then back down at his laces, tying them at his own pace, not seemingly bothered by the interruption.
I cleared my throat and grabbed my sandals from the floor, turning to leave quickly. It would be wise to put distance between Caspian and King Athon. I hastily sped across the room right toward my cousin.
Caspian stared calmly into my frantic gaze. It was the look he owned when he killed someone. His voice was even and cool. “Your ear jewelry. It’s missing.”
I stopped abruptly and touched my right ear with my free hand. A blush stole over my cheeks, discomfiture heating my skin. I glanced all over the floor. Where in the Fairy had they gone?
“The bed,” King Athon rumbled. He shoved his arms into his black, fur vest, turning to evaluate his appearance in the mirror. He stopped in place, an instant scowl marring his features. His solid black shifter eyes snagged my gaze in the reflection, one of his black eyebrows lifting. “Grab my crown, if you would.”
I puffed out a quick breath and hurried to the bed. I shoved on my sandals with one hand while I slipped my ear jewelry back on with my other. I snatched the crown off the bed and tossed it to the shifter king in my haste to leave.
The King of Shifters caught it easily out of the air while he fixed his, unquestionably, disheveled hair. He wasn’t troubled one bit—while I was a Fae fucking mess. King Athon ran his fingers through a tangle in his hair, studying his work in the mirror.
I shoved Caspian out the door and quickly shut it behind us. I grabbed my cousin by the shoulder of his fake servant uniform and dragged him behind me at a fast clip. I growled, “Why did you have to pick the lock, Cas?”
“I bloody well thought you’d fallen asleep.” Caspian snorted. “I was quite wrong about that, wasn’t I?”
I stopped hauling his person and slowed myself to stroll next to him. I stated seriously, “Don’t kill him.”
“How did this even happen?”
“The Fae fucked up.” I shook my head, at a loss. “But, either way, Cas, you cannot kill him. Do you understand?”
Caspian stayed quiet until we were almost at the ballroom, the cadence of older music floating all around us. “I won’t. For now.”
