The beast felt caged, swiping out whenever he could.
When I told him to leave me the Fairy alone, ithurt.
Shifters and elves were so Fae damned different.
King Athon bared his tiger fangs, walking toward me. “Did you not hear me, Princess? Stay away from my crown.”
I held up a quick stopping hand before this got out of control again, my palm landing right over his heart, the black cloak he wore warm from his hot body temperature. “Calm down, Your Royal Highness. I will leave your beloved crown alone for now.”
The King of Shifters muttered, “You’re lucky they took another road.” He swiped my hand off his chest. “This would have been a disaster, otherwise. Use your head from now on.”
I agreed amenably, “You’re correct. I reacted poorly.”
His black eyebrows snapped together. “Why are you agreeing with me now? Just a second ago, you weren’t even speaking.” He looked down at his bag suspiciously. “Have you already stolen it again?”
Good Fae.I sighed heavily. “No.”
“She agreed because you were bloody right,” Father griped. “Quit picking fights, as my heir said, and let us be on our way.”
King Athon turned to face him. “Your daughter is a Fae damned nuisance.” He stomped past everyone, growling the whole way. “And no, Queen Alora, you cannot speak yet. They aren’t that far away.”
The Queen of Merfolk shut her mouth, glaring fiercely.
My lips trembled in barely restrained hilarity…
I tossed the shifter king’s crown far in front of him, right at the edge of the moss. I laughed wholeheartedly when he stopped in place to stare at his crown lying in the mud. “I may not have stolen it when you asked, but you did make it easy when you turned your back on me.”
Let that be a warning to you, shifter.
“Trixie, get your ass moving.” King Traevon grabbed my arm and pulled me along, sighing under his breath. He reprimanded, “The surly feline can only take so much. Sometimes, you must find it in your heart to be nice to the kitty. Many things trouble him, such as his much smaller counterparts being able to purr while he cannot. Terribly embarrassing, yes? But at least he did not roll onto his back to crush every bone in your body earlier. That deserves some kindness from you, don’t you think?”
King Athon’s claws unsheathed when we walked by.
I stared straight ahead. “Yes, I suppose the kitty does deserve a small reprieve from playing elven games.”
“Precisely so, my daughter.” He patted my arm…and stepped right on top of the shifter king’s crown, shoving it further down into the mud, as we exited from behind the moss. Under the muted sunshine, he stated, “We shall begin now.”
King Athonsnarled, stalking past us at a fast clip. He held his crown up into the air with two fingers, the mud dripping down off it. On his aggravated trek, the King of Shifters muttered to himself, “I swear, the Fae fucking hate me.”
I swallowed down my laugh, and then I caught his crown as he flung it back at me—my eyes rounding in surprise.
“Clean it, elf,” the shifter king growled over his shoulder. “You’re already covered in filth.”
I bared my fangs. But I cleaned the damned crown.
Then I used it to pry the caked mud off my face and clothing, as the five of us followed closely behind him.
I mumbled in surprise, “Huh. This is fairly useful.”
Father’s lips trembled.
Queen Mikko grabbed the crown from me, pulling forward to slam it against the shifter king’s chest. “Just take it. I beg you.”
He looked down at it and then back up, his long legs working easily through the tall brush and mud. “It’s not clean. She can do better than that.”
The Queen of Casters slowed down and whispered too quietly for me to hear…and the crown was instantly sparkling. She sped back up and waggled it in front of him. “Oh my. Princess Trixie works fast.”
King Athon glowered down at her. “Indeed?”
