Chapter 4
Frustration of a princess:
Parents are a pain in my elven ass.
They tell me to do one thing but mean another.
So when I do what they say, like protect our Fae damned kingdom, it becomes a problem.
I love my parents. I do.
But can they just trust me for once?
The most bizarre sound roused me from my slumber. Itsquishedandcrunchednear my head. My red brows furrowed as I gradually opened my eyes and pulled my comforter down from over my face. I squinted into the evening light filtering in through the large windows and stared at the woman sitting on my bed next to me.
“Mother?” I blinked and rubbed at my eyes, drowsiness slowly filtering away. “What in the realm are you doing in my castle?”
With her back resting against my cracked headboard, my mother snorted softly under her breath. Her golden eyes didn’t leave mine as she used a sharp dagger to slice a sliver of a blue apple and plop it into her mouth. Then she chewed.Loudly.Very unlike her normal, perfect manners.
“Uh, what is happening here?” I mumbled in confusion.
“That, my daughter, is a fabulous question, indeed.” Her dagger flashed in the dying light, and her deft movements cut off another slice. Again, she chewed.Loudly.“You have been unconscious for almost twenty-four hours. Enough time for chaos to reign in the realm and every blasted person to wake before you.”
I narrowed my eyes in bewilderment…until my previous actions started to flood into my sleepy thoughts. The Shifter Kingdom. Two books. And a kiss that had a Fairy of a Fae punch behind it. I stared at my mother and swiftly closed my mouth, lest I spoke imprudently.
She snorted again while she twirled her dagger between her fingers—shockingly far better than I could. “Would you care to explain to me what happened? Why the majority of the realm suddenly shouted out in pain and fainted? Or even why you were in the Shifter Kingdom?”
Intelligently, I kept my mouth closed while processing that tidbit of information. What King Athon and I had done hadn’t affected only us. It had, apparently, smashed through the realm with its residual power.
A seed. And a flower.
Their sizes were a disguise.
Those small gifts did bring large, unexpected surprises.
My mother lifted a green eyebrow at my continued silence but swiftly jumped from my bed and tossed another blue apple next to me. “Your king wants to see you before dinner. And youwillbe eating dinner with us, so dress appropriately.” She softly sniggered as she strolled toward my bedchamber’s door. “King Traevon will have questions, especially since he’s the one who found you in the Shifter Kingdom. You should really think about what you want to say before you meet. Your silence will not work with him. Not with the mood he’s in.”
With one last pointed look at me, my bedchamber door clicked quietly behind her as she left.
I tossed my blanket over my head and groanedhard. “Fae, help me. This is dreadful.”
Amused, soft laughter echoed inside my room.
My shoulders instantly stiffened…
“Fae dammit, Grandmother!” I shouted under my covers. “We talked about this! Quit spying on me.”
Grandmother Isabella’s laughter slowly faded away.
“Bloody family,” I cursed and yanked my comforter down. I glared around my empty room. “What am I supposed to tell my king?”
But no answer came. Not even when I waited five minutes. Only birds chirping sporadically outside my sliding windows could be heard.
I sighed and shoved my way out of my bed.
It was time to face the King of Elves.
This…would not be good.
