Agony etched her petite features. “I need your help.”
“What the fuck?” I hissed in dismay and charged across the room to her side. I grabbed her hand and held it away from her body, using my other hand to examine her slumped form. “Elf, what is happening here? Who’s hurt you?”
The princess swallowed on a dry throat, with her tiny features pinched in pain. “No one hurt me. I made a small error.” Her emerald elf eyes lifted to mine in entreaty. “And I need your help.Please.”
Fucking Fae, she was begging. This wasnotgood.
My forehead wrinkled in a fury, but I quickly scooped my dratted soul mate up into my arms. “What have you done?” I growled down at her as I marched us to my couch and sat on the soft cushions, keeping her safe on my lap. “If you’re here right now, it is not asmallerror you’ve made.”
Bishop grunted and plunked his ass down on the coffee table right in front of us. “More importantly, is there anyone coming after you?”
My soul mate threw a glare in his direction. “No. I’m not new to this, asshole. No one saw me.”
He probed forcefully, “I’m talking about Fae, Your Highness.”
“Oh.” She stared down her nose at him. “That, I don’t know.”
Bishopsnarledsoftly.
“It is the truth. But I doubt any Fae are coming after me right now.” Then her lips thinned into a straight line, in obvious discomfort, and her gaze flew up to mine and rounded. “I almost forgot! I have a gift for you.”
I could only sit there, struck fucking dumb, as my illegal soul mate buried her hands inside her satchel. I stared at her face, though, seeing now that it was awfully pale, and muttered, “A gift is not going to butter me up for whatever you have to say next, Princess.”
“I can sure as Fairy try,” she mumbled under her breath, barely loud enough to be heard, talking to herself as she searched in her bag. She continued to mumble curses until she—finally—found what she was looking for. In triumph, my soul mate held up a caster-spelled ring in the air. “This is for you.”
I stared at it in her small hand. I didn’t move.
I couldn’t.Air seemed to be in short supply.
She was gifting me…a caster-spelled ring.
Bishop snorted. “He already has one of those.”
“Shut up, Bishop,” I barked furiously, with my eyes flaying him in place. “Leave us for a moment.”
His mouth shut instantly, his shocked attention on me, reading me far too well. “Oh…fuck. Didn’t expect that.” My best friend jumped to his feet, and my arms tightened around my soul mate when she flinched at his movement. She may have the royal firepower, but she was still in pain right now, clearly frightened—and on edge. He stalked toward my balcony, mumbling, “I’ll just be over here not listening, Your Royal Highness.”
Igrowledsoftly at his back but quickly returned my attention to my soul mate, actual…amazement…filtering through my veins at this turn of events. I cleared my throat and flicked my gaze between her eyes and the ring, and asked gruffly, “You got that for me, elf?”
“Um, yes.” A bright blush bloomed across her pale cheeks, and her elven emerald eyes stayed locked on the ring in her grasp, not looking anywhere near my eyes. “It…um, well, mayhap, yes. I got it. For you. It looks just like the one you’re wearing, so no one will notice.”
“All right.” My lips twitched slightly at her stumbling words.
Not enough for her to notice, but this side of my soul mate was…adorable.
Yes, I could own up to that now.
I definitely thought she was adorable when she behaved like this. It was a vulnerability a royal should never show anyone. But she was allowing me to see her weakness right now.
It…
It was a part of her I would protect.
Then her eyes met mine, and her normal spirit flared to life again. She shoved the ring right in front of my face. Princess Trixie snarled darkly, “And you’re going to wear it, shifter. I will hurt you, otherwise.”
There she is.That was my bitch soul mate.
I lifted a black eyebrow. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” I rested her tiny body back against the couch and moved out from underneath her, careful not to hurt her any more than she already was. Lifting the gifted ring from her hand, I swapped it with mine and watched silently as it molded perfectly to fit my finger, thanks to the caster’s spell.
