“I’ve got this. Let Victor’s guards get you out of here,” Hugo snapped, unwilling to take his eyes off the wolves. He was afraid that if he blinked or even flinched, they’d attack. There was only one chance to get this right.
“No, Hugo, really. It’s okay. My father sent them,” Everand stated.
“Are you kidding?” Victor barked.
“What?” Hugo added to the demands, still unwilling to look away.
“I’m sure it was just a precaution. You know we have spies watching Onisa, the same way you have spies watching Frostbourne,” Everand continued.
“Ev? The wolves? Are you sure?” Hugo pressed when it seemed like the prince and king might fall into their usual bickering.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Everand moved to stand beside Hugo, his hand sliding up his spine to rest on his tense shoulder. He even gave the muscles a squeeze. “General, it’s okay. King Victor has released me. We’re free to return home. You can recall your men. Notify my father I’m heading home.”
Hugo still didn’t move, but he squinted his eyes at the deeper shadows of the woods. There was no sign of a general or any humans whatsoever. As far as he could see, there were only wolves. Lots of angry wolves.
Tension vibrated in the air for several long seconds before, one by one, the wolves retreated, disappearing into the woods.
“Hugo? Treasure? It’s okay. We’re safe. Can you release the glass?” Everand’s hand continued to knead and massage Hugo’s shoulder, trying to ease away the tension that vibrated in his frame. “I’m safe, my treasure. No one is going to hurt me.”
The repeated words finally seeped into Hugo’s frazzled mind, and he released the breath he was holding. With one last push of magic, Hugo waved his hands. The shards hanging in the air disintegrated into sand and were caught on the wind.
As Hugo lowered his arms, Everand pulled him into a hard embrace, seizing his mouth in a brutal, demanding kiss. “Never again say that your magic is useless. Never,” Everand growledbetween rough kisses. Hugo clung to him, his body trembling from all the magic he’d consumed. He was ready to pass out from a mix of profound relief and exhaustion. Had he really done that? Had he threatened an entire pack of wolves to keep Prince Everand and King Victor safe? Insane. He’d lost his mind.
Everand pulled away to grin at Hugo, a look of pride seeming to fill his dark-blue eyes.
“I’ve changed my mind,Cousin,” King Victor called out.
Everand and Hugo turned at the same time to see Victor make a small motion with his hand. Captain Ryze and the other two guards returned their swords to their sheaths. Ryze even graced Hugo with a smirk and a nod before he and the guards disappeared.
“Changed your mind about what?” Everand asked.
Victor lifted his hand to his mouth and released a long, piercing whistle that caused Hugo to wince. He lowered his hand and grinned. “You can keep Hugo Baker. I think he’s a bit too spicy for me.”
“I’m too spicy?” Hugo gasped. He stomped two steps toward the king. “You’re too spicy! Your whole family is too spicy!”
The words were barely out of Hugo’s outraged mouth when something huge and black flew up the side of the cliff. Hugo and Everand shouted in surprise and stumbled, knocking into each other. The giant creature circled above them once and landed right next to King Victor.
A Pegasus.
A great black horse with enormous black wings. It was massive, with thick muscles dancing under a flawless midnight coat. Wings big enough to blot out the sky stretched and jostled. The creature tossed its head and pawed at the ground twice but quieted the second Victor jumped onto its back and tightened his fist in its mane.
Victor shot them one last smile. “I’ll be expecting an invitation to the wedding.”
Everand snorted. “Only if you send a damn good gift!”
With a nudge of his heels into the horse’s flanks, the Pegasus extended its wings and ran straight for the cliff. It caught the wind and soared up into the clouds, heading toward the royal palace in Onisa.
“That’s not fair,” Hugo mumbled, still staring at the black dot growing smaller in the sky.
“What?”
“That has to be a royal thing. You make these incredible entrances and exits, leaving us poor commoners in the dust. How can I compete with that? A Pegasus, Ev! The king summoned a Pegasus to carry him home.” He threw out one hand, motioning at where the king had been in the sky.
“You don’t need to make a grand, flashy entrance. Sometimes, you just need to be a nice guy who’s willing to get splashed with mud to save a stranger from injury.”
Hugo jerked around, his mouth hanging open, but all words escaped him. Everand was talking about the first time they’d met. The real first time. Not the nonsense with the arranged luncheon, but that horrible day on the city street when he’d rescued Everand from the runaway carriage.
“You remember?” Hugo choked out.
