Lucie pulled him over to the couch and kept holding onto his hand. “No, I don’t think I will. If you don’t control your emotions, then I plan on breaking your fingers.”
Ryan busted out laughing. “You are way more interesting than I ever imagined, Lucie. Derrick is getting a fun one, that’s for sure.”
“You’d really break my fingers?” Jasper gave her a wry smile.
“Would you care to put it to the test?” she challenged back, and Jasper chuckled. She was just doing some minor tests of her own now. The hand connection wasn’t to break his fingers, though she felt like it was a really good idea. She was actually trying to feel his energy, hoping she would notice something different when he got agitated. Something she could use as a signal in the future.
She looked up at Ryan and smiled. “So we don’t need the details, as I have already told Ryan. He isn’t my Derrick, so I don’t care what he does. He made a mistake since his face is the prince’s face. It’s something that isn’t going to happen again. And I don’t think we’ll have to worry about Amanda saying anything anymore either, not after I made my stance clear and after she saw you.” Lucie tilted her head at Jasper and gave him a faint smile. She could see the shades of his eyes going from brown to dark brown. She couldn’t feel anything different in his energy level, but he was definitely trying to control his anger.
Jasper’s eyes fixed on Ryan’s. “Do you realize what could have happened here? What if Lucie hadn’t met the real Derrick? The implications alone, and the rumors?! Damn it, Ryan.” His tone was growing lethal as he grit his teeth.
“I’m really sorry. I have no excuse. I drank too much and?—”
“Like I said we don’t need details, Ryan.” Lucie pinched Jasper’s hand, redirecting his attention to her. His eyes turned back to his golden brown and she smiled at him. “And I told you I already handled this, right? Now would be a good time for you to decide where exactly you rank me here. Am I still the werewolf princess where this isn’t my business? Or am I your prince’s mate and your vampire princess?”
“Yeah, but Lucie?—”
“No buts, Jasper. I let him off the hook. He understands and is sorry. We aren’t going to rehash it and dwell on it. We’re starting fresh. Now, who is roasting me my marshmallows?”
Jasper relaxed. He never seemed out of control and she never noticed anything different. She would have to witness one of these dark moments herself in order to assess it better. But for now, he was just Jasper, the guy who was like a brother to her.
Time went by fast,surprisingly, and all too soon, the day of the celebration was upon them. Lucie really missed Derrick, but she was kept fairly busy. She was able to meet the banshee, Myra, who always joined her at night. It was a way for her to be able to stay in the royal chambers that wouldn’t be inappropriate. She took the bed while Ryan stayed on the couch.
To Lucie’s surprise, she found that banshees belonged to the fairy family. Myra instantly took to her as the fairy princess and prince’s future bride. She got the feeling that something was being kept a secret from her, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. And Jasper … he never had any angry moments, never blacked out. Maybe he had it more under control than everyone thought.
Lucie walked out into the courtyard holding Ryan’s arm. There were hundreds of tables set up to accommodate all the guests. When they walked out together, the people stood, clapping and cheering loudly.
“See nothing to it,” Ryan said quietly, winking at Lucie. “Now comes the worst part … mingling.” He frowned and silently groaned. This was always the part he hated the most.
Lucie could see Jasper and Aedan sitting together near the back. They seemed content to stay out of the spotlight but still keep her in their sights. She agreed with Ryan. This part was the worst. They went table to table greeting everyone before Ryan left her with a group of young ladies while he went to talk with some younger men.
“So what is the prince like?” one of the young ladies asked. “We don’t really know him on a personal level. He keeps to himself.”
Lucie smiled politely. “He’s a great guy. He’s fun, has a good personality, and honestly everything I could have ever asked for.” The girls around her all gushed over what she was saying.
“Sounds like you found a boyfriend as awesome as mine,” a shorter girl with raven black hair said. She had deep green eyes and ivory skin, and was honestly gorgeous.
“Geez, Stella … no one wants to hear about your perfect boyfriend again.” One of the other ladies pouted. “I feel so lonely all of a sudden.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find your mate soon enough,” Lucie said sweetly.
“Stella hasn’t found her mate either. They’re just exclusively together until they do find their mates.”
“Oh. Sorry about the misunderstanding.” Lucie bit her bottom lip and smiled.
Stella giggled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s an easy mistake. We don’t always find our mates right away, so a lot of us pair up with a steady partner until then. We both know once we find our mates, it’s over … but it is nice to have someone to belong to for now.” She brought out her phone and began flipping through pictures. “See?” she said, turning the phone to Lucie. “This is me and my Ryan.”
Lucie felt the air get knocked out of her. It was a selfie picture of Stella with … Derrick. HER Derrick acting as Ryan. She watched as she flipped through some more pictures.
“This is my cousin Sabrina. She was the one who introduced me to Ryan and we both just hit it off.” Stella gushed over a couple more pictures.
“Please spare our princess the intimate details that you weren’t kind enough to spare us,” one of the women said with a groan.
Stella blushed and waved her hand over her face. “Stop, you’re making me blush just thinking about it.”
Lucie tried to rationalize what she was hearing. This girl didn’t know that it was Derrick, so she had nothing to gain by saying what she was saying. She had no idea that he was Lucie’s mate. She needed to go somewhere and think. A picture is worth a thousand words, but there were also so many unspoken words there.
She felt sick. Inwardly, she was a mess, but outwardly, she continued to look composed as she listened to Stella gush over how sweet Ryan was. It didn’t make sense. She asked Derrick outright if there was anyone. He could have easily admitted it then, right? Did she trust Derrick or not? The problem was why would this girl lie about it? She also had pictures of them together. They were smiling, looking at the phone, their heads close together.Of course their heads were close, Lucie. It’s a damn selfie.She scolded herself inwardly as her emotions raged against her common sense.
