Page 59 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

“I think they would. They care about you a lot and were giving me disapproving looks wherever I walked. I knew what I did was wrong, but they were making sure I also knew it at every opportunity.”

“So that means in the future you will never be able to get away with anything?” I ask cheekily as I wiggle my eyebrows at him.

“You are not going to get me in trouble on purpose.” He gives me a pointed look.

“I would never,” I chuckle. “I was just thinking about the future and in case you did something like this again.”

“Just you wait until it’s your turn and you get all the stares and questions from them.” He gently flicks my forehead. “Then you aren’t going to be laughing.”

“They would never do that to me.” I smile. “They love me too much to give me looks.”

Kieran shakes his head. “Just you wait. Some day you are going to do something to me, and when you walk around they are going to know and will give you looks. Don’t come running to me when they do.”

“Why would I run to you when we are in an argument?” I ask.

“Because I thought about calling out to you several times to come and talk to me so we could resolve it so I wouldn’t get any more stares. I knew what I did was wrong and they were making sure that I knew it every second until you came back and we resolved this.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” I mumble.

Kieran gently touches the side of my head and several different memories play in my mind… all of the Fae giving Kieran knowing looks, little glares, and telling him to fix it.

“Oh my,” I whisper as he pulls back. “I never thought it was that bad.”

“Just you wait until it’s your turn. Then I’ll be laughing at you,” he says.

I shake my head. “You won’t be laughing at me.”

He sighs and chuckles. “You’re right. First I’ll make sure that you are okay and take care of you. Then we will talk about the argument we had.”

“Can we promise each other something?” I ask.

He hums and cocks his head to the side.

“Can we not go to bed after an argument or if we are mad at each other. I don’t like the feeling and I don’t want to have any regret when it comes to life. What if something were to happen during the night and we left everything on an argument? What if we⁠—”

Kieran kisses my lips. “I promise.”

CHAPTER 21

“Adeline,” Avira whispers in my ear. “Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?”

I whirl around, my eyes moving as I try to find where she is in this black pit. But everywhere I turn I just see black.

Where am I?

What happened to me?

“Prince Archie told you not to get close to me,” I yell, fear coursing through my body. “When he hears about this he won’t be happy.”

Laughter fills the air, sending shivers running up and down my body. I need to find Henry or Prince Archie. But as I walk further, the black doesn’t go anywhere.

“Do you think a mere prince can keep me away from you? He is no match for me.” Avira pops out right in front of me.

I scream and trip, taking several steps back as I try to widen the distance between us.

“Get away from me!” I yell. “You aren’t supposed to be close to me!”

But she’s right. What can Prince Archie do against her when she’s the witch? No one is as strong as she is.