Page 70 of Enchanted Queen

“Not in that way, pervert,” Owen chided but I could see the mischief swimming in his eyes. “If you are going to go all doom and gloom on me, Jorah, I am pretty sure I kept shoving you together with our king, so a little credit where credit is due would be nice. The amount of angst and longing I had to endure around you two was atrocious.”

Jorah rubbed a hand across her forehead. “I think I’m going to call an Assemblage for you, and I am going to be your guard for it.” She let the sound barrier fall.

“Not until I return, please,” I begged her. “I have to be there to see it.”

She gave me a nod. “He’s not ready anyway. You should hear his future children’s names.”

And as they launched into an argument about names, I just shook my head. Some things were never going to change, and despite the hell we’d all been through, those two were still wholly themselves. My father had ruined the entire realm with his power-hungry ways, yet there were some things too pure, purely annoying maybe in Owen’s case, but too pure for him to taint.

It was time I stopped letting that past affect my future. I was Keiran James Kairos Valanova. Prince. Brother. Uncle. And I was going to fix Dra Skor’s magic as a final rebellion to my father’s legacy.

I turned to find lots of people had been waiting for us to finish our conversation. I quickly shook hands with each of the men and women who had come to Dra Skor on the ship and then took back to the skies with Amory and Esta.

Ten minutes later, Esta informed me that the shifters were still excitable over the day’s events, but they understood they needed to give me time to rest, so they were just celebrating together instead of hunting us down. And she informed us that the ship was returning to Wylan unfollowed, other than the group returning them.

I sighed, the adrenaline finally wearing off, despite the fact that we were flying.

You were quite affectionate with Your Queen and your friend,the queen stated, as I was almost nodding off.

It took me a minute to process her words, wondering what she meant. I guess I had received hugs from Jorah and Owen both, and a joke of a kiss on the temple from Owen.

I forgot what that looked like. So many of our families here are separated, one way or another. I just meant that it was good to see. A healthy, joking family.

“Maybe too much joking,” I said softly, and Amory laughed.

They’re perfect,the queen argued.

I choked on a laugh. “No family is perfect, but they’re mine.” I paused. “And Esta?”

Yes?

“If you needed a hug, you could’ve just said so.”

Amory was unable to contain the laugh that burst forth as the queen puffed out smoke. If I could see her head, I would guarantee she was rolling her eyes.

I yawned, despite my grin. “I am afraid I am about to pass out, ladies.”

“We take no offense,” Amory said lightly.

Take your power nap, Insufferable Prince. You earned it today.

CHAPTER22

“In the full moon eve, there sat sheee.”

I groaned and rolled over. If I was going to have to wake up, could it not be to the tune Emric was singing, or rather, butchering.

“No longer a guest, a fullness of—” he paused deliberately, “quest.”

“Make it stop,” I pleaded.

“Tame may come the winds, many may come the gins,” he continued, oblivious to the torture he was delivering. Or not caring. Likely the latter. “Yo ho, yo ho, find your adventure on the open seaaaaas.”

I sat up, thankful the song was finally over, my stomach refusing to ignore the smells of food in the room. “Wind and gin do not really rhyme,” I noted.

“I didn’t write the damn thing, I’m merely singing it,” Emric defended. “Stop distracting me from the second verse.”

“There’s more?” I groaned, putting up a sound barrier around Emric as I strode for the food.