Page 41 of Their Promise

“Sounds great,” I said and put the tickets back into the envelope.

“How was your date with Mason?” he asked.

“He didn’t tell you?” I asked back. When we were younger, they had told each other everything.

“He’s been busy since then, so we haven’t really had time for idle chit chat.”

“Demons?” I asked, worried.

“And other things,” he replied vaguely.

Why were the demons showing up so much more often than even five years ago?

“How many variations of demon creatures have you encountered so far?” I asked.

“About one dozen,” he answered.

“That’s not that many,” I whispered and tapped my mouth as I considered the kind I had seen.

“If you are interested in learning more about demons, we have a book which we use to record the information we learn and some drawings as well.”

“I would love to read that,” I said immediately.

“Come by the house one of the days you’re not being courted and we’ll show you,” he said.

He was totally pulling at my insatiable curiosity, and I was one hundred percent going to fall for it.

“I’ll check my schedule,” I said and gave him a huge smile in the rearview mirror as he, meeting my expectations, looked back at me with a scowl.

He didn’t talk to me the rest of the drive, which was fine because it gave me time to text Maya and apologize for being so busy. She demanded a girls’ night, so I sent a message in the group chat I had with Mom, Great Aunt Leona, and Nana Jolie asking for their availability. While they weren’t our age, they were a ton of fun to hang out with and always held the best girls’ nights.

“We’re here,” Kayden announced as he put the vehicle in park, got out, and opened the door for me. He held out his hand to help me out, and I accepted with a smile, ignoring the thrill that ran from his fingers up my arm.

After I smoothed down my dress, I straightened my back, and walked into the restaurant.

The host bowed deeply and led the way to the back, to a private room where Liam was already seated. He was handsome, regal-like, and wore a grey suit that was definitely tailored just for him. His long, silver hair was tied back with a silver butterfly clip, exposing his pointed ears.

When he saw me enter, he stood, walked to me, picked my hand up, and kissed my knuckles. “Good evening, Princess.”

“Thank you for your request to dine with me, Prince Liam.”

He pulled out my chair and pushed it in as I sat. “Only a fool would waste such a rare opportunity as to get to know the elusive and gorgeous hybrid princess.”

Laughing softly, I set my napkin on my lap, and said, “I don’t think I’m elusive.”

The waiter came to my side and asked, “A drink, Your Highness?”

“Your best sparkling wine, please,” I requested, “with two cherries, no stems inside.”

“I shall return at once,” the waiter said, bowed, and rushed out of the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kayden move to a corner near the entrance to the private room, taking his place as guard.

“So, tell me about yourself, please,” Liam requested.

“What would you like to know?” I asked. “I’m the adopted daughter of King Caleb and Queen Ember, a hybrid with an animal form of a snake, and I just graduated from college.”

He shook his head, eyes full of light. “Not the tidbits the media shares about you. Tell me something aboutyou. Something the media wouldn’t know.”

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