Page 128 of A Bargain with the Fae King

Joy lights her face, the tears forgotten.

Ambrose whines again and rubs his paw over his face.

“It wants to be my friend! Can I play with it? Please?” She bounces in my lap without fear of the large animal only a few feet away.

All the “wild animals are not friends” discussions we’ve had over the years clearly didn’t sink in. I blame all her books about friendly animals.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Ambrose bob his head up and down.

“Fine.” I sigh. How am I going to break it to her that not all bears are so friendly?

May squeals, hops to her feet, and goes running over to Ambrose. He lays on the ground as she rubs his fur, wiggles his ears, makes faces at him, and a number of other things entirely inappropriate for a child to do with a wild animal.

But she’s happy, laughing, giggling, her terror forgotten, so I don’t stop her.

Chapter 39

Karinbringsfood,includinga tray of items that look suspiciously like human sandwiches, as well as several small outfits.

“I found a few things that might fit the girl.” She holds up the colorful dresses and lays each one across a nearby table. A dark green sundress reminds me of one of May’s favorite outfits. She’ll love it, especially since it’s her current favorite color.

Iason returns to check on Riven as May lets out a particularly loud yell of laughter while riding bear-form Ambrose like a horse. The healer winces. “I’m glad the girl is happy now, but perhaps they can play outside? Our king will need all the rest he can get in order to recover.”

I can barely make out Riven’s still form atop the bed in the other room. He hasn’t moved. Not a twitch all day.

“I’ll have one of the courtyards closed off for us,” Solona offers. “They can play out there, and May might find something else more interesting than the captain.” A wry smile pulls at her lips as she gazes back over at Ambrose and May. Sylvie plays the dark knight May battles while riding her noble steed. We even had to clear furniture out of the way to form their battlefield.

The thought of leaving Riven alone causes my heart to clench in pain. Even if he’s not awake, I want to be with him. But if the noise is harming his recovery… Leaving May’s side isn’t an option, but we can give him some space, at least for a little while.

“Still no change?” I ask when we return hours later.

Rays of sunset slant through the open balcony, painting the room an array of bright shades.

Iason shakes his head. “I’m afraid not. Not yet.” He tilts his head as a smile emerges from his frown. “Though I see the afternoon was a success for someone.”

Ambrose, back to his fae self, carries a slumbering May in his arms. The green dress bears the stains of an afternoon of outdoor play. Eventually, all of the excitement of the day caught up with her, and she collapsed into a slumber against the base of a tree. He lays her down on the couch, but as he moves away, she grasps onto his sleeve and mumbles something in her sleep.

“Looks like you made a friend,” Solona chuckles.

With considerable care, he unlatches her fingers. May curls up in a ball on the cushions, content to sleep without her new companion. Ambrose drapes a soft, dark blanket over her slumbering form, shielding her from the cool night air that will soon slip into the room.

“He should be through the worst of it by now, but send for me immediately if he wakes or anything changes,” Iason says to Ambrose as I exit the bathing room sometime later, dressed in my most conservative nightgown. Night has fallen while I washed up, leaving the room aglow in lamplight and the last remnants of sunset adding traces of fleeting light to the sky.

Ambrose stretches on the couch across from May, his boots cast off the side on the ground. Already a blanket is around his chest.

I shake my head and cross the room toward them.

“Thank you, Iason, we will,” I whisper, wary of waking May.

“Goodnight,” he calls quietly and strides for the exit.

My attention shifts to Ambrose, who stifles a long yawn. “Are you sure you want to sleep on the couch again?”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, one of us should be here if she wakes.” He nods toward May. “I assume you’ll be keeping Riven company?” Humor dances in his eyes.

Heat rises to my cheeks at his words. He’d hit the nail on the head.

“My presence helped him before,” I say, recalling the last time he’d been thoroughly drained of magic.

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