Page 69 of Their Princess

“Oh ho! Did you find someone you fancy already?” I asked, trying and failing to hide my smile.

“I won’t jinx it by discussing it,” he replied immediately. “Anyway, how did you like the housing development? Trey spent a lot of time on that.”

Glancing over my shoulder at my mate, I said, “I love it. I can’t wait for us to have enough housing that the demons won’t have to worry about it in the future.”

“Your father, er, the striped-haired one, suggested we develop a curriculum to teach constructions skills to demons who want to learn, so that we can build the houses in the future instead of requiring bringing people from the other world. I hear that there are many males eager to sign up here.”

The striped-haired one? Oh, he must have meant Triston, who was a tiger shifter.

“I think that’s a great idea! I’m a little irritated I didn’t think of it myself,” I admitted.

As we approached the fields where they’d planted the crops, my eyes widened at the flourishing plots. The corn was already tall, much taller than if it was only being grown naturally. “Have the elves been coming to help often?”

“No,” Zoman said and frowned at me. “Why do you ask?”

“The corn looks taller than it should be for how long it’s been growing,” I said.

“I know the elves commented on the quality of the soil, so perhaps it’s that,” he said and shrugged his shoulders.

There were several demons working in the fields, watering, picking weeds, and tending to the various crops. Some were picking the ripe fruits and vegetables and putting them in large containers that they then dumped into crates in a cart that sat nearby.

“So, what is it that they want me to do?” I asked.

“We’d like you to sing,” Talrinir said from behind the cart as she straightened and dusted off her hands. “The plants always do better at the castle when you sing, so we thought it’d be a good test to see if it was because of your singing or something else.”

“Oh. Okay. I can do that.”

“If you’ll just walk down the rows while singing, touch a few of the plants, just like you do in the castle gardens, please.”

“Any particular song request?”

“Mama, can we go play in the grass over there?” Elrith asked and pointed in the distance where a small hill was covered in green grass.

“As long as Kora and one of your fathers goes with you,” I said with a nod.

“I’ll go with you,” Mason said. “I’m not tired and don’t feel like being put to sleep by your mama again.” He winked at me to let me know he was teasing before turning back to the kids. “Race you to the top of the hill?”

“One. Two. Three. Go!” Elrith shouted and Dhun, Kora, Elrith, and Mason took off towards the hill.

“The focus song would be good and any of those upbeat songs I think will do best,” Talrinir said, answering my question.

“Very well, if I must,” I said with a dramatic sigh.

She smiled and said, “We appreciate your sacrifice.” Her smile slipped and she said, “Ah, sorry, that?—”

I waved off her apology. “I know what you meant.” Immediately, I started down the first row and began singing, arms out so I could touch the leaves of the plants as I went. The farmers smiled and bowed to me when I passed them and I smiled and waved in return, but kept up my singing. It took five songs for me to finish my path down all of the rows of crops, but when I finished and returned to Zoman, Talrinir, Trey, and Kayden, they were staring in wonder at the crops.

“What?” I asked as I turned back to look, trying to see what they saw. Then, I saw it. The crops were all glowing a slight silver in color now, like they were … sparkling.

“How interesting,” Trey whispered. “The plants have never glowed in the castle gardens.”

“Nor the ones at home,” Kayden commented.

“I swear, it’s like I keep finding out new abilities or unlocking new ones now that we’re staying here in the demon world,” I whispered as I stared in awe at the plants.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what you can do in a year,” Zoman said and Talrinir nodded with a huge smile, her doglike ears flopping back and forth in her excitement.

A flying demon with leathery wings headed our way and we all looked up at it.

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