Page 98 of Sincerely, Secretary of Doom

“Where is my human?” Mor asked Cress over the doctors’ heads.

Cress threw up his hands. “Well, you could at least sayhellofirst, Mor. Or possibly,thank youfor comingeven though these fools don’t want to let me pass. Can you tell these humans that I’m your legal-guardian-person? Or at least explain to them that I’m your Prince. Perhaps that would do it.” Cress put his hands on his hips and waited.

“He’s my legal-guardian-person,” Mor said to the doctors, then to Cress in the same breath he said, “Where is Violet? Is she all right?”

Cress’s turquoise eyes softened a little, and Mor shook his head.

No. No, he did not want to see Cress’s face go soft, or worrisome, or concerned. The Prince hadn’t shared a concerned look for another soul in nearly his whole faeborn life—why was he doing it to Mor now?

Mor pushed through the human doctors. A small bead of blood rolled down his arm from where he’d yanked out a needly thing when he’d left his bed.

Cress took Mor’s shoulder, stopping him with a strong grip before he could pass.

“Your human is with Shayne,” the Prince said. “Mor, she doesn’t remember anything. She doesn’t remember you.”

Mor’s throat swelled. He swallowed. “I know.”

Cress didn’t release him right away. But finally, his fingers loosened and he dropped his hand. “Shayne is with her at Lily’s apartment,” Cress said. “She may be compelled to try and kill you again when she sees you.”

Mor nodded. “I know that, too,” he said again.

“Shayne would have enslaved her with her real name, but he seems to think he’s already going to be dead at your hands for enchanting her with a kiss before. He wanted you to be her master. If one of us has to do it to stop her from killing you, Mor, it should be you.”

Mor glanced at the floor. The white tile was dirty. “I don’t want to enslave her.”

Cress flicked a hand through the air and cast an easy smile. “Oh, it’s not that big of a deal, Mor. I enslaved Kate. And I only abuse that power when it’s absolutely necessary—”

“It’s never necessary.” Mor shot him a look. “Don’t force Kate to do things, Cress. Don’t you remember how long you had to try and make up for the book release incident?”

Cress’s smile fell.

Mor shook his head and mumbled as he headed down the hall, “Why does that human want to marry you?”

“I’m strong, and powerful, and sometimes, I’m even adorable!” Cress called after him.

“You’re spoiled, you think you’re the best at everything, and you’re completely blind to your own weaknesses. I’d have told you that years ago if I didn’t think you’d cut out my tongue for it,” Mor called back, startling Dranian awake on the chairs as he passed.

When Cress didn’t reply, Mor glanced over his shoulder, fighting a smile. He realized half a dozen human doctors stood by the door of the room he’d abandoned, gaping and looking between him and Cress. Mor made a face, thinking about the loud ‘enslaving’ conversation he’d just had in front of them.

Mor shook his head and left anyway. “Humans,” he muttered as he rounded the corner, sniffing his way to the exit.

Shayne answered the door at Lily’s apartment. Mor took in the white-haired fairy’s wide smile.

“Welcome to our home—”

“Don’t even try that joke,” Mor said, shoving past him and searching the room. His heart did a double leap when he saw her.

Violet stood at the window. Her chestnut hair was down and loose without an ounce of styling. If she was wearing face paints, he couldn’t tell. Her freckles were prominent in the direct sunlight, and she wore flat shoes that looked comfortable and didn’t suit her. Her green eyes slid over to him standing there.

She had nearly no reaction; her face stayed the same. Her hands though…

Her grip tightened on the windowsill. Her throat shifted as she swallowed, and her gaze didn’t leave him. In her masked expression, he saw the hints of desperation not hidden well enough. The desperation eating away at her like a poison, making her muscles want to jerk toward him.

She wanted to kill him.

“Where’s Lily?” Mor asked Shayne as he watched Violet.

“She’s interviewing your interns.” Shayne moseyed over and stood at his side. His pockets looked stuffed with things that he no doubt stole from Lily’s apartment. “They’re fine, by the way. The female one looked a little shaken up, but there isn’t a single bruise on them.”

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