Page 67 of Enchanted Shadows
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I don’t like being called a princess any more than you will like being called a prince.”
“Why not? You actually are one.”
She looked to the sky before taking a deep pull of breath. “I did nothing to deserve the title. I merely exist. Because an evil king wanted the power from my mother. I am no princess.”
“I’ve seen you train,” I argued.
Her head went back, confused. “And?”
“And I think a disciplined and unselfish princess is the best flavor of princess.”
“Didn’t realize you had tasted me,” she blurted out, shifting on her feet.
“Didn’t realize you wanted me to,” I fired back, grinning.
“Can we not?” She ran a hand over her forehead. “Can we not flirt? Or whatever this is. Is this the part where you’re just trying to distract me because of all I have to say to the team tomorrow?”
Dammit. She was catching on to all my favorite tactics already. “I’ll never tell.”
“You are impossible,” she groaned. Then after a few beats she whispered, “How angry will they be with me?”
“I think you should consider allowing them to meet Artem eventually. Look at how the rest of you have rallied around Wren and her man problems. Give them some credit. Pippa will be annoyed. Jessina will be flustered. Molly will think this is the best fake marriage that ever existed.”
She took another deep breath. “We are really doing this.”
“We are,” I agreed. “But I’m still a little pissed at you.”
“It’s been a long day.” She flung her arm out like a door swinging. “Can you be more specific of which thing incited it?”
“Two things really,” I mused. “The first is that you didn’t come clean to me about your Enchantments. You should’ve been training them this whole time. Not suppressing them.” I intentionally paused, letting her have the time to hear my words. “And the second, that it took you this long to tell me everything.”
“You would have thrown yourself into a loveless marriage even then?”
I turned to leave for my cabin. “I would’ve found a way. Now you’re just stuck with me.”
“There are worse curses, I suppose,” she smirked.
“See you bright and early in the morning, Zar—” I cut off, realizing I didn’t know what to call her anymore.
“You can call me whatever you want,” she said.
“Well, you’re going to have to get used to calling me Owen,” I reminded her. “Goodnight, Princess.”
She groaned at the sky. “Ugh. Anythingbutthat.”
I had known she wouldn’t like it. Had still done it anyway. It was better to see her frustrated with my antics than broken like she was when she stormed into that throne room.
I never wanted to see her like that ever again. If I had to marry her to accomplish it, so be it.
I fell into my bed at my cabin, and surprisingly, I was able to sleep immediately. Maybe it was the fact that I finally knew what was going on with Zara. The threat was finally identified.
“Hold up,”I told the women already heading to get started running. “We have a little item of business that we need to discuss first. Take a seat for a minute or two.”
“Great,” Pippa groaned.
“Fantastic,” Elsie agreed.
This could’ve waited until after we ran, but I knew Kessara had likely not slept as soundly as I had, mulling over the information she had to share today. I didn’t know how much she would tell them, but I was going to give her the space to tell them as much of it as she wanted.
