Page 27 of The Forsaken Heir
“I want you to message me as soon as anything changes, Karinius,” I said. “Anything. If they change the temperature settings in your room, you call me. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good man. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I stood there for a few moments, wondering how to broach the subject with Elle. She’d want to know what her family had said, but how did I tell her they weretoo busyto discuss how and when to get her back home. Would she be as confused as I was? Devastated? Angry?
“Damn it.” I sighed and tucked the phone into my pocket.
Back in my room, I showered and changed before heading to Elle’s quarters. She would need to be told, and it was better ifit happened as soon as possible so she could process what was happening. She’d need to stay atleastanother day, and I wasn’t sure how she’d take that information.
I knew exactly how my inner dragon was taking that information. The mere thought of her sticking around a little longer sent him into a frenzy of exhilaration. Even as I walked toward her suite, he urged me on. Something about her had ignited a longing I’d never experienced in both me and my dragon. If I was honest with myself, the prospect of getting to be around Elle a little longer made me excited as well.
At her door, I hesitated for a second before rapping my knuckles on the wood three times.
“Wha?” her muffled voice called out
Frowning, I knocked again.
More time went by until I finally heard the sound of shuffling feet, and the fumble of locks being turned. When the door swung open, I had a hard time keeping my composure.
Elle, with her hair disheveled and her eyes bleary, squinted up at me. She wore nothing but the robe I’d requested be brought to her. It was cinched at her waist, but the way she leaned on the door made the robe gape slightly at the chest, giving me a partial view of the soft curve of her cleavage. I quickly averted my gaze as heat surged through me. I wanted to reach forward and tug the robe aside to fully reveal the body beneath.
“Uh…good morning,” I said, doing my best to regain my footing. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”
“S’fine,” she mumbled as she rubbed her hand over her hair. “It was probably time to wake up anyway.” She yawned.
This woman was nothing like I’d imagined she’d be. The eldest scion to the world’s most powerful wolf family was in the home of a royal dragon, yet she seemed completely at ease. As though it was any other Saturday. I was used to the ladies of court who werealwaysprimped, polished, and perfect with a fake veneer plastered to their faces at all times. If one of the women the council was pushing on me to marry had been in the position Elle was in, there was no way in hell they’d have opened the door before getting fully dressed and doing their hair and makeup. To be honest, it was a breath of fresh air to see a woman acting normal around me.
Swallowing, I decided to come right out with the news. Then I could help her cope with it.
“Elle, I came to tell you I’ve spoken with our envoy at your parent’s home.”
“Yeah?” She rubbed her eyes and yawned again.
“They… They told my ambassador they were unable to meet with him until tomorrow. They know you are here under my care, but have chosen to put off a negotiation.”
“Okay,” she said, shrugging a shoulder, and putting a hand on her hip.
I blinked at her, unsure how to respond.
“This means you’ll most likely need to stay here another day. At least until my man can finally speak to your parents and set up a time to get you back to them safely.”
“I’m okay to hang out,” she said, her eyes becoming more bright as the last vestiges of sleep faded away. “I’ll let my nan—er—roommate know I’ll be gone a little longer.”
I couldn’t help but smile. It appeared like this woman could handle anything and simply shrug it off. Impressive. Surprisingly, I liked it.
“Question,” I said. “Do you like horses?”
She paused mid-stretch and looked at me. “Excuse me?”
“Horses? Do you like them?”
She straightened and cocked an eyebrow. “This isn’t the lead up to some sort of joke about the size of your dick, right?”
My mouth dropped open half an inch, but I found my footing quickly and flashed her a grin. “No, no, no. That’s personal information. Thanks for showing interest, though,” I said and winked at her.
To my delight, her cheeks went red. “Okay, I’ll bite, what’s this about horses?”
