Page 59 of Tricky Princess
Devon pushed him toward the sitting area, one that was much smaller than his. Sam’s laugh was loud as Ellea filled him in on her great Hel adventures.
“So she’s truly okay?” Devon asked as they sat near an open window.
A calming breeze caressed his skin. He hated this place, but it was still home. He breathed in the woodsy, clean smell that tangled with the crisp smell of apples. He bet the kitchen staff were working hard on whatever celebration his father would throw to mark his prodigal’s return.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ros said. “Yeah, she is unharmed, but I’m not sure what she has been up to or through.”
“You didn’t talk to her last night?”
Ros gave him a look, and he chuckled. “Right.”
“How’s Sam?”
“Good; the healers say he will need another two days for the poison to be out of his system. He could finally shift this morning, and they want to make sure there was no other damage.”
“And his mind?” Ros asked. They all had been through a lot. Sam may be laughing and flirting, but they were all good at wearing masks.
“We talked this morning, and that will take time. The forest really brought up something he’s been suppressing,” Devon said, looking over his shoulder to where Ellea was telling the grand story of her adventures with Mhairi. “He’s carrying a lot of guilt he shouldn’t. Failing the wolven, not producing pups, his time in the war, and not being able to protect me.” He paused, his eyes bouncing between the two on the bed. “Did she really steal a horse?”
Poor Sam. If he only realized all he had done, all he continued to do. The wolven adored him, and even with his goofy nature, they respected him.
“Technically, she stole three,” Ros said. “I hadn’t heard about the gambling, though. And you can adopt like Ellea and I.”
“You’ve talked kids with E?” Devon asked, shocked.
“Of course not, but my father dropped the idea at dinner last night.”
“This is weird,” Devon added.
“What?”
“We’re in Hel, where you are the prince and your father is king,” he said. “We are in a freaking castle in Hel, Ros.”
Yeah, he could see how it was different for him and Sam. Not for him, he was bound to be back here eventually, but he never would’ve thought his friends would be here with him.
“You didn’t see many castles on your many travels?” Ros joked.
“I saw plenty, but none this bloody or with so many beasts.”
Ros worried his lip with a fang. This was hard. Devon had looked less drawn today, but they needed to discuss what happened yesterday. It seemed Ros had a lot of discussions that needed to happen.
“Devon…how are you?”
“Fine?”
“You killed a lot of demons yesterday,” Ros pointed out. “You’re fine?”
“I’m not fine, but I’m okay,” he said, looking more serious. “Knowing Ellea is safe, that she has been safe…things feel less heavy. I’m sure it will hit me, but Sam has been distracting—the fact that I’m in Hel has also been distracting. Maybe when this is all over I can have a breakdown.”
“Devon—”
“Ros, I know, but we have enough to deal with right now. The demons were attacking me, you, all of us. What was I supposed to do? Cower in a corner and wait for it to be over? I’m a witch, the world is full of evil things, and the people I love are involved in this cruel part of our supernatural world. It’s time I became a badass like the rest of you, don’t you think?”
“You’ve always been badass,” Ros said, leaning toward him to grip the back of his neck, looking into his pale eyes. “Please talk to me, though, or Ellea.”
“Did you press Ellea this much when she killed her first demon?”
Ros furrowed his brow and then remembered exactly what he’d done after Ellea killed her first demon.
