Page 36 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
Again, something flashes in Endellion’s eyes. He sighs. “Don’t be scared now, Azadeh, please.”
I nod, noticing how his eyes turn black and his whole demeanor changes. “Hello, little princess,” he says, his voice darker and hoarser than before. He reaches out his hand towards me, and I carefully take it. “I’m Caspian.”
My eyes widen as I look at him, fascinated. “You are Endellion’s wolf? It’s an honor to meet you, Caspian.”
“And, you are not scared?” He smirks as he keeps staring into my eyes, like he is looking right into my soul. “It’s been a while since someone has dared to look right into our eyes, for so long.” He sounds pleased.
I tilt my head, feeling flustered by his words. “It’s not my intention to upset you,” I soothe him. “It’s just… everything is so new to me.”
“You are not upsetting us. I like a strong princess.” His lips tug into a smile as he bows his head, and gently squeezes my hand. He turns it slightly, tracing my palm with his finger. “You have a beautiful little mark here.”
“That’s a mole,” I tell him. “It’s shaped like a sun. I thought it’s ugly, but somehow it became part of me.”
“It’s not ugly,” he says, making a movement as if he wants to kiss it. Then he moves away, and when he looks back up at me, Endellion’s eyes have returned to silver.
“I told him to behave,” he chuckles. “I think he was about to kiss your hand and slobber on it.”
His words make me suppress a giggle.
“Come, we are here.” Endellion gestures towards a beautiful house close to the town’s center. I was so busy talking to him and Caspian I didn’t pay much attention to the town, but now, as I look around, I see lots of small shops and little bars and restaurants. It’s fascinating how they organize their packs like towns.
Ita’s parents live in a beautiful and fancy house. It’s obvious they are ranked members of this pack.
Endellion puts a hand against my back and gently leads me towards the door. The gesture surprises me and warms me up from inside. Before we even have reached the door, a man who looks in his forties opens it. His eyes gleam with pride and joy, and he bows towards us. “Prince Endellion and Princess Azadeh.”
I’m shocked he already knows my name, but follow Endellion’s example, who greets the man warmly. It’s Ita’s father, I realize, a man named Sloan. Inside his house, I see two boys running towards Endellion excitedly. They must be Ita’s brothers.
Endellion gets down on his knees to be at eye level with them and tousles their hair. “Look at how tall you’ve become.”
They beam in pride before eyeing me curiously. “Prince Ende, who is that?”
“That’s Princess Azadeh, the Desert Princess,” Endellion explains to them.
“Boys,” Sloan scolds. “This is not how we greet a guest.”
“Sorry.” They scramble to their feet and bow in front of me. If I had to guess, I’d say they are between eight and twelve, and clearly two joyful boys. Their father sends them away so that we can finally meet his mate, Doreen, and their newborn. She is currently resting in their living room with the baby in her arms. “Oh, Prince Endellion and Princess Azadeh, what an honor!” She smiles brightly at us, her smile only growing when Endellion hands her a basket, full of presents the palace had prepared. I’ve heard they put gifts for the newborn baby in it and food.
Doreen and Sloan seem to know Endellion and his family well, which makes sense, seeing how Ita is Gamma and how she is part of the royal family in a way. What surprises me more is how welcoming they are to me, a literal stranger. “Princess Azadeh,” Doreen looks at me and casts her eyes downward in an almost submissive gesture. “Ita told me that you saved her life during the blizzard. That you saved them all. I wanted to thank you for saving my daughter. It means the world to me.”
My eyes widen. “But I didn’t do anything,” I say. “It’s all just working on instinct.”
“Your instincts wanted to save my girl,” her mate backs her up. “And we are so thankful you were there.”
A part of me feels I don’t deserve the praise. Maybe me being there was the reason they were attacked in the first place. It reminds me all of a sudden that I still didn’t have the talk with the king yet, about what happened that day.
Endellion and I spend half an hour with the family before we return to the castle.
“Endellion-” I look at him earnestly. “When does the king, your father, want to talk to me? I know he wants to find out what I saw that day during the blizzard, and also hear about what happened during the werebear attack.”
Endellion sighs. “We wanted to give you a few days to settle in before pestering you with this.”
Their consideration touches me, but it’s not necessary. “If there is danger lurking out there, I want to help as much as possible.”
Endellion looks at me, marveling. “You are nothing like I expected you to be.”
“Is this a bad thing?” I ask cautiously.
A smile lights up his earnest face. “Not at all,” he beams at me. “In fact, it’s a huge honor for us all that you are trying to learn so much about us and our customs, and that you wish to help already.”
