Briar pinched my cheek before turning back to his workstation. I left the clinic, and it wasn’t long until I started humming again.
I was happy too.
***
“Hello, old friend,” I said as I reached the fork in the path that had tripped me up the last time. “We meet again.”
Unlike that time though, I wouldn’t get lost. I went left, remembering the day I’d chased Kuya around the castle grounds. That little hairball. Even while fighting for my life—wheezing as I ran after him—the way was engraved in my memory.
The people in the accounting department were nice. Two younger men and a woman who looked to be in her fifties. She was the head of the department. I handed over the documents, and the woman scanned the budget request before signing off on it. It was then placed in a separate file and stacked with others. Organized and neat. I thanked them and headed for the door.
“So cute,” one of the men whispered from behind me.
“That cute face belongs to Captain Maddox,” the other said. “I’d steer clear if I were you.”
Smiling, I stepped back outside. I belonged to Captain Maddox, huh? I liked the sound of that. But I also belonged to Briar.
The errand had brought me closer to the main part of the castle, and I stared up at it in awe, imagining lavish balls with handsome men in fancy suits and women in Cinderella-type gowns. I bet the food was incredible. Even the bite-sized hors d’oeuvres.
Lost in my head, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. My fantasy faded, and I found myself in a courtyard with a huge fountain in the center and flower beds all around it. Tall shrubs had been shaped in uniform ovals. How far had I walked? I was alotcloser to the castle.
Probablytooclose.
Two castle guards were walking along the path, wearing green uniforms with black belts around the midsection. They both had swords sheathed at their sides. One stopped as he saw me.
“State your name and purpose,” he barked, hand going to his sword’s hilt. The other guard followed suit as they approached me.
“Um.” Alarmed, I backed away. My back hit one of the shrubs, leaving me nowhere to go. “I’m Evan. I just dropped off a budget request for the knights.”
“You are nowhere near the accounting department.”
Oh, well, that was awesome. My wandering mind had resulted in wandering legs that obviously had a mind of their own. “I can explain that.”
“I suggest you do.” Suspicion clouded his eyes. A threat did too.
Remember the Evan sashimi I feared Maddox would make once learning I’d kissed Briar? Well, this guard looked ready to make that a reality.Farewell, cruel world.
“Your face is familiar, but I can’t place it,” the guard said. “How did you get on these grounds?”
“I was brought here by Captain Maddox of the Second Order,” I said in a rush, panic rising. Never a good sign. It meant a ramble was coming. “Well, I guess Callum is the one who actually brought me, but Maddox ordered him to because he wanted to question me. Not because I did anything criminal. I was, um, found near the dark wood?”
“That’s it,” he said with a snap of his fingers. “Sir Callum brought you through the front gates.”
“So you’re a prisoner?” the other guard asked, his tone gruffer than the other. He drew his sword. “And you escaped.”
“No! I didn’t escape.” I eyed the sharp tip of the blade. “Oh my god. Please don’t kill me. I’m too young to die.”
“Lower your weapons,” a firm voice said from the right. A head of blond hair appeared among the tall shrubs before a man rounded the corner. “He’s a friend.”
“Prince Sawyer,” the guards said in unison, lowering their swords and bowing their heads.
Kuya peeked from around him before smiling wide. “Evan!” He rushed over and latched onto my side. His tail flicked behind him as he nuzzled my shoulder. A fruity scent wafted from his reddish-brown hair. “Kuya missed you.”
“Forgive us, Your Highness,” one guard said. “We weren’t aware he was a friend of the crown.”
“You were only doing your duty, and for that, I thank you,” the prince responded. “Yet, now that you know who he is, see to it that it doesn’t happen again.”
The two agreed that it wouldn’t, issued another apology, and then bowed before leaving.
