He dove on top of me. I squealed as he tickled my sides.
Lake stood against the wall, tail wagging and faintly smiling as he watched us. Briar lightly nudged him before coming over and joining us on the bed. Helping Maddox torture me with merciless tickles.
“Wolf?” Maddox asked as he pinned me down. “Care to do the honors?”
“No,” I whined as I squirmed beneath him. Briar lay beside me and kissed my forehead. I peered up at Maddox. “You’ve corrupted Briar. You won’t corrupt my gentle Lake too.”
“Me? Corrupt? Nonsense.” Maddox dipped his face to my neck and grazed his teeth along my jugular vein. “Besides, you love it.”
He was right. But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it.
Lake stepped toward the bed, his furry ears lowered, as though nervous. Maddox shifted his weight to the side allowing Lake to settle on top of me. His purple eyes gleamed with excitement and nerves. But mostly, I saw love.
I smiled up at Lake before he pressed a kiss to my lips.
It felt good to be home.
Chapter Twenty
Evan Wears His Fancy Pants
On the morning of the autumn ball, a force of knights showed up at my front door to safely escort me to the castle. Was a guard of ten men overkill? Probably. But it had been a direct order from Prince Sawyer.
“Take care of him,” Maddox told them with a hard expression. He would be heading to the castle soon with Briar.
“Of course,” Sir Anton responded. “No harm will come to your male.”
“See to it that it doesn’t.”
Briar bumped Maddox’s shoulder. “Evan is in good hands. So stop snarling.”
That snarl only intensified.
I laughed and wrapped my arms around Maddox. “See you this evening?”
His eyes softened, revealing that tenderness he reserved solely for me. “Yes. Behave until then.”
“I’ll be too busy to do anything else.” I stood on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips, then went over to Briar to do the same. “You’ll be there too, right?”
“Yes,” Briar responded, patting the top of my head. “I’ll have your suit sent over this afternoon. It’s at the tailor at the moment for final touches.”
We had visited the market a few weeks back where my measurements had been taken. The custom suit had probably cost a fortune, but Briar refused to admit it. I loved it though. It was a three-piece dark green suit—so dark it appeared to be black from a distance—with the same deep shade for the undervest and a white shirt.
Lake had stayed upstairs when the knights came for me, but we’d spent the morning together. I cast a look toward the staircase before following the knights out. They helped me into a rounded carriage pulled by a team of white horses.
I felt like Cinderella. She’d been on her way to a ball too. But luckily for me, I’d already found my true loves. And come midnight, I’d still have them. The magic that had brought me to Bremloc wouldn’t fade.
This is my life now.
I smiled as I peered out the small window.
On the way, we picked up Miles from the lower district. He was so tall his head touched the roof of the carriage, so he had to bend lower. He beamed with an excited smile. It would be his first time going to the castle. Since Peter and Alice would only be helping us serve during the ball, they wouldn’t be joining us until later that afternoon.
The carriage bounced as the horses carried us down the cobblestone road and through the castle gates. We were then taken to the front steps and helped out. The morning air was still warm, summer not quite ready to let go, but there was a faint crispness too.
“Good morning,” a pretty red-haired woman greeted us from the steps. She looked to be in her mid-forties with laughter lines and a friendly smile. “Welcome to the castle. I’m Rose. I’ll show you to the kitchen.”
The two of us were then given a tour of the kitchen—it was freaking huge—and introduced to the staff. They would be helping us. Thank god. Feeding so many people would require way more prep work, baking, and decorating than Miles and I could manage on our own.
