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Saving us. I think. Since Loric is a criminal, we can’t tell the king he’s our mate–even though he’s not fully. And with the king believing we are, it’ll ensure we stay together until Mira comes to get him.
The king scrutinizes us for a moment, his gaze lingering on the teasing gleam in Brenn's violet eyes before returning to me. I stand tall, meeting his steady gaze head-on, refusing to let my nerves show.
"Very well," he concedes. "You may stay in the castle while you learn about your mother's world and your own identity. I’ll have the maids set up the west tower for you and yourmate.My only request is to know has the bond been made fully?"
I shake my head no, but the king scans over Brenn’s throat anyway. I breathe a sigh of relief that you can’t see Mira’s mark through his shirt.
“Good. You can stay here, but if you return his mark, you’ll be asked to leave the dragon kingdom for good and revoke your claim to the crown.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, my eyebrows scrunching. “Why would returning the mark force us to leave? This is my mother’s home.”
Not that we’re at risk of it.
“You have no proof of what you are, but regardless, if you intend to wear this crown, you’ll be mated to someone worthy of the title of king.” King Everand returns to his throne as he speaks, taking a seat and lifting his chin. “What’s your name, anyway, boy?”
“Brennelin Stormborn, Viscount of Wyvern, Your Majesty, and we understand your conditions,” Brenn says with a bow, his hand on my arm, telling me to stay quiet. “And we thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty.”
Viscount of Wyvern?Suddenly, I understand why his father would be so worried about having a son that couldn’t shift, but it doesn’t make what he did to him right. It doesn’t make it better at all, actually.
I follow Brenn’s lead, giving another curtsy.
"However," the king adds, holding up a finger, "I expect to meet with you, Calamity. Starting with dinner tonight.Alone. And should any...complicationsarise" —his eyes narrow at Brenn— "I trust you will handle them accordingly."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Brenn assures him, flashing a wicked smile that sets off alarm bells in my head.
"Then it is settled," the king declares, his tone final. He gestures to one of the guards near the door. “Take them to the west tower. Get them settled in.”
As I glance at Brenn, I see his grin widen, and I can't help but shake my head at his antics. “Why would you agree to that?” I ask the moment we’re out of the king’s earshot.
“We need a place to stay, and I have zero intentions of mating you, so what could it hurt?” Brenn shrugs.
“He’s got a point.”
Of course, you’d think that.
“What? Did youwantto mate with me?” He waggles his eyebrows mockingly.
“No. But you saw the way he looked at us right? Why would he want to have dinner with me alone?”
“Because he wants to stay king and he’s unmated. His last mate died a long, long time ago. It’s also why he had such a case of the ass with me after seeing your mark, and why he doesn’t wantour bondcomplete.” He curls his fingers like quotation marks as we follow the guard, winding through hallway after hallway. Brenn looks at me, as if judging my state of mind, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Relax. He’ll try to swoon you through buying you things and being kind. He’s not going to force anything upon you.”
“Yeah? And how do you know that? Mates force marks on people all the time in Solaria. There’s apparently a fucking trade for it, where mates can be bought. Why would that be different here? Especially, when the king has so much on the line.” I don’t mean to snap, but I keep my voice hushed so only Brenn can hear me. However, with the guard so far ahead of us, I doubt he’d hear anyway.
“Because Loric got his charm from somewhere,sweetheart.His father might be a prick, but he's not going to force Megara’s daughter into a courtship. He’ll try to swoon you.”
The blood drains from my face. “Hisfather?” I throw a hand out to stop him, not caring that the guard continues, oblivious to us. “King Everand is Loric’s father?”
No wonder his eyes looked so familiar.
He smirks, nodding. “He was Lord Everand until your mommy handed herself over.”
“Don’t you think someone should’ve told me that? Sorry, I suppose I should’ve bowed my head before I spoke to you,Viscount Brennelin Stormborn.”
“No, actually. You didn’t need to. None of us have gone by our titles in ages. Loric’s completely disassociated himself with his father, and well, you know what happened to me and Vik.”
“What’s Mira, then? A princess or something?”
Brenn’s violet eyes drop for a second, then meet mine again. “I mean, she is to me. But that’s it as far as titles go. Well, unless you count Jesper being the Lord of Lythanar’s bastard. The point is, none of it matters to us. It shouldn’t matter to you, either.”
