Robin’s fingers brushing against my mound made me squeak and he pulled it back up, clutching me even tighter. His whispered “fuck” only incited me.
“Terrible idea,” Reuben growled, now cantering ahead of us. A few meters away was the mansion’s gate, two guards stationed by it, and he had a chat with the security while Robin whispered, “Sorry, angel. I just need to touch you more.”
“Maybe tonight,” I responded hastily, because I had always been a lost cause with controlling my need for sex. Ihopedthey would fuck me instead of holding back, but I understood their reservations if they believed I was a virgin.
That was true, sort of, until last week.
Reuben returned to us, and we stopped altogether. “The Crown Prince will only let Bea in, but we could wait outside with the rest of the guards.”
“I’m sorry, boys.” I reached for Reuben’s hand and patted Robin’s on my stomach. “Crown Prince’s orders.”
“Tonight, then,” Robin confirmed. Reuben glanced behind me before his eyes widened, and he turned to me with renewedhunger. Robin probably communicated to him through looks, like a superpower thingalltwins were capable of.
I really had to go before I jumped them right outside the Prince’s mansion. Who knew the feeling of being wanted without expectations was so good?
One butler led the way to the parlor. I expected the Prince to be waiting there. What I didn’t expect was ClaudeandLord Grimwald with him, too. They sat among the various couches, loveseats, and armchairs.
Oh, great.Was this a Champions meeting? What in the heavens was I doing here?
“Good morning, Lady Bea,” the Prince greeted me, gesturing to an empty seat next to him. “You look flushed. Did you have a hard time getting here?”
Curse this treacherous body. The real reason was something not for them to know. But Claude and Lord Grimwald stared, with different expressions on their faces, expecting an answer.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I went here on horseback. I’m not used to it,” I admitted. Half-truths were always better than making shit up.
Claude positively beamed, shooting up from his seat. “Horse riding’s an essential life skill! I’ll teach you!” He was grinning so wide, it concerned me a little with what he had in store for me. Those bright blue eyes, wide and manic. If he weren’t so adorably desperate for my attention, I would’ve run for the hills.
Still, I didn’t want to risk knowing what his plan was. “No, thank you. I already have a tutor.” Or I had planned to have one. Escaping this realm might necessitate riding off to a more appropriate place first.
Lord Grimwald spoke this time. “Who’s your tutor? So we can assess if we’ll be better to teach you.” He was smirking as he said this, as if he wanted to catch me in a lie.
“Lord Amos Drakon,” I responded with confidence.
Didn’t I just say making shit up was terrible? And I’d proven Lord Grimwald right, Iwaslying! Did my brain want to sabotage me?
But he nodded instead, exclaiming, “Actually, a perfect choice. I’d seen his training regimen. One of the best riders we have in the academy.”
I managed to hide the shock on my face. I thought Amos only liked to ride, like he said he did. I didn’t know he was exceptional at it. Oh, god. That also meant I had to ask Amos to actually start teaching me how to ride.
Claude tapped his chin. “Drakon? Elias’s brother?”
“Might be worth looking into,” the Prince claimed, once again gesturing to the empty armchair while Claude reseated himself on a couch. Fucking hell, now I also had to apologize to Amos for getting the Prince and the Hero’s sights on him without his knowledge. “Lady Bea. Please sit down.”
Walking over to the chair, I immediately noticed the way it was positioned next to the Prince — two armchairs, side by side, while Claude and Grimwald were on couches. It resembled a throne room. Or, I was thinking too hard about it.
I sat down anyway, and the Prince gave me his angelic smile. Raising my arms to refer to the parlor, I asked, “What is this, anyway? What am I doing here?”
“Right, now that we’re all here,” the Prince clapped, before mimicking my action, “Welcome to our first ever Champions meeting. I expect everyone here once a week for the foreseeable future.”
“Awesome!” Claude cheered, while Grimwald nodded seriously.
Weekly meetings?I didn’t hide my shock this time. “If this is a Champions meeting, why am I here?” I didn’t belong here!
The Prince only continued to smile with gentleness. “Youarepart of the Champions. I made the declaration the other day. We were all present there. You’re our Caregiver.”
Was I the only one bothered by this? “What doesthateven mean? Am I part of the prophecy? Did the Priestesses mention me? What does a Caregiver do?”
“Not part of the prophecy, unfortunately,” the Prince answered. “The Priestesses foresaw all members of the Twelve Champions as men.”
