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“Aya is my niece,” Amir answers without looking away. “I have a right to be concerned about her.”
I have no idea why all these supernaturals want to be uncles. Ezra shifts his weight beside the bed. “It was my fault, Majesty.”
Amir tuts at him. “Young love. So chaotic, so reckless, so utterly predictable.” He chuckles. “You would think after witnessing countless centuries of fated pairs stumbling into each other’s arms, I would grow tired of the spectacle. And yet, here I am.”
He crosses to the bed and strokes my cheek. My wolf soaks it up.
“I’m okay, Uncle,” I say.
He smiles at me. I should be addressing him as my king, but he’s never allowed it.
His brow furrows. “Aya,” he says. “I thought you would have completed the mate bond by now.” The beads in his locs clink when he tilts his head. “What’s holding you back?”
No one says a word. I turn to my father with everyone else while his scent spikes with nerves. Yeah, get to answering, Dad.
9
EZRA
No one answers King Amir’s question. Levi is the one on the spot now. His scent sours with temper until it stings the inside of my nose. I don’t even try to keep a straight face. I may be an asshole for this, but I’m loving that he’s finally being dealt with.
He growls low and glares at me. He can probably smell exactly how much I’m enjoying this.
He tries to cut in, but Amir stops him with a grin. “Hopefully it was for good reason. We wouldn’t want to break Mother Fate’s law, now would we?”
Levi bristles while Amir waves a hand toward me and Aya. “If I could have a word alone with the parents of this lovely couple,” he announces. It isn’t a request.
I take that as my cue to leave. I’m already headed for Aya when a light knock sounds at the door. We all stiffen at his scent. My mother groans.
Uncle Jo.
Of course he’d show up. He’s the deputy of Wintermoon now and takes most of the complaints around town off Kade and Damon’s plates. Apparently everything standing between me and getting my mate home tonight is going to walk through the door personally. I huff out smoke and turn around. There he is with his notepad and pen in hand. He’s already wearing the sweet face he puts on before he starts trouble.
King Amir scoffs. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Josiah doesn’t even blink. “My job, Majesty. I’m deputy of this land.” He holds up his notepad. “I’m here to log a formal report so Kade can investigate the matter later.”
Amir levels him with a look. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” he asks. “Anywhere else?”
Josiah tilts his head. “I go where I’m needed, Majesty. And it seems I’m needed here.”
“You are never needed,” Amir growls. “You are tolerated. There is a difference.”
Josiah scribbles it down. “Hostile work environment. Noted.”
Amir’s ears twitch. “Put that pen down before I snap it to dust along with your hand.”
“You mean try?” Josiah flashes his fangs at him. “Because we both know you can’t when it comes to me.” He taps his pen against his chest. “I’m special.”
Amir’s golden eyes blaze. He hates that Uncle Jo is right, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing in a king’s face.
“Now, that would be an abuse of power anyway.” Josiah goes back to writing after taunting one of the strongest beings in existence. He has no survival instincts at all. “Should I add that to the report?”
My mother sighs beside my father. Everyone in here smells uneasy. Aya shifts on the bed to squeeze my fingers. My lightning is the reason her grip is so weak. I reach for my dragon to get his opinion on all this. He stays quiet in his corner and won’t answer me. He’s still sulking.
“Speaking of abuse of power,” Josiah drawls, “I noticed you’ve been handling quite a lot of royal duties lately. You and Damon.” He glances up. “Where has Queen Anora been? She hasn’t hosted a vow renewal ceremony in months.”
No one in the room makes a sound. Amir doesn’t move, and even the beads in his locs quit clinking. That’s worse than if he’d roared. His pointed ears pin back. “The queen is not well.”
