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“Impossible,” Ulrik said, gripping Theseus’s wrist, and with a quickness that shocked me, he pulled Theseus’s hand off him and spun him, locking him in a headlock. To which Theseus was not at all amused. “I’m his favorite brother, after all! Isn’t that right, Theseus? Tell her?”
Ulrik squeezed hard, and seeing Theseus wince, angered me—more than I realized. My hand twitched, and that alone was enough to send only Ulrik flying down the hall, landing on his back with a heavy thud and cracking the marble of the floor.
Dammit, I thought as I looked at my hand. It was only when I heard a laugh that the panic faded from me. I looked up to Theseus, who was now laughing at his brother. A full grin on his lips.
“It seems your tyranny has come to an end, brother,” Theseus said back to him.
Slowly, Ulrik peeled himself up from the ground, dusting the marble off his shoulder. But he didn’t glare at Theseus or even me. His annoyance was pointed directly at Melora, who stood still as a spectator.
“Did you not see your mate being attacked, woman! Are you not going to defend me? His mate flung me like a shoe for a slight wince from her mate. And you just stand there?”
Melora raised her eyebrow, and she glanced over to me and then back over to Ulrik. “Yeah…I’m not stupid. So I’m not going to do that. Better luck next time, sweetheart.”
Ulrik grumbled, “I should have found me a vampire-witch…”
“What was that, you ogre?” Melora snapped, finally uncrossing her arms.
“Ogre?” Ulrik yelled at her. “As in Shrek? Listen here, you slandering she-man…”
Melora ran and kicked him right in the face.
“Can you both not do this in our hall!” Theseus yelled at them as they began to wrestle and fight on the ground. Meanwhile, Pelopia simply walked up to me, stretched out her hands, and handed me the clothes. When I took them, she bowed and turned, walking away.
It was all so…weird and crazy. And so funny.
“You’re laughing?” Theseus turned to me, clearly annoyed. “It’s going to take days if not weeks to fix all the damage they have caused—”
Right on cue, Ulrik threw Melora into a wall, which had Theseus’s art, the magnificent paintings he’d drawn, cracking and ruining them.
“Oh my God, stop!” I screamed, dropping the clothes and reaching out to them, and just like that, they stopped, not because they wanted to but because they were frozen like statues, hovering mid-step. However, creepy was that all of their body was frozen, but their eyes shifted to me, both shocked. I didn’t know what to say or do, so I looked to Theseus, but he was laughing.
“Don’t laugh. Help me!” I said to him.
“Why? You are doing mighty well on your own. Though, once again, it seems you cared more of the art,” he replied, moving to step beside me and wrapping his arm around my waist. “Nevertheless, I am glad, as good things come to those who wait…never have truer words been spoken. All the centuries I have waited, and now justified by you.”
Before I could reply, his lips were on mine and, and my brain went meh as I couldn’t think again, so I just kissed him back.
“This is going to be a killjoy.” Ulrik’s voice drew our attention. When I looked over at him, both he and Melora were unfrozen. Ulrik pouted as he looked at me. “Sister, one of the great joys of my life is tormenting my brothers—well, anyone, but especially my brothers. If you use magic and stop me, it ruins all the fun! What am I supposed to do to keep entertained for all eternity? Besides, Theseus does not mind.”
“I very much mind,” Theseus shot back.
Ulrik went on as if he hadn’t heard him. “I break things in his hall, then he gets creative and fixes them and explores greater artistic talents. It’s a win-win for both of us. So, ease up on the magic, okay?”
“Can you fling him again?” Theseus inquired, and I thought about it.
“I think we’ve gotten enough entertainment for the day,” Melora said, grasping hold of Ulrik’s ear, who was still pouting. “Really, though, you two must get ready for the evening. Theseus, Jabari, and M’kena will pop in here within the hour.”
After saying what she wanted to say, Melora dragged Ulrik away in an instant, leaving us both in the ruined hall. Theseus looked around the hall and shook his head. They had done a lot of damage in such a short amount of time.
“Sometimes one would think Ulrik was a child trapped in the body of man,” Theseus muttered as he bent down and picked my new clothes off the ground. “I wish I could say such incidents don’t happen often, but sadly, they do with him. This palace is often a madhouse because of him.”
“I don’t mind. I like your family,” I replied, taking the clothes from his hand. “It’s lively. I don’t feel as weird here. Even though I had no clue about my magic again, but they didn’t make a big deal of it. They were not even really angry at or scared of me.”
I was so used to always being careful when I was around humans, trying not to stand out or cause issues. Here, I was kind of like Ulrik and Melora, breaking things as I went, and it wasn’t a big deal. We just moved on.
“Druella.” Theseus lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. “It is our family now—your family. There is no real anger or fear among a family. And even if there were, it would fade like a drop of blood in the ocean. You are free to be who or however you wish to be here with me.”
I nodded. “Good to know.”
