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She shook the thought away, pulling a robe over her nightgown and walking into Hawthorn’s chamber. His menagerie from the night before were cowering on the bed, trembling under Dillon’s hovering blade.
“Stand down,” she told him. “He’s right here.”
“Morning,” said Hawthorn, appearing behind her, shirtless and dishevelled. “How are we all?”
“You… you’re… Your Highness.” Dillon hastily dipped into a bow. “Forgive me, I was concerned—“
“I am unharmed, as you see. Jules was kind enough to let me bunk with her last night when these three took over my bed.”
“Your…” Dillon’s eyes caught Juliana’s. “Your bed?”
“It’s not what it looks like,” she said quickly.
“It really wasn’t,” Hawthorn sighed, crossing the room to help himself to a glass of water. He inspected the goblet carefully before drinking.
“We… we should probably go,” said the minotaur, shucking off the bed and reaching for his discarded clothing, taking care not to tangle his horns in the vines.
The other two bedfellows slid out of the sheets to dress. Juliana’s gaze turned to the room. It was littered with short blades, none of which could have come in with the party. “Why are there knives all over the floor?” she asked, pursing her lips.
Hawthorn kicked one under the bed. “Ah, yes, those, um, you see—“
“How come they’re allowed knives in the bed and I’m not?”
“These are on the floor,” said Hawthorn swiftly, as if he’d just said something really clever.
“They weren’t last night,” the pink-skinned nymph whispered, deftly picking up one of the blades with her foot and running it underneath his chin.
Hawthorn’s cheeks twitched.
“That was fun, Your Highness,” she breathed in his ear. “Please call on me again… any time you’re feelingadventurous.”
Juliana stared at him as the rest of his ‘guests’ slunk from the chamber, Dillon closing the door behind them and resuming his post outside. Juliana sighed. “I’m not even going to ask.”
“Thank the stars.” He sat down on the bed, smirking like he’d just discovered gold. “Last night was fun.”
She looked up at the ceiling where a piece of stray clothing dangled from the chandelier. “Looks it.”
“I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about you and me.”
“What?Wedidn’t do anything.”
“You’re a cuddler.”
“I amnota ‘cuddler’—“
“And yet I cannot lie.”
Juliana’s cheeks turned scarlet. “If you ever come to my bed again—“
“Without your permission?”
“Without—I will never give you permission!”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll make no vow to that end. I want to keep my options open.”
“I will keep yourgutsopen if you try anything—“
Hawthorn winced. “I’m so, so glad you can lie. That would be a really horrible end to a potentially lovely evening if you had to be held to that.”
