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“Want a drink?” he asked.
“Sure, I’m really thirsty. It’s warm out.” I sat down, the scent of spicy food making my mouth water.
Flint got the drink for me. He’d started doing that more often, bringing me gifts and doing small gestures like this. They meant so much, this powerful man choosing to serve me instead. He didn’t do it in front of anyone besides the other Royals, but that didn’t matter. Even if he wasn’t going to share, he still cared for me.
We dug into our meal, talking and laughing. I still wasn’t comfortable with all the luxury of their lifestyle, but I did love the food. By the time lunch was over, I was full and sated beyond my hunger being tamed. I looked at my guys. Jagger and his wicked grin. Flint’s serious intensity. Lex’s warmth.
My heart was so full.
“I love you all,” I said, unable to keep the words inside.
“I love you too, Kitten.” Lex’s smile grew.
“You know how I feel about you,” Jagger said, resting his hand on my leg. Love was still important, but our bond was different.
I glanced at Flint. I hadn’t said that I loved them just to hear the words back, but the absence of Flint’s response was a knife to the heart.
At least someone knocked on the door to distract me.
“Come in,” Flint called.
The doors opened to reveal Lucas. His expression always made him look like he was carrying a heavy weight around in his mind, but today, his eyes were surprisingly bright.
“Your Highnesses,” Lucas said. “We’ve gathered some information on the Order. It isn’t much, but you told me to tell you as soon as we had something.”
My mood rebounded just as quickly as it had dipped. The Moon Oracle being on the loose was scary, but the Order was both terrifying and mysterious. Any information was like a drug to me.
Jagger squeezed my thigh, and Lex laced his fingers in between mine. Their touch steadied me. Whatever the Order was, I had no doubt that they’d be behind me, protecting me.
“Let’s go, then,” I said. “It’s a start.”
Chapter37
Arden
Two Weeks Later
Iliked the sense of normalcy my job at Muddy Mugs gave me these days. I didn’t need the money anymore, between the savings I had and the Royals, but I wanted to keep the cash coming in. Independence still mattered to me, even if I had several men who wanted to pamper me every other second.
But just because I was working voluntarily didn’t mean the days didn’t test my patience. This morning had been hellish, with a bunch of fae asking for ridiculous, complicated orders and bitching about them not being exactly right. As if their latte not having a caramel drizzle was the end of the world. And I had to chase away a bunch of teenagers who were taking up half the tables, making a bunch of noise, and not buying anything. Assholes.
At least it was nearly over. My guys were waiting for me back at the palace. I chanted that over and over again in my head through the last hour of my shift.
“Latte for Kat!” I called out, sliding the latte across the bar.
“Thanks!” Kat, a short fae who always came in after her classes let out, said with a smile. She never drove me nuts, so I was glad to finish the day with her.
The moment Kat picked up her latte, I untied my apron strings and went to the back to hang it up. I said a quick goodbye to my best friend and coworker, Lucy, then my boss, Chad, who was in the back office with his girlfriend-of-the-moment.
After I stepped onto the street and rounded the corner, the enforcer who always guarded me throughout the day uncloaked himself and the black SUV he had parked in an alley. I hopped in the back and sighed, stretching my legs out in front of me as we pulled away.
I preferred for one of the guys to pick me up, but as much as all of us wanted that to be possible, they had to run the kingdom and deal with all the issues that had been thrown their way recently. The kidnappings had stopped, and most of the children were still in the temporary housing on the palace grounds. Though we had no idea if the Forsaken Lunars were done recruiting them, so we had to be vigilant.
I looked out the window as the clean yet slightly run-down area where I grew up and worked faded into sleek, tall buildings and fancy boutiques. Usually, seeing the transition excited me because it meant I was almost home, but today, it deepened the pit in my stomach.
The Order and the Aridunns were still a big, blank unknown in my thoughts.
Flint was going to help me dive into some new research the Royals’ aides had gathered when I got back. Was I hopeful? Maybe. Just a little. Lucas, their top aide, had brought us information two weeks ago, but it wasn’t fruitful. The information seemed to be hiding from us. Every time I thought we were close, we hit a dead end.
