AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lex
Iflew above the palace grounds in my dragon form, stretching my wings. I needed some time out of my head, and flying always gave that to me.
I looked below, watching aides set up the brightly colored tents and rides on the far reaches of the palace grounds. The dark uniforms of the enforcers broke up the color as they checked every game and ride being brought in. Today was the first day that the pre-eclipse events were being opened up to a select group of civilian fae that our enforcers had selected by hand.
It was a casual affair, at least, more to make our subjects happy and connected with us in any way they could. No need to dress up and put up with social nonsense. We had some bands lined up, local artisans selling their goods, a bar for the adult guests, and games and rides for the kids. Our enforcers did a good job of being close, but not too close to us, so maybe we’d feel normal for a while.
And Elias was gone. I smirked. He’d been furious when he heard that he was banned from all the social events. I wished I had seen his face when the enforcers told him and escorted him back into the guest housing.
Once I had gotten out most of my nervous energy, I shifted back and went up to my personal office. Usually, I would have worked in the shared office, but I still wanted some time alone. A familiar tapping on the door pulled my attention away from my work just minutes after I got into it. Arden poked her head in, grinning.
I grinned back.
“Hey, Kitten,” I said, opening my arms.
She tucked herself into my chest, and I hugged her, inhaling her clean, grassy scent. Having her in my arms erased any worries pinging around in my brain.
I pulled back and looked her over. I loved seeing her in ballgowns and cocktail dresses, but I knew she was more comfortable like this—in body-hugging jeans and a slouchy sweater that exposed one shoulder. I wanted to kiss that bare shoulder so badly.
“Ready for the carnival?” Arden asked. “I haven’t been to one of these since I was a kid, and it was much less fancy.”
“Yeah, I am.” I laced my fingers in hers. “It might not be as fun as it was when you were a kid. We’ll be on the sidelines watching over the whole thing for the most part. Enforcers will clear the area if we want to do something.”
“It’s still much better than the balls and stuffy parties. I can finally wear jeans.” She snorted as we walked into the hallway. “We can’t go on any rides? Or play any games?”
“I’m a Royal, Kitten. I will give you whatever you want.”
She bit her bottom lip, smirked, and squeezed my hand in gratitude. Seeing her pleased made something in the pit of my stomach warm. The effect she had on me…
I truly loved this female.
We got to the end of the hall and met up with Jagger and Flint, who were also dressed down. I passed Arden to Jagger, who kissed her softly on the lips. After, she and Flint exchanged a look—not tense or awkward, just familiar.
“Good to go, Little Flower?” Jagger asked, tucking his hand into her back pocket. “Ready for me to win every game we play?”
“You didnotjust throw down the gauntlet already.” Arden grinned, leaning into him as we walked outside. “I’m amazing at carnival games. It doesn’t matter if they require some magic or not.”
Jagger chuckled. “We’ll see.”
We stepped outside. The weather was perfect for this—cool and sunny. The scent of food in the air brought me back to childhood, when I was just a kid from a Royal bloodline with no responsibilities.
Enforcers cleared the path for us to enter the gate containing the party and escorted us to the blocked off area on a raised platform above the event. A few other members of our extended families and some high-ranking fae families were already there, eating some snacks and drinks while enjoying the weather.
We sat at a round table, and aides appeared to serve us the array of snacks that vendors were giving away beneath us—dumplings, smoked meats, desserts, breads, plus flights of locally made beer and wine. Everything was indulgent and delicious. All four of us dug in, splitting dishes and tasting each other’s food. Guests were looking at us from below, so Arden wasn’t able to feed me the way she did when we all ate together inside. The lack of casual affection made my heart ache.
Arden let out a moan that shot a pulse of heat down to my cock and pushed a plate with an ornate dessert toward me. “Taste this. I’m obsessed.”
I took a spoonful, trying not to wreck the swirling design, and popped it into my mouth. “Shit, that is good.”
She held up a bite to Jagger, who ate it without breaking eye contact with her. Her cheeks flushed.
“Fuck. That’s delicious. I’ll have them send some to the palace more often,” he said. Then, he turned to an aide. “Get us more of this. A lot of it.”
Flint gave us a rare half-smile and tasted it, too, nodding in approval. “At this rate, we’re going to eat everything they have.”
“Who cares? That’s what they’re there for.” I pulled a small plate of steaming hot dumplings over to myself and dug in.
I looked over the crowd as I chewed. It was a good turnout. Maybe a little too busy, but I trusted our enforcers when they’d told us how many fae could safely attend without being too hard to keep track of.
