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Taryn worked her jaw as she stood behind the register, lost in reverie over her delicious morning activities with Declan. It had erased most of her anxiety about Phillip.
Mostof her anxiety.
She was a woman, and although she had been raised in a palace environment, harassment wasn’t a new concept. She didn’t like to think she was brushing Phillip off. On the contrary, she was satisfied that Declan had ordered two enforcers to guard her while she worked and didn’t plan on interacting with Phillip on her own any time soon. But Declan and Phillip had grown up together. She wasn’t at the point of severing a tie that had existed before she walked into the kingdom.
Men had harassed her and her sisters the second they sprouted breasts, and their hips began to swell. It was disgusting and unfair, but unfortunately, often a way of life for the female gender. But she could handle anything Phillip … or any man, really … ever threw at her.
She also wanted to prevent a potential fight between Declan and Phillip. She knew how shifters were, particularly male shifters and alphas, when they landed their mate. Best friends morphed into enemies at the speed of light.
Though, it did make her tingle to think of Declan getting defensive of her at the mere thought of another man coming on to her. It was a petty, juvenile feeling, yet she allowed herself to indulge in it during dead hours at the apothecary and while her pussy still pulsed warmly at the memories of the morning.
She turned her attention to organizing a display for a new shampoo and conditioner line with orange peel, lemon, and cedar extract. She hummed to herself as the smooth jazzy music chimed through the air.
Then, the bell of the front door rang, indicating a customer had entered. Taryn swiveled around, her smile wide and bright, then she saw who was standing there.
Phillip.
He ran a single hand through his greasy hair and scowled at the enforcers positioned near the front door and next to the register. They were mammoth shifters that the king himself trusted with his life.
“What is the meaning of all this, Taryn?”
The man looked through her like a ghost. It was likely that he either didn’t remember what he had said the night before or was pretending that he didn’t remember. Taryn wasn’t afraid of him, but she didn’t feel the need to provoke him. She sauntered around the counter, fiddling with the display bottles as she spoke.
“There have been a few robberies in the area,” she lied through her teeth. “The king felt it better to have a few guards around.”
Phillip snorted, then approached the checkout desk rapidly, triggering the enforcer to take a step forward and place his hand close to Phillip’s chest. The guard nearly touched him, which made Phillip revolt.
“Stay two feet away at all times, sir,” the enforcer said.
Phillip’s nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed. Yellow streaks shot across the whites like an infection. It gave Taryn the creeps.
“This is unjust and, if I might add, a little insane,” he sniveled, pointing at the new conditioner and shampoo double-pack. “I’ll take one of those if they are ready to go.”
Taryn smiled, then rang up the purchase at the register. Her stomach tightened and twisted as an awkward silence hung over them. Rarely was Taryn not able to make small talk. It was her skill as a retail worker and a woman of royal blood.
“Here you are,” Taryn said, plastering a smile on her face that made her cheeks ache. “Please let me know what your mother thinks with the survey tucked into your bag.”
Phillip looked at her with an indifferent glare. She could have sworn his upper lip trembled.
“Nice doing business with you,” Phillip said, completely void of cheer.
Taryn didn’t realize that she had been holding her breath until the bell on the door rang again, signaling his departure. The female enforcer leaned over with pursed lips as Taryn placed a hand over her chest.
“Are you feeling all right, miss?”
Taryn nodded. It bothered her that she was so upset. She wasn’t that afraid, but she sensed impending doom.
Taryn managed to ignore the occurrence for the rest of the day, closing up shop early to attend dinner with her sisters before they returned to their respective kingdoms.
They attended a private eatery where they were secluded from the general public, and her enforcers came along. They refused to stay away, citing the king’s orders.
Taryn ground her teeth to avoid snapping at the enforcers, but she didn’t bother hiding the way she rolled her eyes. There wasn’t any way to work around what Declan wanted. He was the king, after all, and her interaction with Phillip still lingered on her mind.
The conversation at the table was mostly pleasant and distracted Taryn from her worries. The sisters were settling into their kingdoms with their partners and sharing their experiences. Lexi, the baby of the tribe, noticed the presence of the enforcers and Taryn’s distracted gaze.
“Why are they here?”
Addison and Madison went on about their newly appointed kings like clucking hens, and it reminded Taryn of home. She liked her life with Declan. She truly did. But sometimes, she found the warmth of home enveloped her when she was with her sisters.
