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“Where are you taking me?” she asked, changing the subject.
“That’s a surprise.”
“Oh? Does that mean you don’t know, either?”
I laughed. “Maybe,” I agreed. “I suppose we’ll see when we get there, won’t we?”
I waited for her to finish brushing her hair and putting on her shoes before leading her into the hallway, where Ryland waited. I sent Zephy ahead and spoke with the head guard.
“Keep your distance tonight,” I warned him. “I want the best illusion of normalcy I can get.”
“Yes, Alpha,” he agreed, but he couldn’t keep the skepticism from his face. There was no normalcy, not in Ironhelm. We were the king and queen.
* * *
But beingthe king and queen did have its perks.
Yelwon gave us a private balcony table overlooking the back of his prestigious restaurant in the center of Ironhelm City. The buskers still played on the street, entertaining the townsfolk, the children tittering gleefully as they sang and performed magic, collecting money as the sun began to sink over the horizon. Here, cars weren’t permitted, preserving the old-world feel of the city, and it was my favorite spot in all of Ironhelm City. Rarely was there a cell phone or TV screen in sight, like everyone had stepped into a time warp.
Three bottles of honey wine sat on the table, all local blends. Zephy was slightly drunk, although she didn’t dare admit it, and I relished the pink flush of her cheeks as she enjoyed the evening.
As the last of the sunlight faded away and the server cleared our plates to make way for a complimentary dessert, sweet violin music wafted toward us from the main floor of the restaurant through the open patio doors. I rose, extending my hands toward Zephy, who stared at me blankly.
“What are you doing?” she giggled, her dark eyes slightly hazy.
“Would you like to dance with me?”
Her grin widened, and she rose, accepting my hand, ambling toward me, her body pressing to mine. I inhaled her deeply, the familiar waft of her pheromones overtaking me and reminding me of exactly who she was to me. Her head fell against my shoulder, and her tiny frame relaxed against me instantly, as if the anxieties of the past weeks simply melted away when we were together.
“This is perfect,” Zephy murmured, and I clung tightly to her, grateful that Ryland and the others had remained in the restaurant and out of view of us for all the dinner.
Between the wine and the darkness encumbering on us, Zephy had managed to forget her troubles, if only for a few minutes. My goal had been accomplished.
“You’re perfect,” I replied, kissing the top of her head.
“I could stay here forever,” she sighed. “Could we? Set up a bed and sleep on the balcony, drinking wine and eating cheese and chocolates until we’re too fat to move?”
I chuckled. “Maybe not, but we can come back here more often. It’s my fault I didn’t bring you here before. I’m going to make date nights a priority.”
“You’re doing the best you can,” she breathed, sounding sad again, and I drew her back to look at her face.
“What’s wrong? Is something happening at the palace?”
She shook her head, but avoided my gaze. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Zephy—”
“I’m the queen,” she said firmly, cutting me off. “There are some things that I need to handle myself.”
I wanted to say more, but her tone stopped me, and the melancholy tune came to an end, forcing our dance apart. I sent for the bill, but Yelwon refused to let me pay, much to my chagrin.
“I should have seen that coming,” I sighed, collecting Zephy’s wrap as we descended the outer stairs of the restaurant to bypass the gawking guests.
Back in the magic-protected SUV, Zephy curled up against me, the warm summer air wafting through the open windows as we made our way back to the palace, still floating in the aftermath of our date. I could hardly wait to bring her back to our suite, her nearness in the car driving me wild, my hand finding the exposed parts of her skin where I could, trailing my fingertips over the prickled flesh.
“Why, Alpha, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you had ideas in your head,” she whispered as the door opened and the driver helped us out at the palace.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied slyly. “They aren’t ideas. They’re realities.”
