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“Draven thinks she wouldn’t be so stupid as to march on Embour to try to take you by force. I don’t know her, so you tell me if she’s that stupid.”
“She can’t afford a war. Literally. Father has intel that she’s raided the coffers and things are in bad shape. But I think her ego will demand I pay in some way. No, something sneaky would be more her style so she could deny her involvement.”
Lyric shook her head as she patted her rounded belly. “She’s adding to the archaic Otherland argument that females shouldn’t be allowed to rule. We’ll have to kill her for that alone. Oh well.”
Oh well?
With a casual wave of her hand, she said, “Let’s forget about Queen Bitchface for now. If it makes you feel better, Draven’s got four Shadows following us in shadow form and Casimir has called in a ridiculous amount of extra warriors to have on hand, most of whom have formed perimeters out of sight. No one will get close to us and we won’t venture too far.”
“And your mate is fine with this?”
“Ha! Hell no. My mate is one of the four Shadows following us around in case there’s trouble.”
“Well in that case, lead the way.”
“Awesome. Oh, and don’t be too nice to the gargoyles. They have a thing for pissing on those they like best. The Shadows will tell you it’s good luck but I think they made that shit up to make me feel better.”
My eyes slid to the cages housing the little beasts, then back to Lyric who was eying the pups. Her upper lip lifted in a silent snarl.
“Alright,” I agreed slowly, deciding to hold off on the questions I had.
We strolled to the far side of the meadow, discussing some of her favorite things about Embour, one of which being that the Shadows had gotten some of Earth Realm’s technologies to work. There was a field of solar panels not far from the Primus Crossing producing actual electricity, a true novelty in the Otherland. There were magical means everywhere that could help Others maintain creature comforts, but no other factions had solar panels.
Lyric was surprisingly easy to talk to. There was a raw honesty to her candor and it encouraged me to find the nerve to ask her where Casimir had gone.
“Oh, he decided he needed a private moment with your father before he departed. He also mentioned he wanted you to have everything you needed so he's scrambling to make sure you’ll have things to be comfortable here.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? Is that a good hmm or a bad hmm?”
“Neither, I suppose. I don’t want him to pick a fight with my father, but I appreciated Casimir trying to step in earlier.”
“Despite you not needing him to,” she deduced. “Trust me, I understand. I’m mated to the Shadow Lord. He’d carry me around everywhere if I allowed it. Cas can sometimes be a lot like Draven but he’s a little more, I don’t know, smooth around the edges? Charming, I guess. Unless he’s angry. Then they’re almost identical twins as opposed to cousins.”
Draven and Casimir did bear a remarkable likeness, especially when they scowled.
“I think I made him angry earlier. He called me obstinate.”
Lyric snorted. “I’m sure he did. You’ve gotten under his skin. It’s what mates do. It will get easier once you two settle. I’ve found that lots of naked time soothes the Shadow Lord and makes him more agreeable.”
I looked around. “He can probably hear you.”
“I’m sure he can.”
“Well, I don’t think Cas and I are ready for … naked time.” Were these the words really coming from my mouth? I didn’t talk about my sex life with anyone, especially a stranger.
Lyric stopped walking, planting her hands on her hips. “What do you mean you’re not ready? You’re soulmates. All the parts will fit.”
The parts will fit?!
“I’ve known him for five seconds.”
“So? I’ve heard stories of fated mates who felt the pull so fiercely they were playing hide the carrot before introductions were even made. It happens. I was practically a virgin and made out with Draven the day we met, and I didn’t even know we were soulmates at the time. If I recall correctly, we were shaking the sheets in a matter of days.”
“Why in Neptune’s name would you share that with me?” Not only was that private information, I didn’t need the visuals. I really didn’t.
“Because you shouldn’t feel bad about wanting to jump his bones. Cas is an amazing male and deserves to be happy. He’ll be good to you. The universe will put you both through the ringer if you resist for too long. The emotional stuff will come faster than you think if you’re open to it. Quality sex pun intended!” she laughed.
