Amelia and Rennick stood in their dressing room after washing off the day’s events to get ready for dinner. She expected to feel some sense of wrongness for what she had done in the woods, but the remorse didn’t come.
She hadn’t killed Ora because the woman wanted her mate. He was six- foot-five of pure muscle, with a handsome face and a throne; everyone wanted him. She did it because even after being rejected time and again, Ora continued to chase Rennick in an attempt to steal him away. That Amelia wouldn’t tolerate.
A steadying hand landed on her shoulder. “You’re pale,” Rennick observed, feeling her clammy head.
“There was a lot of blood,” she muttered, reaching for her trout necklace. “You know it makes me queasy.”
A large hand covered hers. “You don’t have to wear that.” He glowered at the necklace like it personally offended him. “I should have known someone who never fished wouldn’t want a trout necklace.”
“Unhand my necklace.” She lightly smacked his hand, and he snatched it back.
“We can cancel tonight if you’re not up to it. It’s natural to be upset.” “I’m not upset.” She circled the necklace around her neck and fastened
it. “Ouch.” The chain sat upon the still-raw bite mark on her neck. She’d forgotten to replace the bandage after bathing. “I need a new bandage or the chain will rub the scabs.”
Rennick disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a metal box containing various medical supplies.
“Do you dress your own wounds?” she asked, poking around inside of the box.
“When they’re small.” He moved her hair to the side and examined her neck. “Hold up the chain.”
“You’ll be my wife tomorrow,” he murmured when he was done. “I’ve been waiting for this day since we were fifteen.”
She considered his words and pinched her eyebrows together. “Why fifteen?”
His hand fell from her neck and snaked around her waist. “After hearing your name, I felt a sense of duty to you as your mate, but then I saw you, and I knew no one else would do, mate or not.”
“What do you mean, ‘mate or not?’”
He fingered the trout pendant hanging around her neck. “I’d never seen you before, and Finn described you the best he could. I spotted you and Clover leaving the orphanage that morning, but I didn’t know who was who.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “We’re both tall and blonde.”
He nodded. “I tried to focus on my mate’s emotions, but nothing strong stuck out, and the longer I followed you, the more enraptured I became. You had the prettiest smile I’d ever seen, and the way you spoke to Clover about the book you were reading was intoxicating. Excitement shone through your eyes, and even though she barely replied, you kept going.”
Amelia listened with fascination, wondering what she’d done to deserve this man as a mate.
“It didn’t matter who I shared a bond with; it was you I wanted. The two of you climbed the schoolhouse steps, and another girl called your name to ask for something. I didn’t hear what, because when I realized you were my mate, everything fell into place. For the first time since my mother’s death, I was happy.”
Heat pricked the backs of Amelia’s eyes, and she stood on her toes to close the distance between them with a tender kiss. Their tongues tangled together, and she moaned when he bit her softly.
“I’ll have dinner brought to us,” he whispered against her lips, bringing her back to the real world.
“We can’t skip dinner.” She pulled back. “Everyone is expecting us.” He groaned and released her. “Lead the way, love.”
 |
Amelia clutched Rennick’s hand in hers to ground herself. Not only would Callum and Amos be at dinner, so would the entire staff. At least, she assumed they would be since rumors she was the king’s mate had likely made their way to the other side of Eden by now.
Tonight, they would officially announce her as Rennick’s mate.
Rennick leaned down and hovered near her ear. “If at anytime you want to leave, we’ll leave.”
With a steadying breath, she squared her shoulders and stepped a bit closer to him. “I’m ready.”
A guard opened the door and bowed to both of them, though Amelia noticed him hesitate briefly when he saw her ears. She responded with a gentle smile; she refused to be intimidated.
As they stepped into the large room, Amelia scanned the podium, searching for her friends. Relief washed over her when she spotted Fawn seated between Finn and Clover.
Amelia’s pace faltered. “Clover?”
She hadn’t intended to draw attention, but her voice was loud enough to capture the interest of those nearby. Her eyes locked with Clover’s, and without thinking, she let go of Rennick’s hand and rushed forward.
It was then that homesickness struck her. She hadn’t realized how much she longed for a familiar face. Clover met her at the bottom of the podium steps, and they embraced tightly.
“I knew you were my friend,” Amelia whispered against Clover’s shoulder, her voice thick with emotion.
Clover pulled back, looking hurt. “You thought we weren’t friends?”
Amelia waved her hand dismissively. “It was just a joke I had with myself.” Realizing how foolish it sounded, she added, “You didn’t talk much, and sometimes I worried you were too polite to tell me to leave you alone. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t true.”
Clover laughed—a sound Amelia rarely heard. “I don’t like talking much, but I enjoy listening. You always had plenty to say.”
“Did you get my note? I left it in your mail slot at the house.” Amelia’s heart raced as Clover’s expression turned guilty. “What’s wrong?”
“I moved back home,” Clover replied softly.
Moved home? Their home had always been the boardinghouse. Amelia struggled to make sense of it. If Clover hadn’t received her note because she’d already moved, then… Amelia’s hand flew to her mouth. Surely, she was mistaken. Clover wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. But she had to ask. “You left without saying goodbye?”
Clover’s hands twisted together as she saw the hurt on Amelia’s face. “I knew where you’d be, and I planned to visit once you were settled.”
Amos approached them, his gaze fixed on Clover. “We need to discuss this in private.”
Rennick agreed and guided them through a side door into an elegantly furnished sitting room with no other doors or windows.
“What is this place?” Amelia asked, surveying the room. “Why would a fancy sitting room be connected to the dining hall?”
Rennick secured the door with a steel bar. “It’s a soundproof safe room for the royal family.”
“I really need a map of this palace,” Amelia muttered under her breath before turning to Amos. “Why are we in here?”
“I sent Clover to watch over you,” he said, still focused on Clover, who continued to ignore him.
Amelia blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Rennick moved closer, resting his hand on her lower back.
“My father trained me to fight like a warrior from a young age,” Clover explained, her voice softer than usual. “Your brother found me when I was thirteen and sent me to protect you.”
“I don’t understand,” Amelia said, struggling to keep up with the flood of revelations. “You’re human, and he couldn’t leave the Desert Kingdom until he was twenty-five.”
Clover shifted uncomfortably, tucking her wild blonde hair behind her pointed ear. “Glamour. I’m from the Desert Kingdom.”
Amelia stared at her in shock. “What about your family?” she asked, hoping her friend hadn’t been torn from her loved ones. “Did they… die?”
Clover glanced at Amos. “They’re alive. They visited as often as they could.”
Amelia’s heart ached with guilt. She’d already felt the weight of her brother’s sacrifices, but forcing a young girl to leave her home? It was too much.
Without thinking, she turned on Amos and slapped him hard. Clover flinched, but Amelia could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on her face. Rennick quickly stepped between them, while Amos stood in shock, holding his cheek.
“You forced a thirteen-year-old girl to leave her kingdom?” Amelia shouted, trying to lunge at him, but Rennick held her back. “How could you? She was just a child!”
“It’s okay,” Clover tried to reassure her, though she was clearly struggling to calm Amelia down.
Amelia stopped resisting Rennick’s hold and looked down at her friend. “Did you want to leave your family?”
Clover opened her mouth to respond but hesitated. When she avoided Amelia’s gaze, Amelia bent down, ignoring Rennick’s grip on her hips. She quickly removed one of her slippers and threw it at her brother’s head, but he blocked it with his arms.
“Enough!” he shouted, clenching his fists.
“If you yell at her again, Desert King, you’ll lose your voice box,” Rennick warned.
Amos raised his hands in surrender. “You think I don’t know what I’ve done?” The pain in his voice took Amelia by surprise, making her pause before grabbing her other shoe. “I didn’t plan to send her away. I found her while she was training, and she was more skilled than I was at her age. So, I made a foolish decision to send her to you.”
“Why?” Amelia demanded. “I was fine before that.”
Amos stepped forward, and so did Rennick. “Because when your mate came searching for you, I knew you’d become a bigger target if anyone discovered your connection to both the Desert throne and him.” He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Clover was young and talented; no one would suspect her.” He looked crushed under the weight of his guilt. “I was just a kid, and I made a mistake.”
Amelia waited for him to continue, but he remained silent. “And when you realized your mistake? Why didn’t you tell her she could go home?”
“I did,” Clover interjected. “When we were sixteen, he asked me to return, but I refused.”
Amelia rubbed her forehead, struggling to understand why Clover would stay when she had a family who loved her. “And you were okay with that? You didn’t feel like you owed something to the future king?”
Clover pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I had no desire to return to the Desert Kingdom, and I owe him nothing.”
Amelia glanced at her brother. “I know you were just a child,” she said, “but it was cruel to ask that of her. While I appreciate your intention, I can’t help but feel guilty too.”
“No one regrets my decision more than I do,” Amos said, his voice heavy with sorrow, making Amelia’s heart ache.
A bell rang cheerfully by the door, and Rennick removed the steel beam to open it. Callum peeked inside. “Is everything okay?” He surveyed the room, pausing on Amos’s reddened cheek.
“You three go ahead,” Amelia said to Clover, Rennick, and Callum. “Amos and I will join you shortly.”
The others left, though Rennick seemed reluctant.
Amos looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes. Amelia wondered how long they had been there. “I don’t need another—”
She wrapped her arms around him, cutting him off mid-sentence, and he froze, his arms trapped beneath hers.
“I know you meant well,” she said as she released him and stepped back. “All I ever wanted was a family. I used to dream that someone would come and claim me. Knowing Clover had to leave her own family because of me is hard to accept.”
Amos seemed haunted by demons she couldn’t fathom. “I regret it every day.”
“We’ll make sure she and her family are taken care of,” Amelia promised, awkwardly patting his shoulder.
“I’ve tried,” he sighed. “She refuses every time, but we’ll work it out later. Right now, we need to focus on us.” He motioned between them. “You’re the only family I have left, and I’d like to get to know you better.”
Amelia hugged him again, and he stiffened. “Not a fan of hugs, huh?”
He tried to pull away, but she held on. “I hate them,” he admitted uncomfortably.
She laughed and let him go. “I’d like to get to know you too.” He smiled, and she returned it with even more warmth. “Let’s go eat before my mate decides to carry me out of here in front of everyone.”
