“Yes, Pine,” Luke confirms with hardness in his voice and a steel grip on my hand.
“Well, if this isn’t an interesting turn of events,” Addison comments and starts a slow parade around Luke and me. Her long chestnut hair hangs in soft curls to her mid back. She’s wearing black cotton pants like the men, but her shirt is a deep maroon v-neck that accentuates her breasts. “Of all of my brothers I never thought it would be you,” she directs to Luke, “who would stray with the enemy. My ruthless, cut men down at their knees, brother, and he’s currently holding hands with Pine’s daughter. Whom, mind you, none of us ever knew existed.”
I glance at Luke and see his eyes have narrowed considerably. His jaw is set hard. I decide it’s my turn to speak, since King Azure doesn’t seem quick to jump in.
“I may be Pine’s daughter,” I confirm. “But I’m not one of his pawns. I have never met the man. My allegiance doesn’t lie with him. It lies with Luke and him alone. I know nothing of this kingdom, but I’m one of you now. An equal.”
Addison stops directly in front of me with wide eyes. “How dare you speak to us that way? You are not an equal. You are the enemy,” she seethes.
I step toe-to-toe with her. “Don’t mistake my ignorance about how things work here for weakness. I’m not afraid of you, and I will not be spoken to like I am a lesser a person.” I’m royalty. It’s time to act like it, even if it means being a bitch to people. I’m not going to allow anyone to walk all over me and condemn Luke for standing by my side. Screw that.
I quickly dart my eyes at Luke’s brothers. Ryland has a look of indifference, and I’m waiting for Elliott to burst out laughing. He appears to be seconds away from completely losing it. His lips are twitching and his eyes are crinkling at the corners. He’s almost the same height as Luke and has light brown hair. His eyes are the same hazel color as Ryland.
Elliott steps forward and offers his hand to me, breaking the tension between Addison and me. I take it in mine. He bows at the waist and kisses the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Alison.” He stands and his gaze flickers between Luke and me. “I apologize for the behavior of my sister. I would say she isn’t normally so rude, but that would be a lie. This is Addi’s normal behavior. Love her or hate her, she is who she is.”
Addison rolls her eyes behind him. “No surprise Elliott sides with our baby brother.” She backs a few steps away from me.
King Azure finally interrupts, “Enough. There is a reason I’ve summoned all of you here and before you even question it, Addison, Princess Alison has every right to be at our table, as you do.” Addison whips around and gives her father an incredulous stare. “Sit. Now. All of you.”
Ryland sits on one side of the king, Luke on the other with me beside him. Elliott sits beside me and Addison is directly across from me, throwing daggers my way. We all begin to eat and the king starts his talk, or confession, if you will.
I pretend my food is the most fascinating thing in the world as he starts his story with me arriving at the cottage. He goes into how I found out about their land. How I’m the daughter of King Pine, yet know nothing of him. That Oliver is supposed to be my future husband. Then he dives into the real heart of the discussion: Rya. How she’s very alive and when she left she was pregnant. I lift my head to watch their reaction to the news that their mother is alive. Elliott has almost the same reaction as Luke did. Addison is sitting still with tears streaming down her cheeks, and Ryland remains stoic, showing no emotion.
Then he gets to the pivotal part about the key and how he’s using it to go in search of her. How I gave him the key and sacrificed my ability to go home, so he can possibly bring her back. One by one their heads turn to me. I drop my eyes to my plate again, although I can still feel the heat of their stares on me.
All the while, Luke’s hand remains in mine. He doesn’t let go until Elliott reaches for me and pulls me into his arms. I hold him back as he whispers in my ear, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you. Thank you for coming here and giving my father the opportunity to find my mother. And thank you for accepting my brother.” I pull back to take in his expression. He smiles softly. “I doubt Luke has told you, but he never lets women close to him. Not even as a child. Once mom died, or left rather, he only befriended boys and as he got older, men. Sure, he’s been in bed with many women–”
“Elliott!” Luke yells from behind me.
Elliott laughs, but continues, “All I mean is that no woman has been let inside his caged heart. He keeps himself closed off. To see him holding your hand and standing with you, it’s…well, it’s amazing. I, for one, am very happy to have you here with us.” He then pushes his chair back and kneels before me. I have no idea what’s going on and turn to Luke, whose eyes soften.
“I, Elliott Azure, as second-in-command of the Azure Elite, pledge myself to protect you. I also pledge my loyalty to you and will stand by your side, as my brother does.” He stands and peers down at me. “I can never repay all that you’ve given up for us, but I’ll try.”
My eyes mist over and I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that. It’s the least I could do. If it were the other way around, I’d want someone to help me get my mother back.” A tear escapes and glides down my cheek. “I’d give anything to have my mom with me, even for one day.”
I turn to look at the family in front of me. I settle on King Azure and reach into my pocket to get the instructions I wrote out. Standing, I walk over to hand him the paper. “Take this with you. Read it tonight before you leave in the morning. Ask me any questions you have, no matter the time. I want to be sure you’re as prepared as possible for crossing over to my world. It’s nothing like it is here. The town you will step into is very small and the people very friendly, but I advise you stay in my apartment until Rya can get to you. There is food and everything you could need except clothes.”
He takes the paper, then stands and embraces me. It’s the last thing I expect and remain frozen. Pulling back, his hands grip my upper arms and he says, “Thank you. This will never be forgotten.” I nod and return to my seat.
The scary king I met only yesterday, turned into the warm, kind man before me. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was thrown into a dungeon. Today, I’m welcomed as part of the family, at least by some.
King Azure starts speaking again, but this time it’s business. He’s going over what they will tell their people and how Ryland will be in charge until, if and when, he returns. After all, we don’t know what the key will do once he’s on the other side. It’s old magic and could decide its work is done. There’s no way to tell.
Speech