2. Paige

2

PAIGE

D espite the queen's warm welcome, my emotions churn into a swirling mess as she talks. I do my best to keep up with everything she's saying about finding me some clothes before giving me a proper introduction to the kingdom and something about a council who still needs to approve of it all. Between the adrenaline from fighting Constantine and then the high of controlling my powers and creating the portal that brought us here, I'm nearing exhaustion. But even more than sleep, I need food.

With the queen still talking, my stomach growls so loudly that everyone turns to look.

Heat floods my cheeks. "Sorry," I mumble.

"Your stomach is just saying what we're all thinking," Blossom says with a snort.

"There was to be a feast after the wedding," Aries' mother says with zero trace of judgment. "I will see to it that the villagers are all still fed, and then we can all go eat dinner together privately."

Her gaze shifts from Aries back to me and then Blossom and Mag and the gnomes. She seems surprised by the gnomes, but she smiles warmly at them. "Hello."

"Your Majesty." The gnomes all speak in unison and then nearly fall over, trying to bow at her feet.

The queen's smile is amused. "And you are?"

The gnomes speak up one at a time, their chests puffing up proudly as they identify themselves.

"I'm Ted."

"I'm Zed."

"I'm Ned."

"And I'm Fred." Kitty nudges Fred so hard he almost falls over. "And this is Kitty," he adds hastily.

"And Bingo," Ned pipes up. "He's our hellhound. But he only eats bad guys, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Just stop talking," Blossom mutters.

"A hellhound?" The queen's eyes widen, and she looks to Aries. "They are only myths."

Bingo growls at that, and the queen goes pale.

"This one is very much real," Aries says.

"And harmless," I add with a pointed look at the beast.

He shuts up.

The queen takes a steadying breath, and her composure instantly returns. "I'll go speak to the staff about feeding the guests and return in a moment." She glances at Blossom and Mag and adds, "I look forward to getting to know you all."

Then she walks away. No, walks isn't the word for it. Glides. Waltzes. She probably has more grace in her pinky than I have in my entire body.

Ugh.

I'm nothing like her or even Esma, the horrid woman Leo would have married if we hadn't crashed the wedding. I hope Aries doesn't regret?—

He eyes me, giving me a sexy crooked grin that sends a jolt straight through me. He's mine, and I am his. We don't have to be married for that to be true.

He's my fated mate. Already claimed, in fact, so there's no going back.

"We like her," Ted declares when the queen is gone.

"She said we're going to have a feast," Ned adds excitedly.

"We're going to eat like kings," Fred declares.

Zed rubs his hands together. "Do you think she has any candy?"

I chuckle. Somehow, I doubt this world has the treats they're used to, but I don't tell them that.

"Just please be on your best behavior," I warn them.

Leo turns to me. "Paige, I mean it, I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am that you are here. You truly saved me from a fate worse than death."

Aries snorts. "You are freed up to find your own fated mate now."

"Eventually." Leo winks. "But for now, I can go back to being a second-born prince and, more importantly, fiancé-free." He brightens as he turns to Blossom.

Uh oh. I recognize that look.

"And you are? Besides gorgeous, that is," Leo says.

"I'm Blossom," she says, smirking.

"Blossom. Beautiful name. Unicorn shifter, right?"

"How did you know?" she asks, immediately suspicious.

"Dragon senses," Leo tells her confidently. "You certainly are one of a kind."

Mag clears his throat. "Sounds to me like Astronia has no need of a second-born prince," he growls.

Leo glances from the unicorn shifter to the gargoyle and holds up his hands. "My apologies. I didn't realize… I meant no offense. The lovely Blossom is with the clearly capable…?"

"Mag," he grunts.

"Mag. A pleasure to meet you, and I mean that. I don't know what circumstances brought you all together, but if you had a hand in bringing my brother home, then I'm grateful."

"Someone had to watch his back," Mag says with a shrug.

"Then I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I wasn't there, and you kept him safe. That means everything." Leo clasps Mag's hand, and I watch as the gargoyle relaxes a bit.

Aries leans down close to my ear. "Mag has always reminded me of Leo," he whispers in my ear. "I knew that either meant they would be the best of friends or mortal enemies."

"Let's hope for friendship," I whisper back.

He grins.

I can sense his elation through our bond. He's glad to be home even if it means facing the danger at his doorstep.

The queen returns, her heels clicking over the marble floors. She looks every inch a queen, too. Her gown is a mix of the Medieval and Regency eras. It's beautiful, but it's not something I would've ever thought to wear even as a Halloween costume. Will I have to wear something like that flamingo woman did when Aries and I get married?

"Here we are," the queen says as she bends down and hands a basket filled with cookies and biscuits to Zed and Ned. "I thought you might like a little treat to tide you over until dinner."

The gnomes all chatter and cheer for the unexpected food. I watch with amusement, knowing full well that woman just sealed her place in their hearts forever.

"It's not exactly Sour Patch, but it's pretty good," Zed comments around a mouthful of cookie.

"What is a sour patch?" the queen asks.

Blossom and Mag both grin.

"A sugary substance with a sourness that will make your lips pucker," Aries explains.

"And this is considered tasty?" the queen asks, blinking.

Blossom snorts. "It is to them."

"I apologize. I didn't get your name," the queen says to her.

Blossom straightens, her smile suddenly gone. "I'm Blossom; this is Mag," she says, hooking her thumb at the gargoyle.

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you all," the queen says.

The gnomes all finish their treat and shove at each other as they go back for seconds. The queen snatches the basket only to realize it's already empty.

"My goodness," she says. "You must have been starving. Did they not feed you in your own lands?"

"Not nearly enough," Ted says, batting his eyes at the queen and stealing pointed glances at me.

I shake my head, not willing to take the bait.

"Come with me, and I'll get you something more while we wait," she tells them patiently. "Dinner will be ready shortly, and then we can talk more," she says to the rest of us before leading the gnomes out.

When they're gone, Aries wraps his arm around me, and I lean against him, drawing strength from him. I need him to ground me because, if not, I'm afraid I'll fall apart.

Leo, Mag, and Blossom have shifted to the side, talking and laughing quietly. Bingo has wandered closer, sniffing at Leo, who pats his head and then laughs at something Mag said. When he moves his hand away, Bingo growls, and Leo laughs again and scratches behind Bingo's ear.

Aries nudges me. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," I assure him.

His brow lifts at that. "I'm not sure I believe you, but we'll likely need to have dinner with my mother before we can get away to talk."

"We're alive and safe," I tell him. "And your throne still belongs to you. For now, that's all that matters."

He kisses me quickly, and we move over to join the others.

"You can lift something called a… car?" Leo is asking Mag. "Is it heavy?"

Blossom laughs, and Mag glares at her.

"Yes," Mag says at the same time Blossom says, "At least as heavy as a boulder."

Mag scowls. "More like a small house."

"And you can do that in this form or only when you become the stone monster?" Leo asks.

"In either form," Mag says haughtily. "And the term is gargoyle, not stone monster."

"I don't know. You can be a stone monster all right," Blossom says.

"I would love to see it," Leo says, eyes gleaming with the challenge.

Aries claps Leo's back. "We can hit the training ring soon. We'll see if you kept up with your training in my absence."

A shadow passes over Leo's expression, but he blinks it away. "I'd say my chances are better than ever now that Aries has gone soft for a mate." He winks at me adding, "At least, he's no longer my competition. Unless, of course, Paige is open to convincing…"

Aries growls and steps toward Leo, eyes narrowed. "Paige is mine."

"Whoa, kidding." Leo throws his hands up. "I meant no harm."

Aries continues to glare, so I tug him back.

"Forgive Aries," Mag says. "He's a little on edge. We all are."

Mag and Aries share a look, and suddenly, all the amusement is gone as we all remember what we went through to get out of the library. And who we left behind in our place.

"Did something happen on your journey here?" Leo asks.

I don't answer except to glance at Aries. There are parts of the story I'm not sure I'm ready to voice aloud. Not even to my friends.

"Paige's world is very different," Aries says, and I shoot him a grateful look. "There were some who made our exit difficult. We're just tired from the journey."

Leo frowns. I can see the questions forming, but he doesn't ask them.

"Of course," he says, clapping Aries on the back. "I'm just glad you're home now. Astronia needs its rightful king to defeat the horde once and for all."

"We saw the village on our way in," Aries says quietly. Leo's expression darkens again, and Aries matches it. "Tell me what happened."

Leo glances at the rest of us then back to his brother. It's clear there are things he wants to share privately.

"Go," I say, ushering Aries away. "I could use a minute."

Aries nods slowly, though I can tell he doesn't want to exclude me.

"Go catch up with your brother," I say when he doesn't move.

"Fine, but I'll be right over here if you need me," Aries says.

"Come. Walk with me a moment." Leo leads Aries away. I watch them go, their heads bent close together as they talk quietly. Bingo follows, stopping to sniff here and there.

Mag and Blossom remain beside me.

"You okay?" Blossom asks quietly.

"Define okay," I say with a sigh.

"We're alive," Mag puts in. "That's a start."

"What's the plan?" Blossom asks. She glances from me to Mag as she adds, "Constantine is going to destroy that place if we let him."

"He won't," I say with way more confidence than I feel. "But Aries' world is in danger because of what I did by conjuring him that day. I owe it to him—to all of them—to help defend against the orcs."

Blossom doesn't say anything. She and Mag exchange a look.

"You don't have to fight," I tell them both. "This isn't your war, so I understand?—"

"Aries fought for us," Mag says firmly. "I'll do the same for him."

Blossom nods, determination in her eyes. "Mag is right. We'll fight here, and when it's done, we'll deal with Constantine for good."

"Thanks," I tell them gratefully. "It means a lot to have you both by my side through all of this."

"We aren't going anywhere," Blossom says firmly. "Besides, you're our secret weapon now, Miss I-can-conjure-portals-at-will." She hip-bumps me. "That was kind of amazing."

"Thanks."

"At least, we know we can get back when we're ready to deal with him," Mag says.

Blossom nods. "I can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve."

"Constantine won't know what hit him," Mag adds, eyes gleaming.

"Right," I say, forcing a smile.

Conjuring a portal to get us back into the library is one thing. What we'll do once we get there is another problem entirely. The last glimpse I had of the library was one full of dark, violent creatures bent on destroying us all. Creatures that are undoubtedly ready and waiting to try again should we return. I'm not sure my particular skillset helps us avoid that fate. But Blossom and Mag look at me with such belief that I can't bring myself to tell them I have no idea how to actually defeat the monster we fled from—which may very well mean the world as we know it will someday belong to him. Or worse, cease to exist at all.