Viciously Yours (Fae Kings of Eden Book 1)

Amelia stood beside Fawn in the laundry room, folding towels and telling her about everything that had happened the day before, while the men were in a meeting discussing the rebel attack.

“I saw Ora in the dining hall last night,” Fawn remarked slyly. “She made a big fuss about the guards not allowing her to see Rennick last night.”

Amelia scoffed at the audacity of that wretched woman. “We were supposed to banish her from the palace yesterday afternoon, but the rebels attacked.”

Fawn whistled. “When will you tell her and, more importantly, can I be there to see it?”

“Me too,” Echo said from the doorway where they stood sentry. “I’d love to see the look on her face.”

Amelia slammed a folded towel into the basket with more force than necessary. “I can’t wait to see her face, either. It’s why Rennick hasn’t told her yet; he said I could be the one to do it.” The cloth in her hand wrinkled in her grasp. “He said she thinks she’s his mate.”

Fawn’s jaw dropped. “She actually believes that?”

“Yep.”

“I thought she only told the staff that to wield authority over us.” Fawn glanced at Echo. “You should chop her head off. That’ll shut her up.”

“Fawn!” Amelia laughed. “You’re as bad as Rennick.”

“Her father is a council member,” Echo replied. “It might be too hard to cover up her death.”

“You two are awful.” Amelia tried to stop her laughter. “Echo, are you married?”

The guard snorted. “To my job.”

Fawn leaned in conspiratorially. “I’ve seen them flirting with one of the cooks in the kitchens.”

Both women turned to Echo with devious smiles, and Amelia wiggled her eyebrows. “What’s their name?”

“Her name is Beverly, and she’s about this tall.” Fawn held her hand even with Amelia’s chest.

“That’s enough,” Echo grumbled. “How do you know so much, anyway?”

Fawn folded the last of the towels and dropped them into the basket. “Nothing is private in this place. If you sneeze, every staff member will know by the end of the day.”

Amelia picked up one of the baskets and balanced it on her hip. “Do they still think I’m the king’s whore?”

Fawn grinned. “No. Birdie told everyone she thinks you’re the king’s true mate.”

“How would she know?” Echo mused, following the women into the hall.

“I don’t know, but she’s Amelia’s biggest fan. Tells everyone how great of a queen you’ll make.”

Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you think everyone will be receptive to a human queen?”

Fawn looked at her strangely. “You’re not human.”

“We’re not telling anyone I’m fae.” She adjusted the basket to keep it from slipping from her grip. “Claiming to be a hidden heir of the Desert Kingdom would cause an uproar in both kingdoms.” It didn’t matter that she was a royal fae. She appeared human, and they’d probably think she was lying.

“You blabbed your very important secret to Fawn without pause,” Echo pointed out. “Remind me to never tell you anything.”

Amelia bumped Echo’s shoulder. “I trust her like I trust you.”

They climbed the stairs to the main floor of the palace, almost running into another guard. “Thank the gods,” he muttered. “The king is looking for her,” he told Echo, pointing at Amelia.

“I have to deliver these.” Fawn indicated to the basket in her hand. “If you’ll leave your basket here, I’ll send someone to grab them.”

Amelia set the basket down and tried to follow the guard. “I’ll find you later.”

Echo grabbed her shoulder, holding her back, and asked the guard, “What is the reason?”

Another guard appeared around the corner, stopping when he spotted them. “You found her?”

The first guard nodded. “Tell the others to call off the search.”

“Search?” Amelia looked between the two men.

“The king has every guard in the palace looking for you,” he replied. “We’ve been looking for almost an hour.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose with a huff. “What is wrong with him?”

Echo released Amelia’s shoulder and chuckled. “Let’s find the king before he tears the palace apart.”

Every guard they passed looked relieved, and the guard leading them told the others to spread the word that she’d been found.

Ridiculous.

He led them through the palace until Amelia recognized the path. “Is he in our rooms?”

The guard nodded, and Echo stopped him. “We’ve got it from here. Help the others call off the search.”

“Yes, general.” He bowed and left.

“General?” Amelia mouthed, but Echo ignored her.

Once back at Amelia and Rennick’s rooms, she opened the door to find her mate in the sitting room, fiddling with something on the table.

“I’ll see you later, Echo.” She closed the door and spun around. “A palace wide search was a bit dramatic.”

Rennick grinned and kissed her head. “Nothing is too dramatic when it comes to you, love.”

“I’m not complaining because I love it, but why do you kiss my head so much? My hair can’t taste very good.” She kept her voice light and teasing, but she was genuinely curious. He kissed her head a lot.

Her mate cleared his throat. “To remind myself that you’re really here and not another dream.” He smoothed her hair back. “To make up for all the opportunities I missed over the last ten years.”

For once, she hated his height because now she wanted to kiss him a million times a day, too. She crooked her finger for him to bend down and kissed his forehead. “I love it.”

Cupping her chin, he kissed her lightly. “Good.” He turned, picked up her bow and quiver from the table, and held them out.

She stared dumbly at the weapon. “What is this for?”

“To go hunting. You wished to go not two days ago. With the stress of yesterday and the upcoming coronation celebration, I wanted to do something fun for you.” He flashed her a boyish smile that made her melt.

Amelia hated the idea of hunting but knew he liked it; that was the only reason she’d been willing to go a few days ago. In hindsight, she should have tried to fuck him instead, because now she wanted to do anything but.

The sentiment was sweet, and she’d do it if for no other reason than to make him happy, even if she’d rather eat glass. “Great.” She smiled brightly, hoping it looked genuine.

The way his face lit up made it worthwhile.

She took the bow from his outstretched hand and set it aside. “What about Amos? Shouldn’t we be with him? I’d like to get to know him better.”

“He and my father are spending time together,” Rennick replied, removing her coat from the hook by the door. “He was the only true father figure your brother had, and it’s been about six months since they’ve seen each other.”

“I’m glad he had someone.” Having no father had to be better than having a father cruel enough that her brother felt a duty to kill him. “I’m going to miss Eddy.”

Rennick looked around. “Where is Charlie?”

“He wanted outside this morning, and I haven’t seen him since.” He’d likely gone to hunt or relieve himself; he slipped outside periodically.

Rennick noticed the slippers on her feet and disappeared into their dressing room, returning with her green boots.

Amelia accepted them with a strained smile and sat down to put them on. “Where is Greta? I’ve been here three days and have yet to see her.”

“I checked on her yesterday.” He handed Amelia a scarf and gloves. “She’s not far from here.”

“Does she not like being around you?”

He scowled down at her. “Owls don’t like being indoors. When I start training with my warriors again, she’ll perch on the walls to watch.”

“Since I’m a royal, what are the chances I’ll get a familiar when we marry?” The thought excited her, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

Rennick paused briefly. “Yes, I think you will.”

A giddy thrill made her clap her hands. “I wonder what it will be! Hopefully, it gets along with Charlie.”

Rennick chuckled. “Something tells me that won’t be an issue. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

They’d agreed to wed the next day in a private ceremony with just their families and closest friends.

She shifted slightly, still adjusting to the bigger plug he’d placed inside her earlier. He’d do a bigger one tonight and then again tomorrow morning to prepare her for their wedding night. The thought both scared and excited her.

Once they finished bundling up, she and Rennick grabbed their gear and headed toward Amelia’s worst nightmare.