Page 90 of Locked

Since I refused to live in the palace, they liked to come visit me on the weekends.

I don't know. After living my entire life in a tower prison, a tower palace didn't really seem all that fun of a concept.

They'd offered me the royal family's country property instead, but given that some of the land had beenherland, I had decided against it.

My royal allowance, after a prorate of twenty-two years, more than covered the purchase of my own property, however. It had a cottage with four bedrooms, and a gorgeous garden out back.

My guys hadn't lived here at first, but eventually, with my coaxing, they'd all chosen one of the bedrooms as their own.

And Sorrel and Kinden still kept their apartment in the city for work purposes, so sometimes it was just me and Rifyr here at the cottage.

I was in my garden, where I had spent the entire day. I had been landscaping a little, and wanted to start the repotting process for my summer vegetable garden, but when all my guys started filtering in, I sent the seedlings floating back to the greenhouse and sat down on one of the stone steps of the patio beside Rifyr.

Rifyr nuzzled my throat, pressing hot kisses to my neck and making me melt against him.

"Not fair!" Kinden replied, sliding in on the other side of me.

"It's totally fair," Rif argued.

"It isnot," Sorrel teased, plopping down behind me, his hands on my shoulders. "You're here all day."

"No one said you had to have a day job," I said, laughing. My biggest problem nowadays was picking which one of my guys to snuggle up to. Most of the time, I justdidn'tpick and snuggled with whoever I could reach.

"Well, not all of us can be literal royalty…" Kinden said, slipping his arm around my waist. "Or, you know… our own boss."

I kissed his cheek, dragging my fingers through his hair.

Sorrel fluffed mine in the back. "You gonna let this grow out, Zelle?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna cut it again… call me crazy, but long hair just… gets in the way…"

And they all lived happily ever after.