Page 35 of Obsessively Yours (Fae Kings of Eden #2)

35

“I told you she wanted you,” Violet said, smugness sneaking into her irritated tone.

“How was I supposed to know she thought I wanted her when I’d never said that?” he asked, perplexed. Never once had he given Marissa any indication he wanted anything more than friendship with her. Friendship was pushing it. She worked for him.

His stomach clenched uncomfortably. He’d had her follow Violet to protect her. Would she have intentionally allowed someone to hurt Violet? The thought stopped him cold.

Violet halted beside him and shook his hand clasped in hers. “Hey,” she said softly, “I’m not mad at you. Irritated at your obliviousness, yes, but not mad. I know you’d never betray me that way.”

Looking into Violet’s eyes, his fear and anger subsided. “I can deal with your anger, but I can’t deal with the thought of you being hurt because I trusted the wrong person.” Her head tilted in question. How many confessions will I make today? “Before you left to travel, I had Marissa follow you during the day when I couldn’t to ensure your safety.”

Violet paled. “You had her follow me?”

Maybe he should have lied; one time in their entire lives wasn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. “I wanted you safe.”

“You could have assigned anyone else,” she protested. “She is more likely to kill me than save me.”

Roman’s body tensed as if ready to strike. “I thought I could trust her. She’d proven herself trustworthy. I had no idea she would fall in love with me.” Violet’s mouth set in a hard line, and he smirked. “Can you blame her?”

His mate’s nostrils flared, and she tried to pull her hand from his. When that didn’t work, she whacked him in the gut with her left hand. “It is not the time to joke. I want her sent out of the capital.”

Roman pressed his lips together. If he sent Marissa’s body out of the capital, it wouldn’t be a lie to promise Violet her request.

Slender fingers thumped him on the forehead. “What is that look?”

Sighing, he lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss. “Princess, I can’t let her live.”

“What is wrong with you?” Violet gasped. “Gods, Roman, as much as I love you, I cannot condone killing people for disrespecting me. I already have to live with Dominic’s death on my conscience.”

“Dominic’s death is not your doing.” He released her hand and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him when he said, “It is mine. They’re all mine, as is every ounce of blood I will spill in your name. You would never kill someone, even if they deserved it.” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But you cannot ask me to change who I am.”

Violet stared up at him, her mouth opening with the beginnings of a thought, only to close again. Another man might worry she would turn away from his dark nature, but Roman feared nothing of the sort. They were made for one another. She would no sooner turn from him than she would rip out her own heart.

At her resigned sigh and disgruntled expression, he grinned like a cat. “I don’t want you to change,” she admitted, “but will you at least try alternative measures going forward? Exile to another kingdom, maybe?”

“I’ll try,” he conceded.

Violet nodded and blew out another breath. “Thank you.” She looked around them and frowned. “Where is War? I still need to finish shopping.”

The subject change gave Roman whiplash, but he recovered quickly. “I can go with you.”

“I need to pick up your birthday gift,” she replied. “I ran into Marissa before I could buy it.”

He suppressed a smile. Gifts didn’t interest him, except from her. It was another memento to put in his closet to look at when he missed her. “I’ll call War.”

There was something he wanted to ask her, but it felt insignificant in light of the Marissa scandal. Surprising her had been the original plan, but he doubted she’d want another thing sprung on her out of the blue. “I have somewhere I want to take you tonight,” he began, catching her attention. “I have a competition, a big one. The biggest one of the year, actually. Competitors from all over Eden show up.”

She must have noted his nerves because she moved to stand in front of him. “What kind of competition?”

Roman licked his lips and dug a small shape shifter puzzle from his pocket. “A shape shifter competition. I’ve been competing in them for the last year.” Heat prickled the apples of his cheeks.

Violet gingerly took the puzzle from his hand. “They have competitions? Why didn’t you tell me? I’d love to go.”

He’d been worried the idea of watching people race to solve puzzles would bore her. Hopefully she didn’t laugh at the next part. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. It was a bit ridiculous. “I compete in disguise. They call me the Masked Shifter.”

He saw it, the moment Violet rolled her lips together to fight off the laugh, making his own lips twitch. “That’s interesting,” she said after a beat.

Roman hung his head and laughed. “It’s horrendous, but I don’t want people to know it’s me.”

Violet pursed her lips. “Do people tease puzzlers? I won’t let that stand.” She lifted her chin, looking every bit the queen she was. Gods, he loved her.

He coughed to cover a laugh. “Puzzlers?”

“I don’t know what you’re called,” she mumbled, “but if you can kill people for disrespecting me, I can make a law that says people can’t make fun of puzzlers.”

Roman barked out a laugh. “An entire law?” Violet bristled and he picked her up. Her legs wrapped instinctively around him. “No one makes fun of us, princess. The competitions are quite popular, but I didn’t want people treating me differently than the other competitors for being a royal.”

Understanding dawned on her and she wrapped her arms around her neck. “Well, Mr. Masked Shifter, we better get home and get you ready.”

* * *

Violet bounced on the balls of her feet as she stood in the royal viewing box with War sitting beside her. “Did you know he did this?”

The tigon nodded. Oh, how she wished the beast could communicate more with her because she had a million questions.

Roman and Violet entered the large complex separately so as not to give away his identity. The complex was a catch-all venue where large-scale events took place, such as concerts, popular plays, sparring competitions, and so forth. Never in a million years would she have thought puzzle competitions would be on that list.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd and heads turned in her direction. Most people gave her a wide berth with War at her side, but it didn’t stop them from staring, though that didn’t explain their abrupt attention now.

“He’s nervous.”

Violet jumped and flipped around to see Queen Sarah and King Felix standing behind her in the royal box. “You knew he did this?” she asked Roman’s parents.

Felix chuckled and plopped his muscular body down in one of the throne-style chairs. “Who do you think helped him find the perfect mask?”

Violet glanced down at Roman’s table. A skeleton mask covered his entire face except his eyes. “It’s terrifying.”

Sarah sat delicately beside her husband. “Intimidation is key.” The queen exuded elegant grace. You’d never know she could rip your head off with her bare hands. Violet didn’t know if it was true, but the queen was a fierce fighter and terrifying in her own right. It wouldn’t surprise Violet to find out the queen could do it.

“It’s hard to see from up here,” Violet complained and grabbed on the rail to lean closer. “I should have brought a mask.”

“I can glamour you invisible,” Sarah offered. “Roman will be able to see you, but no one else will.”

Violet perked up. “You wouldn’t mind? I’ve only seen him do a puzzle once, and I want to see his face.”

Sarah smiled warmly. “Anything for you, honey. Take care not to bump into people if you can. It gives them quite a fright, and they start spouting nonsense about ghosts and spirits.”

Violet giggled. “I’ll be careful.” She gave Sarah a quick hug and hurried to the box exit. “Thank you.”

* * *

“I’m surprised you showed up after last month’s ass-kicking,” a cocky voice called out to Roman.

Grinning under his mask, he turned to Kelty, a short fae man with close-cropped dark brown hair, dark umber skin, and a stout build to match his square jaw. Despite being ten years Roman’s senior, the man had a child-like quality about him.

He was obnoxious, brilliant, and Roman’s biggest competition.

All year they’d gone back and forth, battling each other for first place. Used to being the best at everything he did, losing to Kelty had knocked Roman’s ego down a peg or two. For the first time, Roman was truly nervous. Sure, he’d been nervous before his first match, but there was something different about today’s competition. Not only did the winner earn the title of Eden’s best shape shifter competitor, but Violet was in the crowd watching him for the first time. His head swam a little at the thought.

“Come to offer me your congratulations early?” he shot back and widened his stance.

Kelty grinned, his mouth stretching from ear to ear. “You’ve lost the last three competitions.”

Roman’s fingers itched to reach for one of the shifting puzzles to practice. Usually, he and Kelty went back and forth with their wins, but Violet’s impending homecoming had distracted Roman the last few times. But not today. Today, she sat in the royal box, watching him, and he’d be damned if he lost. “I like to lull my enemies into a false sense of calm,” he lied.

Kelty, the ass, saw right through him and clapped him on the shoulder. “There’s always next year, Mask.”

Roman pushed his hand away. “I won’t lose today.”

Kelty must have sensed something in Roman’s demeanor, because he hung his hands on his hips and studied him carefully. “What makes you so sure?”

Roman swept his gaze over the crowd, snagging on Violet standing in front of the stands on the competition floor with War at her side. Spectators weren’t allowed on the competition floor, but no one noticed Violet standing there.

When her eyes met his, she waved excitedly and gave him two thumbs up. His heart soared, and he tapped his heart, then pointed at her. Her smile widened, and he winked before turning back to Kelty. “Because my girl is here.”

Kelty looked from Roman to the area behind him. The man’s eyes skipped right over Violet, and Roman realized Kelty couldn’t see her. No one could. He looked at the royal box and spotted his parents. They glamoured her.

Smiling wide, he brushed past Kelty to take his place at his assigned table, and called over his shoulder, “May the best man win.”

* * *

The speed at which the contestants’ hands twisted and pulled the puzzles made Violet’s head spin. Every table housed five puzzles of various sizes, each one more complicated than the next, and Violet’s voice scratched as she clapped and cheered each time Roman moved on to the next shifting puzzle.

Roman reached his final piece before anyone else, and Violet jumped up and down, clapping so hard her hands hurt. Another man she’d seen speaking with Roman before the match was mere seconds behind the prince. When he moved on to his last puzzle, people in the crowd stood, screaming. Some chanted Roman’s alias while others yelled the name “Kelty.”

Violet vibrated with anticipation. She wanted Roman to win more than anything. He’d been so nervous; he’d never admit it outright, but she could tell. This competition meant something to him, so it meant something to her too.

Minutes passed quickly as Kelty and Roman’s puzzles took shape, and the crowd fell to a quiet buzz as everyone held their breaths. Never had Violet thought a puzzle competition would generate the same buzz as a sparring tournament, but it did.

Then it happened. Roman dropped his puzzle, an anatomically correct heart, and jumped back with his hands raised. The crowd went wild, but instead of basking in their screams, Roman turned, locked eyes with Violet, and took off running.

Her heart swelled, and when he closed the distance between them, she jumped into his arms, and he swung her around. With his head buried in her neck, he laughed, the sound so full of joy and excitement, Violet almost wept.

“You did it,” she whispered in his ear. “I knew you’d win.”

Roman pulled back and yanked off his mask to kiss her, his excitement spreading to every part of her. The crowd changed their tone, gasps of surprise and loud chatter rising around the arena.

Violet startled and shifted her head to look around. Everyone is staring. Sarah must have dropped the glamour on Violet. “They’re going to know who you are,” she hissed. He couldn’t glamour them because having them disappear into thin air would be a dead giveaway.

Come to think of it, why hadn’t he glamoured himself to look like someone else?

She must have asked out loud, because he replied, “I need to focus all of my attention on the puzzles, not glamour.”

“Why did you take your mask off?”

He shrugged. “I needed to kiss you.”

* * *

“Your Grace?” a voice said from behind Roman and Violet. They both turned to see the moderator of the competition holding a trophy. A golden cube-shaped shape shifting puzzle sat atop a black stand with a golden plaque that said SHAPE SHIFTING CHAMPION.

Roman beamed with pride and thought this might be the best day of his life, having his girl here while he won something he’d wanted since he’d first discovered the competitions existed.

Roman chuckled. “I guess the secret is out.”

“Hiding your hideous face was smart, Your Grace,” a boisterous voice boomed good-naturedly. “Wouldn’t want to scare the others. It’d be an unfair advantage.”

Kelty appeared from behind the moderator and stuck out his hand with a wide smile. Roman’s large hand engulfed the other man’s and he grinned back. “Don’t be jealous because I’m prettier than you.”

Kelty laughed, a loud, infectious sound. “It’s been an honor going against you this year.” He looked at Violet and winked. “I beat him more times than he beat me.”

Roman tugged her into his side. The bastard was too charming for his own good. Violet held out her hand. “I’m Violet.”

Kelty bobbed his head. “The queen.”

Violet fidgeted with the necklace around her neck and laughed. “Not yet.”

Kelty grinned from ear to ear. “Tomorrow is close enough. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.”

Violet waved him off. “Please, call me Violet.”

“Call her Your Grace,” Roman interjected, “or I’ll kill you.”

Kelty threw his head back with a loud laugh and clapped his hands. “So I’ve heard. Don’t worry, Mask, I won’t touch your bride.”

Violet jabbed Roman in the side with her elbow. “Stop threatening to kill people.”

Roman looked down with a crooked smile. “No.”

“Why’d you really hide your face?” Kelty mused, picking up Roman’s mask from the ground.

Roman scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want people to treat me differently because of who I am.”

Kelty snorted. “Confident in your importance, aren’t you?” Violet giggled, and Roman cut his eyes to her. “Will you compete next year?”

“Probably not now that everyone knows.” He looked pointedly at the crowd watching him with rapt attention.

Kelty twisted around the stare at the others on the competition floor. “They’re looking at me.” He pointed to his face. “This is a work of art.”

Violet laughed again and Roman frowned, not liking another man’s jokes summoning her laughter.

“Your Grace, we typically have the top three winners stand on the podium to have their pictured sketched,” the moderator said and held out the trophy. “If that’s okay?”

Roman accepted the trophy and clapped Kelty on the shoulder. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Congratulations, son,” Roman’s father said as he and the queen approached. “A perfect way to start your reign.”

Roman’s mother pulled him into a tight hug. “We’re so proud of you.”

A few palace guards surrounded the monarchs, forcing the crowd to keep a wide berth. The queen loved talking to the townspeople, but in large crowds such as this one, things could get dangerous fast.

Roman thanked them both and kissed the side of Violet’s head. “Do you mind waiting with my parents while I pose for the picture?”

“Of course not,” Violet said, shooing him toward the podium. “I plan on having one of the palace artists copy it to hang in my sewing room.”

Roman shook his head lightly, kissed her once more for good measure, and jogged over the podium, wondering how his life could get any better than this.