Page 177 of Serpent In White

She blinks hard, her head spinning, visibly to me. “Darian, I’msosorry.” Her chin wobbles. “I have to apologize… I caused a huge mess for you guys.”

“Water under the bridge,” I assuage. “I mean, sure, you weren’t easy, but what kind of leader would I be if I couldn’t handle a little insurgence from a total stranger?”

She grins. “You’re a true leader. I see that now.”

Letting go of her hands, I stand as her forehead creases. She misses my touch. I have to chuckle at it.

She’s cute, this kid. I don’t know what that means, or where that leaves us, but it feels good to have another ally.

Pulling a key from my pocket, I unlock the cell, opening the door for her. She doesn’t dive through it like I thought she might. She gives me a wary look, questioning my forgiveness.

So skeptical, stray princess, I purse my lips to cover my grin.

She lets out a small laugh, then does something I really wasn’t expecting. She lunges at me, hugging onto my shoulders with all her tiny might. I’m much taller, and wider than she is, but she still almost knocks me over with her force.

She’s a fierce one.

“Now what?” She asks, lips brushing my neck as she does.

“Well, you’re here, Rhiannon,” I rumble into her. “So I’m going to request something of you… something I’ve asked of everyone in my Regnum. Your loyalty. I need a guarantee that you’re here to stay.”

“Here to stay…” she whispers, her tone draped in awe.

“This isn’t something you can just drop out of in six months if you don’t like it, like Business School.” I pet her long, silky hair. “You don’t get to leave me.”

“No one leaves?” Now she sounds shocked.

“No. No one leaves,” I reply, firmly. “I’m a possessive King. My Mother made me that way.”

She nods as she pulls back, the saucers of her eyes locked on me. For the first time since I met her, she’s on Team Darian. I hear her thoughts, practically pledging my allegiance.

This talk we’ve just had, opening up to one another, and finding out how much we have in common… It gave me a new piece to my puzzle.

I have to appreciate it, even if it’s something I never expected.

The thought brings on an idea. My next questionable one…

Something needs to be done.

“I’m calling a meeting.” I take her hand in mine and pull her out of the cell, toward the steps.

“A meeting?” She’s nervous.

She should be.

“A meeting in the woods.”

Well, this is an unexpected turn of events.

Darian sent me to go collect Abdiel. When we parted ways at the hunting shack that secretly houses the jail cells, he told me he was going up to the clearing to find Drake. We both knew he was there.

I’m not sure how I knew… Darian, sure. They’ve been connected since they were kids. Connected through blood and pain and emotions so deep they’re permanently carved onto their souls.

But me? I just got here.

I don’t even really know what I’m doing. All I know is that I’m infinitely grateful to Darian for his forgiveness, and now I truly see what Abdiel was clamoring about in the woods a few days ago…

He’s a King. The leader of The Principality… And potentially my leader?MyHead Priest?