Page 38

EZABELL

L um Laras was a vivid mix of color and noise. The entire city had spilled into the streets to celebrate my first wedding anniversary.

Silk banners stretched between the white stone buildings, their golden threads sparkling in the glow of the setting sun. Musicians played on every corner. Children raced among merchants’ carts overflowing with sweets and delicacies from the farthest reaches of the kingdom.

“Did you really have to make him the head of your treasury?” Helios grumbled beside me, his sharp gaze fixed on something in the crowd. “It’s like putting a fox in charge of chickens.”

I followed his stare to where Nikolas stood speaking to a pair of merchants. My husband’s hands moved animatedly as he talked, clearly describing something. A heist, probably. Or maybe a close escape from a hanging. The merchants roared with laughter, one bending forward and clutching his stomach.

“Nikolas is good with money,” I told Helios.

He huffed. “You mean he’s good at stealing it.”

Nikolas joined the merchants’ laughter, slapping one affectionately on the back.

After a few more minutes of conversation and a round of handshakes, the merchants turned away.

Nikolas waited a beat, then stepped behind one of the merchants.

In a practiced movement, Nikolas removed the man’s coin purse from his belt.

Instead of pocketing it, however, he tapped the merchant on the shoulder.

When the man turned, Nikolas held up the purse and pointed to the strap.

The leather was so worn it was almost severed.

A few more hours at the festival, and the merchant would have lost his money.

“See?” I said, turning to Helios with triumph. “He doesn’t steal anymore.”

Helios waved a hand. “I know, I know,” he grumbled. “Only hearts.”

A commotion near the fountain caught my attention.

Dain emerged from a cluster of children looking like he’d wandered through a flower storm.

Daisies and roses bristled from his hair, which streamed over his shoulders.

Two little girls held each of his hands.

Another clung to his leg, and at least half a dozen more danced around him.

Their high-pitched giggles carried on the breeze.

Dain dropped to one knee, patience etched on his features as he accepted hugs from his admirers. A tiny girl with a coronet of red braids placed a wreath of sunflowers on his head.

“Flower Prince!” the other girls squealed, jumping up and down. Passersby smiled as Dain stood and then bowed with an exaggerated flourish. The children curtsied. When they finally scampered off, relief stole over Dain’s face. He wiped his brow, dislodging a sunflower in the process.

A smiling Nikolas strolled to him, and they laughed as Nikolas plucked a blossom from Dain’s hair only to tuck it behind his ear.

My heart swelled. Dain was so good with children. Nikolas was, too, but little ones gravitated toward Dain the way flowers turned toward the sun. We hadn’t really discussed children. Running the kingdom and settling into our marriage had occupied most of our time. But one day…

A sniffling sound drew my attention to Helios, who gazed at Nikolas and Dain with a soft smile on his face.

My eyes widened. “Helios, are you smiling ?”

He jumped, quickly schooling his expression into its usual disapproval. “Of course not.” He shoved a finger under his spectacles. “Just something in my eye.”

I didn’t bother fighting my grin. “I think you like my husbands.”

He pressed his lips together. Then his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Maybe they’re growing on me,” he muttered.

“Careful, old friend,” I said, gently adjusting his spectacles. “They’ve been known to steal hearts.”

We observed the festivities for a few more moments before duty called Helios away. I wandered among the crowd, greeting nobles and visitors from other kingdoms. I’d stopped for a cake at a merchant’s stall when warm hands grasped my waist from behind.

“Your Majesty,” Nikolas murmured in my ear. “You’re going to spoil your dinner.”

Turning in his arms, I found him smiling down at me with Dain at his side. Dain still wore half the festival’s flower supply in his hair, and Nikolas had acquired a string of colorful glass beads around his neck.

“Having fun without us?” Dain asked, lifting my hand to his lips. Nikolas took the opportunity to lean in and take a healthy bite of cake.

“Hey!” I scolded, snatching it back. “Thief.”

He darted his tongue out to lick frosting from his lip. “Only cakes and hearts these days, sweet Bel.” Mischief glinted in his eyes as he leaned forward and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “I have a very demanding boss.”

The beat of a drum filled the air, along with the lively strains of a violin. Nikolas’s eyes lit up.

“They’re playing our song,” he said. “The one about the queen and the thieves. Apparently, it’s popular even in Andulum.”

Dain looked disgruntled as he pulled a flower from his hair. “They’ve taken some creative liberties with the story.”

Nikolas gave me a lazy smile. “He’s mad because they turned him into a woodland sprite who enchanted you with his singing voice.”

I put a hand over my mouth to smother my laugh. “Is that so?”

“I can’t even sing,” Dain rumbled, removing another flower. “It’s the inaccuracy that bothers me.”

Nikolas looked unsympathetic. “Try having your face plastered all over the kingdom with a double chin.”

My laughter joined the swelling music. I finished my cake, then shivered when Nikolas grabbed my hand and sucked the last of the frosting from my fingertips. The three of us melted back into the crowd, letting it carry us toward the music.

“We should dance,” Dain murmured in my ear.

I eyed the couples twirling around the square. Most of the time, life with two husbands was blissfully uncomplicated. But occasionally, problems arose.

“How would that work, exactly?” I asked, trying to imagine the three of us attempting the spinning maneuvers.

Nikolas’s lips grazed my other ear. “Not that kind of dance, love.”

Comprehension dawned, followed by a rush of heat. “Oh.”

A smile spread in his eyes. He lifted my hand to his mouth and sucked my finger. “Still just as sweet.”

The heat flowed faster. He was right. The three of us danced just fine when we were alone.

“All right,” I said, my voice breathless as I looked between them. “As long as I get to lead.”

Dain threaded his fingers through mine. Magic sparked, heat flaring between our palms. Love and desire gleamed in his blue eyes. “As my queen commands.”

The three of us smiled at each other. Then we took off running toward the palace.