Page 164 of Wicked Prince of Frost

“I would not want?—”

“It’s no imposition at all,” she says with a knowing smile as she joins the others.

“I see where you get it from,” Joon mutters under his breath.

I feign offence. “Getwhatfrom?”

“Your unfailing positivity.”

After making sure no one can see, I rise on my toes andpress a quick kiss to his lips. While he’s still stunned, I pull him into the drawing room.

I gesture to my friends and family, naming each in turn. “Everyone, this is Joon.”

There’s a round of murmured greetings that feels far more strained than I expected.

“Umm, Violet,” Talya says a little too sweetly. “Perhaps you would like to give us all a little more context? You’ve never brought a man home before.” He laughs nervously, then quietly, she adds, “And when you do, he’s fae.”

Oh… Oooh.

I suppose it would be jarring. Humans and fae have only begun to work together again. There hasn’t been much time for more romantic notions to develop between the two groups.

When I look at him, all I see is the man who makes my heart skip a beat when he smiles, who understood me in a way no one else could, long before we fell in love. The man I have been tied to for more than half my life through a curse that became a boon.

Talya turns to Joon. “You see, our little Violet has given herself very little opportunity to meet a human man, let alone a fae. So, we are understandably confused—especially when she’s never mentioned anyone to us before.”

He gives me a sideways glance.

“Joon only moved to the area recently. We met by chance on my way home yesterday.”

Everyone stares, waiting for more.

“He was my protector at the palace,” I rush to say. “And gave me Bear for added protection.”

My father sends Joon a glare. “That was you? I was wondering if we would ever meet the one responsible for that littlegift.”

I press my lips into a hard line to stifle the laughter bubbling up. Father has finally figured out that Bear is actually a demon, as I knew he would. I could only hide their littlequirksfor so long.

Talya’s sharp gaze bounces from Joon to me several times. “Is there something between you two?”

“We are frien—” I start to say, but Joon cuts me off.

“I intended to make her my wife as soon as possible.”

I choke on the bluntness of his response while everyone is rendered speechless.

“Joon!” I hiss.

He meets my gaze with an entirely serious expression. “You already agreed when we discussed it earlier.”

“You didn’t have to tell them thatyet,” I say in a harsh whisper, even though everyone can hear.

“I will not lie to the people who love you.”

Heat creeps into my cheeks.

Talya snorts. “Protector, my foot,” she mutters under her breath.

Sebastain sits forward on the edge of his seat. “I—uh, that is—our families have been good friends for so long, we are all practically family at this point.”