so much, put a damned curtain around the pot.”
Father groaned under his breath.
I asked in a mild tone, “So this is where you’ve been for the last twelve years? With my father, watching him shit, and chatting away like you didn’t have a granddaughter who might have wanted to see you during that time?”
Her silver eyes flicked down to me. “Oh no! I was not watching him shit. My son makes me turn around and talk to the wall, as if I didn’t change his disgusting diapers when he was a babe. Anything he’s got I’ve seen already. He needs to act like the damned king he is and shit with pride.”
I blinked. “I think you’re missing my point.”
“Shit with pride?” Father choked and looked up at her—with crazy eyes. “What in the Fae fuck does that even mean?”
I stood and placed stopping hands in each of their directions. “Enough fighting. I’ve never seen two people, who love each other so much, able to bicker like light Fae and dark Fae. Both of you have always had the most absurd fights…and, I’ll admit, it’s slightly soothing to see that it hasn’t changed even when one of you has a corpse six feet under already.”
King Traevon crinkled his nose. “That was a little much, my daughter.”
“Yes, most definitely a bit much.” Grandmother still couldn’t fight the laughter that entered her eyes at my antics. “Are you done here, my dearheart? I thought we might go over some of the old lessons I taught you about the rulers before you fall asleep tonight.”
I hesitated, but asked anyway, “Will you stay in our castle with me tonight? I’ll review with you if you’ll stay afterward.” It would be much better to have her there with me, even in her spirit form.
“Of course, I will.”
“Trixie was supposed to spar with me.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’ll save it for another time. And, truly, you sent me away with your best blades assassin for twelve years. Did you think we didn’t practice regularly?”
Father sat back on his chair, eyeing me, back in full control of his emotions. “Do you really think you can beat me as you said before? An elf who is one thousand two hundred and fifty years old? With you having just twelve years of concentrated training?”
“You trained me, too.”
“I did, but I can still kick your royal ass.”
“Fine. In the future, we’ll have our illegal date with blades.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “May the best royal ass win.”
Father snorted through his laughter and shooed us with his left hand. “Go on. Study and rest with your grandmother. But be ready by sunrise to leave for the royal summit.”
“Because it sounds like so much bloody fun.” I flashed my fangs in the light. “I can’t wait.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Confession of a princess:
What in the Fae fuck just happened?
I don’t understand! This cannot possibly be right.
All I know is this is some deep, scary shit.
The beloved Fae need to fix this.
Now!
“Is my attire appropriate for a royal summit?” I asked cautiously, timidly twirling in a circle on the front lawn of the king’s castle. “Grandmother helped me pick it out.”
Father’s blink was gradual, and he stood frozen to his spot. In his stupor, he mumbled, “You look like you’re going there to kill them all. What could she have been thinking…?”
I stared down at my black leather pants and matching leather sleeveless shirt that formed tight to my entire body. My clunky, black leather boots shifted as I took a step back. I gazed up at my father and pointed at my waist. “I know she chose a lot of leather for me, so I added the belt myself to balance it out.”
King Traevon’s emerald green eyes snaked to my midsection, his head tipping just so to appraise my accessory. He blinked three times in quick succession. “Yes, your assassin’s attire needed that gaudy, sparkly belt to pull off this look. It shines in the light like a rainbow.”
I took another step back, while my brows furrowed deeply. “All right. I’ll go and change if it’s not right. I don’t have the foggiest of what to put on, though. It’s not as if I’ve ever been to one of these bloody summits before.”
Father held up a swift hand, stopping me in my tracks.
He asked, “Are you positive your grandmother wanted you to wear this? She knows the extravagant garments that the women wear there.”
“Grandmother seemed very adamant that I wear this, despite