rose as she pursed her lips at me. “Not much,” I amended in a quieter tone.
A bubble of laughter left her, bringing a smile to my face. It was nice to see her laugh again after all we’d been through in the last few weeks. “Okay. I’ll stop pressuring you,” she said, then after a beat, she added, “about him—you will, however, have to tell me about the dark Fae. What was his name?”
“Orion?” I guessed.
“Yes.” She nodded. “He seems quite taken with you as well. How does that work?”
"We … uh … share?" I said, feeling my cheeks heat. Nellie and I had never had the opportunity or a reason to talk about things like this before. We’d been raised around mostly women and young boys our whole lives. The only boys we’d ever known had come from the village and they’d been nothing like the Fae I knew now. Roan, Orion, and even Sorrell were warriors. Their shoulders were twice the width of an average boy’s. They were men—Royals—and far more than I’d ever anticipated.
Nellie's mouth had dropped open and she just stared at me in shock for a moment before asking, "Does that make you a Princess then?"
I snorted in response to that. “I'm being called the Crimson Princess, but that doesn’t make me a real Princess,” I told her.
"You’re a Gods damned Princess,” Nellie suddenly burst out.
I blinked, staring at her in shock. “Did you just curse?”
“Hey, I have the right to be shocked by everything that’s happened,” she said, pointing a finger in my face. “It’s not every day that I find out my best friend is a Fae Changeling and then, a Princess!” Nel shook her head again. “No wonder that cold one was concerned—he was a bit frightening when they returned without you.” Her eyes turned to her lap and she shivered as if recalling something particularly unwelcome. “You’re royalty.”
"Wait.” My mind wasn’t catching up as fast as I thought it was. I pushed a finger into my ear and wiggled it around before turning my head and leaning closer. “Can you repeat that? Who was worried?”
“The cold one,” Nel repeated. “You know the one with the longer pale hair?”
“Sorrell was worried?" My brows shot up towards my hairline. “Are you sure?”
She nodded, looking at me as if I was acting odd. I couldn't be acting any more odd than the Frost Prince of assholes actually giving a horse’s ass about me. Then again … he had been there to rescue me with the others. I thought that had just been because of the others, but what if it was more?
"I know you know that Roan and Orion both care about you, but he does as well. It's pretty clear that they all feel something for you,” Nellie said with a sigh.
I was quiet for a moment before I replied. "I care about each of them as well,” I admitted quietly. “I never expected this … any of it really. I think that night I came here, it was the castle calling me. The horrible noise.” I shuddered at the memory of how it had pierced my skull and rendered me unconscious. “I think … maybe it was fate. That we were meant to meet. I’m grateful to the Gods—because without what happened, without finding this castle and meeting the Princes, I would have never known what I was. It's bizarre to think about, but they each..." I sighed. "They each complete me in a way I never expected. I didn't even think something like this was possible, let alone with multiple people."
“It’s certainly different from the abbey," Nellie said, sounding slightly wistful.
A thought occurred to me. Nellie hadn’t asked for this. I’d uprooted her from her life and forced her into this world with me. Guilt blossomed sharp and ugly in my stomach. “Would you want to go back there?” I asked quietly, curious
"No, not at all,” she replied. “Even though I was terrified out of my mind to begin with, you’re my best friend.” Her eyes met mine and a smile formed. “Wherever you go, I want to be there for you. It's just … I do sometimes wonder what's happened to them, you know?"
"I know what you mean." I scooted over and slung my arm around her shoulders. "I bet Sister Madeline is dancing with joy that neither of us have returned to corrupt any of the younger children.”
"Sister Ermine is probably feeding them something foul to help cleanse the