Fisher (Prince of Tigers, #3) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,43

his head, he asked Piper again if she was here in his dream. “No, moron, you’re here. With me. If this were a dream, could I hurt you like this?”

The pinch to his nose was painful, but he didn’t wake up. Still standing in front of the queen, he rubbed at the pain as he tried to take in what he’d done. Looking back, the dead were being pulled into the earth, their bodies going a long way in helping the earth recover from so much blood.

“I’m here. I’m really here defending your castle. No way.” Piper smacked him on the forehead. “I don’t understand it. Why do I feel as if I’m dreaming? There has to be a reason for me feeling so confident and strong. Don’t you think?”

“You are strong, Fisher. Bigger than your brothers. Stronger than all of them together now. You needed to be, to be there when I call upon you.” He looked behind him again as Aurora continued. “What do I have to do to convince you that you’ve just saved my kingdom?”

He didn’t know, but he was no longer sure he’d been dreaming. Fisher looked down at his hand. The wound there was healed, but the scarring, something he’d never had before, was still there—in the shape of a horse. Looking at Avalanche, he realized he had saved him by touching his blood—his blood, not magic—to the forehead of a horse. Fisher dropped to the ground. His legs were trembling hard enough that he was sure everyone could hear his knees knocking together.

“Now, what is upsetting you? Do you need a nap? Or a binky?” He looked up at Piper and thought for sure she was having entirely too much fun at his expense. “Why on earth did you think this was a dream in the first place? I mean, really?”

“How did I get here? I just seemed to wake up here. Also, I don’t remember dressing in my armor. Tell me when I did that?” When Piper looked at Aurora, he did as well. “The sword. It was a gift from you. I knew that, but I have no memory of you handing it to me. What would you think if that happened to you?”

“You’re right. I would be confused.” Aurora snapped her fingers, and they were in the castle. He was dressed in his usual mode of dress—jeans, a T-shirt, and socks. No shoes if he was in the house, which is where he thought he had been. “I summoned you. That is how you came here. As for your armor, it is forever on you so that at a moment’s notice, such as today, I can call to you, and you won’t be hampered by getting dressed. It isn’t seen by anyone until you need it. The same with Piper, who is taking this a great deal better than you are, Fisher.”

He looked at his mate and pulled her into his lap. The security of having her near him was making him feel less stupid about this entire thing. Fisher told her he was sorry, then did the same to the queen.

“You have no reason to be sorry, Fisher. We won the battle. You were brilliant out there.” Piper kissed him on the nose. “Next time we get called out, I’m going to make sure you know you’re awake. Or perhaps not. You were very brave, thinking you were asleep. I might keep you that way when a heavy decision needs to be made.”

Piper was still giggling when she sat down on the chair again. There was a plate of cookies near her, as well as a tall glass of what looked like orange juice. He took one of her cookies and moaned at the taste.

“They’re pineapple crunch cookies. Are they not the best?” Fisher agreed with Aurora as a plate of the same cookies appeared next to him. A glass of the drink too. “That is pineapple orange juice. I saw it in a store once and couldn’t get enough of it. So I’m having the cook experiment with different flavors of fruit together. Are you all right now, Fisher?”

“I am. I’m sorry for the way I acted.” He still wasn’t sure about a couple of things, but let them go. “I don’t think it will be that easy again, will it? I mean, the troll was easy to defeat. Will it always be that way, you think?”

“I think for the first time in many years people will think