The Golden Prince (Royal Conquest Saga #5) - Nikki Jefford Page 0,8

we were boys,” I would say. “I should have accepted your invitation to play. I wish we had become friends.”

I wish we could have become more.

Lark

I pressed my hand to my cheek.

I wasn’t sure whether I felt encouraged or infuriated by Crispin’s slap.

Swiping my crown off the ground, I took a detour to my chambers and reapplied shimmer where it had smudged under Crispin’s grasp. I was in no hurry to rush back to the ballroom, especially not looking like a mess. I set my crown on the vanity and gave my hair a fresh brush-through, rougher than I intended. Crispin had me riled up. I had half a mind to retire for the evening, let the party go on without me. But Dahlquist was my domain. What kind of host would I be if I disappeared before the festivities concluded?

Pasting a half smile over my lips, I headed back to the ballroom. A pair of deep-sea divers walked into me outside the doors leading in. “Watch out,” I sniped.

Maybe they couldn’t see through the copper helmets covering their faces, or maybe they were drunk. Muffled snickering caught my attention. I’d recognize that laughter anywhere. My twin brothers had portaled to the party.

Sighing as only an older sibling can, I put my hands on my hips. “Reed. Ronin. What are you lugs doing here?”

They removed their helmets and grinned. Thick black hair flattened over their heads.

“Mom wanted us to check on you,” Ronin said.

“Make sure you aren’t getting too puffed up by your Fae fan club,” Reed informed me.

Ronin snickered and elbowed his irksome sidekick. “Hey, Reed. He should dress up as a pufferfish.”

“Amusing as always,” I said with an eye roll. Brushing the twins off seemed to get their goat, so I made sure to do it as often as possible. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my adoring masses await.”

Hopefully, the twins wouldn’t get into too much trouble. They were thirteen, old enough to take care of themselves. It was a safe bet that Kaylin or Peridot had been sent to Faerie with them just in case. They’d probably given their poor babysitter the slip.

Entering the ballroom, I lifted my head and strode inside with deliberate steps, waiting to see who would flock to me first. Cadmi pushed away from her current dance partner—a moderately wealthy male of good social standing, though no title—and started my way. She toyed with a pearl on her bustier, smiling seductively as she approached. Groaning internally, I contemplated backtracking to the refreshments table. It was a good thing I flicked a gaze toward the fountain of bubbling wine. In a split second, I saw the male in the shark outfit pitch his harpoon at me.

I leaped away, barely avoiding the sharp spearhead. The next guest wasn’t as lucky. A male in a squid costume shrieked as the harpoon made a sick slurping noise as it entered his gut. Screams erupted all around us. Folas appeared in an instant, wrenching the assailant’s arms behind his finned back. Our family’s most trusted guard, and friend, was all muscle—a blond boulder capable of crushing anyone who crossed our family. This shark wasn’t going anywhere now that Folas had caught him. Uncle Liri appeared next, barking commands for the male to be hauled down to the dungeons.

Sprinting for the corridor, my heart thundered inside my chest, not easing until I saw my twin brothers scurrying off, diving helmets held in their hands. A glimmering portal opened like a whirlpool from one of the access points at the end of the hall. I sprinted to catch them before they hauled ass out.

“Where are you going?” I yelled, even though I knew damn well where they were headed.

Ronin looked over his shoulder. “Home.”

“Mom’s gonna want to know about this,” Reed added.

“Ready to take the plunge?” Ronin asked his twin.

Reed lifted his copper helmet over his head and jumped into the portal, soon followed by Ronin.

They were safe. That was what mattered. I spun around and jogged back to the ballroom in time to see guards escorting the shark into the hallway. When he saw me, he snarled but didn’t struggle.

Uncle Liri led the guards and their prisoner. Dahlquist’s acting king, like me, was bare-chested. Solid gold cuffs gleamed from his wrists to his elbows, and he wore a smooth golden crown that reminded me of a starfish. He wore dark blue pants and carried a trident with sharpened prongs.

I hurried over, only for Uncle Liri to brush me off.

“Return