Roan looked over Dante as he entered the barracks, shaking his head. “Do you have some kind of skin condition that prevents you from wearing a shirt?”

Shit, he’d need to go fetch that shirt he discarded last night. Dante hadn’t even thought of it when he left Prim’s room this morning after they’d woken up to a knock at the door. He’d stayed nearby as that little hummingbird long enough to see it was just a messenger, handing Prim a rolled piece of parchment, then flitted away to make it back to his room before Roan again found it empty.

Knowing he missed out on a few extra minutes with her for no reason, he brushed past the kern without responding.

“Where were you?”

Dante stopped.

Would he be nice to her friends?

He would be. “I was under the impression my time was my own when not posted or on escort duty,” he said calmly.

Roan scanned him for a moment. “Within reason, but I need to be able to find my men when they are needed.”

Dante nodded. “Apologies. Am I needed, Kern?”

Roan cleared his throat. “Kallia has requested you and Blukke continue adding second eyes to the handmaidens while the visitors are here. With so many strangers in the castle, I agree that a second escort would be wise.”

Dante knew Roan wanted to add that he didn’t agree with Kallia’s choice of who those escorts would be, but was impressed that the shifter hadn’t voiced it.

Dante nodded politely again. “And with the handmaidens staying close to Kallia, that affords us the opportunity to keep an eye on her and anyone who might approach her, too. I think that’s a good plan. Though I would need to take some time each day to check on the Cavs and I’d like that vial you took from Sol’s office to try to see if I can find anything on it. If you don’t mind, please.”

Roan ignored the request. “The shift change takes place in ten minutes. You should get to the castle. Blukke and Tuck have already left. You can visit the Cavs and pursue activities related to your mission during Prim’s private lessons.”

A few guards walked past them as they spoke in the middle of the entry hall, but neither Roan nor Dante moved to make room, despite a few dirty looks.

So Roan knew about the lessons. “You trust Helena alone with Prim, then?”

Roan’s mouth twitched up gloatingly. “Of course. It was on Helena’s recommendation that Prim be appointed a handmaiden.”

Dante wasn’t convinced, but if Prim felt comfortable with the woman, and Roan had no objections, he supposed he had no reason to distrust her. “The vial?”

One of the guards wandering through paused behind him, and Dante turned to find Sarasha. She bumped his shoulder. “Ready to go, partner?”

Dante returned his attention to Roan, waiting for the vial.

“I’d like an update on the Cavs when you return this afternoon,” the shifter said, then walked away.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Dante didn’t bother to continue to his room. He just walked angrily out the door, heading back to the room he’d just left.

Sarasha jogged to catch up. “Forgetting something?” She raised her brow at his bare chest.

Dante ignored her, choosing instead to walk in silence. When he approached the alcove close to the castle entrance where he’d discarded his shirt, he ducked low to pluck it from under a topiary and pulled it on.

“Interesting place to store your clothes,” Sarasha observed. “What about your sword?”

“I don’t need one.”

When the escorts arrived in the handmaidens’ hall, Dante found Blukke and Tuck were already posted outside Bristol’s room. The lone guard in front of Prim’s room nodded before departing. It was another half an hour before Prim’s door opened, revealing her in a plain blue dress and her hair still secured from when Dante fixed it yesterday.

“Good morning.” She smiled sweetly, nodding at each of the four guards and even waving at the one at the end of the hall. Then she knocked on Bristol’s door to corral her, and the party of six climbed the stairs to Kallia’s chambers.

Dante took position on the wall along with the others as Bristol and Prim each made themselves plates of food. Kallia was already lounging on a chaise, lazily popping bites of her own breakfast in her mouth. Bristol dropped onto another chaise when her plate was full, but Prim padded to him, thrusting the full plate into his hands.

“Eat.” She didn’t wait for him to respond before turning back to make a new plate. “Does anyone else need breakfast?” she asked the other guards. When no one responded, she took her seat, keeping the second plate for herself.

Dante ate awkwardly standing up, Blukke stealing a few bites from his plate as the women talked.

“What did you learn from your conversation with Egan?” Kallia asked Bristol.

The handmaiden drummed her fingers on the chaise as she finished chewing and swallowing. “Not much. He’s a bit shy, I think. He didn’t seem mean or rude or anything. Just a little disinterested. He didn’t even ask about you.”

The princess made a noise of contemplation before turning to Prim. “And what did Neros have to say?”

Dante pressed his lips together, waiting to see what Prim had taken away from their conversation.

Prim rolled her eyes. “Not much. Though he’s not at all shy. And he did ask about you. I told him how amazing you are and that Egan would be lucky to have you.” She pulled the rolled piece of parchment that had been delivered early this morning from the folds of her skirts and tossed it to Kallia.

The princess read it through then raised her eyes to Prim. “Well see if you can get more information out of him then.”

Prim groaned. “I have to do it?”

Dante clenched his fists. Why did everyone around here want to make her do things she didn’t want to do? And why did she let them?

Kallia furrowed her brows. “Why wouldn’t you want to?” Prim’s gaze flicked to Dante, and the princess tilted her head. “You don’t have to, but I think you should. I would appreciate it if you did.”

Blukke nudged Dante. “What’s that about?”

Dante shook his head, his attention on the women.

Bristol stood up to pluck the parchment from Kallia’s fingers. After reading it, she pouted. “I should have sat across from him. You always get all the best men.”

Prim smiled. “I thought you were in your submissive, scrawny man era? Neros is certainly not that.”

Dante and Blukke’s arms brushed as both men shifted in agitation.

Bristol laughed, then slid her eyes to Blukke. “I’m not that picky.”

Prim stood and crossed to a writing desk in the corner. She scribbled some lines on a piece of parchment and blew on it to dry the ink before rolling it up and taking it to the door. Lunin, he liked the look of her lips in that position. Dante could hear her quietly instruct a guard outside to see it was delivered to Prince Neros.

She plopped back down on her chaise. “I told him to meet me in an hour for the tour of the complex he requested.” Dante knew the explanation was more for his benefit than anything else. “What did Princess Torra say?”

Kallia shrugged. “Not much. But she had the most beautiful smile.”