I decided to wear a basic pantsuit, something that was still flattering to my body but not too revealing, as I did not want Marcel’s eyes locked on me.

Theo? What were you going to ask?

Don’t worry about it.

His voice was different. I could tell he was starting to get jealous already.

Theo, please don’t start this now.

I heard him sigh. I’m sorry. This week without him was fantastic. Now we have to get sucked back into his reality.

I get it, but please try to keep your jealousy in check.

I’ll try Maria. But no promises. He is in my territory, after all.

I sighed. The layer will play an interesting part in all of this. I hadn’t really thought about how Marcel would affect everything now that the kingdom was completely under Theo’s watch.

I’ll try to keep calm, but if he makes one wrong move….

Theo, please. I’m begging you.

He went silent again. I could sense his irritation and jealousy through the bond. He was on high alert—he had every right to be—but I needed him to keep his cool—at least for a little while longer.

Fine. I’ll keep myself busy.

Thank you.

Whatever.

Yeah, he was pissed. I just hoped he understood. We can’t pull the trigger too early. I still needed to be inducted into The Council. I needed to talk to Queen Eleanor. I still needed training. We were not ready for doomsday yet.

I found myself in the kitchen moments later. Thankfully, Theo showed up. “Sorry for that earlier, Maria.” He kissed my forehead and went to help Roland.

I sighed in relief as he seemed normal right now. “It’s okay, I understand.” To which I did fully understand. I knew he was hurt. I knew he had become a bit more aggressive towards any threats in the kingdom, as that came along with the layer.

“When does Marcel arrive?” Theo questioned me as he started cooking bacon.

“I have no idea. He just said he would be back today.”

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

I had been in minor contact with Marcel over the past week as he wanted to touch base with things going on in Winterfall. Of course, he claimed he wanted to hear my ethereal voice. Please. I only tolerated it because I had to play into his fantasy of us actually being a couple. This was something I hated doing, but I knew it needed to be done.

“Hmm…I could skip on guard duty and stick around the castle.” He glanced back at me with a grin, “Kidding, Maria, I plan to keep myself busy today. I can’t just sit around with my thumb up my ass.”

I sighed heavily, “Good.”

Roland walked into the kitchen as Theo finished placing the last piece of bacon on the skillet and stopped mid-track. “I was out for five minutes. Five minutes, and you could not wait?”

“Please, my appetite is endless. I couldn’t wait. You’ve fed me twice as much in the last week; I may have grown accustomed to that.”

“I see that I have spoiled the dragon,” Roland said, crossing his arms as he watched Theo cook.

I laughed, “I made that mistake myself.”

Theo cocked his head and glared at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it, dear. It’s a good type of spoil.”

I saw it click in his eyes, and a grin fell. “I see.”

“Wait. Did I miss something?” Roland questioned both of us, clearly missing the double meaning behind my testament.

To which I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s okay, Roland. Did you, by chance, prepare any sweets?”

He narrowed his eyes at me but moved to the fridge, pulled out a tray of sweets, and slid them to me. “Fresh baked as of a few hours ago.”

“Thanks, Roland.”

I bit into a delicious chocolate chip cookie stuffed to the brim with chocolate. There was a secret in these cookies. I knew Roland loved baking for me, but he still wanted me to get a bit of fruit in my system, so I knew he put different fillings in these cookies. This one, in particular, had a cherry filling—one of my personal favorites. I bit into another and could taste a sweet mango flavor mixed with the chocolate.

“Well?” Roland questioned me as he watched me taste almost every cookie on the plate. There were five he had set out for me. The Mango. The Cherry. There was a Peach one. There was a Black Cherry one. A Blueberry one. All flavors are very distinct when mixed with chocolate. All tasted very well.

“Cherry is my favorite. However, I do like the Black Cherry one as well. It’s hard to decide as they are all delicious.”

“I'm Glad to hear that. I adapted the recipes a little, so I was curious if you could tell.”

“Adapted how?”

“Don’t you worry about that, Maria. Theo, let me take over the cooking; I swear you burn the hell out of bacon.”

“You know I like mine crispy.”

“Well, not everyone likes it that crispy.”

When Theo was done plating the bacon he had cooked, Roland moved to the stove. With each bite, he took off his fixed bacon, and a loud crunch filled the air. To which I couldn’t help but laugh at.

After breakfast, Theo left to do his rounds, and I stayed to help Roland clean up the kitchen. I tried to distract myself with little things as I did not want to focus on Marcel’s impending return.

I still had yet to learn when he was coming back. Part of me hoped he would return after I went to sleep. Part of me hoped he wouldn’t return at all. But I knew I wasn’t that lucky.

I soon found myself in my office sulking.

And you were worried about me.

I hate him.

Remember to stay calm. We haven’t had a chance to utilize the rings' energies yet. I’ll control your emotions, but I can do only so much.

That will help. Don’t overwhelm yourself, though.

Again, there are no promises.

I sighed. It was seven in the morning, and all I had to do today was wait on Marcel’s return. That is all we had to do. Wait.