Page 116 of Dragon Me Through Space

“You know that’s not possible,” I whispered and patted his back. “As royals, we’ll have to put our lives on the line in the future. There will be battles and wars and disputes. You can’t lock me up in a tower surrounded by padding to try to keep me safe.”

“Why not? I like the sound of that idea,” he rumbled.

“You have to let me live and accept that I’ll likely be hurt in the future.”

He growled, but after a moment sighed and said, “I’m still going to do my best to ensure you’re not hurt again.”

“As a good mate should,” I teased and kissed his face. I would talk to Wayne later, to ensure he wasn’t actually mad at Zeke. I would ensure everything got smoothed over between them.

Zeke helped me get changed, and despite my protests that I could walk just fine, he insisted on walking with his arm around my waist.

I didn’t mind one bit.

As soon as we stepped out of the medic ward, we were assaulted by drones, floating microphones, and news reporters shouting questions at us.

Zeke growled and his eyes flashed, startling them into taking a step back and halting their questions.

“All questions will be answered at the awards ceremony tomorrow,” Preston said in his calm and detached tone. “Please allow us to leave, so Princess Xoe can rest in her chambers.”

While my leg didn’t hurt, it felt strange to walk on still. My brain was trying to process that this thing was part of us even though it was foreign. I knew it wouldn’t last long. Whenever Charles had put a new upgrade inside of me, it had taken a few days for my body to accept it then, too. Hopefully, by tomorrow my body would accept it and I could move on.

The next hurdle was the awards ceremony and dealing with Vicky. Perhaps it was my constant struggle to survive the past decade, but I didn’t feel any malice towards her. Yes, she’d tried to kill me via the lusca, but in her shoes, I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same. I’d killed my fair share of mercenaries and bounty hunters. I’d even killed for money when I was first on my own after escaping Charles. However, I knew that in the world of royalty, it meant certain death if you didn’t show you were willing to kill those who attempted to harm you.

Maybe it was the amount of sleep I’d gotten, or the pain meds they used while I was out, but I felt a nervous energy coursing through me. I felt a sense of impending doom that I didn’t like.

“Zeke, is there a room we can all sleep in … together?” I asked softly as we headed away from the medic ward and into the castle. “I … I don’t want us to be separated tonight.”

His grip on my hip tightened briefly, but he simply nodded and said, “We will all stay with you tonight.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The dress I wore had a corset that pushed up my cleavage nicely, tightened my waist to display my curves and make them more dramatic, and was easy enough to move in that I knew I could fight well in it if necessary. From the way things had gone since we’d arrived here, I was certain I’d have to fight in it.

The guys were dressed in fancy suits and had their hair styled perfectly. If we didn’t have to go to a ceremony in my honor, I would have spent the entire day in bed with the sexy foursome.

“Stop ogling us,” Preston teased.

“No,” I replied immediately. “Scout, take pictures from every angle.”

Gage smiled and pulled me flush against his front as he dipped his head to whisper in my ear, “Do you like what you see, mate?”

“You whisper in my ear with that growl again and we aren’t going to make it to the ceremony,” I said as I gripped the front of his suit jacket.

Preston smacked my butt.

“Hey!” I shouted as I turned to look at him.

“Behave,” he ordered me.

“Yes, sir,” I purred.

His eyes narrowed and I saw his erection twitch in his pants. I wasn’t the only one affected by the new attire. The woman who had styled my hair and applied my makeup was a magician; I was sure of it.

“Time to go,” Wayne said as he finished doing whatever it was he’d been doing on his tablet. “We’ll take the eastern route to avoid the attendees. The security team has already confirmed the path is clear.”

“So, when you say this is a public ceremony, do you mean it’s going to be broadcast, or that it’s in the open somewhere?” I accepted Preston’s hand and stepped closer to him when he slid my hand to the inside of his elbow.

Gage pulled open the door and took point as we headed into the hallway and out of the castle to begin our walk. Zeke had suggested flying, but that would ruin our hair.