Page 81 of Dragon Me Through Space

“We all know that I don’t choose the king and that my pack has already chosen its leader,” I said with a pleasant smile.

King Larson laughed like it was the funniest joke. “So, you have been filled in despite being away for so long. That’s good to hear.” He pushed back from the table and stood. “I would hate for you to step into a role that you weren’t prepared for. Have a good day, gentlemen. Princess. I have matters to attend to.”

Once he was gone and we were the only ones left in the room, I spun towards Preston with my mouth open, but he shook his head, so I closed my mouth. He pointed under the table and when I looked beneath, I saw a little flashing light there.

A listening device.

“This food is delicious,” I raved. “Oh, after we finish eating, do you think we could take a stroll on the ship? To get a lay of the design? Since we’re going to be here for a couple of weeks, I’d like to know my way around at least.”

“That’s a great idea,” Wayne agreed.

“That will have to wait until after we contact our parents. I’m sure they’ve all heard by now that our ship was destroyed. Even though they likely know we’re okay, it’s best if we call and reassure them,” Zeke said.

We chatted about random things until we finished our food and then we hurried back to Preston and my room.

Scout did a quick search and found three new listening devices had been planted while we were at breakfast, as well as two in each of the other rooms.

We made quick work of destroying them, but it didn’t lessen my anger.

“This is going to be how things are until we are in our private residences,” Preston advised me.

“It’s annoying,” I growled and flopped down onto the bed.

“Yes, but you’re doing really well, if that’s any consolation,” Gage said as he sat beside me and stroked his fingers through my hair.

“Are you going to call your parents?” I asked Preston.

He shook his head. “As High King and Queen, they don’t have much free time. Plus, their advisors will let them know I’m still alive.”

They didn’t sound like a particularly close family, but I wasn’t going to pry.

“What about your mom?” I asked Gage as I looked up at him while he continued to play with my hair.

“Father will have notified her already and she and I aren’t exactly close.”

Preston scoffed. “That’s like saying my mother and I are close.”

Gage laughed softly. “Yeah, my mother hates me, truthfully. She’d probably rejoice if she heard I was dead.”

“That’s terrible,” I said and grabbed one of his hands in mine.

“She’s my stepmother, not my biological one. My brother and sister are my half-siblings, and my father pretends my mother never existed, makes me call my stepmother, ‘mother.’ Honestly, I don’t really blame my stepmother for hating me. I was a cantankerous asshole to her when I was a teenager.”

“You were a cantankerous asshole?” Preston asked with an arched brow.

“I’m better now,” Gage said and looked down at me with a smile. “Right, Xoe?”

“If I agree, will you keep playing with my hair?”

Preston laughed and Gage nodded.

“You’re the epitome of kind and sweet now,” I said with a nod.

He chuckled and resumed playing with my hair, but I could see a bit of sadness in his eyes. Was it because he mentioned his birth mother?

“We’re going to have to hold training sessions in the rooms for her for now,” Gage said as he looked up at Preston.

Preston hummed. “I think we should write everything down, on paper, so she can read it, learn it, and then we can destroy it.”