Page 149 of Autumn Queens & Shadows

My eye twitched. Would I need to fight off a five-year-old now? “Rora, sweetheart—”

“Yes,” the little night terror replied. “I love your bed. Will you put the fluffies on, too?”

“I’ll put on the fluffies,” Thora agreed, grinning at her.

“The hells are fluffies?” I asked, following after her to our bedroom.

“Her dolls. She has a stack in my wardrobe for when she sleeps over. Won’t ever go to sleep without them.”

I paused.

A chill went down my spine.

Her dolls had been in her wardrobe all this time?

Thora glanced at me over her shoulder. “Should we tell them we’ve left? We’re the hosts after all.”

“Let Elias deal with them.” Picking up Rain from her arms, I leaned it to whisper in her ear, “Why are you so cruel to me?”

“How could I say no to her little face?”

“How could you say no to my face?”

“She’s cuter.”

“Low blow,” I said, pulling our bedroom door open for her.

Thora went inside her wardrobe room as I took Rain to wash her face and teeth. The little terror even had her own toothbrush there. Was it going to be a frequent thing?

Thora came out with some night clothes and a stack of Rain’s terrifying dolls as I took off her shoes.

It looked like Thora had done it often because she expertly changed Rain into her pyjamas and had her tucked and surrounded by her creepy, button eyed dolls in a matter of minutes.

“I’m sleeping on the sofa” I said, taking a seat on the bed by her and leaning in to brush my lips on her cheek.

“There is enough space for the three of us.”

“Me and those dolls aren’t ever going to be sleeping on the same bed.”

She touched my face, her thumb brushing my lips. “I’ll keep you safe.” Leaning in, she kissed me. “I’ll never let the evil dolls hurt you, my precious king.”

Rain giggled, ducking her face behind one of her ugly dolls to hide the embarrassment we’d just put her through.

“Your aunt is being mean to me.”

She shrugged a little shoulder. “Boys deserve it.”

“Rain Helenia Castemont,” I said, wide eyes on her and her aunt who was in hysterics, laughing her cute arse off.

Thora squealed when I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder. “Let’s put your pyjamas on, too.”

“You animal.”

“You didn’t seem to mine this animal last night or this morning.” Her dress was off her body in two seconds. Thankfully, it took me two seconds to put her nightgown on. When I spun her to face me, she had the biggest smile on. “Funny, huh?”

“I’m happy.”

“I’m miserable.”