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“And you’re afraid that they’ll be back once we move out?” Erik arched an eyebrow.
“Yes,” he said. “It is their way. It’s…what I would do if I were hunting a human. They’ve got her scent now, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t know that she’ll be happy about it, but I’ll have her on Stormwind with me again. I’ll wrap her in my cloak, try and mask her scent as best we can.
“I suggest that we travel as light, and fast as we can, Sire. Perhaps I and some of the wolves could act as escort, and then the rest of the camp can follow behind us at their own pace. It’s either that or we surround her with as many men as we can and go slowly.”
Erik shook his head. “I’m eager to get her behind the walls of the Crimson Palace. At least there we both might get the chance to relax.”
“Things are going well? I take it.”
“As well as can be expected.” Erik glared at him. His people wanted him to find a wife. They didn’t want him to be the madman their former king had been, and somehow his high council thought finding a wife would be the key to keeping him sane. Little did they know he’d been searching for his wife since the witches first told him Evangeline would return.
Alaric cleared his throat. “What would you like us to do, Sire?”
“Prepare our horses. We’ll ride as soon as she’s eaten. Lucy as well. I want her moved into the palace once we return home. She is Mina’s cousin. She’ll be a good companion for her.”
“I’m sure the hag will appreciate that,” he grumbled, taking a deep breath. “Is there anything else you need your highness?”
“No, Alaric. That will be all.” Erik said, pursing his lips. The man turned and he held up his hand. “Oh, one thing. More of a warning, really. Be careful what you say about the witch. Andrea has eyes everywhere.”
Alaric shuddered as he turned away again. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Erik chuckled to himself and waited for the wolf to disappear into the woods before he turned back to the tent. He padded closer, smiling at the people who bowed to him as he passed, and he peered inside.
Humans were gathered at tables that had been lined up along one side of the tent, eating and chatting quietly, but Lucy had Mina standing beside her at the bar on the other side. He watched as Chef held out a spoon for her to taste something he’d made for the morning.
He watched as she sipped whatever broth or concoction was on the spoon, and she winced, before smiling wide. “That is delicious.”
“Thank you, Madame!” Chef cried out. “I love a woman with a refined palette.”
Lucy laughed, and Erik found himself laughing too. It was so easy to laugh with Mina around. Despite her hesitations with him and her obvious anger for how she’d come to be in his kingdom, she had a lightness to her that he found both fascinating and relaxing.
His fingers buzzed from where he’d touched her. He’d wanted to kiss her, but he couldn’t cross that line. Not yet. She had to be the one to make the leap. The one to let him in, and he would do whatever it took to make that happen. Her happiness, Evangeline or not, had suddenly become the torch blazing at the forefront of his mind, and it was a flame he’d keep feeding for as long as she let him.
Her eyes met his across the tent, and she smiled lightly, her cheeks burning pink before she turned back to Lucy and continued whatever conversation they’d started. She looked so at ease, it pained him to see it. His luck had never been good. He’d learned the hard way, that the moment you felt safest in the dark was often the exact second everything else in your life went wrong.
