Page 151 of Somber Prince

As I ascended the stairs to the floor above, the day guard stood to attention.

“Evening, Sweet—” He blinked and promptly corrected himself, “my lady.”

The status of a Joy Vessel was a tricky one. We were rare and treasured, but at the price of our freedom and often of our free will.

From the moment we returned to Teneris, Rha made it clear to his court and the entire city that I was not his Joy Vessel but his bonded mate. Our bond was created through my love for him, but our commitment to each other was because we both chose to make it.

From now on, the Court of Teneris had to address me accordingly. Though some still let the old honorifics slip, like this guard did.

“Evening, Edan,” I said, heading toward Rha’s private sitting room. “I’ll be outside if anyone asks.”

“Would you like to take your breakfast now, my lady?” Edan asked. “Coffee maybe?”

“No. It’s too early for anyone to make me breakfast. When Sigid is up, tell him to bring my coffee out to the patio. But there’s no need to wake him.”

I moved aside the tall window shutter. It was bright outside. The sun was still fully out, though its edge had almost touched the horizon already. I’d had a nap after midnight, planning to get up early enough to catch the sunset, and I got here just in time.

With a short purr and liquid grace, Zala jumped from the cushion and weaved between my legs. I bent down to pet her.

“Evening, kitty cat. Sleep well?”

She rubbed her head against my hand in greeting, then slipped through the open window outside and promptly disappeared into the wall of grass growing just below the parapet around the patio. No rodent was now safe with that cat out.

It must’ve been a relatively calm day. The wind had already quieted down. And only a thin layer of sand covered the patio stones. The heat of the day remained scorching for now. But I didn’t mind it. With the shadow fae’s sleep cycle reversed, I’d missed the sun.

I shook out the sand from the cushions of the swing, then stretched on the seat. Taking my shawl off and lifting the hem of my sleeping shirt up above my knees, I soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed the peace of the late evening.

Most of Teneris was still asleep. Even the birds and insects remained in hiding for now, escaping the heat. There was peace in the quiet. The unrest came from my thoughts alone.

True to his promise, Rha had sent word out, offering a generous reward for the safe return of his escaped Joy Vessels. So far, no one had been located. There had been no word on Elaine’s whereabouts, either. I hoped most of the people from the sarai had escaped through the portal. But I knew for a fact that a few remained, including Elaine.

Rha gave the entire sarai building to me to do with as I pleased. All Joy Vessel Keepers were now in my direct service as well. The prince declared he’d own no Joy Vessels anymore. Those who’d return would stay in Teneris as guests, keeping full control of their bodies and emotions.

It pained me to leave Lucia in Kalmena when she’d asked me to take her back to Teneris. But as per the queen’s orders, Rha remained largely a prisoner in his own city and could make no demands of the queen to return Lucia.

The sun steadily crawled down as the night advanced. Sigid brought me a cup of coffee and a glass of ice water.

“Would you like your breakfast, too, my lady?”

“No. I’ll wait for His Highness to wake up first.”

I loved sharing all my pleasures with Rha, big and small. It felt like a waste to even drink coffee without him. But I couldn’t wait any longer, taking that most wonderful first sip of the invigorating liquid on my own.

As the sun descended lower, the lacy shadow of the grass wall stretched across the patio to cover my legs. The sky dripped with vivid colors that splashed over the torn remnants of the storm clouds.

A soft crunch of sand under someone’s soles alerted me to a visitor. I smiled, turning over my shoulder. With the stealth of a shadow, Rha crossed the patio toward me. He would’ve snuck up on me completely undetected, had the sand not betrayed him.

He squinted at the bright colors of the sunset from under the fabric pulled low over his head. “What a mess.”

“You’re up early. It’s not dark enough yet.” I removed my feet from the swing’s seat to make space for him.

He took the seat but caught my feet before I could put them down and placed them on his lap instead. “The sleep isn’t quite the same without you.”

“Well, the coffee isn’t quite the same without you, either.” I sat my empty cup down. “That bond is rather annoying, isn’t it?”

He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips for a kiss, raking his gaze over me. I smoothed my hair and jerked the skirt of my sleeping shirt down.

“I’m a mess.” I smiled apologetically. “Just got out of bed.”

Rha had woken up later than me, but he looked fresh and fully dressed already. Only his hair hadn’t been re-braided yet.

“Mhm, a mess,” he agreed. “You are my beautiful, brave, chaotic mess, Dawn. And I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

I might not have had the best judgement of people or situations. I’d made mistakes. I’d made many questionable decisions in my life. Some turned out okay, others, not so much. I’d battled uncertainty and self-doubt most of my life.

But there was one decision I stood behind without a shadow of regret. The decision to run down that hill toward the man who was ready to die for me, instead of running up to the portal that would take me away from him.

“I love you.” I kissed him, because I knew he loved my kisses more than anything else in the world.