Page 10 of Knot Their Princess

“I’m doing my best, son. I promise you.”

“I know,” I say as I rise to my feet and lean in to kiss her forehead. “I have preparations to make. I’ll be back tonight.”

“Try to enjoy it,” she calls after me at the door into the hallway, and I huff a humorless laugh, leaving the door open behind me before making my way down the decorative runner along the hardwood floor.

Every door along the way is solid wood, between each of them are paintings hung on the wall or sculptures sitting on wooden pedestals. The walls are painted a pearlescent white that glistens with small rainbows of color that change depending on how the light hits it. Special order paint, something that my mother requested when the house was being built. The wainscoting is wood paneling that matches the floors and doors.

My fathers are all out of the country on business, and when I leave my childhood home on Long Island to head back home to the City, I leave her in the capable hands of live-in nurses who know if they make a single mistake and cause my mother harm, I’ll make their ends long and merciless.

“We got The Sovereign Hall!”

Cade’s voice carries cheerfully through the air, his phone in one hand, his amber eyes shining as they focus on the screen, then on me behind my desk.

“This is good?”

His happiness falters at my question before Garen lets out a hearty laugh beside me where his ass is planted on my desk. “Famous location, classy, easily fortified. Couldn’t ask for a better location.” His British accent is refined right now, which means he’s in good spirits. So I won’t kick him off my desk.

Yet.

“I don’t think you understand what a feat it was to book the entire hotel on such short notice.”

“You mean how much it cost.”

Garen’s smile is crooked as he crosses his arms, but remains silent.

When Cade sits in one of the chairs in front of my desk, he runs a hand through his short, curly brown hair and puts his phone down. Garen slides off the desk to join our pack brother across from me, his mismatched eyes sparkling with hidden laughter as his black and red hair falls into them when he sits.

“What else do we need to do for this… party.” I say the last word like it tastes terrible.

“I’ve got mostly everything under control,” Cade says, shifting in his seat to cross one ankle on his knee. “You both gave me your guest lists, and I have Killian and Yuri working on those,” he explains, referring to two of our Beta assistants. “I’m working with that audio-visual company we hired for the anniversary celebration a couple of years back. They did a great job, and Sovereign is willing to have them come in and setup the ballroom ahead of time.”

“You get the tellies I asked for?”

“Of course.”

“Brilliant.”

“What?” I interject, not understanding what’s happening.

Cade explains. “Garen wanted us to have TVs set up in the ballroom that we can keep the Time’s Square celebration on through the night, and turn the volume up for the ball drop.”

Ah. Good plan.

“And I have a mate who’s a DJ. He’ll play live for us, keep the dance floor full.”

I nod at Garen, though dancing isn’t something I care about at all.

“Is that it?”

“For now.” Cade’s tone is careful. “I know you want to get to business.”

That I do.

“I heard that the Changs and Ironmarshes had a shootout,” Garen supplies.

My eyes roll on a sigh. “What over?”

“Drug deal.” He shrugs. “Someone lost a foot.”