Enslaved

Chapter 39

Carl was waiting for us near the back entrance. Speeding to us, he fussed over Dorian, frantically looking for any injuries on him while Dorian tried to pry him off.

"I said I am fine Carl! Stop it!"

"Yeah, I believe you."

Dorian cursed when Carl pulled his left ear and peered inside it, grinning in my direction. Well Dorian wasn't the only one who enjoyed at the cost of his friend. Swatting Carl off, he guided me in, towards his room, with his best friend on his other side, firing questions at him about how he was feeling.

I gulped, the idea of going to Dorian's room filled me with nervousness. I wasn't sure why it felt like a big deal, I was just being polite; seeing him off after a bad episode. Making sure he was good, like any friend would.

Friend

I flinched mentally. The thought of being friends with him filled my mouth with a bitter taste. Whether it was my mate bond sneering or my loyalties to Nick glaring at me, I wasn't sure.

"Son!"

High King briskly walked to us and hugged Dorian, it only lasted a second or two but conveyed enough. Pulling back, they stared at each other with mouths pressed in a hard line; a silent conversation flowing between them. Blinking, he turned to me,

"You found him," the lines near his eyes crinkled, "I knew you would. Thank you so much child."

"It's alright, your Majesty." I said inclining my head towards him.

"Let's get you rested." With that King Terrance led us, his son beside him while I and Carl fell a step behind them.

"What about my son?" I whispered turning to him, "Is he asleep?"

"I don't know, when I tucked him in bed, he was awake as a night owl." He whispered back, leaning in my direction with his eyes trained on the duo in front of us, who were engulfed in their own conversation.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I don't. I was about to tell him a bed time story when someone informed me of," he motioned towards Dorian with his chin, "his disappearance. So, I let King Byron have the honour of cooking up a bedtime story for the prince."

"You left him alone with Byron?!" I whipped my head towards him incredulously, "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing." He rolled his eyes and motioned me to stop when I was about to speak again, "Do you not trust him with Raph?"

"It's not that," I frowned, "Raph doesn't really seem fond of him and I can't imagine Byron and him getting along. And you left them alone!" I ended glaring at him. Though I had to admit, the picture of Byron struggling to come up with bedtime story had me in rolls.

What if he started telling him a battle story? I wondered horrified.

"No, I did not. Remember when I said someone told me about Dorian's apparent absence?" He gave me a sheepish smile, "That was your father. I left Raph and Byron under the surveillance of King Laskaris and he was the one who practically kicked me out of the room to go hunt for my brother."

I threw him a glare but looked away when he started grinning, choosing to glare at the back of my so-called mate's head. From the sudden stiffness him his shoulders, I was sure he could feel it.

Idiots, all of them

Suddenly, Lilac's coy face flashed in my mind. She would definitely have something to say as to why men act so immature.

The sound of opening of the bedroom door brought me out of my thoughts. We were here, in front of the royal chambers of the crown prince. Both the royals before me entered without a backward glance and Carl was about to follow them but paused when I didn't move. Turning to my frozen state, he raised a questioning eye brow but before I could say anything, realisation dawned in the form of a twinkle in his teal orbs. Teasingly wiggling his brows at me, he pulled me in.