Chapter 25: +Chapter 25+

Mari whipped around in righteous anger, wondering what was so private about having a room if people kept barging in only for her to come face to face with King Kade.

He was dressed in a tank top that showed off his arms and combat boots. Mari didn’t realize she was staring, she had always known that King Kade was pretty muscular but his arms were always covered, and somehow, his hard-cut muscles impacted her harder when his arms were bare.

Kade wouldn’t have been able to tell that Mari was shamelessly staring at him even if she started drooling because he was just as lost taking her in.

“Are you ready?” He asked, breaking off their appraisal of each other.

Mari straightened up unconsciously, giving herself a mental head slap for ogling the King, “Y-Yes, Your Highness,” She blurted out, suddenly fighting the urge not to throw him an air salute.

Kade turned around with a faint smile on his otherwise deadpan expression, walking off without another word.

Mari was slightly startled at this, hurrying up to follow after him. King Kade’s powerful legs made long strides look effortless, forcing Mari to skip to be able to keep up with him.

It was in this manner that they made their way out of the palace, Kade leading the way, his tall form dwarfing hers while she had to skip to keep up with him, getting breathless when they got to the landing of the grand staircase.

King Kade stopped at this point without warning, sending Mari slamming right into his broad back. She stumbled backward from the force, a little dazed while King Kade hadn’t even flinched.

Mari glared up at him from behind, breathless and rubbing her smarting forehead.

Kade turned around, having quite the struggle keeping his smile from his face, “You’re awfully out of shape for a waitress, Marion,” He quipped, dry humor dripping from his words.

Mari probably shouldn’t have been so impulsive but she fired back at the North King, “That’s because my job was to walk around holding trays, not run down several hallways.”

Kade’s eyes widened slightly, his only reaction to her response. As she had been doing nothing all day but nodding and cowering away, he hadn’t expected her to be so feisty. It would seem that Lucien hadn’t managed to break her after all.

“Run?” He emphasized the single word, cocking a brow.

Mari gritted her teeth and swallowed back her response, “Shouldn’t we get going?” She asked calmly gesturing at the stairs.

To anyone watching from the sidelines, out of earshot, they looked like a bickering couple. The entire workforce of the palace had already been working together to keep tabs on their King and his foreign Miss so it was no surprise that a couple of maids were lurking around a corner.

“After you,” Kade offered. He did that partially because he wanted her to set the pace, aware that he might have been going too fast for her, and partially to catch her if she somehow fell down the stairs.

Mari started down first, feeling very self-conscious although King Kade was literally just a step behind her. She let out a silent sigh of relief when they got down to the foyer, less self-conscious now.

Kade took the lead now but he made sure to keep his strides measured so that Marion didn’t have to skip to keep up with him. “We’ll be driving to the woods,” He explained as he stepped out of the palace’s front doors.

Mari walked out after him, understanding why they would have to go somewhere secluded, and not just because of the potential risk of her setting something on fire. She quietly and obediently followed him, her curious eyes taking in the exterior of the palace.

Unlike the palace in Moonbeam, King Kade’s palace didn’t have a sprawling lawn but it was very well kept, with a fountain to the side and what looked like an extensive flower garden as well as an orchard and to the other side, the garage. It was surprisingly more welcoming and homely than she had been expecting from someone as cold and distant as King Kade.

The rest of Kade’s sentence was cut off at the sight of his second-in-command tossing him the key to the pickup truck he would be taking to the woods. He caught the key effortlessly although it had been sprung on him, his black eyes narrowing at the sight of Mason staring fixed at the witch.

“I didn’t know you had aspirations to be a valet,” He tossed at the werewolf.

Mason was unruffled, “Maybe I should, I’d be good at it,” He joked, going over to open the passenger side door for Marion.

Kade had to loosen his grip on the car keys before he ruined them, “Yeah, well, you’re fired,” He said dryly.

Mason was smart enough to pick up on his tone, quickly putting some distance between himself and the witch who had thanked him with a smile. He had wanted to go along with them but maybe next time, he had a meeting he should be in at the moment. A meeting he had ditched so he could steal a chance to talk to the witch in person.

King Kade had said she was pretty dangerous and volatile but she just looked pretty to him, she didn’t look like she could hurt a fly. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his King, he would just like to be the judge for himself.

Mari watched the werewolf walk in, he was so nice to her, and she wondered if that would completely change if he found out who she truly was. It made her smile fade quickly, maybe that was why she had never had any romantic prospects, maybe they could tell instinctively that she was different and dangerous.

“Marion?” King Kade’s voice broke into her thoughts. Mari would never get used to him calling her by her full name.

“Y-Yes?” She stuttered, “Your Highness?”

“I said you should buckle up,” He repeated quietly, his gaze fixed on the road. “It’ll get bumpy pretty soon.”

He actually didn’t have to say that, he just wanted a reason to get her attention because he didn’t like how she went quiet after meeting Mason. He wanted to know what she thought about him but he couldn’t exactly just ask.