This is our new home?” Lettie asked with eyes almost as big as her face. She looked at everything in the central keep inside the main palace gates. Jag had sent word ahead with one of his men, so everything was in readiness when they arrived with the children.

Holding Lettie’s hand, Riley swung arms with her. “You and Kes will have your own rooms, and your own beds and plenty to eat. Don’t worry, we have a lot of space here. You won’t be a burden at all. Mrs. Abbott is the castle’s head housekeeper. She will be taking care of you. She’s in charge of the kitchen and all the staff, plus there’s another very special lady I want you to meet.”

Her eyes widened even more. “The queen?”

“Well, yes.” Riley chuckled. “Queen Ivy for sure, but I want you to meet Lady Karis.” Riley let her eyes slip to Jag for a moment. “She took care of the prince when he was a little boy, and I think she’d love to be your friend.”

Kes’s small lips pulled down. “Lettie doesn’t need any lady friends. She’s got me.”

“You bet she does,” Jag added. “And a big brother is the best kind of friend any girl could have,” he paused, “but girls are funny creatures, Kes. They have strange habits, like worrying about their hair and if their shoes match their dress. Plus, they can get all weepy one minute and then fly at you like a whip the next.”

Kes’s eyes bugged, at first, but then the corner of his mouth twitched in a grudging smile. “Lettie does that already.” He froze for a moment. “Not about the clothes, because we don’t have any, but the crying and mad thing.” He nodded. “Mama, too, or at least she did. I never could understand.”

“Females are the hardest thing for any man to understand.” Jag laughed, slipping an arm around the little boy and hugging him to his side.

Mrs. Abbott met them at the side entrance to the lower servants’ quarters. A bright smile met them, but then sobered the moment she saw the condition of the children. “Lord above, I never expected—” she squatted immediately, wiping the shock from her face. “Hello there. I’m Mrs. Abbott.”

The children bobbed their heads but didn’t say a word.

“No need to be afraid of me. Not as long as you mind your manners.” She gave them each a gentle smile as she looked from one to the other. “What are your names, loves?”

Kes met her gaze head on. “I’m Kes, ma’am, and this is my sister Lettie.”

Mrs. Abbott’s soft smile curved even more, and she glanced up at Jag. “He’s a feisty one, eh?”

He met her grin, and then slid his eyes toward Riley. “Feisty seems to be the theme of the day.”

The housekeeper straightened and then smoothed the front of her apron. “Well, I think the first thing we should do is get you all cleaned up, yes?” She posed the rhetorical question to the children. “Baths, fresh clothes, and then how about a nice big lunch before we go see Lady Karis?”

Lettie looked from her to Riley. “You promised I could meet the queen.”

“Lordy, not with you looking like a couple of street rats! We’ll get you freshened up and then we’ll talk about meeting the queen,” Mrs. Abbott replied.

At Lettie’s disappointed face, Riley flashed a reassuring smile. “Do what Mrs. Abbott says and I’ll make sure to tell the queen all about you and Kes. I’m sure she’ll want to meet you both, then.”

“You’ll tell her?” Lettie asked, excited.

Riley nodded. “Pinky promise. I’ll send for you when the queen has a free moment, and maybe if we’re lucky, King Vander will come, too.”

“What’s a pinky promise?” Lettie asked.

Riley smiled at the child, sparing a glance for Jag. “It’s a special kind of promise we make on Earth. The kind you only make when you really mean it. Like saying cross your heart. It means you can’t break your word.”

Kes took Lettie’s hand and lifted his chin to the adults. “Lettie and me can stay together, right?”

The housekeeper shifted her eyes to Jag who nodded in reply. “If Prince Jag says yes, then yes it is.” She gave the boy a wink. “You’ll share a room, but you’ll have separate beds, and once we’ve got you settled, Lady Karis will talk to you about your lessons. After that we’ll see what kind of training interests you most here at the palace. There are lots of things to learn and lots to do.”

“You mean, work?” Kes asked.

She nodded. “Yes, but that comes later. First, you have to learn your letters and your sums, and then we’ll see what skills show promise. Lettie might be good at sewing, or cooking, or maybe helping as a nurse in the infirmary. And you…perhaps you’d like to be a groom in the stables or apprentice with the silversmith or the blacksmith or maybe even take a position with the palace guard.”

He smiled. “I’d like to be a soldier.”

“Well,” Jag replied with a chuckle, “we’ll have to see, won’t we?” He nodded once to Mrs. Abbott and then motioned to leave with Riley. “We’ll leave you to it, then.”

The two turned, but Kes grabbed Jag’s shirt sleeve and he stopped. The boy threw his arms around the man’s waist, pressing his small face to his belly. “Thank you, sir.”

As the child’s voice cracked, Jag’s hand came up to rest on the boy’s head, his eyes finding Riley’s in the same moment.

“Come now,” Mrs. Abbott murmured. “The prince and Lady Riley have work to do.” She bundled them through the servants’ door, leaving Jag and Riley standing in the portico in awkward silence.

“Well,” Jag said, running a hand through his dark hair. “This was not how I expected our day to go.”

Riley stepped closer and took his other hand. “Me neither, but you know what, I’m glad. I got to see the real Jag.”

“And what did you think you saw before? An imposter?” He laughed.

She shook her head. “Nope. Just a player. Someone I really didn’t want to know.”

He tightened his grip and pulled her closer, taking hold of the moment to slide his hand around her waist. “Are you saying you don’t like to play, Riley?” He angled his head with a seductive smile.

“Seriously?” She frowned. “Leave it to you to take a tender moment and maneuver it into a cheap flip.”

His seductive smile widened. “I said it before and I’ll say it again. I think I make you nervous. I think you’d love for me to flip you onto your back, or onto your belly, or onto all fours or maybe all of the above.” He moved even closer, letting his lips hover. “You can’t hide from a shifter, Riley. Your heart’s pounding. I can feel the pulse in your throat. Not to mention the way your scent changes whenever I get near you.” He inhaled. “Right now, it’s drenched with want.”

“Jag—”

He brushed his lips to hers, letting his tongue dart along the seam of her lower lip. “C’mon, Riley. You want to play with me. Admit it.”

It took everything she had to push him back. “I’m not going to be one of your quick tricks, Jag—and again, you start something where we can’t finish.” She straightened her skirt, trying not to let him see how flustered he made her. “We didn’t get much done for the wedding, but what we did manage was much more important and I’m sure Ivy will agree. Now if you’ll excuse me, I promised Lettie I would tell Her Majesty all about her and Kes, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.”

She turned on her heel, but he grabbed her hand, pivoting her around again. “Wait, I thought we were in charge of amusement.”

“Depends on what you mean by amusement, and if you’re thinking of being cute again, I’m warning you. Don’t go there,” she shot back.

He grinned. “Like I said. Feisty.” His smile sobered, and he shook his head. “I meant for the wedding. Weren’t we supposed to find entertainment, you know, music and performers for both receptions?”

“I suppose so, yes,” she replied. “Karis seems to think you’ve got the low down on all the hot spots Palladia has to offer. Not that I’m surprised.”

Eyeing her, he held tightly to her hand. “Then it’s a date tonight. We’ll hit as many of those so called hot spots as we can before dawn and then compare notes over an early breakfast. Maybe find a private spot to finish what we keep starting.” He flashed a cajoling grin. “What do you say?”

A smile took her lips and she nodded. “Now that’s what I call a game plan. What time do you want to meet and where?”

“Nine p.m.?” He shrugged. “We can grab a late dinner here and then head out. The clubs don’t get hopping until close to midnight.”

She smirked. “Just like home.”