shook her head. “You must have been bored out of your mind!”
“Seriously, it’s fine,” Alex laughingly reassured her while untangling herself from the dragon. “I actually kind of enjoyed watching how everyone reacted to seeing you and your parents. They really do adore you, you know.”
D.C. smiled wistfully. “It’s my parents everyone loves. No one has seen me up close for years. This is the first birthday in a long time that I’ve celebrated with an actual party.”
Alex had heard the warm reaction to D.C.’s arrival and she wholeheartedly disagreed that the crowd’s adoration was solely for the king and queen. But she let it go and instead asked, “How are you able to be here so publically now?” She gestured at the room full of guests. “Won’t people realise who you are after this? What if there are other students from the academy here?”
D.C. waved away her concerns. “Don’t worry, Alex. The guest list is highly exclusive. There might be some people fromAkarnae here if they’re relatives of the royal council or on-duty Wardens, but they’re all people I’ve grown up around. They know how important it is for me to remain anonymous.”
Accepting her explanation, Alex took a moment to scan the room. Her gaze snagged on a familiar face and she had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
“Is that…?” Alex’s eyes narrowed and she hissed, “I can’t believe it, that’s Marcus Sparker! What is he doing here?”
D.C. followed Alex’s line of sight. “The Sparkers are an important family,” she said in a hushed voice. “There was no way for us to get out of inviting them without causing more problems than it was worth.”
“You’re not worried that Jordan might have decided to come along with his parents?” Alex asked, sounding a little more aggressive than she’d intended. She really didn’t like the idea that the man who had once held her semi-captive for information was in the same room as her again.
“Jordan’s never come to a palace event before, so I doubt he’d suddenly decide to now. Plus, he’s staying with Bear, remember?” D.C. answered. “Relax, Alex. Marcus and Natasha won’t dare try anything here.”
“If you say so,” Alex murmured, choosing to trust her friend. But despite her acceptance, she still felt antsy. Seeking a distraction, her eyes fell on the bar and she said, “I think I’ll go grab a drink. Do you want anything?”
“Some of that fruit punch would be great, thanks.”
Alex left D.C. and headed towards the beverage table. She would have made it there much faster if she’d crossed the centre of the ballroom, but she didn’t want to risk running into Marcus, so she took the longer route and hugged the walls. The closer she moved to the beverages, the louder the music became, since the refreshments were located directly beneath the orchestra. When she finally reached the table,she felt overwhelmed by the vast array of coloured liquids to choose from.
“What are you after?” asked a male voice in her ear. It was only his proximity that allowed her to hear his question over the music.
“The fruit punch,” Alex said loudly as she continued to search the kaleidoscopic contents of the table. A hand reached out from behind her and pointed towards the bubbly pink liquid served in dainty crystal glasses. Alex retrieved two of them and turned to thank the person she presumed was a waiter.
“Thank—Kaiden?” Alex stared up at his familiar face in surprise.
“Alex,” Kaiden responded, with a hint of a smile.
“What are you doing here?” Alex gasped, glancing nervously to where D.C. was waiting. Was Kaiden one of the people who had grown up around D.C., or was he a threat to her friend’s secret identity?
“It’s the refreshments table,” Kaiden said pointedly, reaching around her and grabbing a glass filled with a glowing green liquid.
“Not what are you doing here, what are you doing here ?” Alex
“Seriously, it’s fine,” Alex laughingly reassured her while untangling herself from the dragon. “I actually kind of enjoyed watching how everyone reacted to seeing you and your parents. They really do adore you, you know.”
D.C. smiled wistfully. “It’s my parents everyone loves. No one has seen me up close for years. This is the first birthday in a long time that I’ve celebrated with an actual party.”
Alex had heard the warm reaction to D.C.’s arrival and she wholeheartedly disagreed that the crowd’s adoration was solely for the king and queen. But she let it go and instead asked, “How are you able to be here so publically now?” She gestured at the room full of guests. “Won’t people realise who you are after this? What if there are other students from the academy here?”
D.C. waved away her concerns. “Don’t worry, Alex. The guest list is highly exclusive. There might be some people fromAkarnae here if they’re relatives of the royal council or on-duty Wardens, but they’re all people I’ve grown up around. They know how important it is for me to remain anonymous.”
Accepting her explanation, Alex took a moment to scan the room. Her gaze snagged on a familiar face and she had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
“Is that…?” Alex’s eyes narrowed and she hissed, “I can’t believe it, that’s Marcus Sparker! What is he doing here?”
D.C. followed Alex’s line of sight. “The Sparkers are an important family,” she said in a hushed voice. “There was no way for us to get out of inviting them without causing more problems than it was worth.”
“You’re not worried that Jordan might have decided to come along with his parents?” Alex asked, sounding a little more aggressive than she’d intended. She really didn’t like the idea that the man who had once held her semi-captive for information was in the same room as her again.
“Jordan’s never come to a palace event before, so I doubt he’d suddenly decide to now. Plus, he’s staying with Bear, remember?” D.C. answered. “Relax, Alex. Marcus and Natasha won’t dare try anything here.”
“If you say so,” Alex murmured, choosing to trust her friend. But despite her acceptance, she still felt antsy. Seeking a distraction, her eyes fell on the bar and she said, “I think I’ll go grab a drink. Do you want anything?”
“Some of that fruit punch would be great, thanks.”
Alex left D.C. and headed towards the beverage table. She would have made it there much faster if she’d crossed the centre of the ballroom, but she didn’t want to risk running into Marcus, so she took the longer route and hugged the walls. The closer she moved to the beverages, the louder the music became, since the refreshments were located directly beneath the orchestra. When she finally reached the table,she felt overwhelmed by the vast array of coloured liquids to choose from.
“What are you after?” asked a male voice in her ear. It was only his proximity that allowed her to hear his question over the music.
“The fruit punch,” Alex said loudly as she continued to search the kaleidoscopic contents of the table. A hand reached out from behind her and pointed towards the bubbly pink liquid served in dainty crystal glasses. Alex retrieved two of them and turned to thank the person she presumed was a waiter.
“Thank—Kaiden?” Alex stared up at his familiar face in surprise.
“Alex,” Kaiden responded, with a hint of a smile.
“What are you doing here?” Alex gasped, glancing nervously to where D.C. was waiting. Was Kaiden one of the people who had grown up around D.C., or was he a threat to her friend’s secret identity?
“It’s the refreshments table,” Kaiden said pointedly, reaching around her and grabbing a glass filled with a glowing green liquid.
“Not what are you doing here, what are you doing here ?” Alex
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