A Royal Pain: Paranormal Dating Agency (Otherworld Shifters Book 3)

by Godiva Glenn

  “What obligations?”

  Nikki shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

  Vevina reached across the table and took Nikki’s hand. Something wasn’t being said. And Nikki was right—they’d circled over and over—so whatever it was that she was hiding, she’d keep hiding it. Vevina simply had no clue why.

  It never went further than the vague ‘obligations’ Nikki insisted she had.

  “What do you want for dinner?” Vevina asked. “Can we go out? Maybe somewhere I can laugh at the men falling out of their seats to watch you walk by?”

  Nikki tried not to smile, but her lips curled up and she rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if I’m hungry.”

  “You always say that, and then your fingers end up rummaging through my fries and calamari rings.”

  The heavy cloud of their conversation lifted, and Nikki’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “There is a new place… But you have to promise not to talk to the lobster tank.”

  “I didn’t talk to the lobsters. I simply made the water a little more pleasant. It’s a horrid fate. They deserve a dash of love before they get boiled alive. They don’t even get plants and their little claws are held shut, it’s not comfortable.”

  Nikki pursed her lips for a moment. “Right. Maybe don’t be as obvious, then.”

  “Deal.” It’s not that Vevina was against eating them—she’s sure they tasted delicious. But it seemed like a strange custom to have them on display. She’d yet to see a steakhouse that paraded around cows.

  “There’s also a fish tank, but they don’t serve those,” Nikki said in a sing-song voice.

  Vevina perked up. Nikki was not above flaunting her status to get what she wanted when it came to trivial things. Trivial things like restaurant seating. “Royal privilege to sit next to the fish?”

  Nikki grinned. “Yup.”

  Nikki

  Nikki stood over the bed, watching Vevina sleep. Dinner had been perfect. Snuggling and watching a movie afterward had been perfect. Falling asleep after a rigorous lovemaking session had been perfect.

  But their situation hadn’t changed, and it was too far from perfect for Nikki to sink too deeply into dreams.

  She didn’t want Vevina to have to choose a mortal life on Earth. Even though she argued against it, Nikki saw Vevina’s point. Perhaps she didn’t understand the intricacies of a blood debt, but she could tell that Vevina wouldn’t survive a mundane life without her magic.

  And though Vevina tried not to complain too much lately, she would be sacrificing the most to move. She didn’t even have her own appearance on Earth, after all.

  Nikki couldn’t imagine having to deal with losing her identity.

  But that didn’t mean she could back down.

  Her hand reached out in the darkness, wanting to comb through Vevina’s messy hair as she slept. She was beautiful, even if she thought her human appearance was dull. On Prism, her hair changed color with her mood. Her skin sparkled. She could blink across town. Nikki longed to see that.

  If I knew it would last.

  She left the room, moving quietly and nudging the door with care to keep it from squeaking. If it wasn’t the middle of the night she’d call Alethea and find a distraction. But she didn’t want Alethea to know that she and Vevina were having trouble.

  Alethea couldn’t help, anyhow. She knew little about fae rules, even if she’d visited Prism many times.

  Nikki hadn’t visited, by choice. She didn’t want to see anything she’d miss. But Vevina didn’t understand that, and Nikki couldn’t explain it without revealing her darkest fear.

  What happens if Vevina tires of me?

  There could be a solution to their problem, but only if Nikki could steel her heart and dismiss her insecurity. That was proving much harder than anything she’d ever battled with. It was too easy to fall prey to pessimism. To believe that Vevina would grow bored of her. And if that happened, Nikki would have to return to Earth.

  Humans simply didn’t exist on Prism without being attached to a fae in some way. There was no safety net.

  Nikki wasn’t the betting type. Deep down in her heart, she either had faith or she didn’t. Unfortunately, her sight was clouded.

  But this is my chance. Vevina’s coat hung over a kitchen stool. Inside was her tablet. The connection to Prism. There were several issues with Nikki picking up her life to move to Prism. Fear, obviously, but there was another less obvious concern.

  Nikki was used to living in a shadow. Though her life wasn’t less than wonderful by any means, it was surprisingly difficult to make a mark and have people remember one’s name in her situation. She was often portrayed in the tabloids as ‘Princess Alethea’s cousin’ or ‘King Andrew’s niece.’

  Yet in relationships, she refused to take a back seat. She put her partner first, and they had to put her first too.

  Nikki fingered the pocket. Kerren was a phone call away. Does Vevina love me enough for me to make this call?

  Vevina

  Vevina knew a lot about Earth. She’d once compiled all of that knowledge into a guide for Kerren, in the hopes that the overwhelming amount of information would help him to realize what a mistake it was to leave Prism. He’d ignored the guide, but in the end, it worked out because fate intended for him to never leave after all.

  That guide was shelved, then later given to Blair. Blair was much more accepting of the guide and chose to further his understanding of his new planet with constant research in the form of internet searches. Vevina thought the internet was mostly cats and trolls, but she took a page out of Blair’s book--so to speak--and dove into every available resource to study royal protocol as enforced on Earth.

  Even now, as Nikki was taking a shower and getting dressed to meet Blair and Alethea for lunch, Vevina was investigating. The first problem she encountered was that every single kingdom had its own rules. The second problem she encountered was that Lutheyis had a history of never breaking the rules, so those rules were just secrets that were only revealed upon being broken.

  Basically, hours of sleuthing had gotten her nowhere. There was nothing here about what obligations a young woman fifth in line for a crown could possibly have. Looks like I’ll just have to pry that out of Nikki, after all.

  She went to close the browser window when an ad scrolled up on the side of her screen, a suggestion based on her recent search history. Normally she ignored them, as they tended to lead to online gossip sites, but this one struck her interest with a caption of ‘Why Everyone Ignores Former Prince Angelo.’

  The picture of a balding man shading his eyes and crossing the street with a woman, presumably his wife, accompanied the article. Vevina skimmed it and sat back as her eyes found one pertinent line:

  As everyone knows, the royal extended family is still subject to the King’s consent in all pairings. However, Angelo’s pursuit of a divorcee may have been overlooked if he hadn’t been adamant in abandoning his country in favor of his betrothed’s.

  Vevina muttered a curse under her breath. The truth had been in front of her the entire time. And glaringly obvious.

  “Are you ready?” Nikki asked, approaching the table while putting on her earrings. “Alethea said they’ve got the table reserved, of course.”

  Vevina cleared her tablet screen and slid it down the table. She never brought it out, so she could give Nikki her entire attention. “Let’s be on our way.”

  A simple solution lay before her. She just hoped Nikki agreed with it.

  Nikki

  The sun was setting when Nikki walked into the Landsgate Faerriot to meet with Vevina. It was Vevina’s last day visiting, and unlike each time before, this time around they’d not spent the last few hours cuddling or wishing for more time. This time, Nikki had kept Vevina waiting.

  She headed up the stairs to the roof. Vevina would be at the portal already. And she probably thought the worst of Nikki, but that’s just how it had to be for the time being. Deep breaths. I can do this.

&
nbsp; Pushing the door open and stepping into the brisk air, she braced herself for rejection. Though she wanted to believe she’d made the right call, she’d also become used to life’s uncertainty and the frequency of things to go exactly opposite of how she’d prefer. The past few days had been rough. They’d resorted to abandoning conversations to avoid rehashing the same arguments over and over. Nights were for sleeping and nothing else. It felt like the end, yet she hoped it wouldn’t be, and prayed that Vevina felt the same.

  “I wasn’t sure if you were still coming,” Vevina said as Nikki walked up.

  It was strange to hear a fragile tone from Vevina. She always seemed so confident. “I wouldn’t abandon you.”

  “But didn’t you?”

  “I had to take care of some things.”

  “Were they that important?” Vevina asked with clear frustration.

  Nikki looked past Vevina, her attention falling onto the engraved wood arch casting a shadow across Vevina’s face. “Are you ready?”

  Vevina turned her head away. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “We have plenty of time to talk.” Nikki rubbed her arms and moved to stand beside Vevina. “What’s the weather like on Prism right now? Is winter close there, too?”

  Vevina shrugged. “There isn’t a true winter. There are parts of Prism where it’s always winter, but there is no individual season that crosses the entire planet.”

  “Then what I’m wearing is fine?” Nikki asked. She held out her arms and spun, showing off the hunter green sweater dress and ivory leggings tucked into brown boots.

  Vevina’s brown eyes scoured her. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can step through that portal, Vevina. But there’s a condition.”

  “Nikki--”

  “One year. You have one year left on your oath. Because I can’t be with you if you aren’t mine,” Nikki said firmly. Tears lined her lashes, ready to fall. This was the deal. “We can’t have each other if you owe everything to someone else. I’m greedy. I want you only to myself.”

  Vevina’s lips parted but no words came out.

  “I went behind your back and spoke with Kerren. I know you can’t just abandon Prism and I also know that I can’t ever understand the depth of your devotion to your debt, but I understand debts in general.”

  “It’s complicated...”

  “Which is why I went to the source. When Kerren was just a duke, you could have served him your entire life, and any children of yours would have done the same. But now that he’s recognized as the heir to the throne, your debt can be erased. There’s no precedence for royalty ever having claimed a blood debt over anyone.”

  Vevina scoffed. “That can’t be right. I’ve never heard of that.”

  “I asked Kerren. Kerren asked his parents. It took them a while to figure it out, but you can be free of your debt and it doesn’t tarnish you or your family. Your honor and reputation are intact.”

  “But then... why one year?”

  Nikki crossed her arms. “Because I know you, and you need to wean yourself out of his life. You’ve been working with him forever. And in that time, we’ll figure out how you can remain a loyal part of the community, just not as married to it as you are now.”

  Gradually, the disbelief and confusion on Vevina’s face faded into a gentle smile. “You want me all to yourself?”

  “That was always my issue with your position. I just couldn’t put my finger on it until I considered losing you.”

  Vevina took Nikki’s hands. “I thought it was something else.” She clicked her tongue. “And I may have intervened to head it off just in case.”

  “That’s vaguely ominous.”

  “I thought that you were afraid of losing your status,” Vevina admitted. “I may have badgered Blair, who went to Alethea, who begged her father to make an exception to you leaving Lutheyis for Prism.”

  “You... what?” A wave of dizziness passed through her.

  Vevina sucked in a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. “I sort of negotiated that you become a royal ambassador, sort of like what Brook is on Prism.”

  “I don’t like to bother uncle Andrew--”

  “He wasn’t bothered, from what I heard. The fae can offer a lot in terms of partnerships, if only for tourism. He wanted to get in on it.” Vevina cupped Nikki’s jaw and searched her eyes. “I know you hate the idea of dodging loopholes. I know you appreciate tradition. So instead of asking for him to look the other way, I found a legitimate opportunity that benefits everyone.”

  “I know...” Her mind reeled, trying to process the information as quickly as possible. She was ready to take the leap, no net, no backup plan, but clearly, her cold feet had been obvious.

  “That way you can move away and... If anything happens, you can return here. Or... you can stay in Prism. You’ll have choices. Look, I’m going to love you forever. I don’t need another day to know that no one compares to you.”

  “I don’t need them.” Nikki walked past Vevina and placed two hands on the rim of the fountain. “I’ve been miserable trying to figure out our future. And thinking about the ‘what if’ factor makes it worse. I don’t need an exit plan for us.” She picked up the ladle and stirred it around.

  Vevina joined her at the fountain and placed a hand on Nikki’s lower back. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “And you don’t need more time to think?”

  “I don’t want another moment of uncertainty. Lying next to you in bed, not sure what to say, wondering if everything was about to crash and burn... it’s been torture. And for what? We love each other. Why keep doing this to each other when we could just move forward?”

  “And stop looking back,” Vevina agreed.

  Nikki held up a scoopful of water. “Bottoms up.”

  Vevina

  Though she spent most of her days at Kerren’s manor, Vevina’s home was smaller and less luxurious. And though Nikki was used to having it all, she’d settled easily into the bungalow Vevina called home.

  The light fragrance of night-blooming flowers blew in through the open window of the bathroom. The breeze made Nikki shiver, and Vevina countered it by scooping a handful of warm water over her shoulders.

  “Do you remember our first date?” Nikki asked splashing idly in the large tub.

  Vevina wrapped her arms loosely around Nikki. “Which was that?”

  “The beach.”

  “You count walking on the beach as our first date?” Vevina nuzzled Nikki’s cheek. “I guess I can see that. I was doing my best to impress you.”

  Nikki nodded. “You plucked a leaf from a tree and made it transform. Green to yellow to orange to red.”

  “Easiest magic I do. Like breathing.”

  Nikki lifted a hand covered in bubbles and blew them away. “That’s the moment I used to think about whenever I would start to forget that you didn’t belong on Earth. It’s what reminded me again and again that you were just visiting.”

  “And why…”

  “Because I told myself, again and again, I couldn’t fall in love with you,” Nikki said with a half-chuckle. “But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I wanted to see the version of you where changing leaves was normal. Curiosity got the best of me.”

  “Hmm. You love me for my magic,” Vevina whispered conspiratorially. “I always knew it.”

  Nikki reached back and stroked the side of Vevina’s face. “You know it, babe. But in all seriousness, that’s also the moment that made me weak. It made me wonder what you saw in me.”

  “I can make a list,” Vevina replied.

  “You don’t have to. I’m just contemplating. Thinking aloud.”

  “Do you still wonder?”

  Nikki shook her head and pulled one of Vevina’s hands in front of them. She entwined their fingers. “I don’t. After months of meeting other sprites and selkies and brownies… seeing what they can do, being
immersed in this insane, magical world… I realize that what we have is just another one of those magical things.”

  “That’s us. Magical and insane.” A thought crossed Vevina’s mind and she laughed. “Damnit.”

  Nikki leaned to the side and looked back at Vevina curiously. “What’s wrong?”

  “I went to Earth to help Blair. But I wasn’t going to, originally. Gerri made me.”

  “So?”

  Pieces fell into place. Questions that had been asked. Subtle hints. “So I bet she had this planned. That woman is just damn crafty.”

  Thank you for reading my contribution to the PDA World!

  Reviews are greatly appreciated.

  For more amazing stories in the PDA World follow us on Social Media:

  MT World Press website: http://mtworldspress.com/

  MT Shared Worlds Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/412969162428913/

  MT Worlds Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlphaPNR/

  email: mtwpress1@gmail.com

  Also by Godiva Glenn

  NIGHT WOLVES

  Night Discovered

  Night Revelations

  PARANORMAL PLAYGROUND

  Supernatural Delights

  About the Author

  Godiva Glenn is a nocturnal being, much like vampires and cats. She holds a B.A. in Literature, which more or less means she has spent more hours reading and writing than she would ever care to admit to. Luckily, all that knowledge comes in handy for her creative pursuit as a purveyor of classy smut.

  Most of her recent writing endeavors circle around the paranormal/supernatural. Wolves are her preferred sexy shifters, but who knows what the future holds. Regardless the situation, she loves strong women and men secure enough to love them.

  She resides in the U.S. with her amazing husband and two delightful giant cats, and dreams of traveling abroad to research locations.