Free Hidden Darkness (Hidden Saga Book 4) by Amy Patrick

from his obvious attempt to be provocative, I was no longer in the mood for conversation. But we were going to the same place, and he was the ambassador’s fiancé—I couldn’t exactly tell him to get lost.
    My tone downgraded from friendly to merely polite. “They’re coming along fine. How about yours? When’s the wedding?”
    “Whenever the blushing bride decides to get around to it, I suppose. She’s not exactly in a hurry. A less confident fellow might suspect she had her eye on… someone else.”
    He punctuated the last sentence with a pointed glance that literally made me stumble on the smooth earthen path. What was going on here? Was he trying to tell me something? More likely, he was just trying to mess with my mind.
    Extending my emotional glamour in his direction I did read a sense of naughtiness, though no evil intent. Thankfully, I spotted Lad and Ava ahead, entering the royal residence together.
    Lad , I called to him, waving.
    He turned and our eyes met. His filled with unmistakable delight at seeing me.
    “Ah, the bonny prince,” Culley muttered under his breath. “And my own ravishing fiancée. They look like they’ve had a satisfying morning.”
    I ignored his ridiculous statement and picked up my pace, hurrying to meet Lad. A sense of relief spread through me as he wrapped me in his arms, affectionate as always. I squeezed him tightly, drawing a deep laugh from him.
    “Well, I’m glad to see you, too. How was your evening with your parents?”
    “It only made me miss you more,” I told him honestly.
    “I missed you ,” he said aloud. And then silently, Very soon I will have you here with me every night, and I’ll have everything I’ve been missing. Every night.
    Warmth pulsed through me at his sexy threat .
    Turning to Ava, I eyed her with a fresh sense of foreboding thanks to Culley’s cryptic comments. “Hello. How was your tour?”
    “Hello Ryann,” she said. “It was very nice.” And then her eyes dropped to her feet. She looked almost… ashamed.
    My glance shot to Culley’s knowing expression.
    Noticing the odd exchange, Lad asked, What’s going on? Is he bothering you?
    I shook my head. No. He’s harmless. Just annoying.
    Agreed.
    He reached out to shake Culley’s hand. “Good morning. Did you sleep in?”
    “Always. It’s my favorite thing about your charming kingdom so far—the complete absence of alarm clocks and annoying sunrises,” Culley said. “How was your liaison with my betrothed this morning?”
    Lad’s brows lowered, his lips forming a flat line. “Our tour was fine—though we didn’t get to everything. We’ll have to continue it tomorrow. I hope you’ll join us.”
    “Of course. Will Ryann be along as well? No, I suppose you’ve already seen it all,” he said, answering his own question. Turning to Lad he asked, “When did you introduce this lovely little outsider to your hidden world?”
    It was a simple question and by far the most innocuous thing he’d said today, but Lad just stared at him, a strange expression crossing his face. Maybe he was mad Culley had called me an outsider.
    “I… not that long ago,” he said. “Right, Ryann? It’s been…”
    His searching expression startled me. I thought guys were supposed to start forgetting your anniversary after you’d been married a long time, not before you even got going.
    “It was about five months ago,” I answered, filling in the verbal blank. “Lad was hurt, and I followed the guards who brought him back here.”
    Lad blinked then turned back to Culley and nodded. “So… I hope you and Ava will continue to settle in. I have a date with my beautiful fiancée now, and then I’ll be busy with affairs of the crown for the rest of the day. I’ll see you at dinner tonight. Please don’t hesitate to ask the servants for anything you may need.”
    Culley gave us both a little bow. “Thank you, good sir. So nice to see you, Ryann. Enjoy your time together, however long that might