Touch of Power (Alythian Legacy #1)

Rushing downstairs, I curse myself for oversleeping, for not heading to bed at a good hour. I just had to make Kit uncomfortable last night and make him admit things that probably should've been kept a secret. Not only that but I asked him if he's had lovers before?! Am I literally the most idiotic person in the kingdom?

After clambering down the steps, I hit the bottom to find the guys sitting at a table while the bartender from last night gives them dirty looks. Kit doesn't seem to be threatened by her dagger looks so I suppose I should relax.

Breathing heavily as I reach their table, I huff, "You should have woke me up."

Kit slides a muffin in my direction and says nonchalantly, "Why? So we can spend more time in a stuffy carriage all morning?"

I blink at the prince, no hint of our conversation last night etched on his face. "Shouldn't we hasten our pace to get to Normount? I mean it'll still take us five days to get there."

"You know she's right, Your Highness," Ferris says as he takes my muffin. "We should've been on the road by now."

Kit frowns at his guard. "As you've been saying all morning." He turns to look at Henry. "And you? Do you think I'm wrong?"

Henry seems nervous to be put on the spot and also to choose a side all of a sudden. "I will always follow your lead, Your Highness."

"We seem to be at an impasse then," Kit says as he snatches the muffin back from Ferris and directly shoves it into my hands. "And since I'm the prince, I say my opinion holds more weight. So, Freya, sit, eat, relax, and then we can leave."

You're quite annoying when you're in charge, I shoot at Kit as I sit down. Kit snorts at my remark which has a blush rising to my cheeks. How much do Ferris and Henry know about Kit's powers? Do they know we occasionally converse to one another silently? 

While I heed Kit's command, Ferris eyes me for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, I couldn't help but notice who your mail was from this morning."

As I'm a nosy person, I blurt out mid-bite, "Was it from our colleagues? From Jun?"

Kit gives me a sad smile but shakes his head. "None from them. One from my parents, one from Lottie, and one from Charles."

"When is he reporting back, Your Highness?" Ferris asks before I have the chance to ask who this Charles is.

"He's going to meet us when we return to Glasswood in three weeks. He should be with his family right now."

At my clear confusion, Henry leans towards me and whispers, "Charles is a guard for His Highness."

"How many bloody guards do you need?" I ask Kit and a smile blossoms on his handsome face.

"I don't need any guards," he says with his eyes on Ferris, "but I'm not in the position to say no to a pretty face."

"Piss off," Ferris grumbles. "Of course you need guards, you absolute twat."

Kit bursts out laughing but Henry and I don't know how to react. Though I know Ferris has been a guard of Kit's for years now, I still don't know their dynamics to one another. At Glasswood, Kit barely paid any attention to his guards despite them always being around. And yesterday, Kit didn't seem to be in the playful mood with Ferris like he is now and Ferris doesn't seem to be the type to joke around.

"Right, right," Kit smiles. "If I didn't need guards, you'd be out of job."

Kit reaches to poke Ferris in the cheek but the guards slaps his hand away. "You are lucky you're the prince," Ferris grumbles and rises from his seat. "I'm going to check if Thornton is ready to depart."