He paused. “Owe... ina?”
“Oweina? This just keeps getting worse.” And then I had to sit in the chair as laughter started shaking my entire body.
Krew peeked his head into the room, a steaming cup in his hand, which he handed over to me. “What are you two cackling on about?”
“We are trying to name the other wolf,” Owen provided. “And my future children as well.”
Krew gave his head a quick shake.
Owen moved his shoulders up in a noncommittal shrug. “It was a natural progression in the conversation, believe it or not.”
Krew’s lips turned at the corners. “I don’t know about you two sometimes.”
Oweina hit me all over again and I reached my tea out to Krew to take back before I spilled it all over myself.
“So the black wolf?” Krew asked.
Owen nodded. “We have ruled out Scar and Blackie.”
“How about Shadow?” Krew asked.
My laughter stilled. That wasn’t half bad. I looked to Owen at the same time he looked to me.
“I want to hate it just on principal, but I can’t,” Owen admitted.
“I like it too,” I admitted. “Of course, we should check with him. See if he answers to it.”
Owen’s brow furrowed. “You want to check with the wolf?”
I glared at him. “Well yes. It will behisname.”
“They do run with her in the forest as her guardians,” Krew offered as a knock sounded at the door. “Let her do her Wolf-Whisperer thing.”
I grinned triumphantly at Owen.
He crossed his arms. “So that would be your designer and you are not even showered yet.”
I sat up. “Whoops.” Then I paused. “But I only healed one tree? It wasn’t as if we were meandering around the forest.”
He shrugged. “Actually, they might be early.”
I stood and brushed off my pants, feeling bad that I probably smelled awful. “They? There is more than one?”
But then I heard the voices at the door, one voice in particular I very much recognized, right before arms were thrown around Krew at the door.
I knew that voiceandthose arms. In a realm that was chaotic and harsh, often times even unjust, they were my safe place.
Yet my safe place was somehow now in a place that was not safe at all. This castle.
“Jorah, dear!” My mother grinned as she took off her jacket. “There you are!”
I was running to hug her and Flora at the doorway. “You are my designer?”
Flora laughed as she hugged me. “Your prince was adamant it was what you wanted.”
I grinned. “It would have been had anyone asked me. I just assumed I was stuck with the stuffy castle designers.”
Flora adjusted her red hair into its high bun on her head. “Well, a few are still working with us, but I am the lead designer on your gown, honey.”
