Flames of Auriel (A Caeles Adventure Book 1) Read Online Free

to marry the little Aurelian brat. He thought Zoe was ruining his life, it was not his fault he took it out on her the moment he saw her.
    He waited for his mother to follow him out of the castle after their little nit. She let out a large sigh when she saw him. He knew she had thought he would make a break for it, but there he stood, waiting at the door. She moved to stand beside him, but stiffened at the appearance of one of their annual guests.
    Unaware of his friend’s distress, King Brom bowed over the queen’s hand, laying a light kiss on it. “Marie, you are as stunning as ever. I hope you have been well?”
    Marie grabbed his hand before he could pull away and whispered between clenched teeth. “What is she wearing?”
    Brom gave a weary sigh, “It’s the only way I could get her to come.” He looked down at his friend, “She has quite a temper, you know. Gets it from her mother.”
    “I take it she didn’t take the news well?”
    Asher snorted at his mother’s redundant question. Of course not. If he did not like the idea of being stuck with her then there was no way the little hellion he was supposed to be attached to would.
    The king chuckled, “We are lucky she did not bring the whole castle down upon our heads.” He glanced at him and Zoe. They knew they hated it when they talked as if they were not there. “I can see it went better for you? The prince does not seem too alarmed.”
    His mother sighed, “He has agreed to do what is best for our kingdoms. Though, he may have some underlying bitterness toward me for it. I’ve ruined his life, by all accounts.”
    “Well, you are in good company then.” Brom took his mother’s hand in his and patted it in reassurance. “Our children hate us. We must be doing something right.”
    When the King of Aurelius peeked back at his young daughter, who had yet to move away from the carriage door, she trudged to his side. Unlike the first few times they had met, Zoe did not provide a pretense of wanting to be there. She let the prince know exactly how she felt by the burning in her eyes, but was disappointed when, instead of flinching like she had hoped, he only smirked in amusement.
    “What are you laughing at?” Zoe snarled.
    “Zoe! Manners!” Brom chastised.
    Asher laughed and gestured toward her attire. “You look absurd.”
    The breeches and tunic did not suit her lanky frame at all, not that the dresses he was accustomed to seeing her in were any better. Asher could not wait until his friend, Bryce, got a hold of this, he would lose his head. The prince’s laughter was cut short when a small fist came hurtling toward his face. The last thing he remembered before a blinding pain caused him to black out was high-pitched laughter overshadowing the worried cries around him.
    He and Bryce spent the next few days trying to find ways to avoid the lanky princess, which was hard because she was fast. If she had been wearing a dress like the years before it would have been easy to ditch her, but this year she was almost as fast as them. Almost.
    “Come on fellas, wait up!”
    She finally caught up to them just as the door to the training room slammed shut on her. She was left no doubt glowering at the new sign on the door, reading: ‘No Females Allowed.’ There was a thud where she kicked the door, “This isn’t fair!”
    “Who cares!”
    Unaware of the monster they had created, Bryce and Asher chuckled at the sound of the princess stomping away. They had been trying to ditch her all summer, but the damned chit was harder to get rid of than last year. The prince may have to marry the girl, but after the stunt she pulled the first day, any chances of them being friends went down the drain.
    “What’s up with the sign?” Asher touched his still purple nose with the tips of his fingers and raised a brow at his chubby friend.
    Bryce grinned at his prince. “Since she apparently can’t take a hint, I thought a more upfront approach was in order.”