A Wish Upon the Stars (Tales From Verania 4)

“Why are you here?” I moaned.

“Randall sent us to fetch you,” Gary said. “Kevin’s back. With guests.”

I opened my eyes again. “Why did you say it like that?”

“I didn’t say it like anything.”

“Yes, you did. You said it in that way you do when you know something I don’t and there’s a sixty-eight percent chance that I’m not going to like it.”

“Gods, Sam, do you hear yourself? What would Ryan think if he knew you were so obsessed over me?”

“I’d be fine with that,” Ryan mumbled. “If it meant all of you would go away and let me sleep.”

“Hi, Knight Delicious Face.”

“Hi, Tiggy.”

“I’m not going to like today, am I.”

“Probably not,” Gary said gleefully. “Now get up so I can bear witness to your reaction when you see who Kevin’s brought with him—I mean, so you can get up and greet this beautiful new day. Love you. Love you, boo. Love you so much. Love you.” He gave me a slobbering kiss on my neck before he pranced out of the room, sparkles trailing after him, smelling strangely of peppermint hot cocoa and good feelings.

“Tiggy, who’s here?”

“Bye, Sam! Bye! Bye, Sam!”

“Traitor,” I muttered as he ran out of the room.

“Kevin’s back?” Ryan asked, voice thick.

“Of course you were awake the whole time and didn’t do a thing to rescue me.”

“I hoped if I ignored you, you’d leave me alone.”

I adored him.

WE WERE dressed and out into the early morning sunlight ten minutes later. I was shoving bread in my mouth, not caring how unattractive I looked. I was ravenous, and if I was going to be forced from my bed at an ungodly hour, I would stuff my face with stale bread. It was my right as a human being.

The camp was already awake and moving around us, people still openly staring at me as we walked by them, Ryan close at my side, his sword in its scabbard at his hip. He had planned on training with his knights this morning, but I could tell curiosity about who Kevin had returned with had gotten the better of him.

Speaking of the devil, I could see Kevin’s head and wings sticking up over the wall outside of Camp HaveHeart, so we headed in the direction of the front gates.

“How much do you wager I’m not going to like this?” I asked Ryan.

“Yeah, I’m not going to take that bet. Randall said whoever it was is supposed to help us, right? I’m still not convinced he’s forgiven you for the dick-nose thing. For all we know, this is him finally getting revenge. And if that’s the case, you need to think of the worst possible person that Randall would get to come and help you.”

“Lady Tina is already here.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Fine, the one after that.”

“Vadoma. And she’s probably in her room, trying to read tea leaves so she can be all doom and gloom.”

“Okay, the person after that.”

I squinted at him. “Who would be third on my list of people I don’t like that are still mostly on my side and that Randall would want to have come here to help me?”

“NO,” I said, glaring at Randall. “Absol

utely not.”