Queen Ascending (Ace of Queens #2)

Chapter 3

Mavi gave him a cheeky smile and hid her face in his shoulder.

"Little miss, are you trying to play your daddy...again?" Xavier chuckled at his daughter's antics.

"Yes, that's right kid," Exton said walking up to Xavier. "Play the system, just like I thought you."

"Eggs!" Mavi picked up her head and smiled at her brother. "Mavi want juice Eggs."

Xavier and Exton both burst out laughing.

"She's trying to play both of us!" Exton playfully pulled down one of her curls.

"Ow!" Mavi shrieked dramatically. "Daddy! Eggs."

She pouted as her brows furrowed together.

"Is he being mean to my angel?" Xavier asked mocking a gasp.

"Mean!" Mavi flung her little arm at Exton. If she had been on the ground, Xavier was sure she would have stomped her little feet.

"What should we do with him, princess?" Xavier asked kissing her cheek. "Should we feed him to the alligators?"

Mavi nodded. She was no longer interested in the conversation. Her attention had shifted to the buttons on Xavier's shit. She picked at them with her little stubby fingers.

Xavier held her close in his arm and turned to Exton.

"Think about what I said...when you feel ready, go to Arizona with the King's guards."

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That morning, as Gemma woke up, the whole place buzzed with an urgency and eagerness.

After getting ready for the day, she rushed to find her uncle in the main hall.

"What's happening?" She asked looking around. The servants ran around casting simple cleaning spells. The whole place began to shine like new. Old candles were taken out of candleholders and replaced with taller once. Flowers were coming back to life in vases, dishes flew over head and settled down at the dinner table.

"Tobias sent news this morning," Lafayette said. There was a look of urgency in his eyes. "He is coming to the vail to meet us."

"Oh," was all Gemma could say.

"I'll have a dress sent for you think evening, make sure you are presentable. And please be on your best behavior."

Gemma nodded silently.

"Do you remember all your spells?"

"Of course," Gemma said.

"Good," Lafayette's eyes moved around the room, examining all the preparations. "You can take the rest of the day to relax...there's much to do. No training today."

Gemma nodded once more. She quickly exited the main hall and hurried up to her room. Once inside, she pulled out the book she had been reading from under her pillow and laid across her bed.

Her eyes scanned the pages but her mind drifted. No matter how hard she tried to focus on the words, a certain pair of green eyes kept dancing in her mind.

With a heavy sigh, Gemma slammed the book shut and flipped over to face the door. She willed the lock on the door to turn and smiled when she heard the satisfactory click.

In the safety of her own room, Gemma sat up in bed and crossed her legs. She closed her eyes and chanted the spell she had learned from studying the books.

Like memory, the magic began to tickle her mind. She began to think about the way Exton smelled, and his intoxicating smile, his husky laugh, his scolding eyes...