The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on Eden while the rest of our invited guests gathered in the main square to mingle and wait for our arrival. I was not the only one anxious for Eden and Kiran to come back to the castle and thus their elected roles as co-King and Queen. And even though it’s not the entire Kingdom waiting on us, there is still a very healthy showing of Immortals filling the Citadel this weekend.
                  “Yeah, that would be great actually,” I replied. “Uh, just remember to thank everyone for coming…. I like to remind them they have a choice.” I smiled, trying to ignore how awkward it was “sharing” this job. Kiran probably knew what he was doing way better than me, but I couldn’t stop myself from reminding him of the smaller points I felt were important. “Oh and I was planning on announcing Talbott and Lilly’s engagement, but it will probably sound more sincere coming from you.”
                  Kiran let out an amused laugh, “Are you telling me it wouldn’t be sincere coming from you?” I watched him bristle in just the smallest of ways, tension stiffening his shoulder blades. I had seen it lots of times before and I had to suppress my own urge to laugh. Kiran was one of my closest friends and not just because of his relationship with my sister. We had formed our own bromance over the time I was imprisoned here before we killed his dad. Even though we didn’t always see eye to eye, he was in the very small circle of people I absolutely trusted.
                  “Talbott seems to think I care more about what their marriage means to the Kingdom by way of example than about them as a couple,” I admitted, shrugging sheepishly.
                  Because it was partly true.
                  “Do you know what? I’ll go ahead and congratulate them, it will definitely sound more sincere coming from me,” Kiran agreed, giving me his famous cocky half-smile.
                  “Good,” I grunted. “I think my speech was going to make him mad anyway.”
                  “Why is that?” Kiran asked, but his eyes had turned to Eden who was walking across the hall to us.
                  I smiled at my sister, so happy to have her home. Her hair was pinned up tonight and while Kiran mumbled stuff to her about the way she looked…. stuff I chose to ignore, I admired the bright glow of her navy blue tattoo under her ear lobe. Her magical color used to match mine exactly, the brightest, most brilliant color of blue. But since her marriage, or rather the consummation of her marriage to Kiran, her magic had mixed with his and now both of their magics had turned a rich navy blue. I couldn’t care less about the color that meant Kiran and Eden were forever bonded, but damn it if I wasn’t still jealous over that glow in the dark tattoo.
                  “Because he was going to confess his undying love to Lilly and beg her to leave Talbott and marry him instead,” Eden laughed at me, her black eyes sparkling from the humor of it.
                  “It’s a joke,” I shrugged my shoulders at Kiran whose mouth had dropped open from shock. Eden opened her mouth to call me on my crap, so I tried to explain quickly. “Well…. kind of a joke. What? I like Lilly, she doesn’t talk too much, she doesn’t care about the whole King thing and I don’t have to make an effort to get to know her. So even if I’m not serious about asking her to run away and elope with me, I am kind of bummed that Talbott’s taking her completely off the market.” I grinned widely so they really did see the humor in the confession I was not at all serious about.
                  “But you need a girl to care about the whole King thing,” Talbott interrupted, walking up behind me. Shoot… hope he was not too mad. “It’s the only way you’re going to get a girl.”
                  “Was that a