Ezah looked at me, Kol looked at Nova, and in sync, they both leaned down and nudged their heads against ours. I didn’t know what Nova thought of Kol right then and there, but I thought Ezah was so cute that I could have squeezed the life out of him.
Be nice, I said, projecting my presence to encircle him. I’m so happy to see Nova and your brother.
Ezah sighed. I’ll behave.
I smiled, leaned up, and kissed him when he leaned down to meet me a third of the way.
“These are happy tears, reva.” I heard Nova say. “They’re speaking mentally and having special moments like we do, and I love to see it.”
When I turned my head, I saw Prince Kol swipe away tears from Princess Nova’s cheek. He kept his glowing eyes on her as she approached Ezah. My mate tensed a little, but other than that, he didn’t move.
“I know I can’t hug you anymore, but I want you to know how happy I am for you, my brother.”
I felt the affection Ezah felt for Nova at that moment, and it made my heart happy.
“Hug him,” I told her. “I won’t mind.”
“I know you won’t.” She chuckled. “But he will. He’s mated now, so he can’t tolerate any female’s touch apart from yours, his mother’s, sister’s, and any future daughters or nieces. It’s a Maji thing. I’ve decided that a fist bump can represent a hug to mated males, I put it forward to the Council to make it official and they recently accepted it.”
I laughed when Princess Nova lifted her hand, balled it into a fist, and held it out towards Ezah. He chuckled to himself when he fisted his own hand, which was huge compared to the princess’s, and gently bopped her fist with his.
“That wasn’t so bad.” She grinned. “Was it?”
My mate shook his head, smiling. A glance at Prince Kol showed he was shaking his head but smiling too. When his violet eyes moved to mine, I dropped my gaze. I placed my fist over my chest and bowed my head to him.
“Hello, my prince.”
Ezah growled. “Use his name, not his title.”
“No,” I bit back to him. “He is my prince.”
“And you’re his princess. Royals don’t have to use titles.”
“Well, it makes me feel better when I do, so hush up about it.”
Ezah wasn’t happy with me. I could feel it. He wanted me to be treated like Princess Nova was, like his sister was.
“Leave her be,” Nova said to Ezah. “Surkah bows to him and the others too. She picks and chooses when she wants to do it, but she does it, and you don’t shout at her.”
To that, Ezah had nothing to say.
“Can you both excuse us for just one moment?”
“Of course,” Nova nodded. “Go speak some sense into your male, and I will do the same to mine.”
I smiled before I crossed the hallway and waited until Ezah followed me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why does my bowing to your brother irritate you so much?”
“If you want to bow out of respect, that is one thing, but I know you bow out of fear.”
“I cannot just turn off my upbringing, nalex. All males, but you, intimidate me. This will take me time to unlearn, but I will unlearn it. Okay?”
My mate exhaled a deep breath and nodded.
“I’d never let another male harm you. You know that, right?”
“I know you wouldn’t.” I reached up and brushed my thumb over his lower lip. “Now, let me and my sister-in-mate get me feast-ready … then we can go eat.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Levi
“Vi, won’t Prince Ezah get mad that you’re out here without him?”
I thought of my mate who, after the feast, got into a physical fight that ended up involving multiple of his brothers and his kin, Nero. Kol, of course, was one of those brothers. Apparently, three of his brothers glanced at me for a second too long. Once Ezah threw the first punch, it was a rippling effect. I was scared shitless, so was Nuni, but Nova, Surkah, and the Hailed Mother, who was so lovely to us, comforted us and assured us that all would be well. It was … but only after twenty minutes of serious fighting.
Vorah had come and escorted Nicah and my sweet baby sister Asia home minutes before the brawl began, which I considered a gift.
At the end of it all, Ezah and his brothers were a bloody mess. Ezah broke two of his brothers’ arms, one of their legs, and Kol’s nose was so badly broken that Nova was damn near going to attack Ezah, and she was six months pregnant. Ezah looked like he had been to hell and back. The Revered Father did not stop the fighting, he watched it all with a keen eye, but he didn’t like how much Nova and I were upset by it, so he ordered Ezah to heal everyone that needed the power of his lissa. He ordered all the females to leave the room, which Kol and Ezah weren’t happy about, but they did not dare say a word against their father.