#Chapter 183: Whispers of the Goddess

The ride home passed mostly without incident. The security that I had been issued at the palace turned out to be a man who might have been my father’s age if I had one. He was the ranking guard within the palace hierarchy, creeping up on his retirement years. He didn’t have much to say, but he treated me kindly, touching his hat to me before leaving once Theo opened the door. Theo pulled me inside and started to hug me, but Charles pried him off, instead taking me in his arms and nearly squashing me. He covered my face in kisses and swung me around until I felt slightly sick to my stomach. “I was so unbelievably worried,” he said. “When they separated us, I feared the worst.” I pried him off and stepped back. “I can’t say I didn’t feel the same,” I admitted. Gwen and Anthony watched all this from opposite sides of the room. Evidently, they hadn’t made friends while I was gone, though it had only been a day. “So, tell us about what happened,” Theo insisted. “First, tell me what ha