Chapter 21 : : : : : Ember Goes Wild

*Alec*

The night was cool, but Ember was burning up in my arms. I couldn’t believe the state I had found her in and wondered just how many drinks she had consumed. At the moment, she was bellowing the out-of-tune chorus to a singularly filthy pub song, drawing curious glances from villagers as they passed us on their way to the carnival.

“Where did you even learn that song?” I asked, hoping that my amusement wasn’t showing on my face.

“Drunken parties at the castle,” she giggled, taking a momentary break from yelling profanities into the night. “I wasn’t allowed to go to most of them, but they weren’t exactly quiet!” She began to sing again, restarting at the beginning of the bawdy chorus.

I rolled my eyes. “I bet you don’t even know what half of those words mean, Princess.”

“I do!” she protested, squirming in my arms.

“You don’t,” I goaded, enjoying how ridiculous and unguarded she was being. Plus, I was sure that she would remember none of this in the morning, so this mig