Persistance

He loved persistence, really, he did.

But not when it came from Prince Justin.

It was those times when he absolutely hated the persistent bugger and sorely wished that he could turn Sophie 90 again, if anything just in looks, especially when he was around.

Didn’t they realize that the only reason he was having Sophie stay in the first place was because she was his to begin with?

Silly Ingaryians, they knew that Howl was a charming wizard that ate the hearts of young women, he sighed, a half frown as his mind finished the thought, but this was one heart that he no intention to steal. Stealing wasn’t playing fair.

Because that heart saved his and returned it and now he was hell-bent on owning that heart, body, mind, and soul.

Now, he had a prince to deal with, yes, the one that had waltzed in here and immediately grabbed Sophie’s hands and those were his hands and only his hands to grab.

Transposing himself in the place of Sophie was only the tip of the magical ice-burg the Prince had run his ship upon.

“Howl!” Justin exclaimed, shocked to see that he was kissing the reputed wizard’s hands rather then his dear Sophie. Who was standing behind Howl, looking just as shocked as he felt.

She was beautiful.

“She’s very taken,” Howl quipped, finishing Justin’s thought and scaring the daylights out of the other two.

“You can read minds?!”

“No, that takes too much concentration,” the black-haired wizard responded facetiously before his voice adopted a serious tone. “But I know lust when I see it and rumor only has it that I’m a very selfish man.”

Justin pulled himself up straight and stiffened into the royal stance he used on just about everyone else. “Those rumors aren’t as much as rumors as they are facts,” he jibed, bowed to Sophie and made his way to the door.

Everyone in the room, including Calcifer flinched as the door slammed shut and zinged to the pink tab.

“I think I won’t miss him,” Howl spoke after a few minutes of silence.