A most scrumptious shiver trembled down Kirastasia’s spine when Milo spoke into her ear. The grey-dusted alphess possessed such a cute voice—a clear and high soprano that had the musical trill of birdsong. When the ice princess initially joined Munashii, she had not been intending to do anything productive at all; she’d been high as a bird catching a thermal, wandering like a leaf in the wind, stumbling into the pack meeting my purest accident. Kira might not have even stayed if Kahlan hadn’t appeared in the forest. Yet the more time she spent with Milo, the more she learned about the petite wolfess with her sky-eyes, the more Kirastasia realized she wouldn’t mind sticking around. Milo’s heart overflowed with simple kindness. She obviously enjoyed playing like a little kid. Who better to give her loyalty to than a Queen as lighthearted as this ivory lass?

“Aw, Miss Milo, you flatter me.” Kira flashed a glittering movie star smile, tossing her head so that water droplets flew from her fur like diamonds. She shrieked indignantly when her lyrics were met with a slosh of water spurting right at her face and her open mouth—only to break down into ferocious giggles, rising up on her hind legs to bring her forelegs down with smashing force to aim a tsunami toward Milo in “revenge.” Soon the brindled dancer was racing around the shallow pool, soaking wet, laughing as if her sides would split, attempting to dodge any other splashes Milo tried to attack her with.

“Where have you been all my life?” Kirastasia crooned. She dove under and resurfaced like a shark mere inches from Milo, maw opened wide in a manic smile that showed off every sharp point of her teeth. “RAWR! Sea monster attack!”