Roan’s voice softened a little as he responded. “I can only be nice once a day. I’ve already been nice to you. Quota met.”
Despite their circumstances, Lyric found herself smiling a bit. She’d never seen Roan act this way with anyone. Lyric felt her suspicion spike, blending with curiosity. “You brought her to me? Why?”
Maddie was the one who answered. “He said I’d feel safer with you because you’re a woman. He obviously doesn’t know how catty women can be.”
Lyric blinked, surprised by the slight teasing of the female, and the way she stood up to Roan. He was an intimidating male, not to mention kind of an ass. She studied Maddie, then glanced at Roan. “You want to explain what’s going on, Roan? Or do I get to guess?”
Roan winced, and for a moment Lyric saw just how much effort it cost him to stay conscious. “She’s a shaman, Lyric. ANushawani.”
That brought Lyric up short. Her mind spun, struggling to make sense of it. “A human shaman?” She snorted, the sound bitter. “No wonder Cassia wants you both.”
“Cassia.” Roan said her name again, only this time it wasn’t a question. It was nearly a curse. “Why the hell has she captured us? And there’s no way she knows what Maddie is. Only a few do, and they’re all people I trust.”
“I’m not sure what her motive is,” Lyric admitted. Which really pissed her off. She’d trusted Cassia. She’d known her for hundreds of years and never thought her capable of something like this.
Lyric let her head fall back against the wall, frustration simmering beneath her fatigue. “I wish I had answers,” she muttered. “Before Cassia ambushed me, I found something in Athena’s office—a ledger. It was tucked away in her private desk, sealed with her personal sigil. It details transactions with Kingdom of Venom and Kingdom of Chaos, going back months. Dates, payments, even names. The kind of paperwork that could ruin a royal couple’s reign.”
Roan’s eyes sharpened, despite the venom’s haze. “What kind of transactions?”
Lyric hesitated. After a beat, her words tumbled out in a rush. “Besides the payments and meetings? Notes about ‘alternative mate-bonding experiments’—the kind of transactions that prove the Kingdom of Silk was in on the attempted creation of animus out of humans. I couldn’t believe Athena would be involved in that, and now . . .” She shook her head, angry at her own doubt. “Now I’m sure she isn’t. If Cassia’s framing Athena, which I firmly believe she is, it would explain why the ledger was so easy to find, but why are you here? I get why she captured me, Iwas about to figure it out, I was in the way. But you guys?” she attempted to shrug, but her shoulders were weighed down by her bindings. “I don’t get it.”
Maddie’s brow furrowed. “Why are you so sure the queen isn’t in on it?”
“Because Athena wouldn’t put innocents in harm's way. It’s just not who she is. She thinks very highly of her position and cares about her people, as does Aurelius, her mate and the king,” Lyric answered, her voice as tense as her shoulders. A ball formed in her throat. It would seriously break her heart if she was wrong and the king and queen had taken any part in Azure’s twisted plan.
“Considering I’m guessing you’ve known her since the dinosaurs went extinct, I suppose you’d be the one able to answer that question. But,” Maddie let out a frustrated growl, the sound surprising all three of them. “That doesn’t explain why she’s taken me and Roan. Why not just kill us if we got in the way by showing up at the wrong time? Why keep us alive?”
Lyric studied Maddie, and for the first time, she felt it—a pulse of wild, raw magic in the air, coming not from herself or Roan, but straight from Maddie. It prickled across Lyric’s skin, restless and unrefined, like a storm trying to break free.
Roan’s eyes darted to Maddie, his concern sharpening as Maddie’s breathing quickened. “Hey, you alright?” he murmured, his voice rough but gentle.
Maddie shook her head. “I don’t know. I just feel frustrated and irritable, and I want to stab something. It’s probably a good thing I don’t have a knife while being this close to you.”
“That’s not really anything new,” Roan said, a little smirk on his handsome face.
Maddie’s face scrunched up. “That’s fair.”
Lyric’s brow rose as she watched the interaction between them.
“Okay, so we’ve established that what you’re feeling isn’t necessarily new, but something feels different,” Roan said, his focus still on Maddie. “So what’s going on?”
Maddie’s brow drew down deep as she tilted her head back as far as she could to look up at him. “My emotions are all over the place. I’m angry, scared, pissed, and,” she paused and her face turned slightly pink.
“And what, Madeline?” Roan asked, his voice a command.
“Just because you know my full first name, that doesn’t mean you get to use it to try and get me to obey you as if you’re my parent,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Oh believe me, he doesn’t see you as a kid,” Lyric muttered before she could censure herself. Thankfully, the pair ignored her.
“You’re deflecting,” Roan accused. “What were you going to say?”
Lyric found herself fascinated by the interaction between the pair. She’d known Roan for as long as she’d known Athena and Cassia. He was always so serious, controlled, and composed. Maddie seemed to unravel him. All that cool, collected demeanor was falling apart. It was pretty awesome entertainment.
Maddie growled. Literally growled. Lyric nearly laughed.
“I was going to say ‘and I have to pee.’”
Lyric couldn’t help but shake her head.Thatwasn’t what she had been about to say, but because she didn’t want to give Roan the satisfaction of being right, she didn’t call the female out.
