Fucking Jahlee. A male steps forward and hands my sister some clothing. Where he got them from, I don’t know, but I slip the pants on and fold my arms over my chest, catching Bahira’s lingering glance before she notices me watching and looks away.
Jahlee steps right in front of me, her smile as wide as physically possible before she gestures to the shifters now filed into the room. “These people believe you—believeinyou. You were made to lead this kingdom, Kai. For better or for worse,youwere chosen. While I know this won’t be an easy task, it’s a start.”
I had fought against the idea that being king was anything more than an unfortunate necessity. I hadn’t expected that list of things I cared about to grow beyond Jahlee—certainly not to include the subjects I reluctantly ruled over. While a kingdom of chaos and ashes seems unavoidable now, my hope is that the cost of fixing everything I turned a blind eye to will be low.
“You should address the crowd,” Bahira suggests, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
“She’s right,” Jahlee chimes in.
I clench my jaw at the thought, wondering if perhaps abdicating to Kane would not be as awful as I had previously thought. Clearing my throat, I give an awkward as fuck speech about trying to rebuild the kingdom into something better. Based on the way Jahlee bites back a laugh every time our eyes meet, I assume it didn’t exactly motivate anyone.
The next hour passes quickly as I help clean the throne room and assign new roles and jobs to the shifters present. Haloa and Kane show up, the former eager for the opportunity to be one of my personal guards and the latter ignoring me. In a gesture that I hope quells the whispers of him behind his back, I shake his hand and announce that he can keep his position, seeing as he had nothing to do with the rebels. I make sure to squeeze his hand harder than necessary, reminding him that at any moment I will end him if he proves to be anything less than useful.
I leave briefly to go to my rooms to shower and change into my own clothing, returning to join Jahlee and Bahira in the now cleared out throne room. The corner of my lips rises when I see the way Bahira is lounging on my throne nonchalantly.
“Don’t move on my account,” I drawl, walking to the edge of the dais and gazing up at her.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she coos back, and it almost feels like our fight never happened.
“You look good in it.”
Her gaze widens as it holds mine before she averts it and stands, stepping away from the very thing she looked so comfortable—soright—in. “You need a plan of how you’re going to approach this with the rebels. How you’ll share what happened with Tua to the kingdom.”
I nod, watching as Jahlee steps up to Bahira and throws an arm around her shoulders. “I say we do a clean sweep. Just throw everyone out into the training yard and start questioning them there.”
“You won’t make any friends doing that.”
Jahlee’s smile is deviously cunning. “No, but it’ll piss off a bunch of the nobles. And that will bringmejoy.”
“We start with who we know to be our allies and go from there,” I tell her, fighting off a chuckle at the way her face drops. “It’s going to take time, Jahlee.”
Haloa opens one of the doors and pokes his head in, gaze searching until he finds mine. “Your Majesty, there is someone who has just arrived from the docks. She is requesting an immediate audience with you.”
I run my hand down my face, exhaustion lingering like a fine mist over me. “Did she give a name or what she wants?”
“All she said is that her name is Siyala.”
Jahlee’s gasp echoes out, my own inhale quick as I narrow my eyes at Haloa. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Send her in.”
Haloa nods at my command and leaves so quickly that he doesn’t shut the door.
My sister turns towards me, her brows raised high on her forehead. “You don’t think—” She swallows, shaking her head as Bahira looks between us. “It’s been over four years.”
This could just be mere coincidence because the odds that my cousin has miraculously appeared after four years are astronomically low. Though the same could be said of the way she seemed to completely disappear from the island in the first place.
“She’s our cousin, Iolana’s daughter,” I tell a bewildered Bahira while keeping my focus on the doors as the sound of approaching footsteps sends a foreign feeling of hope simmering in my veins.
“The one you said went missing?” she asks. I nod my head again, almost smirking at her murmured “fuck”under her breath.
A cloaked female walks into the throne room, her boots—worn and too big—clomping on the wooden floorboards. My breath sticks in my chest when she reaches up and pulls the hood back. She’s obviously older than when I last saw her, a woman now instead of a teen. But as Siyala’s amber eyes meet mine, herrare white hair bright against her golden tanned skin, there is no denying that it’s my cousin staring back at me.
Siyala’s attention moves from me to Bahira, a quizzical look contorting her face, before going to Jahlee, a smile finally breaking her serious façade. “Hello, cousins,” she rasps.
“You’re not dead!” Jahlee blurts out, Bahira and I both snapping our heads towards her. “Where have you been? I swear, if this has all been some elaborate prank, I’m going—”
