I slip them on, and they cover the marks perfectly. Nobody will ever notice they are there, and I’m certainly not going to tell anyone.
I dry my hair using a blow-dryer and leave it hanging loose, then I grab my bag, my phone, and my keycard and hurry out of my building. I cross my fingers that my mother isn’t in our foyer as I leave. I’m sure she will still be in bed after last night, and that’s if she even made it home. I wouldn’t put it past her to have a wonderful affair with a dashing shifter she met at the party.
Public transport is running again and the only way out of the neutral zone for those of us who don’t have electric scooters. I hop on the bus at the stop closest to my apartment and take a seat. There is a smattering of humans on it, all of them looking slightly downcast after the big day of celebrations yesterday. I send Olivia, Justin, and Violet a message, letting them know I have a family emergency, and pray I don’t get struck down for lying.
All three send back replies of sympathy and assurance, and I feel even worse. I slump down in my seat in the back of the bus and tune into a particularly loud couple of girls.
“I thought for sure I would be selected as the next queen of the shifters.” She holds her arms out like she’s examining them and lifts her top to study her stomach. I snort under my breath at the sheer audacity. I can’t believe there are people who think like that. It’s fucking bold. “But I don’t have any new marks on my body this morning.”
The other girl looks out the window and sighs. “Do you really think it happens like they say it does, or is it just a marketing ploy to keep the humans in line? Like maybe they select who they want and tattoo them quickly to make it look like they are the chosen one.” The girl’s conspiracy theory is solid and something I used to wonder about. Unfortunately, the marks on my wrists suggest I was dead wrong.
“Surely if someone had been selected, it would be all over social media this morning.” The first girl holds up her phone. “But there’s nothing. I’ve been searching all platforms, and there isn’t even a whisper of someone being chosen.”
“Maybe they haven’t noticed yet or haven’t realized the significance?” The second girl turns back to look at her friend. “Or maybe it hasn’t happened yet, and we still have a chance.” They squeal and bounce up and down, and I turn my attention to the window, rolling my eyes.
Don’t hold your breath, I think and desperately wish I could transfer the marks from my wrists to one of theirs. I’m sure either of them would make a better queen than me because they actually want it.
The bus winds its way slowly through the neutral zone before passing into the human one and speeding up, merging into the traffic. Early Sunday morning traffic isn’t too bad, and it doesn’t take long before we arrive at the capital city. My grandparentslive in a cozy little suburb on the far side of the city. Their suburb is beach side, and the sea marks the border of the kingdom of Aramis. Across the sea is the fae kingdom, and the only viable way to and from there is via boat, though trade and tourism between the two kingdoms is booming.
I stay on the bus as it makes its way through the city. It takes at least another hour, but I’m happy watching the human world go by—anything to distract me from my real problems.
When we arrive at the stop I need, I hop off, taking my overnight bag with me. It’s a short walk from the bus stop to my grandparents’ place. I smell the ocean the moment I get off the bus, and the wind whips briskly around my legs, making my dress flutter. I push down on the material as the bus pulls away and start the short walk to my destination. The sun is shining despite the wind, and I can hear the waves rolling onto the shore. I can’t see the ocean from here, since there is a row of houses blocking the view, but my grandparents can see it from their backyard and have a little path that leads down to the beach.
I pick up my pace and soon find myself at the gate to my grandparents’ cottage. The white picket fence looks like it could use a fresh coat of paint, but the flowers in the garden beds are lovely. I can tell they are coming to the end of the cycle and will soon die off to hibernate for winter. I’m surprised neither of my grandparents are out here in the garden, since it’s one of their favorite places to be, but when I look at my phone, I realize it’s almost lunch, so I bet they are on the back patio having coffee and something to eat.
I push through the fence, and instead of going to the front door, I walk around to the backyard. Sure enough, I hear voices, and I smile as warmth rushes through me, pushing away the abject panic that has been at the forefront of my mind all morning. I’ve missed them.
“Colbie, honey, is that you?” I hear my granny call, and I realize I stopped, and I’m just staring up at the enclosed porch.
“Hi, Granny and Grampy, I thought I’d come stay for a few days.”
“Hey, my pretty girl.” My grampy opens the screen door at the top of the stairs and waves me up. “Well, don’t just stand there, come give me a hug.” He holds up his hands, and I hurry up the stairs and throw myself into his arms. I’ve never felt safer than when I’m being hugged by my grandpa.
“I missed you, my girl,” he says, placing a kiss on the top of my head before letting go.
We move into the enclosed porch, and my grammy sweeps me into a hug as well. She’s tall, like my mom, and smells like freesias as well. Both her and Mom wear the same perfume.
She pulls back and looks at me carefully. I wince internally, hoping she can’t see that anything is bothering me, but my granny is astute. I’m pretty sure she knows everything. Instead of saying anything, though, she nods. “Let’s pour you a cuppa, and you can tell us what’s going on.”
She waves a hand at one of the spare chairs, and I drop my bag to the side before sliding into it. She places a cup and saucer in front of me and pours me tea from the pot.
“That was good timing. Granny just filled the pot,” my grandpa says as he places a sandwich on the plate in front of me. “And you know she always makes too many of these.”
I snatch up the chicken salad sandwich and groan as I bite into it. My granny’s chicken salad is delicious. I stole the recipe to use in my store, and it’s one of my most popular lunch items.
“This is so good,” I mumble around a mouthful of bread, chicken, and mayo. Granny frowns at me, but Grampy just laughs.
“What brings you to town? I see you have a bag. Are you staying for a couple of days?” he asks, and I nod after swallowing.
“Yeah, it’s a declared holiday today with the retirement of the shifter king and queens, so I decided to take a couple of extra days. My staff can handle the bakery,” I answer, and the two of them exchange a glance.
“Yes, we watched a bit of it on TV last night,” Granny says. “The queens looked gorgeous, and King Lucas is so handsome,” she gushes.
“It won’t be long until there’s a new king or queen. I’m sure the announcement will come any moment. It’s kind of exciting. I remember when Lucas was crowned and picked his mates. If you thought the retirement party was fancy, then you should see the coronation. It’s wild,” Grampy reminisces. “I wonder who it will be.”
I avoid looking down at the cuffs on my wrists and shrug my shoulders. “Doesn’t really matter to me.”
“Aww, sweetie, it should. It’s history in the making.” He chuckles. “Hopefully they are as good as King Lucas was. The one previous to him, Queen Rowena, started off okay, but by the end of her reign, she managed to piss off the witches, fae, and vampires. It’s a surprise we didn’t end up at war again. There were rumbles of it when her retirement thankfully came around, and Lucas and his queens managed to smooth everything over.”
