“What happened?” I ask Violet. “The last thing I remember is stepping over the threshold of the palace and then excruciating pain.”
“That was the royal magic shifting to your body,” Violet tells me.
“Is it supposed to be that painful? Nobody warned me I would black out.” I’m pretty freaking annoyed that no one explained what would happen.
Gracelin purses her lips. “Apparently what happened to you was nothing like what Dad experienced when it was his turn.”
“And what exactly is the shifter royal magic? Am I a shifter now? Does it mean I can do other things? I can’t believe I never thought to ask these questions before I stepped into this place.”
“Yes, you should now have the ability to shift into an animal,” Gretchin tells me, but she frowns as she says this. “To be honest, though, I can’t feel your animal at all.” She looks to Gracelin and then Violet for their opinions, and both of them shake their heads. “We should all be able to sense your inner animal, even if we don’t know what it is. Our dad was the most powerful shifter because of the magic, and you could feel him before he even walked into the room.”
“You can’t feel anything?” I ask, my heart rate speeding up with my panic. What if the magic didn’t find me worthy?
All three of them shake their heads, and tears well in my eyes.
“No, don’t cry, Colbie.” Archie throws himself into my lap and wraps his little arms around my neck. His hug feels nice, so I hug him back as I wipe the stupid tears away.
“I don’t even know why I’m crying. I didn’t want this in the first place. Maybe there really was a mistake.”
“Dad will be able to help, and I’m sure he will be able to coax your animal out. That’s another part of the shifter magic—the ability to control all shifters’ shifts, not to mention the ability to help a human who has been bitten by a shifter to complete their transition. Shifters who decide to marry humans will petition you for permission to change them. It’s not permitted without permission because a human will go mad without royal magic to help them through their first change.”
I try to take in everything Gretchin just explained, but I’m stuck on the first bit. “If I’m supposed to have all that magic now, then how is your dad going to help me?” I ask, and Gracelin smiles.
“Until you are crowned, you both share the magic. It gives Dad the ability to guide you through everything until your coronation.”
“And that doesn’t happen until you pick your mates,” Violet adds, clapping her hands. “Have any presented themselves for selection yet?” she asks the two princesses, sounding excited. “I can’t wait to see who is chosen.”
Again, Gracelin and Gretchin exchange a glance, and my stomach rolls with worry. “Not yet.” Gracelin forces a smile, and Violet’s excitement drops.
“It’s been hours since Colbie arrived. Why haven’t any marked possible mates arrived at the castle?”
“Oh God, the magic really did go wrong, didn’t it?” I groan, and Archie squirms in my lap, patting my cheeks.
“Don’t worry, it’s because they know you’re going to marry me,” he reassures me, and I smile weakly at him. Gosh, he’s a sweet kid. I hope he stays this way.
“Like I said, let’s wait until we see Dad to start to worry. How about you get up, take a shower, and put on some fresh clothes? Then, we can go find everyone and get to the bottom of this.It’s almost dinnertime, and we were hoping you would join us.” Gracelin takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.
“Yeah, don’t worry, Colbie, the three of us have your back.” Gretchin waves to her sister and Violet. Violet’s mouth rounds with a kind of awe that makes me want to smile.
“Me too? Are you sure? My family isn’t from the palace’s social circle,” she asks, and Gretchin scoffs, “Thank fuck.”
Gracelin screws up her nose. “We never liked any of those snooty bitches anyway. They are only friends with us in the hope that our brother and his bond might look their way. The sooner their mate gets marked, the sooner we’ll find out who our real friends are. It will be nice having two friends who don’t care who he is.”
“It can’t be that bad,” I argue, remembering how nice both girls were when we were kids. Surely they can’t have changed so significantly over the years. Hell, Archie’s lovely, so surely that tells me what kind of person his mother is.
“You wait. They’ll all be kissing your ass soon enough,” Gracelin warns me.
“Or turning on you,” Gretchin mutters, and my nausea turns to dread.
“I’m not good at games,” I say, and Gretchin hops off the bed and grabs Archie off my lap before pulling her sister up.
“Luckily we are. Shifters can be real assholes, always posturing and trying to prove who is the strongest, and it’s no different here in the castle. We will teach you, but first, get cleaned up. The best way to start is to look fucking fabulous, and we can definitely help with that.” Gretchin points at a closed door that I’m assuming is the bathroom, so I push the blankets off, and Violet jumps up to help me. She holds my arm, my body still a little shaky from all the magic, and escorts me to the shower.
“You supervise so she doesn’t pass out in there, and the three of us will pick something for her to wear,” Gracelin instructs Violet, who nods her agreement.
“Oh, I didn’t bring anything with me,” I tell her, and she waves me off.
“Don’t you worry. Part of the magic fills your closet for you, and we sent someone to collect your things from your grandparents. We will have you looking like a queen in no time.”
