I swing my leg off Hunter and slide down his body before turning around and gesturing to Archie. He crosses his arms stubbornly, and his lip juts out in a pout. “No, I’m not getting down.”
I chuckle. He looks so much like his uncle, one of my best friends, at the moment that it’s comical. “Your mother will be here at any moment, and what do you think she will say when she sees you riding a dragon?” I ask, and his eyes widen before he quickly leaps.
Luckily I have quick reflexes and catch the small boy before he can damage himself. I lower him to the ground as Hunter shifts back into his human form. Thankfully our watch uniforms are spelled to change with us so he’s not naked, because the castle doors fling open and the king and queens run out, followed by their two daughters.
“Archie!” Gracelin cries, pushing past everyone and snatching him out of my arms. Adam, her mate, joins them, wrapping his big arms around the two smaller figures. His bear’srumbling growl sounds both relieved and aggravated at the same time.
“Brodie, Hunter, where did you find him?” The king asks as his wives surround the family, fussing over the little boy. The rest of the guards fade away, leaving behind only General Bryson, the commander of the shifter army and Hunter’s father. Bryson is a large man, and his oldest son Hunter is practically his twin, but King Lucas is slighter, not quite as tall, and he has a long, lean figure indicating he would excel at stealth just like his tiger. Bryson grips his son’s shoulder in greeting but does not show overt affection when on duty in public view.
“Actually, we didn’t find him. A human in the neutral zone did and tried to report him to the watch,” I explain as the four of us make our way back into the castle, followed by the rest of the royal family. The only one not around is the king’s son, but I know why, so I’m not particularly worried.
“A human?” The king frowns as he leads us through the extravagant castle that is their family home. Many of the rooms are only used for special occasions, but I can tell he’s leading us toward his family space. Soon, they will move out of this castle for the next king or queen to take up residence. They have a family compound nearby they will move into. All outgoing royal families are gifted them from the goddess as part of their retirement package.
“Triedto report it?” Bryson growls, sounding annoyed. Not only is he the general of the shifter army, but he also is the night watch commander.
I sigh and turn my attention to my boss. “Gianna was manning the switchboard tonight. You know what she’s like.”
He grumbles and shakes his head. “That girl has gone too far. I never should have allowed her mother to convince me to hire her.”
“What is she like?” the king asks, not hiding his annoyance, and Bryson runs an agitated hand through his hair as Hunter and I exchange a glance. Gianna is a man eater. I’m almost certain the only reason she took the job with the watch was so she could be around all the strongest shifters. She wants her pick of the crop and often lets her ambitions to snag a strong husband get in the way of doing her job properly. She’s also not particularly fond of humans.
“Gianna told the human she had no teams to send, but the human female says she didn’t even get a chance to tell her about the cub before she was cut off,” I reply before Bryson can answer. The man is like a father to me, and I hate that he has to explain the behavior of one annoying shifter woman.
The king’s tiger rumbles inside his chest, and Bryson’s dragon joins in. I wouldn’t want to be in Gianna’s shoes.
“I will see to Gianna. She’s going to be very sorry she didn’t prioritize her job over her need for a husband,” Bryson growls, and I wince. I don’t like Gianna, but I’ve been on the end of Bryson’s ire before, and it’s not fun.
“No, send for her. I want her to explain to my face why she neglected to take an emergency call when the watch was on high alert for a missing child. Even if she didn’t know all the details, she was still neglectful in her duties. The night watch is there to keep the neutral zone safe, and she failed,” King Lucas demands, and Bryson lowers his head in acknowledgment of the order. He pulls out his phone and shoots off a message before turning his attention to Hunter and me.
“Tell us about the human. Are we sure she found Archie and wasn’t the person who took him in the first place?” Hunter’s father asks as we enter the royal family’s living room. The king waves all the staff away, leaving us alone. We make ourselves comfortable, the tears staining Gracelin’s cheeks making me feelthankful that we found her son in one piece. She’s always been like a sister to me, and seeing her despair was heartbreaking.
“I’ll kill her, and nobody will stop me,” Adam rumbles, his fur bristling on his arms as he struggles with his shift. The three of them find a couch, and Gracelin puts a hand on her husband’s arm, warning him to be careful. Archie rests his head peacefully against his mother’s chest, but at his father’s words, he sits bolt upright.
“No, leave Colbie alone. She was nice to me. I love her, and I want to marry her,” he declares with hearts in his eyes, stabbing his father’s chest with his little finger.
It breaks the tension in the room as we chuckle at his declaration. He’s too young to realize shifters don’t marry humans—or not often, anyway.
“No, Archie is right. The woman protected him. He told us he was snatched up from the stables when he snuck out of bed last night and went to play with the kittens. From how he described them, we think it might be a witch. He claimed they smelled like moldy hay,” Hunter explains, leaning against one of the walls. I take my place next to him as the queens and Princess Gretchin find a place to sit. King Lucas and General Bryson also remain standing.
Archie squirms when his parents look at him with disappointment. He knows he fucked up, but he’s definitely been punished enough. “Oh, Archie, you know you aren’t supposed to wander around outside the castle on your own.” His mother sounds so disappointed, I grimace. I know that tone well. I’ve heard it a number of times from my own mother when I was Archie’s age.
Bryson and Lucas gently question him about his experience. Gracelin starts to cry again, and her sister squishes in next to her and holds her hand while Adam tries to whisper words ofreassurance. I hide the smirk that wants to cross my lips at the sight of the big grizzly bear becoming a teddy around his wife.
Adam is a former watch member. When he mated Gracelin, he transferred to the shifter army so he could be home every night with his wife. He now leads his own team of men, but because we haven’t been at war, they mostly train and patrol shifter territory.
“I’m so proud of you, son.” He embraces Archie again, and I see a wide smile stretch across the boy’s face as his chest puffs out. “You were very brave and did well to get away from the witch.”
He really must have shaken the witch up, or maybe the witch isn’t very powerful, because he should have easily been able to subdue a shifter child with his magic. Maybe that’s why he smelled like moldy hay—most witches smell like fresh herbs or some kind of plant—or maybe it points to the other suspicion that is niggling inside my brain, which is that it could have been a human.
“And I rode on Hunter’s back too,” he announces proudly. Hunter winces and tries to melt into the wall as Gracelin’s eyes narrow on him. Before she can voice a barrage of grievances, Queen Mia, Gretchin’s mother, clears her throat, and we turn our attention to her. She shifts a couple of long black braids off her shoulder, her dark eyes alight with curiosity. She’s wearing a red pantsuit that looks stunning against her dark skin. The king really is a lucky guy. The queens are all striking women, and not only are they gorgeous, but they are also kind and loving. I have gotten to know them well through my friendship with their son.
“Tell us more about the human woman. We need to show her our thanks. She obviously took care of our boy if he wants to marry her.” Her lips twitch, but she smothers her amusement.
“The human owns a bakery in the neutral zone. She seemed kind enough,” I tell them, thinking about the spark between uswhen we shook hands, then I remember the thing I shoved into my pocket. I pull out the little marshmallow tiger. It’s slightly squished but doesn’t look too worse for wear. I hold my hand out, showing them. “She’s making these adorable marshmallow animals in celebration of your retirement,” I tell them, stepping over and giving it to Archie, whose eyes light up at the treat.
“Colbie made me,” he declares, snatching it from my hand and holding it like it’s the most precious thing in the world. He runs a finger over the marshmallow head. “I will keep it forever,” he declares, and Gracelin scrunches up her nose.
“No, you will not. You’ll attract ants and critters into your room. Eat it now, and then we can find you some real food,” she tells him. His bottom lip sticks out, and it’s like his four grandparents hold their breath. I snicker at the reaction, but his curiosity must win out over his desire to keep his new friend’s creation, because he stuffs it into his mouth and chews, his eyes going round with astonishment. “Tastes like oranges,” he tells everyone, mumbling around the mallow. “It’s really good.”
