Lucas runs a frustrated hand through his hair, causing it to stick out in multiple directions, and paces back and forth in front of the dais, muttering to himself. Evie and Mia are having a quiet, intense conversation, and it’s Layla who turns to me, her eyes troubled and confused.
“When a new king or queen is marked, the crowns we used to wear are taken by the goddess’s magic and reformed for the new ruler and their mates. This happened on the night of our official retirement and the same night you got your marks.” She points to the bands around my wrists. “This is how we know how many mates you will have to choose.” She drops her voice and moves closer to me and the two girls, obviously not wanting the guards to overhear her next words. “With you having a mate bond, that’s now changed, but it still doesn’t explain this. Watch Team One still only has five members.”
“Can you find Lady Sable please?” Lucas asks the same guard who got us. “She will either be in her clinic or the archives. Please tell her this is urgent.”
The guard doesn’t wait and tears off back the way we came.
“Leave us,” Mia instructs the other guard, who salutes us and disappears in the same direction.
“Well, actually, Watch Team One has six members.” I don’t hesitate to explain now. “I saw their symbol on a man I met when I was staying with my grandparents for a couple of days when I was first marked.”
This has everyone focusing on me, and I find their collective attention slightly intimidating.
“What do you mean?” Lucas asks and takes a seat on the steps leading up to the dais. The poor man looks overwhelmed.
“When I was first marked, I had a panic attack and thought that if I ran, no one would find me. I stayed with my grandparents and was walking along the beach when the goddess made it very clear that running wasn’t an option.”
“Did you say goddess?” Layla almost chokes on her words, her golden skin turning pale.
I explain my encounter with the deity and how I met Nox. I skip over the more intimate details, but I’m blushing, and it’s not hard to guess why. While I appreciate their attempt at discretion, all five ladies’ eyes sparkle in a knowing way.
“You say this human had a mark the same as our boys?” Lucas asks, frowning. “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he was human. He was wearing a pendant exactly like mine. In fact, he gave this one to me. I now suspect he’s a shifter, but as to why he’s living in the human zone and not acknowledging the bond group marking, I have no clue.”
“If he does have the same mark as the boys, then that means he is also your mate. We are going to have to go into the human zone and retrieve him.” Gracelin crosses her arms stubbornly. “You can’t be crowned without him.”
“But what about the two new crowns? Does this mean I now have eight mates instead of six, and who are they? Will they be marked with the same mark? Did Watch Team One’s bond group just grow by three?”
“Gryffin always insisted there were six of them. I guess it’s within the realm of possibility that there are now eight. The goddess works in mysterious ways.” The voice at the front of the room has us all looking at Sable as she walks toward us, her intelligent eyes assessing the display in front of us.
“Has this ever happened before?” Evie asks her. “Have new mates been added after the initial anointing?”
“No, but nothing about this new ruler has been the same as previous monarchs.” She focuses her attention on me, and it’s all I can do not to squirm under such intense scrutiny. “First, there were six mates, and then to have two more added later is unprecedented. Plus, Colbie is the first multi-shifter in years, not to mention she’s a hydra, which hasn’t been seen since the war. I have a feeling our lives are going to be very exciting.” She smiles at me now, and some of the intense pressure eases slightly.
Lucas stands up and brushes his pants, smoothing out some of the wrinkles. “Let’s tackle this one problem at a time. Colbie, you need this Nox person. You should head into the human zone and convince him to come back with you. Once he realizes he’s mated to the queen, I’m sure he will see reason. Take the boys with you. Normally shifters aren’t allowed into the human zone, so this visit will have to be off the books to keep it quiet. If you get caught, we can use the excuse that you want to visit your grandparents before your life gets too hectic.”
“Then I think we need to appeal to the equine shifters for some tracking help, because finding the shifter children is a priority. Maybe they can also help you track down the final two members of your bond group. That’sifthey haven’t appeared while you are away. I don’t doubt they are newly marked. It would be unusual for three members of a bond group not to present themselves to the bond placement team. They are probably as confused as you felt when you were first marked.”
“Does this mean they will all be younger? Bond marks appear around seventeen,” Violet points out, and I grimace at the idea of having two mates who are teenagers. I look at the king, queens, and Sable in horror.
“No, please tell me that’s not going to be the case.” I can already tell that none of them have a clue. Sable puts a hand on my arm and gives it a squeeze.
“Have faith in the goddess. She won’t give you more than you can handle.”
I scoff, the laughter that bubbles up after it bordering on hysterical.
“Seriously? She gave me eight mates. What am I supposed to do with eight mates?” I hear the desperation in my voice, but Gracelin just smirks at me and winks.
“Have a good time. A very good time.”
ChapterEight
Liam
Istare up at my bond mate as my bear thrashes inside my chest. He wants out so he can search for his mate. It took all of my stubborn strength to get him to run here when I shifted as opposed to running after the damn queen who smells like cupcakes and frosting, making my mouth water. He has a burning need for her. When Gianna put her hand on me at the breakfast table, he nearly pushed his way through and ripped her face off for touching him. He has done a complete one-eighty. He tolerated her before because she was pretty and let us fuck her, but now he just wants to eat her internal organs. I have no idea why. Every time I question him, all he can grunt is, “Mate.” I’m worried that it’s taken too long for the goddess to mark our mate and he’s going insane.
“I need help,” I repeat as Brodie just gapes at me. “My bear is getting too hard for me to control. He keeps insisting the queen is our mate, but she can’t be. I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to control him. I’m worried the next time I get close to her, he will force a mating bite on her.”
