I huff out a breath that blows a strand of hair off my face. “I can’t deny that I felt a weird pull toward those men even before I was this—” I gesture to the marks on my wrists. “I’d have to be blind not to be attracted, and even then, they smelled incredible. It’s only gotten stronger since I walked through the palace doors. You need to remember, though, that I was human until a few days ago, and it’s a lot to adjust to. I was having trouble finding one man, let alone six.”
“So you’re going to reject them?” Gretchin asks flatly, and I quickly shake my head.
“God no, but I would like a little time to wrap my head around this, and I’d like to get to know them without the bond getting in the way.” Gretchin’s eyes narrow like she wants to argue with me, but Gracelin puts her hand out and gives her sister’s arm a squeeze.
“We can understand that, but you may not be able to help yourself. The bonds are designed to pull shifters toward one another. They will become painful with the need to seal them, and you can’t be crowned without all six of your mates. We can give you a week, that seems fair. You’ll be working with them on your shift every day and learning self-defense, but for their sake, we won’t hold our tongues longer than that,” she negotiates, and I agree with a nod.
“But what about the missing mate? If she can’t find him, does that mean she won’t be crowned? And if that occurs, then what happens to the magic?” Violet asks, worry in her voice.
The two sisters exchange a glance. “We don’t know, but I doubt it’s something good.”
ChapterThree
Colbie
The conversation changes after that, the subjects becoming lighter as they recognize I’m reaching my limit. Once they leave, I try to get some rest, but my mind whirls with everything I’ve learned. My thoughts keep returning to Nox and what I’ve discovered about him. I didn’t mention him to the girls, but I’m going to have to come clean eventually.
He is most definitely the last member of Watch Team One’s bond group. There can be no denying it. He is absolutely hiding the fact he’s a shifter. If none of this had ever happened to me, I would have continued on thinking he was a reclusive human, but now I know he lied to me, despite learning my own secret, and I’m kind of hurt. I also wonder if he is still living at his cottage on the beach or if he took off. He can work from anywhere, and he knows who I am and that I know how to find him, so if I went to get him, would he still be there or disappeared? He probably thought I would force him to join shifter society.
It isn’t like I wouldn’t have figured it all out eventually, considering our pendants match. Maybe he thought the chances of me connecting his tattoo with a bond group were slim, and they probably would have been if that mark hadn’t appeared on my own back. I certainly haven’t seen any of Watch Team One’s marks, though that might change in the coming days if they are going to help teach me to control my shift. We’re probably going to end up naked around each other, which is going to make it even harder to resist the pull of the mark now that I know what it is. I wonder if all my clothes have the magical fabric that shifts with me. That would be very expensive, but I am the queen, so maybe I’ll get lucky.
I also can’t be crowned until all six crowns have a head to be put on, but the thought of forcing Nox back into shifter society when he obviously doesn’t want to be a part of it makes me feel ill. I didn’t get a choice, but I’d like him to have one. If that is the case, then what will happen next? Will there be no monarch, and is that such a bad thing? Wouldn’t a council be just as useful as a ruling monarchy? Sure, they might not have the power to grant shifters the chance at choosing human mates or help a shifter if they get shift frozen, but I get the feeling those things aren’t common anyway. It’s definitely one of the questions I’m going to bring up with the king and queens tomorrow. There won’t be any mate matches presenting themselves at the palace gates, so it will give me the opportunity to bring up the subject without clueing them into our new discovery.
My train of thought drifts once again to the bond group I am fated to be with. While they are all very attractive men, I don’t know them well. Hell, I don’t even know what kind of shifters all of them are. Gem informed me he was a phoenix shifter when he came to check on me this morning, and he has the power to heal. I know Hunter is a dragon and Gryffin is a white tiger, but I’m clueless about Brodie and Liam… and Liam is kind of an ass.
I’m not blind. I saw how they were watched by quite a few hungry females at the ball tonight. They are extremely appealing men, but that doesn’t make a relationship. I’m nervous about doing shift training with them but excited as well. I want to know what kind of guys they are without the pressure of them knowing I’m their fated mate. I don’t want them to treat me any differently.
My mind eventually settles, and I find myself drifting. My dreams, filled with flashes of light and teeth, keep me tossing and turning all night, making my sleep restless. Finally, I can’t take it any longer, and when the sun starts to peak its head above the horizon, I throw the blankets back and take a shower, hoping it will clear my mind.
The shower helps, and I find myself staring at my closet at a loss for what to wear. All of the clothes are new and were apparently placed there by the same magic that activated the minute I stepped across the threshold—goddess magic. Although I didn’t really want this position, I have to admit the perks are pretty damn good, but I’m still not sure about the dress code. I have meetings with the king and queens this morning and then self-defense and shifting training with Watch Team One in the afternoon. I can’t imagine that I can train in a dress, but what are the protocols for meetings?
I eye a pair of capri leggings and a tank top longingly. They would be good for self-defense training. I’m still considering my choices when I hear Violet’s voice.
“Colbie, are you ready for breakfast?”
I whirl around and find her standing in the doorway of my closet, looking at me with amusement. I look at what she’s wearing, since she will be joining me for both my meeting and training sessions this afternoon, and sigh with relief as I take in an outfit very similar to what I was eyeing. “Oh, thank God. I wasn’t sure if I had to wear a dress or if I could get away with training clothes.”
She smirks at me, and I narrow my eyes. “I can get away with training clothes, but you are the queen, so you will need to wear a dress this morning, and then you can change before your training session,” she informs me, grinning with an evil glint in her eye. How is she settling in as well as she is? I’m kind of jealous of how quickly she’s adjusting, but I’m so glad she’s here.
“Ugh, that sucks,” I grumble and turn my attention to the hanging section of my closet. It’s split into two sections—formal and informal—and it’s the informal ones I start to look through.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” she teases behind me, and I throw up my middle finger. “Do you need me to get an attendant in here to help you?”
“God no. Although they are nice people, I don’t need them doing things for me.”
“Colbie,” Violet says, and when I turn to look at her, I see the sympathy in her eyes, and I have to stop myself from flinching. “You know it’s okay to allow people to help you, right?”
I turn back to the dresses and pull out a soft jersey gown in sage green with silver embroidery on it. It has a sweetheart neckline and three-quarter sleeves. “What do you think?” I hold it up, ignoring her comment, and she pauses for a moment before nodding.
“Looks good.” She leaves, taking the hint that I don’t want to talk about it. Sure, I have a decent support system with Grampy and Granny, but Mom hasn’t always been great. She is very much into keeping up appearances, and I often don’t meet her expectations.
I brush away my thoughts and quickly get dressed, and the two of us head down for breakfast. Before the three girls left last night, I enforced the week’s grace they are allowing me, but I feel nervous as we approach the doors of the dining room. I hear voices and know I am about to face my mates. A rush of excitement flows through me, followed closely by one of nerves. My stomach rolls, and I place my hand across it in hopes it will quell the feeling. Violet doesn’t miss my action, and she gives my hand a squeeze.
“It’s going to be fine, I promise. We won’t say anything, and you will get to know them without the knowledge of the bond influencing them,” she assures me.
“They won’t know?” I ask, biting my lip.
“No, they will still feel the pull like you will, but they won’t know for sure until you confirm the mark.” She puts a hand on my arm as I go to enter the room and drops her voice, her lips set in a straight line and a furrow between her eyebrows. “But remember, Colbie, the mating marks are sacred to shifters. They may feel hurt when they find out you are hiding it from them,” she warns me.
