“Come,” he snaps, and the two guards open the double doors as he approaches, giving him a head nod as he passes. Titus doesn’t even wait to see if we follow, and the seven of us exchange a glance.
“We could make a run for it now. I could shift and fly us out of here,” Hunter suggests, but I shake my head.
“No, let’s just get this over with so we can find Nox. The last thing we need is to have to avoid the Chaos king’s assassins and guards while we look for him, and I don’t doubt he’d send them after us if we ran. He obviously knew we were coming, and it won’t hurt for me to meet him,” I reply quietly.
“I agree,” Gryffin says, his eyes staying on the assassin’s back. “My father trusts him, so I say we do too. Dad is rarely wrong.”
“How does he explain his council then?” Liam says dryly.
“Inexperienced and the shock of being the shifter king,” Gryffin growls at his teammate.
“Fair,” Brodie agrees as we follow the assassin into the palace. Unlike the shifter palace, there are people everywhere in this one. We pass many parlors filled with beautiful people who are talking and laughing, drinks in hand. None of them pay any attention to us. Staff members dressed in uniforms stop and move aside whenever they see the assassin approaching, their eyes wary and postures tense.
“Not winning any friends here, are you?” I call out, trying to get a rise out of him, annoyed at how blasé this man is. He doesn’t consider us a threat at all, and that has my creatures gnashing their teeth, wanting to bite him just to prove they can.
We pass a fountain that makes me pause.
“Now that is much nicer than the abomination in the front of the Aramis castle,” Gem says, stopping with me.
It’s of four ladies, all with their backs to each other in a circle. Each one is slightly different. One has fangs, talons for nails, and almond-shaped eyes, while another has wings coming from her back. A third has a book and a potion bottle in her hand, and I recognize the final one, except she has clawed fingers, her eyes have elongated pupils, and she has the tail of a wolf.
“That’s Aramis.” I point her out to Gem. “Or I think it is. She didn’t have those animal features when I saw her.”
“The others are Eryx, Shayla, and Tanith.” He points to each of them. “The four goddesses of the realms. It seems the Chaos Kingdom reveres all four. It’s not surprising, since they don’t have one of their own and they allow all manner of people to reside here. It makes sense, to be honest.”
We move on, winding through a myriad of corridors. There are so many that I feel completely turned around, but Micah hums his approval.
“This setup is genius,” he mutters to us.
“What do you mean?” Gem asks just as quietly.
“This is designed to cause confusion for any intruders who may try to breach the palace walls. They would end up turned around and lost on their way to what I’m assuming is the throne room in the middle of the building.”
“Very good, Captain,” Titus calls back with approval in his tone.
“I bet they have secret passageways with a more direct route for anyone in the king’s trusted circle,” Hunter murmurs under his breath barely loud enough for us to hear, let alone Titus, but he does.
“It is a good theory,” he says flippantly as we approach another set of double doors with guards standing on either side. They push them open without a word from the male, and he doesn’t even slow in his pace.
What I thought was going to be an extravagant throne or ballroom actually looks more like cozy, comfortable, yet spacious living quarters. There are sumptuous couches scattered around the room in bright jewel colors. A large bookcase with a fireplace built into it lines one wall, and a huge skylight overhead shows the rapidly darkening night sky, the stars beginning to appear.
A blond man reclines on the couch, looking up as we enter, and a huge smile crosses his face when his lavender eyes meet mine. I can’t stop the gasp that leaves my mouth at the sight of him. Apart from his blond hair, it’s like looking at a slightly older, more masculine version of me.
“Holy shit, do you have a twin?” Brodie exclaims as the man and I stare at each other, his expression full of hope.
ChapterThirty-Five
Colbie
“Your Majesty, may I present Colbie Karridge, the Queen of Aramis, and six of her mates.” Titus names and points to each in turn, but the king can’t tear his gaze away from me. “I present King Loki Asmina.”
He seems to jolt out of his fascination with me when Titus mentions his name. “Please, come in and sit down. I’m delighted to meet all of you.” He waves a hand at the sofas, and my mates, though confused, take a seat, but I remain standing as the king approaches me, holding out both hands.
“Colbie, I have waited for this day for years.” He takes both of my hands in his. “I have so much to explain.”
“Who are you?” I ask bluntly, feeling my stomach roll as I ponder the implications.
“Colbie, I’m your father,” Loki tells me gently, but I shake my head, yanking my hands from his.
