The buildings on each street vary vastly in height and architecture. Some are one or two stories tall, others so tall they disappear into the clouds. They’re all made of either brick or wood, shiny and polished and expensive in appearance.
I don’t spend long reveling in my surroundings before anger quickly sets in; mythics stole places and things like these from humans.
Many pedestrians freeze as Camden passes, bowing their heads in respect. Unsurprisingly, everyone recognizes him, and everyone seems to be both admiring and wary of him. The stares cast at him range from reverence to fear and Camden seems to eat the attention up, nodding and waving at selective passersby.
He steers his stallion to the side until he’s riding right next to me. As he does so, more curious gazes are drawn towards me and the people begin murmuring amongst each other speculatively.
“We altered as much technology to suit our needs as we could,” he tells me. “A lot of that fell to my father. Many things were salvageable once we tweaked them to no longer admit high-frequency noises, which caused us quite the headache.”
I fix him with a glare. “Bragging about the technology you stole from my people isn’t going to go over well.”
His lips thin and his look turns piercing. “As Queen, you’ll have the chance to help your people but only if you take your rightful place by my side.”
Yet another checkmate from Camden—and an opportunity that heknowsI won’t be able to pass up. By making acceptance of him necessary to help those victimized and outcast by mythics, he’s ensuring I won’t be able to leave him. I’ll give the Alpha this; he’s clever.
I know he’s not giving me the opportunity out of the kindness of his heart—instead, he’s using my morality against me. In this moment, I make a silent vow to myself.
One of these days, I’m going to destroy Camden. I don’t know when, and I don’t know how, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll need to wait for theexactright moment to act. I’ll need to scrounge up every bit of patience and self-control possible to keep myself in check before the time comes.
When the perfect opportunity presents itself, I’ll strike Camden where it hurts most. I’ll make him as weak and helpless as his kind has made humans. I’ll happily serve long-awaited and much-deserved justice.
Instead of saying that, I produce an entirely insincere smile. “How magnanimous of you, Camden, but be careful when you try to manipulate me because two can play that game.”
Chapter Fifteen
The royal castle is like nothing I could’ve pictured or imagined—it’s a towering palace that looks like it came right off the pages of a fairytale.
It’s about half an hour’s ride from Kinrith’s citadel and has what looks like hundreds of acres of lush land bursting with flowers and rich greenery surrounding it, as well as an extensive forest beyond it.
The palace itself has a gothic twist, made of old-looking materials. Gray bricks of varying dark shades make up the exterior, with both stone and wooden doors serving as entrances around the base. There are nine spires so high that it’s difficult to see the very tops of them, and the structure itself looks like it spans several acres of land on its own. Sunlight glints off stained glass windows with beautiful swirling designs, reflecting onto the paved stone courtyard.
I stare at the structure with open-mouthed awe as I dismount Shadow and then help Leisel off of Duchess. We’ve stopped in the courtyard in front of the palatial home to monarchs and Alphas, and I get the feeling that I could spend a year exploring the castle, yet fail to discover each room, corner, and crevice; it’s gigantic.
“Wow,” Leisel whispers, grasping my hand with hers. “You were right, it really is like a fairytale.”
In her free hand, Chip is curled up and sleeping, his little body rising and falling with each breath. It seems the journey tired him out as much as it did us.
Camden walks over to me, seemingly enjoying my wide-eyed intrigue. Servants are already making their way out of the palace, greeting him and Wyatt formally by their titles—either Alpha, Beta, Your Majesty, or Your Royal Highness—but Camden merely nods at them in greeting.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he questions, also gazing at his home. “My grandfather built it when he first came to this realm.”
His grandfather also extinguished most human life on Earth, but I’m too busy drinking in every detail of the palace to respond.
“There are stables on the southwest side of the property,” Camden says, motioning for one of the servants to come over to us. “Reynold can get your horses situated for you.”
I’m inclined to do the task myself, but when I see Leisel’s eyes drooping with exhaustion, I decide to merely check on our horses later. If I left to take them, she’d insist on coming with me, and right now what she really needs is rest. I wouldn’t be surprised if she sleeps for the next day straight—it’s been a taxing few days, physically and emotionally.
“Fine,” I respond.
Reynold, a young boy who looks no older than a teenager, approaches with a bright smile, taking Shadow’s reins from me and Duchess’ from Leisel. “Welcome home,” he greets.
My mood sours instantly. This is not, nor will it ever be my home. I’ll always be an outsider here—no matter how immersed Camden forces me to be with shifters and with his life. I’ll never truly feel settled or calm—I’ll always be on guard, readyto fend off potential threats.
When Reynold sees my expression of extreme displeasure, he quickly clears out with the horses, leading them down a stone walkway that winds through manicured lawns and gardens.
“You and Leisel will be staying in the East Wing of the castle,” Camden says. “I’ll show you the way. You’re welcome to explore, if you’d like, or settle in and get rested. Wardrobes have already been assembled for both of you, as you’ll find in your closets. Dinner’s at eight—a servant will come show you the way to the dining hall.”
I look down at Leisel, who’s starting to sway slightly from how tired she is. “I’m not sure we’ll be awake to attend dinner,” I admit, looking back at Camden.
