I turned my attention back to the wounds, gently prodding around the edges. I placed my nose near the deepest gash and inhaled heavily, closing my eyes to better concentrate, attempting to sort through the different scents. I cocked my head and placed my nose near the next gash, inhaling slowly once more. The third gash revealed the same.
I clenched my teeth together and leaned back, snapping my fingers at the closest guard. “Find the stable master now. Be quick about it, and bring her here.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.” He bowed low past his waist, and then he sprinted in the direction of the royal stables.
King Elon leaned forward on his Fae-gift, hissing, “What did you scent? It has to be Fae. The pegasus would have healed by now, otherwise.”
“It is Fae.” I rubbed my hands harshly over my face. “But I also scented something I know well.”
King Traevon’s emerald eyes narrowed. “What is it?”
“Mutton pie.” I dropped my hands from my face, a growl releasing from deep within my chest. The tiger itched to explode in all its cruel glory. My Fae fucking soul mate was acting a Fae damned fool once again, her curiosity certain to be behind this newest fuck-up of hers. “A particular mutton pie made with a pinch of cinnamon from an extremely talented baker. It is very tasty, a favorite of mine.In fucking Trumbalay.”
King Traevon’s shoulders tensed, and his eyes closed. A look passed over his face only a father of a troublesome child could have. The corners of his mouth drooped and his forehead and his nose wrinkled in a cringe. With his emerald, elven eyes still shut, he muttered under his breath, “Dammit, Trixie.”
The quiet that descended was not comfortable.
No doubt, it would burst sooner rather than later.
“I want to make sure I have this positively straight. You understand. I despise assumptions.” Queen Alora shook her head in exasperation and glared down at the elven king—the white roaming sparkles in her eyes converging into two sharp starbursts. “So, the Fae didn’t seek out your heir because they certainly would not take her to the one place we need to beifthey are trying to thwart us. I am still not certain about that theory, though—as none of you should be. But Princess Trixie went where she should not have been, within the Shifter Kingdom, and walked right into a dragon’s den.” She pointed at the injured Fae-gift. “Because those are from a dragon’s claws, correct? In all my years, I have never seen an animal wound so deep in our realm.”
King Traevon’s head fell forward. He rubbed his brow.
The uncomfortable quiet still hadn’t burst…
“Are you fucking shitting me?”Queen Alora screamed.
There it was. I snorted softly.
Queen Alora was not the proper merfolk queen she pretended to be. She was a raging bitch underneath all that merfolk shine. I preferred this side of her to the proper ruler. She was easier to manipulate when she was not thinking straight, reacting on emotions.
“We should all calm down,” Queen Mikko cautioned gently. “Maybe shewaskidnapped from her kingdom, and her Fae-gift followed. That is her bag, correct? What is inside it?”
My stomach churned with unease.
Why did the Fae-gift decide to bring that damned thing back when she was injured? Couldn’t she have simply left it behind for easier flying? Fae dammit all. It would only cause me trouble if it still carried what I believed it did.
I rolled my head on my neck and sheathed my claws.
The tiger book had the Shifter Kingdom’s crest on the binding, indicating it was from my kingdom. But, more specifically, the elven king had been inside my office many times admiring my shelves while he spoke. It was very possible he had damned well seen that exact tome before, and knew where it had come from.
I watched from under my lashes, stalking him.
King Traevon gently removed the strap of the bag from the Fae-gift’s clenched teeth and set the bag before him. He quickly unstrapped the ties with jerking motions and opened it to peer inside. His brows furrowed deeply over his elven eyes as he rifled through the bag, staying silent in his search, pausing more than a few times to examine an item inside the travel bag.
“Well?” King Elon prodded. “Do Princess Trixie’s belongings indicate she was in your kingdom or headed to the Shifter Kingdom?”
“She was in the Shifter Kingdom,” King Traevon stated bluntly, still sifting through items inside the bag, his eyes down on his search. “All over the Shifter Kingdom from what I can tell.”
His gaze lifted to mine, shielded and calculating. Not a word was spoken from his mouth, his annoying elven accent unheard. The elf king stared for an overlong moment into my dark, quiet gaze, and then he peered back down into the bag, remaining mute.
I licked over my top teeth, snarling soundlessly.
King Traevon had questions, but he stayed silent.
I lifted my lips into a wicked smirk. “Are you not going to apologize for Princess Trixie’s uninvited gallivanting inside my kingdom?”
King Traevon knotted the ties to the bag, eyeing his work, not looking up. He stated conversationally, “I do not believe I will, King Athon.”
