Queen Alora cocked a regal eyebrow, agreeing.
“Well, no. It wasn’t. But it may go back there.” My nose scrunched in revulsion. “I believe that is where it takes its unsuspecting victims to die. The dragon had quite the pile of bones inside the cave.”
“Even fucking better,” King Athon growled, searching through his own bag. “The dragon has been killing my people for a long time.”
I stated hesitantly, “It is just a thought. But those bones may have been the shifters who searched for your original shifter’s remains. That may be how they perished.”
The King of Shifters’ pure black eyes snared mine, fury pouring out, not even needing to say one word.
I cleared my throat. Message received.
Father shooed his hand at a fir tree. “Go change, my heir. Before he decides you’ve truly stepped over the boundaries of decorum.”
“Rightly so,” I murmured, adequately put in my place.
Every royal found a tree to change their clothes behind.
When we stood in a circle, checking everyone’s outfits to make sure they were suitably free of royal finery, I shook my head at them. I pointed a finger at each of their cloak-covered heads—where a slight gleam was evident under the moonlight. I stated in exasperation, “Are you still wearing your crowns?”
The rulers touched their heads as if they were checking.
I sighed heavily. “I know the crown is very much a part of each of you, but you need to remember the damned things are there. It would be wise to take them off if we are trying to be stealthy in our business.”
A few grimaced as if it pained them to remove their royal crowns while everyone finished stuffing the blatant show of royalty into their bags. King Athon and my father were two of those individuals who did not like taking them off.
My lips twitched in cruel humor.
King Athon continued to have his crown torn from his royal head whenever I was around. I would need to do it even more often. His pain was my pleasure in this circumstance, unlike when he was physically injured. That merely pained me, too. The shifter king could really stand to be more careful with his body, instead of putting himself in dire situations all the time. My reckless soul mate was a pain in my elven ass.
I smiled brightly, lifting my hands to the rulers. “Looky there. You’re no longer prideful.”
King Traevon cast his gaze in my direction, gifting me with his stern, kingly look. “Enough.”
My smile grew, entirely tickled with myself.
The King of Shifters tromped through the snow. “Follow me. I know the shortcuts to the bakery well.”
The other rulers and I set a swift pace after him, keeping our heads down as soon as we breached the inner city. Shifters prowled the winding cobblestone streets, the hour late. Much drinking and revelry were at hand. Shifters teased and laughed with one another, others fought each other, and the scent of ale and scrumptious fare wafted on the breeze.
My stomach growled so loudly, our group stopped for a moment and stared at me. I had depleted much energy today using my power as I had, but I could not fess up to that. Instead, I shrugged my shoulders with an uncomfortable, dark blush staining my cheeks. “Do not look at me like that. I’m starving, too. It is not as if I could have sat down by myself inside a brasserie and eaten today. They already knew a royal elf was here.”
Father shook his head. “You should have eaten at the shifter’s home you stole into.”
I had. I wasn’t unintelligent.
I shrugged once more, not commenting.
King Athon glared hard into my eyes, knowing full well that when someone uses their power to aid an injured soul mate, it depletes their reserves. He grunted and turned forward again. “It is not much farther. Let us hurry so that the heir doesn’t faint on us.”
I bared my fangs at his back. I hated him something fierce.
My father studied the pure hatred on my face for a moment, and then an odd smile appeared on his lips. I couldn’t decipher it much to my chagrin—usually, I could.
“What?” I snapped, utterly irritated. I marched next to him, following our sneaky group. “What did I do now?”
“Nothing, my heir.” He slapped my back, pounding on it a few times. “I’m just proud of you. You handled yourself well today, given the circumstances.”
I snorted. “I wouldn’t have been in these circumstances if Penelope had listened to me. I merely wanted to see the ice ridge. Then it all went to Fae shit.”
