Baladar lifted his head from where it was buried in a pile of aged parchments. “The rarity of a leader who stops to wonder if they are making the right decision … I’m not sure I ever heard the Red Queen express an iota of doubt. Most leaders believe they are crowned through divine intervention — by genetic right. And therefore they are always correct in their decisions, because what they want is by default always the right decision.”
“A true leader should be confident,” I interrupted. “We have to make split-second decisions. We cannot waver.”
Those wise, kind, and thankfully no longer blind eyes met my own. “There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Never stop questioning yourself, Arianna. It is the very thing which makes you a worthy queen.”
A soft chuckle escaped me, and Finn’s tongue emerged as he too looked happier. “Thanks for everything you’ve done, Baladar.”
“It has been an honor, Your Majesty.”
My chuckle turned into hard laughter now. “Please, don’t start with protocol now. I much prefer that you call me Ari. All of my friends will refer to me by my name now, even if we are out in public.”
Protocol could kiss my pampered butt. I was done with the ways of old.
Blaine and Monica just shook their heads at me, before going back to their shelves.Probably going to take more than a few reminders to break years of training,Finn reminded me.
I sighed.Yeah, I know, but I have to start somewhere.
Speaking of, it was time for me to move to another pile. Jumping to my feet, I was just heading into the far back corner when Violetpopped out of nowhere, scaring the crap out of me.
“Stop doing that!” I practically yelled, one hand on my chest, as if I could slow my heart down by holding it.
“Still got it,” she trilled, buffing her nails on her chest. “I was just going to tell you that I’m almost finished in that corner.”
My eyes trailed across the small space. “So what’s left?”
“The Red Queen’s chambers are still full,” Calista reminded me, crossing the room with a pile of books in her arms. “You’ve found clues in her things before. Maybe she had some of the more important stuff squirreled away.”
I let out a huff, dusting my hands across my pants. “Yep, you’re right. It would be much easier if she’d just appear in the vortex or something. Then I could ask her.”
I still didn’t trust my biological mother; she’d almost always been a shifter out for her own gain. Something I didn’t think had changed. But … I wished she would make contact. It seemed her soul would be trapped in the mecca forever, just as she wanted it, which might be useful if I needed to speak with her again. That is, if I could figure out how to reach her …
“Maybe you need to touch the mecca stone again?” Blaine said from across the room,mirroring my own thoughts. “Force the connection.”
I shook my head, turning to leave the room. “I’ll leave that as a last resort. I don’t want to make it easy for the fae to cross to Earth by opening a portal straight here. I’m also worried that attracting their attention might speed up their attack, and we need all the time we can get.”
Everyone nodded, worry spilling across their faces. I was basically out the door by then, Finn by my side. “See you all soon. I’ll just be in the Red Queen’s room.”
No one followed; Finn and I were pretty lethal on our own, and everyone was busy with their searching. But I knew Monica and Blaine would be along soon. My dominants didn’t leave me unprotected for long, not even in my own home. I crossed through halls and up a few flights of stairs, waving to members of my royal household. They hadn’t seen much of me since my re-coronation, but everyone knew it was a time of war. They expected the queen to be busy.
Most of the Red Queen’s possessions were still in her private wing, I hadn’t had time to move all of them, and thankfully neither had Selene. The moment I crossed over the threshold I sensed the Red Queen’s energy. It was like everything in here was laced with it — or maybe she wasactually here, whatever part of her could be here from her prison in the mecca world. It would be great if her spirit could guide me toward something of interest.
“Ari…” The rumble of my name had me spinning from the open doorway and running straight into Kade’s arms. He lifted me with ease; my legs wrapped around him as I pressed myself as close to him as I could get.
“I missed you,” he murmured close to my ear, before his lips pressed gently to the sensitive spot high on my neck.
Tilting my head back to give him slightly better access, I said, in a breathy voice, “I missed you too, and it’s only been a couple of hours.” This bonded mates thing was a serious connection. I was getting better at ignoring the ache his absence caused in my soul, but when we were back together it became so clear how much I’d been struggling without him.
He captured my mouth, a moan slipping out between my lips as he crushed me closer. I lost myself for a minute; everything around me disappeared.Still here,Finn said, sounding amused and a little disturbed.
With a chuckle we pulled apart, and I was set gently on my feet. Kade laced his fingers with mine, and we turned back to the open doorway, and beyond it the pile of boxes. “Violet said youwere tackling the Red Queen’s room. I’m glad I got here before you had to do that alone.”
I stilled, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. “You think I’m going to find something bad?”
He shook his head. “Not bad, but maybe … upsetting. More secrets. She was clearly the queen of those as well as the wolves.”
Truth.
Kade gently pulled me in the direction of the queen’s private quarters. “Nix spotted a harpy above Brooklyn,” he said casually. Far too casually for that sort of information. I froze and jerked him to a stop.
