“What?”
With a heavy exhalation, some of his casual ease was replaced with worry. “I’m not all that surprised. It makes sense that they would have some spies. Be preparing for their attack. We need to be extra careful is all. Nix took that particular one down, but instinct tells me there will probably be more over the coming weeks.”
My mind was racing. “Do you think the harpy knew about us sending the kids to California?” If there was even the slightest chance Winnie, or any of the little ones, were in danger, I would pull them right back.
Kade shook his head. “I doubt it. Nix has been patrolling the skies for days. She’s still out thereright now with Jota and Kian. At this stage, that was the only one.”
Kade’s brother was working with Gerald, both of them leading our armies.
“They’ll send something else next time, won’t they? Something in the water? Or maybe under the ground? They have so many different beings at their disposal. We’re going to have to be extra vigilant.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but it was a near impossible task.
We were sitting ducks, waiting for the fae to decide when to attack. It didn’t feel right to me. Just waiting.
Kade’s warrior bear face was in place, his voice a low growl. “Kian is taking care of it. We both spoke to the patrols and royal guards. They’re aware of these spies, and that an attack could come from any angle.”
A shiver caressed my body, forcing me closer to the heat of my mate. “And with that happy reminder of our impending war, let’s see if we can find something to tip the scales in our direction.”
As we crossed the sitting room and reached the door to the queen’s private bedroom, a heavy tension settled in my neck, which I tried to loosen by tipping my head to either side. A harpy … here in New York City. Not only was that scary, it was also bold and careless. These winter fae cared nothing about humans learning of our world, or the chaos it would cause if our secrets were revealed.
My hand stilled over the ornate golden knob, which I was just turning to open the door to the next room. “Kade, you don’t think they would … hurt the humans as a way to get to us?”
Usually humans were off limits; we did not involve them in supernatural affairs. But the Tuatha played by their own rules.
A low thrum of energy caressed my skin, lifting the fine hairs on my arms. Kade’s power was whipping around as a dark energy descended across him. “If the winter queen exposed our kind to the humans, it would change everything. We would be hunted by the humans as well, and the humans would be caught up in a battle they had no chance of winning. We cannot let that happen.”
Our bond meant he could read my panicked thoughts, but before I could freak out too much, Finn nudged my leg. He had grown tired of waiting for us.Worry not on what has yet to pass. Humans are not on the faes’ radar at this time. They will focus on the threat of the shifters first.
Kade and I both heard him; I was starting to get very good at separating and mingling their presences in my mind. My familiar’s wise words didn’t completely put me at ease, but theydefinitely helped bring my focus back to the task at hand.
I nodded once, decisively. “Yes, we won’t worry about that today. Let’s get this search done.”
I opened the door, letting it swing silently inwards. As everything came into sight, an unexpected wave of grief washed over me. The queen’s bed was neatly made, covers tucked tight under the mattress. Her favorite pen and writing pad were sprawled carelessly on the nightstand. There weren’t many other personal effects in here, no photos or keepsakes that screamed sentimental.
Who was this woman? Here in her private room, when she didn’t have to be the cold Red Queen … who was she really? The only thing I truly knew about her was that she was my mother. My blood. My throat tightened as a whirlwind of emotions slammed into me. Would my life have been different if she hadn’t smuggled me away, if she hadn’t kept our relationship secret? Would my father have killed her and me all those years ago, changing the course of history forever?
Kade and Finn waited patiently as I processed it all. My life had been a lie. My mother, the one I believed I shared with Winnie, had been a lie. But at least I had some answers now — I understoodbetter why she had been so … distant with me — extra hard on me. I loved her, but some part of me, deep down, knew she had never acted like my real mother.
“You okay?” Kade’s voice was low, husky. He would be feeling every one of my emotions through our bond, all the broken pieces inside of me that I was trying to rearrange into some sort of a whole. I sensed he was even siphoning some of the pain away, taking some of the burden.
I nodded and stepped farther into the room. I was okay. I had to be. There was no other choice. “Let’s start with the bedside tables.”
Kade gave me a look but didn’t say any more. He knew I would talk about it when I was ready. For now, I needed to stay busy. Finn brushed against me in his comforting way, then the three of us got to work.
I took the bedside to the left, Kade walked to the right, and Finn shuffled under the large, heavy-dark-timber, antique, four-post frame of her bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I opened the drawer. My first surprise inside was the novel sitting atop a white blanket. It wasn’t the fact that there was a book in there — the Red Queen loved to read — but the bare-chested, muscled man on the front suggested this was a straight-up romance novel, which I didnotthink would be to the former leader’s taste. Justanother one of her little secrets. Thankfully, this one was more amusing than anything else.
I flipped through it to make sure nothing fell out, before setting it aside. Then I gently lifted out the small blanket and my heart pinched. It was a baby blanket. Crocheted white with a yellow trim. Since I was her only child, that meant … this was mine. She had kept it?
Something deep inside of me fissured; an ache settled in close to my chest as I clutched the dusty piece of cloth. Squeezing my eyes closed as tightly as I could, I forced myself to set it aside, knowing that all of my regrets were for nothing. The past could not be changed. I had to let my pain go or it could consume me. Underneath the blanket was a card. It looked like a hand-painted watercolor, on thick, expensive cardboard, an array of flowers on the front. I flipped it open to find a perfect cursive script inside.
Queen Rosalina,
The nights are long and cold without you. Never have I felt such unbridled love and adoration for any woman as I do for you. Your power and beauty are unmatched and I long to spend the rest of my life with you. I wish in another world, in another time, that we could openly be together. Until then, our love will have to remain my most treasured secret.
All my heart,
Prince Luca.
Anger coursed through me as I chucked the letter back in the drawer. The winter prince had played the Red Queen like a fiddle. He never cared for her, or maybe he did once, but it was not enough. He killed her. That bastard had to die.
