The girls froze, their eyes widening in fear, but Rage and I grinned at the familiar voice.
“Mom.” His voice broke, and he spun toward her, dropping the bear pelt.
I knew the moment she recognized him because she cried, “Courage!”
And then she collapsed to the ground, sobbing. He knelt next to her, and I stood awkwardly nearby as he pulled her into his arms.
“I thought I lost you,” she whimpered, and then she reached for me too. “Both of you.”
Tears sprang into my eyes as I knelt next to Rage, and she pulled me in for a hug. She grabbed Rage’s hand and tsked before turning her glistening gaze on me. “You should have told me about your fated mate,” she said, shaking her head at her son. “I would have helped you.”
Her voice broke, and I gave him the evil eye for making his mom cry.
Redness crept up his cheeks, and he hung his head. “I fought it myself for a while.”
“A long while,” I muttered, which earned me a laugh from my … future mother-in-law?Wow. Not sure where that rogue thought came from.
Rage crouched low and held his mom’s cheek. “I saw Dad. He’s with Honor, but we’re getting him back.”
She froze, and her brow pulled down in confusion. “You what?”
I swallowed hard and then stammered, “I’m a spirit walker … a high mage of spirit, I guess. We went to the Realm of the Dead. Now we have roughly thirty-five hours to kill Surlama and then we’ll be able to bring Honor back.”
Way to explain things, Nai. I was 67.4% sure that made no sense.
“Surlama,” Elaine hissed. “She’s in the basement of the south tower with the king. She said she’d help make sure the breeding companions got pregnant.”
Wait. What?
Rage shook himself. “Declan took a breeding companion?”
His mom stood, her nostrils flaring. “Theking,my …husband—” she growled both titles with the same amount of respect—as in none. “—has taken multiple breeding companions.I’ve been moved into the guest quarters of the castle. He wants at least two heirs by next year. His own blood, not his brother’s.”
My mouth dropped open. More than one breeding companion was just disrespectful. If a woman could no longer have children, you tookonebreeding companion, not several.
Pig.
“Do you know where Justice and Noble are being held?” Rage asked. “He’s torturing them.”
“Torture?” she snarled, and black fur rippled down her arms. “That liar. He said he just wanted to ask them a few questions.” She heaved a breath and pointed at the castle. “They’re all in the south tower.”
One of the twins shrieked behind us, and I spun as the headmistress gasped.
Four selkie warriors held Sadie and Audrey on the shore, knives at their throats, as ten more selkies waded out of the water.
Shit.
Adrenaline coursed through me, and I wished for a blade before remembering my magic was stronger than any weapon.
“What have we got here?” one of them asked, cocking his head to the side. “A family reunion?”
‘Wait for them to get closer,’Rage said, his chest rumbling with anger as his wolf surged to the surface.‘If you use a lot of magic, the king’s guards will notice.’
“Aroyalfamily reunion,” another growled, drawing his blade. “Maybe now the king—”
Shadows danced behind the tree line, and then a deafening battle cry came from inland.
What the…?I blinked to clear my vision. My eyes adjusted, and I gaped ashundredsof royal guards spilled down the pathways toward the beach.
