No hate there.
“Greetings, King Courage of Midnight,” she said, her voice like wind chimes.
News traveled fast.
I returned her smile. “Greetings, Sariah. I’m so glad to see you. I need a favor, and it’s kind of urgent.” This was no time to shoot the shit and ask about the weather. I wanted Nai in my arms. I needed to inspect every inch of her for injuries and then take her to bed. “I hope you can help.”
She frowned and tilted her head, her eyebrows pulling down exactly like Nai’s did when she was inspecting something. Crazy how much she looked like Nai.
“What’s wrong?” Sariah asked, dropping her voice and leaning forward.
My voice shook a little. “Nai’s gone. I’m not sure if she was kidnapped or—”
“Kidnapped!” Her eyes went wide.
I nodded. “She was with her grandfather, and then they left to High Mage Island—in the middle of my coronation. She wouldn’t take off and not tell meanything—”
“Oooh.” Sariah drew back as understanding dawned on her face. She offered me a small smile filled with pity. “I see.”
‘What the hell does that mean?’ Justice asked through our bond, his voice barely human as he growled.
I didn’t bother answering because I didn’t know. Instead, I clenched the steering wheel and leaned out the window, trying to keep my smile in place when all I wanted to do was bellow in frustration.
“You seewhat?”I ground my teeth and tried again. “What exactly do you see? Do you know where she is? Because if you know, I need you to open a portal to my mate. Rightnow.”
She winced, drawing back from me. “I’m sorry, but … Ican’t. I’m not powerful enough to open the High Mage Island portals, only this one leading to the human world. I’m half-human.” She gestured to the portal in front of us as if that would make any sense to me. What did being half-human have to do with anything? But maybe it mattered in the world of magic.
Fur rippled down my arms as I cursed and punched the steering wheel. From the corner of my eye, I noticed she took another step backward.
‘Rein it in, Rage,’Justice snapped.‘You’re scaring her.’
“I’m sorry.” I forced a deep breath. Justice was right. I needed Sariah right now, and she’d been nothing but nice. I didn’t want to scare her. Even if she couldn’t open a portal to Nai, the mage in front of me could still help. “Do you know why Nai would go with your father to High Mage Island?”
She grimaced. “I do … but I can’t tell you.”
Grinding my teeth together, I looked at Justice, and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to shift.
“Can’torwon’t?” I asked, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.
“Can’t,” she insisted, relaxing enough to offer me a small smile. “Just as you’re spelled not to talk about Alpha Academy, I’m spelled about what happens at High Mage Academy. I’mtrulysorry.”
Wait. She said High Mage Academy, not High Mage Island. Why would Sariah say that? Was it a clue? I tried to read her gaze, but it was just patient and kind. “Is Nai … entering High Mage Academy?”
Sariah shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Narrowing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath. “You—”
“I’ve told you all I can,” she said, her expression twisting with regret. “I’m sorry.”
My heart turned to stone and then sank into my stomach. “Can you…?” I cleared my throat. “Do you know if she’s safe?”
I stared at her, watching her reaction, trying to convey how much I needed this answer.
The rest of the tension fled her body, and her smile returned. “If she’s with my father, she’s the safest she can be in the High Mage Realm. He loves her very much, and he’d never letanythinghappen to her.” Her smile faltered, and then she added, “Not if he can help it … while he’s still alive.”
Okay…
I processed what she said, zeroing in on her last comments because both were whollynotreassuring. New questions raced through my mind. Was Sariah implying Grampa Geoff was …dying? And if so, was that enough reason for Nai to leave in the middle of my freaking coronation? Did they go for some healing serum? And what did that have to do with High Mage Academy? I had more questions than answers—
