“Oh, for sure.” Otis got into the conversation. “It’s you, Mom. They got the butt right.”
“OTIS!” I snapped. “You cannot talk about my butt. That is not…”
“Hey! I think there’s someone over there,” Theresa yelled from somewhere behind me.
Spinning so quickly that I was glad Arthur was still at my side to keep me upright, I continued the motion and took off in the direction of Theresa’s outstretched finger.
It was Kai. I would have recognized those boots anywhere. Goddess knew I had tripped over them enough times.
Sliding to a stop at his side, I dropped to my knees. My poor Mate was unconscious. He was bleeding.
But he was breathing. He was alive. Pulling his head into my lap, I brushed the gorgeous, red curls from his forehead while Maeve examined his injuries.
“He has a concussion,” she explained. “At least, I am ninety-five percent sure. That gash on the back of his head is bad.” She paused, then added, “Might even be a skull fracture."
“MAYBE? MIGHT BE?” I shrieked.
“I said probably,” my sister snapped. “We are in a cave, after all.”
“Yeah, and you’re a…”
“Hey y’all,” Zelda yelled. “Look at this.” Pointing at the wall perpendicular to where I was sitting, she wrinkled her nose and added, “This shit is cryptic as all get out. You have to see it, Martha.”
Letting Maeve take over where I had been holding Kai’s head, I got to my feet and over to my bestie. And dammit all, if she wasn’t right.
The words were seriously creepy. Worse yet, they had been recently carved and painted over with fresh blood.
Stepping closer because I had to be sure, I read the four lines aloud: “She cannot see the final wall. Do not let her finish the coronation. The last Queen loved, too. Don’t fail us.”
“What the…?”
“Martha?”
Kai’s voice was music to my ears. Rushing to him, I was on my knees and raining kisses all over his face. Placing one on his lips, I pulled back just as he looked up at me and smiled.
Touching my cheek, he murmured, “You shouldn't have come.”
“Excuse me?” I challenged. “Who else was coming to save you?”
But he didn’t answer my question. Instead, he mumbled, “Barney was right.”
“Oh, absolutely not.” I was pissed. I had been worried. I had been scared out of my mind that he was hurt, and the first thing he said to me was something about that blasted Wyvern. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Martha...” He was pleading.
“Nope.” I was adamant. “No way, Buddy Boy. You do not get to get kidnapped, disappear for twelve hours, scare me half to death, and then wake up agreeing with the escaped convict.”
“Martha...” The boy was a broken record.
“No. Way.” I shook my head.
“There was a coronation,” He mumbled.
“Nope, I am not listening.”
Apparently, neither was he.
“And...” Kai continued.
