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Almost immediately, a taunting laugh from the back of my mind silenced my conscious thought.
That’s who you were. That’s not who you are anymore. Now you’re the king’s mistress, the mother of his heir. Everyone knows who you are, and there are plenty who would see you harmed,a sensible voice whispered in the back of my mind.
The thought made me physically nauseous.
The announcement of the king’s heir in my womb had only just been released to the public. Was it enough time to bring out the weirdoes already, or had they been standing in the wings, waiting for exactly the right moment?
Even with some of the darkest factions obliterated, like the Order of Souls, there were always those who resisted authority or rogue agents who had manifestos of their own. The worldcouldn’t be rid of all the crazies, no matter how many runeshade peppers we ate.
“Drakias?” I wondered aloud as Nyx re-entered the room, his handsome, chiseled features still drawn and bleak.
“What about him?” he asked, instantly alarmed by my mention of the guard’s name.
I hadn’t meant anything by mentioning Drakias except that I hadn’t seen him since coming out of my haze. Not that my personal member of the Royal Guards usually entered the unit without permission, but given what had happened, I was surprised he wasn’t there now. Nor was Nyx’s security team, but again, that wasn’t unusual.
“Where is he?” I pondered. “Where are the other guards?”
“He’s outside the door,” Nyx growled slowly. “With my guards. Did Drakias come in here earlier?”
I bit on my lower lip, desperately trying to recall the past half an hour with more clarity. “No… I don’t think so. I was texting you…”
“Where’s your phone?” Nyx demanded suddenly, standing again to look for the device.
I had no answer for him on that, either, but he retreated to the living room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Without moving from the bare mattress, I waved a finger to close the door with magic, not wanting the movers to catch a glimpse of me in my weak, vulnerable state.
Less than a minute later, Nyx returned, holding the phone. “It was on the floor,” he informed me warily.
“What? Where?” I was perplexed to hear that. I had always treated my belongings with care.
“In the kitchen. Maybe you got a phone call? Or a text from someone?” He handed it to me to unlock.
Complying with his request, a sense of worry took hold as I returned the phone to him for inspection. The desire tosee what had happened myself was gone; the feeling of being overwhelmed had already settled in too deeply.
What did I do?
His face fell, disappointment crossing over his dusky cheeks. Sighing, he cast it aside, the device bouncing harmlessly from the bed onto the floor. “You were right. I’m the last text you sent out, and I’m the last text that came in. No other phone calls or communications after. Why was the phone on the ground?”
Heavily, he plopped down next to me, and I wracked my brain for more details, but it was futile.
“Something must have happened,” he insisted. “I’ve already asked Drakias if anyone came in here, and he said no.”
Panicked, I stared at him with huge eyes. “You didn’t tell him what I did, did you?”
Nyx took my hands and raised them to his full, kissable mouth sweetly. “No… but it wasn’t your fault. It sounds like you were entranced.”
That was the only explanation I could imagine, too. Yet I still felt responsible. I should have been more aware of my surroundings.
“But how?” Tears blurred my eyes. “I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t smell dark magic or anything.”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Nyx said grimly, gently placing my palms down again. “Let’s get you dressed and to the castle. You’re not safe on your own.”
Swallowing, I nodded, allowing him to filter through the boxes until he found me an outfit to put on to leave the apartment. Nyx dug out a pair of jeans and a sweater, standing guard at the door to ensure the movers didn’t wander in as I reluctantly dressed.
I pulled the sweater over my head, and Nyx took my hand reassuringly.
“Don’t worry,” he told me with his usual confidence. I would have laughed if I wasn’t so scared. “I mean it, Maren. I won’t let anything happen to you. This is exactly why you should have always been at the castle with me. I can protect you there. Here, it’s more difficult.”
He led me by the hand and peeked out the door to ensure the movers weren’t right in our faces as we exited. They were busy with the loading, and Nyx led me into the exterior corridor where the Royal Guards had gathered. For the first time I could remember, they were all distracted, looking down at their phones as we emerged.
