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Chapter 16
Maren
While Odette was gone, I got dressed in a simple tracksuit and a pair of running shoes. I kept eying my suitcases and some of the empty boxes, leftover from the move into the castle.
Should I start packing? Will the king be staying?
I scowled to myself. Nyx was the king, even if his father had come back. King Lucius couldn’t just come and go as he pleased. But he would still need a place to sleep. I couldn’t in good conscience make him stay in the guest suites while Nyx and I shared the main bedroom. And what was taking everyone so long?
I wandered back toward the bedroom door and opened it. To my utter astonishment, there were no guards outside the room.
“Hello?” I called out nervously. I’d become so accustomed to seeing them there, they had almost become like pieces of furniture. Where were they now? Uneasiness clutched my gut. “Hello? Where is everyone?”
Cautiously, I stepped into the hallway, listening for evidence of movement on the second floor or beyond, but the plushhallway runners muffled most exterior noises, and even when I peered over the railing, I could make out very little.
Nervously, I retreated to the bedroom and closed the door, locking it behind me. I hurried toward my charging cell phone and texted Nyx.
Me:What’s going on? Are you okay?
My text garnered no response, not that I really expected him to drop everything and reply, so I called him five minutes later. There was still no answer.
Dammit! What could be taking them so long? What can they be doing down there?
I was afraid to call or text Odette, lest I break her stealth cover, but my nerves were short-circuiting as I waited. This was torture. I shouldn’t have asked her to go. What if she got caught, too, and I was responsible for her punishment? I really hadn’t been thinking clearly at all.
It was another fifteen minutes before the familiar puff of silver smoke alerted me to Odette’s arrival, and I exhaled in relief as she appeared before me. I’d never been so happy to see her before.
“There you are!” I gasped, rushing toward her as she came fully into view. “Are you okay?”
Her face was grim as she shook her head. “No—and neither are you,” she told me seriously. My sense of ease was short-lived.
“Why? What happened? What did you hear? Did you get seen?” The questions fired out of my mouth before I could stop them, but I couldn’t help myself. Too many minutes of being lost in my own head had done this to me.
She shook her head. “There’s no time to explain,” she said worriedly. “We have to get you out of here. Now.”
She reached for my arm, but I stepped back, shaking my head vehemently. “No! Not until I know what’s going on! Where is Nyx? What’s happening with the king?”
Odette sighed heavily. “That wasn’t the king,” she informed me worriedly, and my stomach twisted with happiness and worry simultaneously.
How does someone make that big of a screwup? King Lucius ruled for years!
“What do you mean, it wasn’t the king? Who was it then?”
“A warlock with dark magic and shapeshifting abilities, who made himself look like King Lucius.”
I gasped in disbelief. I’d only ever heard the legends of these beings, their power rare and dangerous. Truthfully, I hadn’t been sure they really existed until this moment. “A shapeshifter!” I sputtered. “Who? What shapeshifter? Where did they come from?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not safe for you to stay here, Miss Maren. You’re a sitting duck if he comes this way.”
Horror gripped me. “Is he coming this way?” I whispered, wide-eyed. “Did you see him?”
She nodded, her expression grim.
“I don’t know where he’s headed,” Odette replied, a note of impatience hitting her voice. “He’s taken off now, but if he thinks he’s the king, he might come up to his old chambers. I have no clue what that beast has planned, and it’s best to get you to safety. Do you really want to be here when he comes?”
Her reasoning made sense, but perhaps I felt too reassured with the shroud of permanent protection over me, and I made no move to go with her. “Where’s Nyx?” I insisted.
“He and the Royal Guards are chasing the shapeshifter down.”
