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I’d never seen him lose it like that before. I want to chalk it up to stress, but I know it’s more than that. He isn’t the only one who’s lost it recently, either.
First Pike, and now, Storm.
At least Storm has the bond to blame. Pike doesn’t. Serena is the only common factor in all of this, and I guess this is just the start.
It doesn’t take long for us to reach the castle. Thankfully, our beasts cover distance well. Not as well as a fucking dragon, but still better than most.
We make it as far as the main gates to the castle before we run into a problem.
“You must revert to your human form,” the guard at the gate tells us.
It’s shitty, given the fact that we’ll end up naked, but if that’s what it takes to get to Serena, so be it.
The others hesitate, unsure, but I’ve seen enough of Garrett to know we can trust him, at least regarding Serena’s well-being.
I shift back, moving around the others to reach the guards.
“We’re here with Garrett. He came ahead of us,” I tell them, and they exchange a look.
“Prince Garrett isn’t currently receiving guests,” the other guard tells us, and I have to bite back the urge to threaten him should he not let us through. That might work in our realm, but I don’t think these guards will be as easy to intimidate.
“He will receive us,” Pike says, stalking toward the gate, his irritation clear.
Fuck, this is going to be a whole thing if they don’t let us in.
“He will not. He’s not receiving anyone today. You are welcome to try again tomorrow,” the other guard says, with the same bored tone.
What the hell are these two, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?
Storm curls his fingers around the iron grid of the gate, leaning close to it until his face is almost pressed against it.
“My mate is in that castle. One way or another, we will be getting in there. So you can either open the gate and let us pass, or we’ll find another way. The choice is yours.”
It’s a threat if I’ve ever heard one.
The guards look at each other, and I see their silent conversation.
Neither of them moves, but a moment later, the gate shakes, giving Storm just enough time to snatch his hand back before it begins to rise.
Without a word, they head up the path, leaving us to follow.
We walk past other guards and people, but nobody bats an eye. They either have really good poker faces, or people walking around naked isn’t uncommon. It’s probably a mixture of both, honestly.
In our realm, we shift but are expected to be in control and prepared. Shifting is natural but less widely accepted than you might think, especially in a community full of shifters.
It doesn’t seem to be the same here.
On our way to the castle, we passed through two other sections. They were full of people, both shifted and not. Children ran the streets, climbing, jumping, and laughing as they shifted between their two forms. None of them lost their clothes during the shift, though. I’d noticed Garrett still had pants when we woke up earlier, too. Originally, I believed he took them off, anticipating he would shift. Now, I’d bet they’ve found a way to keep from shedding their clothes.
A low growl pulls me from my thoughts. Storm walks beside me, his fists curled tight and his chest heaving. He’s still on edge, but compared to earlier, this is nothing. I dare say he’s calmer now.
The trek up to the castle takes about ten minutes. It’s annoying that we can’t travel shifted. It would make it so much faster.
Finally, the path opens into a vast garden, complete with a fountain, and the guards stop. About a dozen other guards stand around, and somehow, I doubt the garden is important enough for this level of security.
No, they’re here for us.
“Where is she?” Pike asks, looking around as if he expects Serena to be hiding behind a bush or in the fountain.
