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“Please do,” I said.
They hauled him away, presumably taking him off the grounds. I was proud of myself for holding back and not killing him and I hoped he was smart enough to keep his distance.
“Thought you might want these, your highness,” the housekeeper woman held up my black pants, shirt, and jacket that I’d abandoned in the storage closet.
“Thank you,” I said. “Seriously. For everything.” I pulled on my clothes, grateful for the warmth.
She smiled. “We waited a long time for someone to stand up to him.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Claire,” she said.
“Do you like your job, Claire?” I asked.
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure I got myself fired tonight.”
“I think your boss is the only one who got fired tonight,” Malcom said.
“What are you good at, Claire?” I asked.
Her smile faded and she looked down at her hands.
“What’s wrong?” My brow furrowed. Had I offended her?
She looked up. “I had a mark once. I was meant to be a protector. I’m not sure if I’m good at it, because they didn’t let me try.”
“Do you want to try?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“My friend Sheila had a mark too,” I said. “You’ll have to meet her.”
“You’re queen now, Lola,” Spencer said. “You’ll need your own close guard. Sheila and Kyle can’t do it alone.”
My lips parted as I considered his words. I hadn’t just inherited a title, it was a job with lots of working parts. “You’re right.” I turned to Claire. “If you’re interested, I’d love to have you.”
“I’ll consider it,” she said.
“What do you want to do about the rest of these people?” Malcom asked. “Should we send them home?”
“It is all set up for a party in there,” Claire offered.
I grinned. “Well, we shouldn’t let a good party go to waste.”
“Everyone back inside. We’ve got a coronation to celebrate!” Malcom called.
The gathered shifters cheered again and headed back to the house. My head was spinning from how quickly everything had changed.
“Claire, would you be willing to take my mom inside and help her get comfortable?” My mom was the only one who didn’t appear to have recovered from the toxin yet. Or it was all the drugs and everything else she’d done over the years finally catching up to her.
Claire nodded. “Of course. I’ll take care of her.”
I watched my mom led away by the near stranger. It was an odd sight. My mom had yet to even acknowledge that she was aware of my presence. My chest tightened. It hurt that she wasn’t part of this but helping her was going to take time.
The problem now was what I was supposed to do next. Was I going to be attacked the moment I walked into that building? It was possible my victory was going to be very short lived.
“Was he really that hated?” I asked. “None of these shifters seem to care that there’s a new leader.”
