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Tanner rolled his eyes. “Don’t mind Princess Jasmin. I don’t.”
She slapped his shoulder. “I told you to treat me better or I’ll walk, you fool. Want to be alone in this damn palace?”
Tanner groaned. “Can we continue arguing later? We have company.” Jasmin huffed, crossed her arms, and sat on the throne’s arm as if it was a simple stool put there for her. Tanner turned to us. “Sorry about that. I hope your drive here was all right?”
I nodded. “It was, your highness.”
The king scoffed. “No. Noyour highnessin here. Just Tanner.”
The king of the underworld wanted to be called by his first name. Who was I to deny him that?
“I heard you need to talk to a dead person,” he said.
“Yeah. My father.”
“Oh. Were you tight with your old man?”
I frowned. “Not as much as people think.”
“Nevertheless, sorry about your loss,” he said and I nodded.
Jasmin looked at her nails. “Are you tired? Hungry? Thirsty? We could have dinner before—“
“No,” I said, cutting off the princess, though I hadn’t meant to. “The faster we do this, the better.” I rolled my shoulders. “Please, take me to see my father.”
11
SHANE
“Of course.”Tanner nodded. “If you’re ready, I can take you to the part of the underworld where the souls of the deceased are. We’ll be able to summon him from there.”
“I’m ready,” I said.
He gestured to an archway to the side. “This way.”
Although, as Raika and I followed Tanner and Jasmin through the hallway, with Lily and Norah behind us, I didn’t think I was ready. My gut clenched and I felt a mix of hatred and longing. My father had certainly not been the worst, but he had been far from being good.
As if sensing my anxiety, Raika squeezed her hand in mine. I glanced at her and she offered me an encouraging smile.
This hallway was short, but still tall and wide, and there was only one set of sliding double doors in here: an elevator. Tanner pressed the button on the dark wall and the doors slid to the side. We stepped into the large, mirror-lined elevator.
There were a handful of buttons on the panel beside the doors, with symbols I didn’t recognize. Tanner pressed the button right in the middle and the elevator started moving.
“This will take a while.” He leaned against the mirror and crossed his arms. “So, you’re the Nightshade alpha?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“And you’re his mate?” Jasmin asked Raika, though it wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” Raika answered.
“You two form a beautiful pair.” Jasmin sized me up and licked her lips. “Really beautiful.”
Tanner nudged her with his elbow. “Stop it, Jas. They are mated.” She groaned. “Excuse her. It’s hard for her to control herself near handsome males. She’s half-demon, half-siren, you see.” Tanner sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes at Raika. “But what are you?”
Raika frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Sorry, I can’t help it. New, improved powers from the underworld,” he explained. “I can get a hint of a different scent within you. I can also sense some dormant magic inside you.”
