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“Luna!” I cry, never more glad to see a person in my life. Taking a moment to calm my racing heart, I release my magic and lower the shield. She immediately moves forward and wraps me in a bear hug, which is exactly what I need right now.
“What the fuck was that?” she exclaims into my shoulder, still not releasing me from her embrace. “You’re insane to challenge the queen like that. Kick ass, but insane nonetheless.”
She finally releases me, and I laugh maniacally in agreement. Yup, I was insane to challenge the queen, I don’t know what I was thinking other than in that moment, I felt undefeatable. “Walk with me?” I ask, linking her arm with mine and half dragging her down the corridor towards my rooms and away from witnesses.
Syn stays silent but follows close behind, and Star trots diligently at my side. Once we turn a corner, Luna releases a sigh and glances around to see who might be within hearing distance.
“I’m worried about Kano,” she tells me quietly, her voice low.
“Is he okay?” I ask quickly, glancing at her to see her neutral expression as a couple passes us in the hallway. With a tight smile, I follow Luna’s lead and dip my head in greeting, waiting for the moment they are out of sight to ask more questions. “What happened after I left?”
The queen has so much control over Kano that he was always going to be the easiest person for her to use to get to me through him. He’s often alone with the queen, and it’s well known that they are lovers, so it wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary for him to disappear into her rooms for days on end.
“She ordered Kano to follow her. He looked like he was in physical pain.” Luna grimaces as she continues. “I tried to follow, but her guards turned me away.”
My chest constricts painfully at the thought of the queen hurting my brother, but other than storming her quarters, I don’t know what else I can do. Besides, I’m sure that would just make this whole situation worse. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure he’s okay,” I promise as I squeeze her arm in a gesture I hope is comforting.
Taking a deep breath, Luna blinks furiously, and I know she’s trying not to cry. “Anyway, after he left, everyone started to leave.” Her voice is tight, and she has to pause to clear it. “You should hear some of the things they are saying about you.” She rolls her eyes in a very Luna-like gesture, but I can tell she’s worried.
Uh-oh. I’m almost afraid to ask. “What sort of things? Good? Bad? Any worse than what just happened outside the meeting hall?”
“They are singing your praises. Some of them think you’re a goddess incarnate and you’re going to save us all. They believe that the queen is stopping you from fulfilling your destiny.” It’s easy to tell that she thinks they are spewing nonsense from the sarcasm in her voice. “One of the older witches started to say that he thought you challenging the queen was out of order and that you should have been forced to kill Maliki, and your crazy fans shot him down. I thought they were going to break out into a fight.”
Eyes wide, I glance at Syn in time to see him sigh and shake his head. “This is insane,” I mutter, not quite believing what’s gotten into everyone.
“It’s what you deserve,” Syn replies, surprising us both. He doesn’t tend to speak much while others are around unless it’s to defend me, and for him to offer his opinion is even rarer.
His words disturb me though, and I shake my head with a frown.Deserve. The word plays over in my head. Deserve makes it sound like I’m entitled to something, and those witches’ attention isn’t something I feel entitled to. “No, I don’t want that.”
His expression is sympathetic as he gestures to the end of the hallway where another group of witches await us.
“It looks like you’re not going to have a choice in the matter.”
ChapterSixteen
Syn’s words haunt me all the way back to my room. We’re accosted twice more by eager witches who want to speak to us, but thankfully, everyone is scared enough of Luna that they quickly depart at her quiet threats.
The whole atmosphere over Haven is changing, and a tense, excited air seems to follow me everywhere. Something big is coming, and I know that I’ll need the witches’ support when it does. The queen won’t let any of this pass. I’ve pushed her too far, and it’s only a matter of time before she lashes out. We need to be ready.
We finally reach my room, and four guards wait outside with stern expressions. My jailors are waiting for my return. One good thing about having them stationed there is that they will turn away any overeager witches who want to speak to me.
I turn to Luna, but whatever I was about to say is quickly forgotten as she practically throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around me.
“Be careful,” I whisper into her ear as I hug her back. My eyes sting with tears, and my chest aches. Why does this feel like I’m saying goodbye?
“You too. Look after each other,” she whispers, her gaze flashing once to Syn before she squeezes me tightly again. Her eyes are glossy with unshed tears as she pulls away, and without another word, she turns on her heel and hurries away.
Acutely aware of the guards watching us, I take a deep breath and take Syn’s hand in mine, entering my room with Star trotting just ahead of us. I’m a mess of emotions, and I don’t want the queen’s guards seeing me when I’m vulnerable. Everything they see will be reported back, and honestly, I just want to be with my mates where I can be me without having to worry about how something I do or say might be interpreted.
Seeing the four of them waiting for me in the sitting room brings a smile to my face. They are attempting to appear casual, as though they’ve not been worrying, but I don’t need to feel their tension in the bonds to know how stressed they’ve been. Nicolai is standing by the bookshelf with an open book in his hand, but it’s obvious he just grabbed it, seeing as the whole thing is upside down. Joel stands by the window, glancing outside, but the wooden frame is groaning as his hands grip it tightly. Scott is playing chess by himself, and Atlas doesn’t bother to hide it, crossing the room as soon as the door shuts behind me.
Pulling me against his chest, he says nothing, simply pressing his lips to the top of my head. As my newest mate, our bond is still fresh, and the distance between us causes strain, so I’m not surprised by this behaviour. I’m equally as desperate to see him, gripping onto his shirt as though it’s a buoy and I’m lost at sea. I feel the others all moving closer until they surround us. I don’t feel the pressure to stop hugging Atlas and pay them attention. In fact, having them all close like this is loosening that tight knot of anxiety in my chest.
When I feel more like myself, I slowly untangle myself from Atlas and pull back so I can take in all five males—my mates. Well, all except… My gaze falls on Scott, his smile widening when our eyes meet, and something in me pulses. Our connection is there as always, that tug towards him somehow feeling more urgent today, like there’s a ticking clock hanging over us and we have little time to seal our connection. I’ve never felt this pressure before, so I don’t know if I’m just imagining this or if it’s the stress from the day.
“The queen will come for you now.” There’s no judgement in Atlas’s voice, he’s just stating a grim fact, and I can’t keep the grimace off my face as I look away from Scott to acknowledge what he said.
“You decided to make a stand against the queen,” Joel comments, his gaze intense. “You told her no, and then you told her people that she was trying to manipulate them.” While he doesn’t say this as an accusation, the weight of what he said has me pausing.
