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16
The shifter king’s closet was no joke. I’d seen smaller houses. A row of drawers and shelves divided the space in half, creating two separate chambers. The walls on either side were lined with rows of suits and clothes on hangers. Two crystal chandeliers sparkled above me, one on each half of the space. At the rear of the closet, I saw an arched doorway leading to a dark space that wasn’t lit by the same switch I’d used to turn on the chandeliers. I had a feeling that was where I needed to be.
I walked past the clothes toward the doorway. As soon as I passed through, lights flickered to life. My jaw dropped. I was staring at glass shelves lined with jewelry on black velvet cushions. Huge diamond necklaces, gold chains, rings with stones of every color. None of this should be so easily accessible. He seriously left a strange woman in his room with all this behind a simple door?
Hubris did not begin to define it. This was plain stupid.
In the center of the spread of gems and gold sat a surprisingly plain gold crown. It was simple and compared to the sparkling stones and jewels around it, it was a little bit of a letdown.
As Spencer had said, though, it was symbolic. I supposed it was one of those cases where age and sentimentality made something more valuable. I picked up the crown, half expecting an alarm to sound like in the movies.
Nothing happened.
Seriously? I was a little disappointed, though I had to admit, I was relieved. I didn’t want to end up trapped in here by a door slamming down or lasers suddenly appearing.
So far, Spencer’s plan was working. Aside from the unforeseen interaction with his brother.
I looped my arm though the crown and carried it out of the closet. When I reached the bedroom door, I recalled Spencer’s suggestion that I pretend I’m delivering the crown. With a sigh, I repositioned my hands so I was holding it with more care. I felt ridiculous, but I’d already had one uncomfortable run in and it was possible I’d encounter more people.
As soon as I stepped out of the bedroom into the hall, I froze, realizing I had no idea where the throne room was.Fuck. We should have spent a lot more time going over these details.
I chose a direction and walked. The hallway was empty, and I passed by a few doors until I reached a staircase. I could hear sound coming from below. While I didn’t want to run into people, there was a better chance that I was going in the right direction if I followed the sound.
Slowly, I descended the stairs until I reached the bottom. A dozen people turned and stared at me.Shit.I was in a kitchen, full of people in chef coats and matching uniforms.
“Can we help you?” A tall male in a white chef coat asked.
“Um, I’m supposed to deliver this.” I lifted the crown.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
Well, there goes my contribution to the plan. All eyes were on me, expectantly waiting for my response.
“I told you, Monica, you need to change into your uniform before you begin working.” A plump, younger woman with dark hair stepped forward. “Come on. You’re going to get yourself fired before you even get your first paycheck.”
The woman took hold of my upper arm and guided me through the kitchen. Everyone around us seemed unbothered by me anymore. They went back to calling out ingredients, filling trays with food, and bustling around the kitchen.
Nobody cared that a woman in regular clothes was walking around carrying the royal crown.
My guide led me to a small storage room. There was a rack of uniforms and a hamper full of dirty clothes. She closed the door, then turned to me. “What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?”
“Just delivering the crown,” I said, not sure what else to say.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to get all of us busted. It only takes one to let him know there are dissenters. You need to be more careful.”
“Oh, yeah, that,” I said. Apparently, she was one of my dad’s helpers. But I got the sense she didn’t have any clue who I was. “How much do you know?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You know better than to discuss anything here.” She shoved a uniform at me. “Put this on.”
I would blend in better dressed like an employee. Why wasn’t that part of the original plan? I was going to have a serious talk with Spencer when we were finished with this about his lack of direction. I set the crown down on a pile of saran wrapped linens. Quickly, I removed my clothes and pulled on the navy-blue dress. It was a little big, but the other woman tied the belt around the back for me tight enough to cinch everything in.
“Thanks,” I said, picking the crown back up.
“Don’t fuck this up,” she warned. “We can’t keep living like this. We all need this.”
I nodded, feeling a sense of responsibility to her even though we just met.
She left the room without another word, leaving me alone with the crown, surrounded by laundry. Mentally, I kicked myself for not asking where the throne room was.Dammit.I was terrible at this.
