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Nearby, a hulking creature with horns that curved like a frozen spiral exhaled, the air misting from its breath. Above it, luminous insects drifted, their wings refracting the light and casting rainbows along the walls and ground.

A familiar trill sounded from the back and I ran ahead. “Wasabi?”

The serpent cat came to the bars, mewling and purring as she rubbed her head against them.

“Aww, you remember me.” I reached in and pet her scaled head, scratching right behind her ears.

“You got a way with beasts, then?” Matgar said. “Must be the shifter in ya. They don’t like the Starborne so much.”

Nantier shifted uncomfortably behind me, eyeing Wasabi carefully.

“Can I take her out?” I asked. “Is there a yard or…”

“There you are.”

We turned towards the entrance, where Ezra was now standing.

Still so, so naked.

“I thought you might still be… entertaining his Majesty.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you mean keeping the psychopath you threw me to in a good mood so he doesn’t kill my packor torture you?”

Matgar whistled. “Would you look at the time, I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

As he left the barn, Nantier bowed his head. “If Commander Ezra is here, I can take my leave.”

I reached and grabbed his arm before he could move. “No, Nantier. Stay. We’re all family, after all.”

Ezra tilted his head, his eyes darting between me and my queensguard. “Mar, what are you talking about?”

I wrapped my arm around Nantier and grinned. “What do you know, I actually have more knowledge about this place than you do. Ezra, this is our cousin.”

“Cousin?” he snarled. He stepped up closer, glaring down at the guard from his impressive height. “Smells like bullshit to me.”

I growled and stepped between them, but Nantier put his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Marlowe.” He looked up at Ezra and bowed his head again. “You can confirm with His Majesty if you’d like. All of the queensguard are relations of your mother.”

I whipped my head back around. “Wait, the other guards too? How many cousins do we have?”

He stuck out his bottom lip in thought and looked up. “A dozen, at least. They don’t all live here, though.”

Ezra did not look happy. He glared at Nantier, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he thought. “Why exactly did the king assign you to my sister?”

Nantier became somewhat flustered, wringing his hands and looking down at the ground. “Um, well, you see… his Majesty had us test Marlowe’s scent, and while we reacted towards it, it wasn’t, uh…”

Understanding flashed across his face. “Oh, right.”

I still wasn’t getting it.

“It means they didn’t want to fuck ya!” yelled Matgar from one of the cages. He was shoveling in fresh hay, and very clearlynotgetting breakfast.

I shuddered. “Okay, first of all, gross. Second of all, how did he test my scent before I got here? It sounded like he already had them picked out.”

“From the sc-”

Ezra growled and snapped at Nantier, who, while not being a shifter, still recognized that he was being ordered to keep his mouth shut.

I jabbed my finger in Ezra’s chest. “From the ‘what?’”