Page 178

Ezra put his hand on Marlowe’s upper arm, tugging her roughly for show once we were in eyesight of the king.

He stilled, dismounting off his weird deer-horse and turning to face us.

“Marlowe…” he said, his voice low and full of threat.

I nearly began to whimper and cower. How could Marlowe keep her chin so high?

Cam was invisible next to me, but his own power began to leak through, tinged with anger and the need for violence.

Luckily it could pass for Ezra’s once the king was close enough to pick up on it.

We stopped once we were about five feet away, the shifter army sniffing the air in confusion.

Crap, I hadn’t thought that they’d be able to scent me through this bubble. Or was it Cam they were smelling?

I had forgotten to incorporate a scent-blocker in the magic. Dammit, I really was going to be the reason this got fucked.

Please hurry, I begged silently. I knew we didn’t have a bond, but I could still hope Marlowe and Ezra might pick up on my desperation.

“You’ve been a very naughty girl,” the king said, stepping up to Marlowe. She turned her head to the side but he grabbed her chin forcefully, demanding she look him in the eye. “And you will be punished thoroughly once we return. Ezra?”

He looked up at Marlowe’s brother, his face still cold and unreadable. “Your omega will be returned to you unharmed in a fortnight. Some distance would help you remember not to let yourself get distracted, hm?”

Ezra winced, bringing his hand up to his temple briefly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The shield I’d put in his mind must have been slipping, and the king tilted his head as he narrowed his gaze on the hulking alpha. “Everything alright?” he asked. “Did you run into any…. trouble while you were collecting my beloved? What of her pack?”

“She hadn’t connected with them yet. I caught her just intime.”

“Hmm…”

He began to pace in front of us, his hands behind his back.

How much longer was this going to take? I didn’t know whether this was a result of just his aura or if he purposefully seeped this kind of magic in the air, but I felt terrified. Like my heart might give out at any moment just being in his presence. I still couldn’t believe the twins were immune to this. Was Cam? Was the vryscral? That tiger-snake-dragonfly looked so unbothered it was making me jealous.

“Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d brought the pack with you?” the king asked, still pacing. “Otherwise, my dear Marlowe may also find herself unduly distracted. My, that seems to be something you two have in common, doesn’t it? Perhaps it’s simply an indication of your shifter blood, hm? Always getting distracted by yourbaserinstincts.”

His tone dripped with malice and disdain, but Marlowe didn’t waver from her spot. She was tougher than she looked, I really had to give it to her.

“That’s rich coming from you,” she scoffed.

He rushed to her so quickly I could have sworn he’d teleported, grabbing her by the hair and wrenching her head back. Cam growled beside me, and Ezra coughed, covering for the sound.

“Something to say, my future queen?”

“Considering I managed to escape because you were balls deep in Nivardi’s wife, yeah, I think it’s a little hypocritical to callmethe distracted one,” she replied, grimacing from the pain of the king’s grip.

I didn’t know how Cam could stand this. I barely knew the omega and even I was ready to throw down. I’d probably die instantly, but I couldn’t stand back and watch this male hurt her, exerting his physical power over like a fucking coward.

“Is that why you left? Were you jealous?” He smiled coldly, his canines as sharp and long as mine before a feed.

Marlowe laughed.

Full on, belly-hugging laughed, the king’s face growing angrier by the second.

“Oh,Al, that’s a good one. Do you think after days of watching you cream your pants at the thought of me, and denying you over and over again, that I’d be jealous you’d finally decided to leave me alone?”

She raised herself on her tiptoes, bringing her lips as close to his ear as she could. “I wasn’t jealous. I wasecstatic.”