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I have so many questions for her, I’m practically bursting with them. One of them is none of my business, but I want to know what the piece of paper given to her as she left the dance said. Did she ever check it?

Blowing out a breath, I decide to stop lying. “I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Silla,” I explain. “I was a shit, and she was mad at me when she left the dance.”

“Silla is busy in the apartment,” Andrya tells me, and it makes me scowl as I think about her boyfriends.

“Is this your way of telling me Silla is indisposed because she’s having sex?” I ask. Laughing, she shakes her head.

“You’re cute, but you don’t have a chance with our girl. While her heart is big, she has more than enough to worry about,” she tells me. “Silla doesn’t feel well, and we have battles to fight today. There’s a lot going on. You’re a distraction. Stalking is only sexy when you can back it up with a little more psychotic romance.”

So Silla likes crazy people, good to know. I’ve never felt like this about anyone, but I’ll accept the scraps at her table if it means I can be close to her.

“I’ll add that to myHow to Stalk and Get the Girlguide,” I snark. “My brother texted me to do some work, so I need to go anyway.”

“Poor little boy’s fun has been cut short,” she coos snidely.

“Andrya, what is your problem with me?” I huff, annoyed.

“Silla is constantly bombarded with everyone’s assumptions. She needs to focus on the next steps because the weeks to come won’t be easy, Kal,” she explains. “You can’t insist on impeding on her heart, energy, and attention right now over a little crush. Now go on your way.”

Andrya makes the universal sign for shooing me along, and I hate that she’s right. I need to actually be able to contribute something.

“The night of the masquerade, an attendant gave her a note under the guise that she dropped it,” I tell her. “Did she ever check to see what it said? I’m curious, but I also pissed her off right after that, so she may have forgotten.”

Her forehead pinches as she looks from me to the apartment in thought. “I don’t think so,” she mutters. “Great, another thing to worry about. I’ll check her clutch from the party. On your way. I don’t want to find you stalking her again. If you want something, lurk without being so obvious, or just knock on the door.”

Jogging, she crosses the street and goes inside, a woman on a mission. At least I was able to do one of the things I wanted to do here, even if I never know the contents of the note.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, I see a man in navy blue clothes staring at the apartment building that Silla lives in. Frowning, I glance at my watch. It’s almost nine at night, and the Queen’s people don’t have any reason to be here, except as spies.

Thankfully I have very nondescript features, and can blend well in my surroundings, so I continue on my way past him.

“Did you go into that apartment building at all, son?” he gruffly asks, his eyes still on it.

“No Sir, I was visiting friends in the building across from it,” I lie smoothly. “Any reason why?”

“None whatsoever,” he murmurs. “The Queen wants eyes on that apartment. Would you be willing to help?”

Fuck me. I’m never stalking anyone again. “I don’t want any trouble,” I say nervously. “What would I need to do?”

“Find reasons to be in the building, and be the eyes and ears of the queen,” he says idly.

Kenzo is going to kill me. “I’ll do what I can,” I tell him. “I’m not here very often.”

The man nods, and I walk past, feeling exposed as I have my back to him. As soon as I can, I turn onto another street to get away from the eyes that turned to stare at me as I passed him. The Queen’s auditors are creepy as hell.

Forcing myself to breathe, I pull out my phone, getting ahold of people for an emergency meeting with my brother. As hard as we are fighting to put Silla on the throne, there’s only a handful of numbers that I feel comfortable to call.

The war room is in the basement of a library famous in certain circles for carrying banned books. The Queen has no idea it exists, and Falcon makes a point of keeping it that way. There are six different places that we meet on rotation, making sure never to meet in the same one twice in a row.

My brother is careful to a fault, and some people may call him paranoid. Yet… I still say it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you.

Seventeen

ANDRYA

Inoticed the man who was watching the apartment as I walked across the street after scaring the shit out of Kal. It’s dark, but the shadow under the street light is noticeable. I will always remember the color navy as well, due to the danger it poses to us.

Filing the information for later, I quickly walk inside. I want to make sure I tell Isaac to see if he can find a better photo of him off the video cameras he set up outside of our apartment and the surrounding buildings. We’re aware Cinder will want to watch our every move, however we also want to know who she has working for her.