Page 65 of A Monarch's Fall

Chapter fourteen

A Daughter’s Warning.

Selene Borealis

“My Royal Highness, how pleased I am to see you today,” Dennis announced as I entered the Royal Council’s wing, where Father’s office and that of his advisers were located.

“Has your office moved since yesterday?” I questioned.

“Oh, no.” He laughed. “I just had some business to attend to with your father,” he answered.

Something about the way he glanced behind himself was suspicious.

“Worried we’re being watched? Listened to?” I asked.

“What? No,” he chuckled.

“You’re squirrely,” I told him.

“What?”

“I could use you for target practice. Creel suggested I needed more practice during our last lessons.” I explained.

“I, um, well…Okay?” he responded, taking a step back as I approached on his side.

“I might take up that offer,” I said as I walked past him.

He flinched away from me.

“Uh, yes, well, please don’t forget our appointment later today,” he called once I had passed.

“If you fail to make any improvements during our next session, I’ll take my first shot.”

“Is my father free?” I enquired of his assistant. I didn’t recognise this one; the last I remembered had been a vampire, but this woman was clearly a shifter; her yellow eyes glanced up at me from a dark green envelope.

“He has a meeting with House Obscurum shortly,” she answered.

I walked past her and the guards stationed at the entrance and allowed myself into his office.

“Will Amelia be arriving for the conference with Vlad?” I asked as I entered.

“Selene, how are you feeling?” he asked as he stood from his desk.

“Much better. Amelia?” I asked again.

“I should think so,” he answered.

I nodded, “Why did you instruct Creel to stop searching for Percy?”

He had begun to walk around from his desk, but paused at my question.

“Take a seat, please,” he instructed once he began to move again and sat down in one of the two armchairs of his office. “Selene, sit,” he demanded.

“Why, father?” I demanded in return.

“Sit down,” he commanded his scent spiking sour with anger.

“I will not. You cannot placate me, nor will you cajole me into accepting that my own father has deemed my soul match of unimportance.”