Page 23

Cedric Raine

The woman I brought from the Eastern Kingdom and gave the title of queen to was a gentle and submissive woman. She had my heart in her fist, although neither of us knew it at the time. My instinct was to shield her and protect her. She was fragile and delicate. She needed to be taken care of.

The woman who is now raising my son and who doesn’t lower her gaze when meeting mine doesn’t need protection. She stands by my side as an equal. Her anger is sharp, swift, and deadly. She has overcome every obstacle to become the woman she is today. She is a fine queen and a wonderful mother.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is her heart. It is still kind.

I didn’t expect Leanna to forgive me so fast. I expected her to hold on to her grudge. By the time I understood the extent of the damage to her, I had already realized that it would take quite a while for her to look at me and see her mate, not the man who hurt her.

Harriet told me that it would take a long time, and I fully expected to wait years. Not days.

Leanna’s tongue is sharper now, but I like it. Harriet told me to get to know her again, which is what I intend to do, but seeing her talk and smile with another man makes my wolf uneasy. If she wore my mark, perhaps I would not feel so worried.

She has thanked me for loving her. She has agreed to come back to the North with me. But she hasn’t told me how she feels about me. If I knew the depth of her feelings for me, it would be easier to navigate the situation. And if I could stop feeling guilty about the fact that she’s leaving behind this whole life that she has built, it would help us both move on.

I’m willing to give her anything she wants. But a part of me still feels that the only reason she’s making the sacrifice and returning to the North is our son.

When we hear the screams and Leanna grabs me, telling me to look after Finn, my first instinct is to protect her. Something is clearly wrong, and she’s heading straight toward the danger instead of away from it.

But then she pushes me away as if she doesn’t need my help. As if she doesn’t need me.

I watch her run, my chest tightening with an odd emotion.

Fortunately, the Ferris wheel comes to a stop right then. As Derrick and Finn get off, I pick up my son and thrust him into Derrick’s arms, ordering, “Follow me and do not put him down.”

Sensing the urgency of the situation, my right-hand man runs after me.

There is a crowd of people gathered at the other end of the carnival. I shove past them, smelling blood. I’m just in time to catch Leanna before she falls to the ground, a keening sound leaving her lips.

There is a dead human in front of her, the same one she was talking to earlier. People are looking our way, and since I don’t think she would want the human authorities to involve her in their investigation, I drag her away. She’s limp, not resisting.

“We have to leave,” I tell Derrick.

He nods, glancing at Leanna. We came here in her car, but now we head to the woods. It’ll be faster this way. I don’t tell Leanna to shift because she’s in shock. As my own wolf form emerges, I throw her onto my back and begin running. Derrick whispers something to Finn before putting him down, and they both shift. I don’t know how long it will take us to reach the house, but my fur is already wet with my mate’s tears, and I can feel her grief.

Who was this man who was so important to Leanna? He looked older than her, but not so old that they could not be romantically entangled. Did Leanna share her affections with someone? She never said she had any lover. But if she did, why would she bring me to the place where she was meeting him? She’s not that inconsiderate.

I move faster, fueled by my anger and hurt. I want to ask her, but I can still feel her body vibrating with sobs, her sorrow thick in the air. My wolf is miserable, torn in two directions: anger at the idea that she might have taken a lover in these past eight years, and helplessness in the face of her pain.

We reach the woods near her house, and I shift back. “Derrick, take Finn inside.”

I’m holding Leanna in my arms. She tries to lower herself to the ground but my grip on her tightens.

Finn is also aware of his mother’s strange behavior, and as soon as he shifts forms, he shakes his head. “I’m not going anywhere. Mom?”

His voice seems to shake something loose inside of my mate because she pushes against my chest, her voice low and thick. “Let me down, Cedric.” Reluctantly, I release her, and she reaches into her bag, taking out a key. “Go with Derrick, Finn. We’ll be right there.”

My son’s reluctance to leave his mother at a time when he clearly knows she’s vulnerable fills me with pride, but it’s also evident to me that Leanna doesn’t want him here for this conversation.

“Why don’t you show Derrick how to make hot chocolate?” She smiles at Finn with some obvious difficulty. “I would really like a cup.”

Having been assigned a task gives Finn some motivation. His voice is brighter now, the worry and fear disappearing. “I can do that. Come on, Derrick!”

He grabs Derrick and pulls him along as they head toward the house. I wait till they’re out of earshot before I look at Leanna. Her arms are wrapped around herself as she walks over to a broken log and sits down heavily on it.

I wait for her to speak, and finally, she says, “I’m sorry about that.”

Her voice is rough, and if I had any lingering anger over my suspicions about her relationship with that human, it fades away in the face of her agony.

“Who was that, Leanna? He was clearly important to you. Were you two…” I lean against the nearest tree, watching her.

She appears to realize where I was going with that, and she shakes her head. “No. George wasn’t—We weren’t—” She lets out a sigh, the devastation on her face twisting something in my chest. “He was my contact in the police department. He was a human, but he knew about Finn and me. I never told Erik or anyone else about him.”

I frown. “Why not?”

I smell the salt before the tears slip down her cheeks. “Erik would have killed him. George was high up in the government, the deputy commissioner of the police. He was in a position where he could have potentially exposed our kind, but this entire time, he never said a word. In fact, he helped me with some of my cases.” She wipes her tears and gazes at the ground. Her voice is low. “But Erik would not have understood. George and I were friends. He has two sons. A wife who loves him deeply. And he would not have died like this if I had not called him tonight.”

Her words end on a broken sob as she covers her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking.

Guilt, I realize. She feels both grief for the loss of her friend and guilt about his death. I walk over and crouch by her side. “You had no way of knowing, Leanna. His death had nothing to do with you.”

She lowers her hands and looks at me, her pretty eyes swimming in tears. “You didn’t see it, did you?”

“See what?” I ask, confused.

“His slit neck,” she moans. “There wasn’t one slice, like from a knife, but five, like a set of claws.”

I go still. “Are you—”

“Five very precise claw marks.” She looks at me, and the devastation in her eyes has my jaw hardening.

“A shifter? But I didn’t smell any—”

“Neither did I.” She wipes her tears, her voice thick. “And we should have, right? I didn’t even smell anyone on him. I don’t know how they hid their scent, but it was definitely a shifter. No one had any reason to hurt him, Cedric. No one from our world, at least.”

“Someone did,” I murmur gloomily. “We must have been followed.”

Leanna rubs a spot on her chest. “But I would’ve—We would’ve sensed it if somebody was tracking us.”

I mull over her words, and my voice is thoughtful. “My senses are sharper than yours. If there had been a shifter in the vicinity of the carnival, I would have caught their scent. I only smelled humans there. The only shifters were the four of us.”

Leanna gets to her feet, shaking her head. “I know what I saw, Cedric. Those marks on his neck were unmistakable.”

I follow suit, standing up and watching her as she paces anxiously. “I’m not denying what you saw, Leanna. It is possible that the shifter who attacked your friend was able to mask his scent.” My mind is racing, and then I have an idea. There is something I need to verify, however. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to that slight discrepancy. But now, I have to be sure. “I’m going to call Edgar over here to help Derrick keep an eye on you and Finn. I need to go check something.”

“What are you going to do?” Leanna steps in my path. “Wherever you’re going, you’re not going by yourself! If the shifters are able to mask their sent, they can ambush you. No. You’re not going anywhere without someone watching your back. I’m coming with you.”

“And leaving Finn at the house alone with Derrick?” I ask incredulously.

Leanna’s eyes are still moist, but I see the fierce glint in them. “You think you’re the only one who can arrange protection for Finn? After the attack on me, I put up security cameras and motion sensors all around the house. I keep them activated via my phone. If somebody so much as steps past a certain border around my home, I get an instant notification, and the palace guards are also alerted. I discussed this with Erik. Help will arrive within three minutes. There’s also a safe room in my basement. Finn and I know the combination, as does Maya. I know how to keep my son safe, Cedric.”

“Our son,” I correct her firmly, admiring her preparedness. I don’t know what a safe room is, or a motion sensor, but Leanna clearly believes in these things as security measures.

“You’re not going by yourself.” She grips my wrist, her eyes flashing. There is fear in them. “I don’t want to lose you tonight, too.”

The words flow from her passionately, and a warmth fills my chest. “Are you concerned about my safety?”

A flush crawls up her face, and she swallows before turning her head to the side. “What if I am? I have every right to worry about you. You’re my mate.”

My lips curve, and I take her hand in mine, pressing my lips to her palm, my eyes on her. “Yes, I am. And you are mine.”

She doesn’t realize it, but she has finally acknowledged my role in her life. Not as Finn’s father, but as her mate.

Her cheeks are a bright red. “Let’s call Edgar and—”

I’m already shifting. Throwing my head back in my wolf form, I let out two short howls. A moment later, they are answered by three short ones.

I then glance at Leanna, who instantly understands what I’ve done. She shifts forms, too, and I take off. She follows close behind.

Our destination is in the city. To be precise, it’s the place where Leanna led her attackers that night. Since the woods are all connected, we can maintain our wolf forms the whole way there.

When we reach the clearing, Leanna pauses, giving me an uncertain look. I rub against her wolf comfortingly before making my way to where the enemy was killed. It’s been a while since the attack, and their bodies did disappear. However, my sense of smell is strong, as is my memory. I still remember where each body dropped.

I sniff each spot, and Leanna watches me. She has shifted back now and is standing with her arms crossed over her chest in a manner similar to my own.

She doesn’t interrupt as I circle the two spots. I can smell the blood, but I cannot make out the scent. It’s not that there is no scent; it’s that the scent of the attackers in these two spots is so muddied that I can’t distinguish between human and shifter. If I weren’t focusing on it, I would not be able to catch it. It fades into the background too much.

I circle around repeatedly, but no matter how many times I check, it is the same. I shift back.

Leanna approaches me now. “What were you searching for?”

“Take a look at these two areas. Two of the attackers died here. Tell me what you smell.”

She crouches to the ground and sniffs the spots. At first, she looks confused, and then a dazed look of understanding forms on her face, and her eyes lift to mine. “There are no wolf scents—if there were humans here, I would not be able to tell. But my attackers were definitely shifters!”

“They were,” I say darkly. “It seems you were right. The enemy has managed to come up with a way to mask their scents. This could be how they are managing to ambush your kidnapped victims.”

Leanna’s lips tremble for a moment. “They must have been following me all this time. They were probably waiting to strike, but they couldn’t find a time because you were always there. And if not you, Derrick.”

“If they were able to mask their scent, I bet they were able to get close enough to you to overhear your conversation with your friend,” I tell her. “I want to know what you talked to that man about.”

Leanna lets out a gust of air and begins to explain. Human police. Serial killers. Evidence lockers. Dead bodies.

By the time she’s done talking, the blood has drained from her face, and she whispers, her voice stricken, “This is all my fault. George said I could call him whenever I wanted to see the evidence. I thought I might find something. There must be something there that the shifters don’t want me to discover. That’s why they killed George. Without him, I don’t have access to that evidence.”

“These people definitely have some interest in you. The only way they would’ve found out about your conversation with George is if they’ve been tailing you for a while. That means you and Finn are not safe. They haven’t given up on you. You’re not safe in your home, Leanna.” Fury fills me. I can’t protect her if I don’t know where the threat is coming from. Her house is directly across from a park that a lot of people visit. They could have been watching her for days, and I was none the wiser. “You can’t stay there. And if you think you can convince me otherwise, think of Finn.”

Leanna gives me a serious look. “I would never gamble with Finn’s safety. You’re right, there is a possibility that my home has been compromised. But I also need to conduct this investigation, Cedric. That means I can’t go into hiding. I have to be out in the streets. I have to go places.”

“You will not go alone.”

She doesn’t argue with me, but I can tell that she’s thinking. “I have another solution.” I wait, and she takes her time before finally saying, “What if Harriet looks after Finn, and the two of them stay in the palace? Neither of them leaves those secure grounds. That way, Finn will be safe.”

The royal palace is indeed the safest place for him, but what about Leanna? “You expect me to let you roam around while there is a possible threat to your life?”

My lips curl in a snarl, and Leanna gives me a sharp smile, her eyes angry. “No. I won’t be alone. You and I will stay at my house.”

“What?”

“These people are watching me, right? Let’s get them to think that we’re getting closer to the truth. When they begin to panic, they’re going to make mistakes.”

“No,” I refuse, immediately realizing her intention. “You are not using yourself as bait.”

“They killed my friend, Cedric,” Leanna hisses. “A man who did not deserve to die. His wife is a homemaker. They have two boys in school. Their entire lives are about to fall apart. The man she loved is gone. Her sons have lost their father. She will now be living on a small widower’s pension. She has to raise two boys by herself. How is she supposed to do that? How is she supposed to work multiple jobs to pay off the mortgage on their house and cover her children’s expenses? How is she going to help them grieve their father? All of this is because I knew her husband had the means to get us closer to these individuals, and I asked him for a favor.”

There is a sheen of tears in her eyes.

I have watched many of my men fall, their families shattered as a result. A part of me has grown numb to it all. You can’t feel every death, every loss. It has the ability to drive one insane.

I can see my mate unravelling, and I take her in my arms, offering comfort. “Leanna, I can’t help with this grief. It is your own to bear. But it is misplaced. Nothing that happened was your fault. You couldn’t have anticipated any of this. However, I can help with one thing. Monetary help for your friend’s family. If you wish, I can set them up for life. They will never want for anything.”

Leanna pulls away and stares at me. “You would do that?”

I nod. “You are forgetting your status. You are the queen of the Northern Kingdom, Leanna. We have an abundant amount of wealth. You can do what you will with it. If it can help assuage some of this misplaced guilt of yours, I want you to help them.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “It won’t get rid of the guilt, but it will make me feel better. Thank you, Cedric.”

She gets on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my lips.

It’s a chaste kiss but one that is more precious than anything. My ears feel hot, and I stare at her. I want to take her in my arms and continue. All the desires I’ve been trying to keep suppressed inside me want out. I have missed the taste of her lips, of her skin, the sounds she makes when under me. It’s been difficult to restrain myself, but I’ve had to.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Leanna asks. Her cheeks are flushed, but she looks happy. Just because I offered to use my wealth to help her friend’s family?

I can give her even more than that if she wants to support them. As long as she smiles at me like this, I will empty the kingdom’s treasury for her.

I have to tear my gaze away from my mate because this is not the time. “We have to go talk to Erik. And we should move Finn right away. I would prefer to hide him in the North, but I have yet to deal with the elders and our enemies over there. Erik’s palace is the only option we have at the moment.”

Leanna agrees and then glances at me, giving me a strained smile. “If Finn stays at the palace, I’ll have to be away from him. I don’t recall a time I wasn’t with him for even one night.”

I sense her uneasiness. “He will be fine. He’ll be in good hands. And we can see him every day if you need to. But for now, we have to secure his safety.”

She nods with a heavy sigh. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.”

Leanna has no choice but to tell Erik the truth about George. Needless to say, he’s not pleased, but he cannot deny that the deputy commissioner was a useful ally. He also promises to grant further financial aid to his widow and sons.

“We’ll pay off the mortgage on their house and transfer title to the widow’s name. I’ll also make sure she is set up with a generous monthly stipend.” Erik leans back in his chair, frowning. “But down to the matter at hand. If these people are following you, that means they want you for some reason.”

“Maybe it was a coincidence.” Cassian pipes up. We had to involve him in this meeting because he’s the face of the task force. When I glare at him, he shrinks in his seat. “Or maybe I’m wrong.”

“The ability to mask their scent.” Erik looks perturbed. “This is not a good thing.”

I exchange a look with my mate before speaking. “The assassination of the former king and queen of the North might share a link with the current kidnappings. I know you’re against the autopsy, Erik, but we need to verify how long these people have been attacking our kind. I haven’t had a chance to go over the contents of the flash drive yet, but George mentioned that there have been a lot of cases. There is clearly something in their bodies, something that can lead us to the culprit. Why else would those corpses have disappeared from the morgue?”

Erik’s jaw tightens. “I already told you—”

“And I’m telling you that I trust Maya. She’s the only one who has the skill set necessary. Be reasonable, Erik. These people have the ability to mask their scent. They must’ve created some formula that works on them. Nobody is safe. And it’s obvious that they did not want those bodies cut up and examined. We need to conduct an autopsy on Harold.”

Cassian hesitates. “I have to agree with the king. If even one human discovers we have such a unique anatomy, there’s nothing to stop them from trying to capture our kind and study our bodies. We could be diving into a very dangerous rabbit hole here.”

“I disagree,” Healer Jerry interjects. “I’m quite interested in Maya’s skills. And she already has an idea of how our bodies function, considering she’s been looking after young Finn for so many years. I would like to learn from her as well as take her under my wing and teach her. But I understand that she has a very sick mother whom she cannot abandon, so asking her to cut ties with the human world might not work.”

“But, Uncle!” Cassian protests. “The dangers of allowing a human to work on our bodies, to learn our secrets—”

“Cassian is right.” Erik shakes his head. “The threat is too great.”

With that, the meeting ends, and Leanna and I wander outside to find our son. He is playing happily, so we sit in the gazebo and watch him for a while.

Finn is more than excited about staying in the palace with Harriet. He has bonded with my attendant, and seeing her eyes light up when he calls her “grandma” makes me wonder if Rothan is going to be pressured into giving her some grandchildren soon.

“He’s going to be fine,” I assure Leanna as she watches our son running circles around Harriet in his wolf form. “Harriet will take care of him. She has a lot of experience. She used to be the only one aside from my parents who could tire me out.”

“What if he misses me?” My mate looks anxious.

“There’s a very low probability of that happening,” I muse. Given how animated Finn is, he’s forgotten about his mother by now.

“Alright.” Leanna gives me a wan smile. “Point taken. Let’s go home.”

“A word, you two?”

Erik’s voice has me looking over my shoulder. The king is standing at the door we came out of earlier, and he motions to us.

“Now what?” I mutter.

“Be nice.” Leanna squeezes my hand. “Come on. Let’s go see what he wants.”

We follow him deep into the palace, the silence tense. Erik doesn’t utter a sound, and I can sense the beginning of Leanna’s tension. Something is up.

Finally, we reach a steel door, and Erik puts his thumb on a small, lit-up pad beside the handle. There is the sound of unlocking, and then he opens the door, revealing a white, marbled room.

“Maya?!”

Leanna is obviously shocked to see her here, and I stare at the loud-mouthed human girl for a moment. Then my eyes settle on the only other occupant of the room. It’s Healer Jerry.

“What’s going on?” Leanna steps inside, her voice strained. “You told us less than an hour ago that you weren’t going to bring Maya in. What is this?”

“Why don’t you ask Jerry here?” Erik says tightly. “He seems to have all the answers.”

Before the healer can say anything, though, Maya speaks up. “Jerry approached me a few days ago, Leanna. As you know, my mother is not well. Jerry offered to try to heal her. He was able to give her a few hours of lucidity.”

Leanna makes a small sound. “How is that possible?”

“Her disease is of the brain,” Jerry explains. “I can’t cure it, but I can offer some relief. Dr. Sorin has agreed to completely integrate with our kingdom. She will stop existing in the outside world. Her only demand is that her mother live with her on the palace grounds and receive regular treatment from me, which I am willing to provide.”

Erik sighs as if he’s getting a headache.

“Given my mother’s health, she doesn’t have long to live,” Leanna’s friend says quietly. “I’m willing to sacrifice my life in the human world if it means I can spend a few more years with her and give her some relief.”

“There’s something else you should know.” Jerry exchanges a look with Erik before revealing, “A few days ago, there was an attempt to steal Harold’s corpse. He was buried in his family’s mausoleum. The intruders were unable to break his casket, and while they were trying, they were interrupted by Dr. Sorin and me.”

“Hold up!” Leanna lifts her hands. “What were the two of you doing there?”

Maya looks guilty, as does Jerry. She tells us, “We wanted to convince Harold’s extended family that conducting the autopsy would not be disrespecting his body. I have a lot of experience in these procedures, and I can be very private about it. Nobody would have to know.”

Erik scowls, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Of course, that included me, as well. These two managed to convince Harold’s family, and they were on their way to retrieve his body. Dr. Sorin and Jerry sneaked Harold into the palace last night. I only found out about it after our meeting. With his family giving permission and your friend agreeing to cut ties with the human world, there is not much I can do but agree.”

“Oh.” Leanna seems to be temporarily speechless. “You should have told me, Maya—”

Erik gives the human doctor and the healer a disapproving look. “I agree. You should have. We would have stopped—”

“I would have helped,” Leanna finishes, cutting off Erik.

He shakes his head. “Whatever. Conduct your autopsy in private. Nobody is to know about it.”

“There is one more thing.” Jerry holds up a sheaf of papers. “The preliminary medical examination report that the intelligence unit gave you have two pages missing. We didn’t catch it before because the flow was uninterrupted. But the page numbers indicate that two pages are not there.”

Erik frowns, checking the report. “They’re not the type to be reckless. I’ll go have a word with them.”

“What about Harold’s body?” my mate asks, stepping forward. “It must have decomposed a lot. Will you be able to conduct the autopsy properly?”

A strange look passes over her friend’s face. “Well, that’s the odd thing. His body is perfectly preserved.”

Jerry nods, his own expression tense. “It’s as if he died just yesterday. Aside from being cold, there is no change.”

“How is that possible?” I glance at Erik, who looks equally shaken. “A year has passed.”

“We’ll find out for sure after I examine him. You’ll have my report in a few days. I need to test his blood, which is going to take a while since I’m working alone without a full laboratory.”

“I’ll arrange one for you.” Erik sounds defeated.

I can sense that my mate wants to stay, but it’s been a long day for everyone, and I want her to rest. “I’ll be taking Leanna home now.”

“No, you won’t.” Erik gives me a grim look. “A message arrived from the North. Your presence is needed.”

I stiffen.

If a message arrived at the palace here, that means it was sent by the elders.

What are they up to now?