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Chapter Eighteen

Colbie

T hankfully there are no parties, and dinner is a family affair with Gryffin’s and Hunter’s families, as well as Violet in attendance. My friend looks radiant, her skin glowing with health, and I mention it to her.

“Gretchin took me to the warded room, and I was able to shift, then Layla showed me the queen’s secret garden, and I was able to spend time playing with the plants.” She giggles happily, and I give the queen in question a grateful smile.

“Thank you,” I tell her, and she waves a hand.

“Our garden has never looked so incredible. I knew fairies were good with plants and animals, but I had no idea they were that good. Despite winter being on its way, the flowers are blooming again, and she rejuvenated the vegetables and herbs so they will continue to produce during the cold weather. She’s very talented,” Layla praises, and Violet blushes prettily.

“You’re a fairy?” Talon asks, and Violet blanches, biting her lip in worry before nodding.

“Yes. Is that a problem?” she asks, and I glare at Hunter’s brother, daring him to say it is. I’ll shift and bite his head off, future brother-in-law or not.

He shakes his head, and the sudden tension at the table eases. “No, not at all. I’d love to see your shifted form sometime. I’ve never met a fairy shifter before.”

I breathe a sigh of relief as Violet releases her poor lip and smiles shyly at him. “I’d like that.”

“You mated Liam!” Gracelin shouts, suddenly pointing at the matching bite marks on our necks. I was hoping nobody would notice—not because I’m embarrassed or ashamed, I just kind of wanted to enjoy it without the added pressure of sealing the bond with the others. Of course I can’t get anything past these shifters, and my beast really didn’t go for subtle.

Everyone’s attention switches to us, and it’s my turn for my cheeks to heat. “Yes, I did.” I glare at her for drawing attention to us, and she smirks at me.

“That’s wonderful, Colbie.” Evie claps her hands as everyone congratulates us.

“One step closer to being crowned!” Lucas beams. “Now you just need to mate the rest of them.” Layla nudges him in the side, and he coughs. “Uh, I mean no pressure or anything,” he mutters, and Layla rolls her eyes, but it makes me smile. I hope we end up with an amazing relationship like theirs.

“No!” The cry has me turning my attention to Archie, who is seated between his parents. He scrambles in his chair, standing up on it, and waves a hand at me. I frown when I see it’s bandaged, but before I can say anything, he shouts, “You are going to be my sidepiece, remember? I got you a ring and everything!”

My mouth drops open in shock as he digs around in the pockets of the robe he’s wearing over his pajamas. He frowns and pulls out a box. “Ha! Here it is.”

He scrambles out of his chair and, avoiding both his mom’s and dad’s arms, he rushes toward me. I push my chair back and crouch down as he approaches me, worried about how upset he is. Tears stream down his face.

“Please, Colbie, please be my sidepiece. I love you more than he will.” He holds out the box, and I gasp in shock when I find it contains a huge ass ring, one with a diamond big enough to feed a small nation. Archie glares at Liam, his eyes shining brightly, and he bares his teeth and growls.

Liam smothers a grin, but my attention returns to the ring in his hand. “Wow, Archie, that’s…” I trail off, not sure how to even describe it.

“Archie, baby, where did you get that from?” Mia asks, staring at the ring in confusion. “I’m almost certain it’s from the royal vault.” She looks at Lucas and the other two queens for confirmation.

“You know, I think you might be right,” Lucas says, frowning, but then he shakes his head. “But no, that can’t be.”

“Say yes, Colbie,” Archie pleads, ignoring his grandparents, and I take the box from him and put it on the table before pulling him into my arms, hugging him tightly. He sags against me and inhales deeply.

“You smell so nice,” he mutters, and I rub a hand over his back, trying to calm him down.

“Archie, you will always be my first friend here in the castle, but Liam is my mate, and so are Gryff, Brodie, Hunter, Gem, and our new friend, Micah.” Archie pulls away and glares at the men around the table before his gaze stops on Micah, and his eyes widen.

“I know you. You’re on Dad’s team. You’re a fish man, and you have a big weapon.” He pushes away from me, hurries around to Micah’s chair, and climbs up into his lap. “You’re going to be my new best friend. Can I see your weapon? Is it really sharp?” Archie mimes stabbing things while I gape in surprise. Archie has completely forgotten me in his awe of his new friend.

“Wow, how does it feel to be replaced by Micah’s big weapon?” Gracelin sidles up to me, and we watch with amusement as Archie, completely distracted now, talks to Micah who just blinks, a little shell-shocked.

“Can’t say I wouldn’t mind seeing Micah’s big weapon either,” I mutter to her, and she giggles while Liam, who must have heard what I said, snorts with amusement.

“Getting greedy, are we?” he asks, pulling me down to sit next to him again.

“Archie, where did you get this ring?” Mia holds it in her hand, looking perplexed, unable to let go of the issue.

“Oh, Mr. Vallen told me I could have it if I helped him with a special task,” Archie tells us, and the table falls into a loaded silence. “There were lots of rings in the big room, and he let me pick which one I wanted. That one was so big and shiny.”

“What task did you help him with?” Lucas asks, standing up, his body tight with tension. Everyone else in the room instantly becomes on edge, and goosebumps erupt across my arms as my creature reacts in kind.

“Oh, he said if I was a very brave boy and let him cut my hand and put it on the lock and say the special words, the door would open, and we could see the treasure. He was right! It was just like magic, and I said the special words, and the door opened for me. Mr. Vallen says I’m very special, and not everyone can do what I did.” Archie’s chest puffs up with pride, but Lucas growls.

“That fucking bastard. How dare he use Archie to do his dirty work?”

“What’s going on?” I hear Violet whisper to Talon, who shrugs.

“I have no idea.”

“You think he got into the royal vault?” Bryson is also on his feet now, his hands clenched into fists. Gracelin hurries around to Archie and grabs his hand, pulling the bandage off it.

“I thought it was from playing pretend with Lucy,” she tells us, but when she holds up his hand, we see a large, slightly healed cut across his hand.

“It hurt, but I was brave and didn’t cry,” Archie says, tugging his hand away from his mother and crossing his arms defensively. “I was a hero. Mr. Vallen said so.”

Gracelin scoops Archie up, tears in her eyes. “Of course you were.”

“The royal vault is keyed to our bloodline. Only someone with our blood would have been able to get in,” Evie explains, looking sadly at Archie. “How dare he con a child into helping him break into the vault?”

“But Colbie is queen now. Surely it changed to her bloodline,” Gryffin argues.

“Not until she has been crowned.” Sable shakes her head. “But what could he have wanted from the vault? Unless he was helping himself to a bonus for years of service. It’s filled with highly valuable items, but all of them are recognizable as belonging to the crown.”

Something occurs to me, and I jump to my feet. “Didn’t you say the spell book that contains the spell for humans becoming shifters is in there?” I look at Lucas, and he pales and rushes from the dining room. I hurry after him, and I hear a lot of the others following as well.

I trail him through the palace and down a flight of stairs to a room I haven’t been to before. It contains a huge, barn-like door that has a locking mechanism with a control panel. Lucas shifts a finger, and a claw forms. He slices across his palm and slaps it against the biometric scanner. The light on the panel turns green, and there’s a loud click. Lucas grabs the handle and pulls. The door is large and heavy, and even with his strength, it takes a moment to open, but when it’s ajar enough, he slips through, and I follow him.

I stop just inside the door and gape at what I see.

This is like a pirate’s treasure trove or a dragon’s hoard. There are piles of gold coins and bars, jewels, paintings, and sculptures just to name a few things, but toward the back of the vault is a glass-covered display case, and that’s what Lucas makes a beeline for. When he gets there, he looks down, and I see his body sag for a moment.

“It’s gone. That bastard took the book. Bryson, bring me Vallen Tideman and his family now!” Lucas roars. Turning back toward the entrance, I find everyone there except for Violet and Hunter’s siblings.

“Right away, sire.” Bryson salutes the king before snapping his fingers.

“Boys, care to join me in tracking down a traitor?” I watch as my mates and Adam all stalk after the general and shudder. I wouldn’t want to be Councilman Tideman right now. The menace and air of violence coming off those men is enough to send the bravest man running and screaming.

“So is Tideman behind the ferals? Did he kidnap the children?” Gracelin has Archie on her hip, and she jiggles him slightly when he tries to climb down and touch all the pretty items.

“He could be, or someone could have paid him to get the book. I can’t believe he thought about using Archie to get it. It never occurred to me that it would be a possibility. I’m so sorry.” Lucas scrubs a hand through his hair. I still haven’t told them about my meeting with the goddess and that the book can fix the ferals.

“Let’s return to dinner. Tideman and his family can wallow in the cells for a few hours. There’s nothing like knowing you’re going to be interrogated to make a person sweat,” Mia suggests, and the rest of us return to the dining room. The atmosphere is subdued as we continue our meal, but I want to wait for the others to return before I tell them everything I learned.

It’s Evie who breaks the silence. “Why would he want the book? He can’t use it. It’s less than useless for him without the royal power and he can't open it. Unlike the vault which opens to anyone in the royal family, the book will only open with a drop of Lucas’ blood,,”

“I might have an answer for that,” I tell them, putting down my fork, but before I can share my conversation with the goddess, the general, my mates, and Adam return, and none of them look happy.

“We searched the entire castle for him, but he’s gone, as are his wife and children. It looks like they left in a hurry though. They didn’t take many of their personal belongings,” Bryson grumbles as the rest of them retake their seats. “I’m going to send a team to track him.”

He turns to leave, but I jump to my feet.

“Wait, I have some information to share with everyone. You should hear it,” I tell him, and he looks at Lucas, which annoys me, so I glare at him. “Bryson, I know you have been serving Lucas for a long time, but I am queen now.”

I see Sable smother a grin and look down at her hands, and I get a nod of approval from Layla. Bryson frowns and nods, taking a seat. “You’re right, forgive me, my queen. It will take a little adjustment for me,” he says ruefully.

“It’s okay. It’s going to take a little adjustment for all of us, I’m sure. A few more minutes aren’t going to make a big difference. To be honest, I have no doubt Tideman is long gone. The cut on Archie’s hand is almost completely healed,” I point out.

“Shifters heal a lot quicker than humans,” Gem says and holds out his hands to take Archie from Gracelin. “But I can make it so it’s completely healed.” He tickles the boy, and Archie squirms, giggling with delight as Gem sits down with him on his lap and cups his injured hand with his own large ones. “This might be a bit warm,” he warns as his hands start to flame. Archie squawks with surprise but holds still.

“Archie, when did you and Mr. Vallen go into the vault and get my pretty ring?” I ask him, drawing his attention away from the healing flames.

“Miss Lucy was going to take me to see the kittens in the stables before I had a nap, but she was taking too long talking with Miss Isla, and I didn’t want to wait, so while they weren’t looking, I snuck off. Mr. Vallen stopped me when I got to the abominable fountain.”

“The what?” I ask, completely confused, and there are a couple of chuckles around the table. Gracelin pulls out her phone and sends a message, glaring at the screen.

“There’s a fountain in the middle of the front entrance of the castle. You didn’t come that way when you first arrived, so you probably haven’t seen it. It was commissioned by Queen Rowena. It’s supposed to be in her likeness, but it’s the most gaudy, horrific thing I’ve ever seen. I wanted to have it removed, but apparently it would damage the foundation of the palace, so it has to stay,” Lucas explains, and Evie laughs.

“He calls it the abomination, but Archie can’t say it.”

“Abominable is actually fitting,” Mia admits, but Gracelin is glaring at Archie.

“Are you telling me you were going to leave the castle again without anyone? Archer Lucas Frankland, you have pushed your luck one last time. You are banned from having dessert for the next week.” Her calculating gaze slides to me. “And I forbid you from having Queen Colbie as your sidepiece.”

There’s a small, loaded silence, and I see Adam wince. Archie bursts into tears, wailing loudly, but Gracelin just picks him up once Gem finishes healing his hand and passes him to another female shifter who ran into the room. Unlike the palace staff who all wear a uniform, she’s wearing a smart pair of pants and a fitted shirt with sneakers on her feet, which actually makes sense if this is Archie’s nanny.

“I am not happy, Lucy. You were derelict in your duties, allowing Isla Tideman to distract you. This is not the first time Archie has gotten away from you. Consider yourself on notice. If this happens again, I will have to replace you.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m so sorry. Isla and I went to school together, and she was just asking about some mutual friends. I swear I turned my back on Archie for mere seconds,” Lucy explains, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

“Take him to our apartment. He’s grounded until further notice.”

Lucy retreats with a wailing Archie, and everyone breathes out a sigh of relief once the door closes behind them.

“You are vicious,” Gretchin compliments her sister.

“Pfft, it won’t last. That child could get into trouble in his sleep.”

“So the Tidemans have at least a five hour start on us. Hell, they could be in another kingdom by now.” Hunter brings the conversation back on track.

“But why take the book? It doesn’t make sense,” Evie says, and I know it’s time to share what the goddess told me.

“Because if they can stop me from being crowned and get the power to accept someone else, then they can make as many shifters as they like and fix all the ferals they’ve already created.”

“What do you mean, fix the ferals?” Lucas snaps, and I sigh.

“I had another enlightening conversation with the goddess,” I reply, then I proceed to tell them everything she said.