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Chapter Twenty-Three

Colbie

W e move quickly through the neutral zone, keeping to the back alleys and arriving at the checkpoint without too many hassles. A human man is waiting for us there. He hands us the keys to a car and an access pass to open the gate to the parking structure. He nods his head at me and wishes us a safe trip to visit my grandparents, though I can see by the speculation in his gaze that he knows we are doing something completely different.

Of course he does. There would be a record of my grandparents entering the neutral zone and staying, but it seems like General Bryson’s counterpart is going to look the other way. Hopefully that means he isn’t in on the plan to take me out before I can accept the crown. He disappears into the checkpoint office as we climb into a large black car that fits all seven of us. Hunter takes the wheel, and Micah is in the passenger seat. Brodie, Gem, and Gryffin are in the middle row, then Liam and I are in the back. Liam looks a little squashed, and I wrinkle my nose.

“Maybe we should take two cars. Nox isn’t going to be able to fit in here with us if we find him,” I reason as Hunter pulls the car out of the parking structure and onto the road. It’s clear, with no other traffic coming and going from the neutral zone.

“Hunter or I can fly if we find him, but probably me because I can cloak myself from human view.”

“Gem’s right. I’d rather us all stick together than worry about being separated if we are attacked,” Gryffin says, and the car falls silent. Only the quiet sound of music playing over the radio can be heard above the sound of the tires on the road as we make our way to the city. The roads stay relatively empty, and it takes a lot less time to get to my grandparents’ village than it did on the bus. There’s no constant stopping and starting to let people on and off.

When we get to the village, I give him directions to Nox’s off-road track to get to his cottage. When Hunter pulls in behind it, there are no lights shining through any of the windows, but then again, he wouldn’t expect company at almost three in the morning. We pile out of the car, but I hold up my hand as the others head toward the house.

“Whoa,” I hiss at them. “The last thing Nox needs is to be ambushed by a group of you. He’s obviously hiding for a reason, and seeing all of you on his front porch is a good way to send him running out the back door. Hold back and let me speak to him first,” I order them, and Gryffin goes to argue, but Brodie doesn’t let him.

“Gryff, the queen gave an order, and your mate is asking nicely.” He turns to me and smiles.

“Call out if you need us. We’ll be there in seconds.”

“Actually, I’ll be there quicker.” Gem fades out of view, and I sigh. I guess one of them is coming with me after all, but it seems to make the other guys less anxious. Gryff nods and leans against the front bumper of the car, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Be careful.” Liam kisses me on the temple, and I start toward the front steps. The salty smell of the ocean reaches my nose as I get farther away from my mates, but I can still smell Gem’s ashy whiskey scent, even though I can’t see him. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore muffles the sound of our feet. I mount the steps, and in the moonlight that shines through the thick cloud cover, I notice the chairs that used to be there are gone, as are the surfboards and surfing paraphernalia. The deck is completely empty, and my heart sinks. I have a feeling when I knock on the door, I’m not going to get an answer.

Taking a deep breath, I do just that, but like I assumed, Nox doesn’t come stumbling to the door, sleepy and sexy like I imagined. There’s nothing but silence and the sound of the crashing waves. Gem fades into view and puts his hand on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

I sigh. “I should have known that once he saw I was the shifter queen, he wasn’t going to stick around for me to find him. Now what? He could be anywhere in the kingdom. Hell, he could have fled to another kingdom. That’s what I would do. That’s what I contemplated when I was first marked with these.” I shove my wrists out, showing the marks on them.

He frowns. “Yeah, but you realized there was no running away and stepped up to accept your responsibilities. This dude just keeps running. Being marked as part of a bond is supposed to be a privilege. It’s an instant family.”

I scowl. “I only stopped running after being given a stern talking to by the goddess who told me there was nowhere I could escape to. Don’t be angry with him, we don’t know what Nox has been through. There must be a reason he felt like he couldn’t be a part of something like that. Maybe he thought he didn’t deserve it.” I think about something he said to me. “But I have a feeling it wasn’t his family that made him that way. He mentioned his sister visiting.”

“Well, if he has a sister, then the equine village should be our next stop,” Gem says as we walk back to the car. “He’s not here,” he tells the others when we get there.

“We guessed he might not be, and I heard what you guys were saying. The equine village will be the best place for us to look next. Zalfari is quite a distance. It sits at the base of the Aramis Rift.”

“Can we take the car?” I look at it with hope, not relishing the idea of flying all the way there on Hunter’s back. It’s probably going to be pretty damn cold.

Hunter nods. “Yes. The neutral zone doesn’t actually separate the two zones completely. We can drive around it and go through one of the other checkpoints along the divide closer to the village.”

“We will have to stop when the snow gets too thick, since the roads aren’t plowed that far out, and go on foot. It’s already quite thick at that elevation, or it was when I was there last,” Gryffin tells me, and I frown.

“When were you there?” I ask. I remember him mentioning something when I told them about being their mate, but I had so many other things running through my head, I didn’t really pay attention.

“That night when I saw you in the stables, I had just returned from there. I was looking for our sixth, but it was weird. The alpha of the village was cagey, and you said it is supposed to be an equine village, but he’s a lion shifter, and I didn’t scent any equines close by.”

A rumble comes out of Liam’s chest. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“He said there was a curfew because of feral shifters hiding out in the Aramis Rift, but something just seemed to feel wrong about it. There is something off about that village. It was like they were just trying to get rid of me, and I had to get back so I didn’t really question it.”

“So we need to go in expecting trouble then? We didn’t bring any weapons with us.” Brodie shifts uncomfortably. “Should we return to watch headquarters and grab some?”

Micah shakes his head. “If we go through the checkpoint on the way there, then there is a military base where we can grab what we need.”

“We don’t really need weapons with the combination of shifters we have, and with Micah’s experience, we’re kind of a formidable team,” Liam points out, unable to keep his hands to himself any longer and tugging me against him. I smother the smile that wants to cross my lips at the fact that he can’t seem to keep his hands off me. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like when I’m bonded to all of them.

“Let’s go. It’s going to take a couple of hours to get where we need to, and I’d like to approach the town in daylight so we aren’t at a disadvantage due to the dark. Gem, you should probably do a fly over in stealth mode and see if you can spot any problems before we go in just to be sure,” Hunter says.

I thought Gryffin was the head alpha of this bond group, but it seems he and Hunter share the role. Perhaps being the general’s son gives him more tactical experience, and Gryffin acknowledges that. I don’t know, but none of them seem to take issue with Hunter’s orders.

We head to the car, and I look back at Nox’s cabin as we drive away, sighing.

“Don’t be sad, angel.” Liam tugs me against his side and puts his arm around my shoulders. “We will find your wayward mate, and all will be right with the world. Soon, all of this will be behind us, and you will wish for excitement in your days of dealing with petty shifter squabbles.”

“With eight mates, I don’t think my days are ever going to be boring,” I mumble, closing my eyes as the car lulls me into a dozy state.

He chuckles, and his whole body vibrates beneath me as he presses a kiss to the top of my head. “No, you may be right,” he says as my eyelids drift closed, and I get more much needed sleep.

* * *

“D on’t wake her. I’ll just grab a few things, and then we can be on our way again,” Micah says, but it’s too late. Something disturbed my slumber. I’m not sure if it’s my stiff body from sleeping upright or the fact that the car stopped, but I yawn and stretch my back, getting off of Liam’s lap where my head somehow ended up.

“It’s okay. I would like to stretch my legs,” I mumble, wiping my mouth to make sure I haven’t been drooling on his crotch.

The car doors open, and the guys in the middle row get out, allowing Liam and I to follow them. After the heat of the car, the cold air makes me shiver as I look around. We are at some kind of military outpost with a huge wall that seems to stretch as far as the eye can see in either direction.

“Wow, I knew the human and shifter zones were divided, but I had no idea that was literal.”

“Shifters are very territorial, and while they generally don’t have a beef with humans, it is best not to test them. The wall runs the length of Aramis, and only the section with the neutral zone doesn’t have it. The goddess herself erected it at the end of the war when tensions were still high.” A voice I don’t recognize has me spinning to see a male shifter in military fatigues approaching us.

“Major Payne.” Micah salutes the man, and Hunter does as well, which surprises me.

“At ease, captains,” he says, and my eyebrows jump. I hadn’t realized Hunter had a rank. I thought he was just a part of Watch Team One. Maybe that’s why Gryffin deferred to him. “Prince Gryffin.” The man bows his head slightly, and it’s Gryffin’s turn to acknowledge him. “What are you all doing here? I had no reports from the general or the king saying you were coming through.” His tone is neutral, but there is suspicion in his eyes, and his gaze lingers on me too long.

“Queen Colbie is on a diplomatic mission to Zalfari. She is extending an invitation to the equine shifters to nominate a member of their ranks for a council position.” Gryffin gestures to me, and the major snaps to attention, kneeling and bowing his head with respect.

“My queen, it is an honor to meet you,” he says and waits for me to give him the command to rise. I don’t know if I like all this genuflecting, but I guess it must be a shifter custom, because most of them have done it when meeting me.

“Please rise, and it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Major Payne,” I say, and he gets to his feet.

“Zalfari you say? What do you need from us? An armed escort?” he asks, but Micah shakes his head.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I just wanted to grab a few weapons as backup.”

“But you can conjure yours out of thin air,” the major says. “Why would you need more? Are you expecting trouble? If so, we could accompany you.”

“You can conjure your weapon?” Liam looks impressed, and Brodie looks like he’s dying to ask Micah to show him his sword. Micah rolls his eyes and holds out his hand.

In a burst of magic, a three pronged trident appears in his hand. It’s silver with markings on it, and there is a gorgeous, large, white pearl in the center of it. “I can, but it’s not very practical. A gun is quicker and cleaner than me stabbing everyone with this,” he explains as it disappears again.

“That’s so cool!” Brodie is giving off that golden retriever vibe, and I bet if he was in wolf form, his tail would be wagging.

“Yes, but slightly impractical. I’ll head to the armory and get what I need, if that’s okay with you, Major?” Micah asks, and the major gives his approval.

“We aren’t expecting any trouble, but I like to be prepared for any occasion. I won’t take risks with the queen and prince’s safety,” Hunter explains, and the major seems to accept his reasoning.

“Do you have a restroom I can use please?” I ask the major, my bladder becoming very insistent all of a sudden.

“Of course, follow me.” He starts back toward the large building that Micah disappeared into, and I follow him, flanked by Brodie and Liam, with Hunter bringing up the rear.

“Are you coming?” I ask Gem and Gryffin, but the phoenix shakes his head, gesturing between himself and the prince.

“We’re going to take the car and fill it up at the gas station, then grab us some food for the rest of the journey. We will have to shift in about an hour, and we are going to need all the energy we can get.”

“Okay.” I wave and follow the others inside, happy to be out of the cold.

“Have there been any problems in Zalfari recently? Any reports on an increase in feral numbers?” Hunter asks the major as he leads us through the command post. I look around, trying to take everything in, but it’s mostly just cubicles with a few uniformed men and women sitting in them.

The major frowns. “Not that I know of. I haven’t had any reports come across my desk, but why don’t we ask Staff Sergeant Jamison. He mans the switchboard that takes reports of any feral sightings, and he has family in the village, from what I understand.” We stop by a desk that has a large blond shifter sitting at it. He looks up with surprise, but his eyes narrow ever so slightly as he takes in the major.

“Can I help you, sir?” he asks politely, his gaze shifting to the rest of us before resting back on his commanding officer.

“Yes. Have there been any reports of feral shifters coming out of the Aramis Rift recently? Specifically in Zalfari?” the major asks, and although he tries to hide his reaction, I see him stiffen at the question.

He shakes his head. “No, sir, not recently.”

“See?” The major turns his attention to Hunter who frowns.

“That’s strange. Prince Gryffin was there recently and said they had a curfew in place due to the rise in ferals.”

The major’s eyes widen with surprise. “A curfew? Really? I mean, it makes sense if there has been a rise in sightings. The residents of that village are mainly equines, which would make a tasty snack for the ferals, so a curfew is a sensible thing to put into place. We know they are more active at night. I’m surprised they haven’t reported it though.” He turns back to the sergeant who is listening closely to the conversation. “You have family in the village, don’t you?”

The sergeant nods. “Yes. My uncle is the alpha shifter there. He takes the safety of his village seriously.”

“What is the main livelihood of the village of Zalfari? I know they guard the pass through the rift, but they must have some other form of income,” Liam asks conversationally, but his jaw is tight with tension. He suspects there is more going on. I can’t say I don’t blame him. My stomach is also tight with tension. Something just feels off, even to me.

“Well, equine shifters aren’t really useful for anything, and they are too prideful to be used for transportation or to pull carts, and the pegasus and unicorns refuse to use their magic to aid anyone else,” the sergeant sneers.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, disgusted by his comment. “Of course they are. They aren’t pack mules.”

“So how do they make any money to survive?” Brodie asks.

The sergeant scoffs. “They sell their magical abilities to other kingdoms. Fucking traitors, if you ask me. They refuse to help shifters, but happily pimp themselves out to anyone who needs them.”

I see the major’s eyes widen in surprise at the venom in the sergeant’s tone, and I can tell all of this is news to him. Before anyone else can say anything, Micah appears, carrying a duffel bag with two guns strapped to his thighs.

“Okay, I’m good to go,” he tells us, gesturing to the bag.

“Oh, Your Majesty, I was going to show you the bathroom. Right this way, if you don’t mind.” The major shows me to the ladies’ restroom.

When I return, we head back out through the base, but I feel eyes on me, and when I turn around, the sergeant is watching me closely. I ignore him and put it down to the fact that he overheard the major call me by my title. So much for keeping a low profile.