Page 11

Chapter 10

Meera

I floated, weightless, wrapped in a warm, blissful embrace. My cheek pressed against something impossibly soft, and I let out a contented sigh. It was perfect—until I shifted, the need to move nagging at my limbs. Bones popped and cracked to the side as my skull rolled against what felt like a doughy cloud. Every muscle ached, as if they’d been stuck in the same position for too long.

My eyes fluttered open, my vision blurry despite my attempts to focus. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, pale blue with hanging lights. I squinted trying to make out the shapes. They looked like . . . flowers? White flowers with petals that changed from dark blue at the tips to a brilliant white light at the center. They were mesmerizing.

Until I realized what should have been glaringly obvious. My apartment ceiling was the old popcorn stuff that went out of style thirty years ago. I had ‘boob lights’ as my sister called them—weird half spheres that tapered to the slightest dark point in the middle. That wasn’t the only thing that tripped up my senses. This mattress was divine, which meant it definitely wasn’t mine. That sucker had springs that creaked if I breathed too heavily.

Panic flickered at the edges of my thoughts. Had I gone to the bar last night?

I struggled to gather the scattered fragments of memory. There was wine. Someone’s lips against mine. Music that pulsed through my veins. A rush of energy, something electric beneath my skin. But everything was fractured, floating in and out of reach. The only thing I was sure of—besides the deep ache in my joints—was this odd pressure on my legs, an unfamiliar weight pressing down.

I groaned, the multiple flower lights stabbing into my skull like tiny daggers. This was a hangover. Had to be. And I was definitely dehydrated now. Still, did it matter whose bed this was when it was this comfortable? Maybe I could stay here forever. The pull of sleep was tempting, and I moved to roll onto my side.

“Hey! I was sleeping there,” a masculine voice protested.

I shot upright, my head spinning from the sudden movement. Everything lurched, the world tilting sideways as I fought against the vertigo. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my equilibrium to return.

“Always the moment he walks out. I called it. Told him it would happen,” that same voice grumbled.

My breath caught as I turned. He sounded like Ryan Reynolds, but I couldn’t be so lucky. He wasn’t even a man. A massive cat lounged across my legs, his head tilted slightly, one ear twitching as he studied me. What kind of cat was that big? A Maine Coon, maybe? His black and silvery white fur seemed to ombre from his neck down. His mane was fluffy and white, framing a black feline face with orange- golden eyes.

There was no way. Maybe someone spiked my drink with something. That would explain the voice?—

“Fine, I guess I’ll just handle everything myself. Like always.” He sighed, lifting a paw to his face and licking it with lazy precision.

I froze. The voice was definitely the cat.

What the what ? Where was I? Fucking Wonderland?

I panicked. My gaze darted wildly around the room, taking in the fireplace, the reading nook, the massive bed draped in fur-lined blankets. The wooden posters were intricately carved, familiar in a way I couldn’t place, though none of this was truly recognizable.

It was too weird. Too much.

I looked down, my breath catching as images from last night began piecing themselves together. The ball. The chase. The fountain. The prince. I had gone home, started packing, and then… Sadie. I texted my sister. But that message—it had been interrupted by a voice.

Not just any voice. The voice. The one I would recognize anywhere.

My hand flew to my lips.

No. No. He didn’t ? —

A door slammed, but it wasn’t in this room. A quarrel filtered into the room with jarring clarity, and a female voice rose in righteous indignation.

“Vareck! What are you doing? Why is?—”

Whatever miniscule hope I still had that this was just a random one-night stand vanished like smoke in the wind.

“Is that any way to greet your king?” another woman said. Her tone was deeper. Less pitchy. Definitely chastising.

There was a short pause.

“Apologies,” the first woman said stiffly. “ Your Majesty , my son is still missing?—”

“We’re working on it,” the second female said. I didn’t get the impression she cared for the first woman much. “Guards are sweeping Seattle’s Arcane District as we speak.” Gods. My family. Were they safe? The Arcane District was my home. It was the supernatural equivalent of Little Italy or Chinatown. Most major cities had a version of it, but the one I lived in was the very first of its kind.

“Working on it? It’s been over thirty-six hours!”

I gasped in shock. Holy shit. I was out for that long?

“And you have the abductor in your rooms! Why isn’t she in the dungeons?”

Suddenly I understood the disdain. I wasn’t one to make snap judgements, but something told me I’d be in a world of pain if the first woman had her way.

“Eleanor,” Vareck said, deep voice rumbling. Goosebumps broke over my arms, and it wasn’t because I was cold. “I’m handling it.”

“But—”

“Are you questioning me?”

A short pause followed. “N-no . . .”

“Kaia, please escort the lady back to her quarters. We can continue this conversation when you return.”

“I can walk myself?—”

“Of course, my king.” A note of amusement touched her tone. “Lady Eleanor.”

A loud feminine harrumph sounded before someone stomped away. A few seconds later, the silver door handle turned. My attention snapped back to the predicament I found myself in.

Frantic, I kicked at the blankets, trying to free myself from the tangled mess of fur and fabric. The weight lifted from my legs as I swung one over the side of the bed, but before I could fully escape, my other foot caught on the cover.

I tumbled off the bed with a heavy thud, groaning as I landed in a heap on the floor. My dress had hiked up over my hips, and the blanket still clung stubbornly to one of my legs.

“She is beauty, she is grace,” the cat drawled as the door closed. A lock clicked into place, making my heartbeat thrum like a hummingbird’s wings.

The memories of last night rushed forward—his words binding me, demanding my compliance. Fear and fury crashed through me in equal measure. I pushed myself upright, scrambling backward until my back hit the wall.

I dug my heel into the carpet and shoved backward, kicking at the tangled blanket in a desperate attempt to free myself. I thrashed, wild and unrelenting, my breath coming in sharp pants?—

“Meera?” The soft rumble of his voice made my chin snap up.

Dark brows knit together in concern. He had both hands lifted in a sign of surrender, but I don’t know why. He wasn’t the one in danger. I noticed a tattoo on one hand with deep red lines that twisted around his wrist and formed a sword in his palm.

Instead of approaching, he knelt at the other end of the bed, putting us near eye level.

“Where . . . where am I?” My voice was hoarse, every note grating.

“Where do you think?” He arched an eyebrow, as if challenging me to answer my own question. I swallowed, but it hurt, my throat was too dry.

“Faerie. ”

Vareck nodded. “We’re at the castle.”

“This,” I swept my eyes over the room. “This is your bedroom?”

He hesitated for a moment before inclining his chin once more. “It is.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Why do you think?” he asked in return. I scrunched my nose in annoyance.

“You can’t just answer every question I ask with a question.”

His full lips twisted, like he was fighting a smile.

“I can’t?”

“Ugh!” I threw my head back without thinking. Stone met the back of my head, and I groaned in pain. Something suspiciously like a laugh sounded from the bed. Probably the damn cat.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what? Hurt myself? Wasn’t trying to,” I muttered, rubbing at sore spot.

Vareck shook his head. In amazement? Confusion? Disbelief? Let’s be real, it was probably all the above.

“You’re not what I expected,” he said slowly.

I snorted. “I hope that’s a compliment.”

His lips pulled up into a grin. “It is.”

We stared at one another and the tension pulled taut. Warmth ran through my veins. My breath hitched. Vareck cocked his head, definitely hearing that sound. His pupils dilated, eating up the icy blue.

I cleared my throat, breaking the spell.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked again, harder this time. I tried to reach for a thread of compulsion but failed miserably when a slight wave of nausea washed through me .

Vareck must have noticed what I was attempting because he lifted a brow once more. Still, he didn’t comment on it. “Here being the castle or . . .?”

“Yes.”

Vareck sighed, moving to sit on the floor as well. He bent one leg and extended the other. His elbow propped up on his knee. For such a large man he moved silently.

“How much do you remember?”

“You must heal fast, given the cut I gave you didn’t scar,” I replied. It was true. Where his cheekbone had split, there was only smooth unblemished skin now. Vareck chuckled.

“So you remember enough, then.” He inclined his head. “After you threw the dagger you collapsed, leaving me with two choices. Either I stayed in the human world and waited for you to wake, or we returned to Faerie. As you can see, I chose the latter.”

I huffed a humorless laugh. “Returned to Faerie? That’s a nice way to say kidnapped.”

This time both his brows lifted. “You really want to accuse someone of kidnapping right now?”

I pressed my lips together. He had a point.

“Why here specifically?” I said, changing course. “Surely there are enough rooms in the palace that you didn’t have to bring me to yours .” Another laugh sounded from the bed, and it was definitely the cat.

Vareck smirked, ignoring the feline. “That’s what’s bothering you?”

“I never said it bothered me.”

“You didn’t need to,” he replied. I waited for him to continue, but Vareck seemed content with his non-answer.

“So—” A quiet knock at the door interrupted me .

“Vareck?” I recognized the voice as the second woman from earlier. The one called Kaia.

“Come in,” he answered, still speaking in that quietly confident tone.

The door opened and closed once more. Footsteps sounded, then a woman came into view. I eyed her warily, recognizing her instantly. She had been standing beside him at the masquerade.

“Meera, this is Kaia, the commander of the Royal Army.”

Neither of us spoke.

A smirk curled up one side of Kaia’s full mouth. “Nice to meet you, dream girl.”

My eyes flashed to Vareck’s, and he looked away, as if embarrassed.

“I wish I could say the same,” I replied after a beat. “Are you here to torture me?”

Vareck’s head snapped up while Kaia merely snorted.

“No,” he insisted.

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. “But the prince . . .”

“Vareck, can I have a word with you?” Kaia said.

He hesitated, his face unreadable when he looked me over. I’m not sure what he found there, but with a heavy sigh he got to his feet. They disappeared from view then exited the room. Muffled voices sounded from the corridor a moment later, letting me know they hadn’t truly left.

I slowly got to my feet, intending to listen at the door so I could hear what they were talking about. Instead, my head swam the moment I stood. I rested a hand against the wall to steady myself.

“He won’t hurt you. ”

“Huh?” I turned, remembering the talking cat was still here. His tangerine eyes watched me with interest.

“Vareck. He’s got a reputation for being ruthless, but he won’t hurt you.”

I stumbled away from the wall. “I kidnapped his nephew.”

The cat chuckled. “Yeah. Most entertaining thing to happen in a decade if you ask me. Eleanor is in a tiff. Damon will be fine, though. Probably.” He didn’t sound very concerned. I suppose that was to be expected. He was a cat, after all.

“What makes you so sure he won’t hurt me?” I asked, glancing around for a glass of water to soothe my parched throat. No such luck.

“You’re his mate.”

I froze. Ice spread throughout my veins in fear.

“You’re high on catnip. Mates don’t exist anymore.”

“Oh they exist,” the cat said. “No one can feel the bonds because of the curse—but not even that could stop them from existing.” He stood up, arching his back in a stretch.

I was at a loss for words. I was arguing semantics with a talking animal. Instead, I moved toward the window. Based on the lack of scenery around us, I could only assume we weren’t on the first floor, but I wasn’t sure how high up we were.

Peering over the edge, a pang of disappointment hit me. We had to be two, maybe three stories above a sloped roof. Too high to jump.

The cat insisted Vareck wouldn’t hurt me, but I couldn’t pin all my hopes on that. I’d heard the woman from the hall. Damon’s mother. Eleanor. He’d been gone for a day and a half already. Eventually Vareck would have to do something if he didn’t get information out of me, and the truth was, he couldn’t. I was bound by the terms of the contract.

Something brushed up against my legs, making me jump. I glanced down to see the cat winding his way between them.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? I’m sucking up on the off chance you’ll take pity and feed me.”

I opened my mouth to respond when the bedroom door suddenly opened again. My body jerked, arms flailing.

The cat between my legs merely purred as I fell backwards.

Glass shattered. Then I was falling.