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Chapter Forty-Two: Bahira

I tap my pen on the table in the experiment room, my other hand cradling my head as I look over my notes. There doesn’t seem to be any discernible traits between any of the shifters that are stuck in their animal forms. Huffing out a breath, my chair scrapes against the wood floor as I push it back and stand, stretching my arms overhead. I head out into the hall and down the stairs, making my way to the courtyard behind the palace for some fresh air.

A few marble statues dot around its border, and I follow a stone path that is cut into the grass to the first one. My fingers trace along its gray and white edges—the bust is that of a male with a broad chin and a crown similar to the one Kai wore at the dinner to honor his father. Leaning closer, I inspect the image carved on the bust’s shoulder. It’s an animal of some sort with an elongated face, and horns protruding from its head that strike recognition in me.

“Bahira! There you are!” Jahlee’s voice startles me as I jolt back from the statue, my hand flying to my chest.

“Fuck, Jahlee ,” I rasp, earning a laugh from her as she walks towards me.

“Why are you studying Kai’s great-grandfather so intently?” She lifts a brow, the sun gleaming over her wavy brown hair and the cream and gold dress that wraps nearly sheer fabric strategically around her body, ending right above her knees.

“This is his ancestor?”

She nods, her sandals scuffing against the stone as she attempts to link her arm with mine. I step to the side, sliding away from her and earning a snort. “It is. I keep telling Kai to let the palace sculptor carve a bust of him, but it’s like he doesn’t want himself memorialized here at all.”

I can’t say that I’m exactly surprised by that. Kai doesn’t strike me as the type of male who cares about that sort of thing. My focus goes back to the carved animal. “What is this?” I ask, pointing to it.

“An oryx. It used to be the old Crown’s sigil before Kai’s father changed it to the wolf.”

An oryx. It isn’t an animal I’m familiar with, certainly not one I have read about dwelling in the Mage Kingdom. Why would the rebels wear the skull of an animal associated with the family of the very king they are trying to overthrow?

“You look like you’re thinking too hard about something,” Jahlee teases, poking my arm. I send her a glare, which just makes her laugh again as she successfully loops an arm around mine and squeezes tightly.

“What are you—”

“ We are going shopping,” she interrupts, tugging at my arm. My feet stay rooted to the ground making her huff out in annoyance.

“ No , we aren’t.” With my interest in the rebels once more renewed, all I want to do is ask Kai his thoughts. Or Tua even—if Kai finds that he doesn’t want to be in my presence anymore after what happened between us.

“Okay, look. It has been a while since I left the palace grounds during the day. Kai prefers that I go with guards, but it makes me stand out when I do that. He won’t get mad, however, if he finds out you are with me.”

I level a flat look at her. “Jahlee, I sincerely doubt that he can keep you confined here.”

“He can’t. Which is why I emphasized that it’s been a while since I left the palace during the day. ” Her eyebrows wiggle suggestively at me, and the corners of my mouth can’t help but quirk up in response.

“Sneaking out at night? Should I be offended you’ve never offered to bring me along?”

Jahlee laughs, tugging on my arm and making me relent my stance in staying put. “I thought about it, but I didn’t want to interrupt if you and my brother were fucking.”

I swing my head in her direction as we climb the steps back into the palace and walk over the black and white checkered floors towards the front entrance. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

She merely hums in response and then changes the subject to palace gossip. I half listen as we make our way towards Molsi, the other half of my brain pondering the rebels. By the time the city comes into view, I’ve heard enough about who is fucking who out in the open and who Jahlee believes to be fucking in private. She guides us down different rows of vendors, her confident gait familiar with wherever it is we are going. She doesn’t garner as many stares as her brother does, but those who do look seem to share the same animosity about her. Their judgment of her, of Kai, begins to eat at me like an exposed nerve being repeatedly prodded at. Jahlee doesn’t seem at all affected by it, her steps light as she keeps her arm linked with my own.

“What can you tell me about Tua?” I ask out of the blue, interrupting her ramblings after the third clothing shop we stop in.

Her eyes dart to mine briefly before she turns them back out to the crowd ahead of us. “What do you want to know?”

“Do you think he is a good advisor? Does Kai listen to him?”

“I think he enjoys running the kingdom for Kai. I think he likes striking doubt into my brother’s confidence,” she answers, her voice low as her fingers curl in towards my arm. “And this isn’t a good time to talk about it.”

I follow her focus, my gaze meeting the brown eyes of Kane. His eyes flare wide before they relax, and he gives us a stiff wave. Jahlee scoffs, lifting a hand and flipping her middle finger at him before tugging me between two vendor carts.

“Come on, let’s finish our shopping and get home.”

Standing in front of a large mirror, I admire the way I look. After returning from our shopping trip, Jahlee had informed me that we would be having dinner together. I went to protest, but her eyes sparkled with a defiance that told me that trying to deny her would be useless. She had also insisted that we match in some way with our outfits and pulled out the clothing she bought today for us to try on.

Jahlee chose a plum-colored shirt and skirt set, her top barely cinching in beneath her breasts and her skirt sitting low on her hips and flowing down to her ankles. I opted to wear the style of pants she had donned during the dinner party honoring Kai’s father. They are maroon in color and sheer from the ankle up, gradually shifting to more opaque the closer they get to my upper thigh. Long slits from my hip to where they cinch in at my ankles split the rich fabric on the outside of my legs, making it so that a large expanse of my skin shows with each step. My top is slightly longer than Jahlee’s, with thin straps that go over my shoulders. The entire ensemble has gold accents laced around the edges and chains that droop over my exposed stomach in a scallop pattern.

I have never done anything like this with Haylee, shopping and getting ready together. Matching our outfits. I consider her my best friend, one that I told nearly everything to. Yet, reflecting back, we only ever spent time together during training or on a random trip to the tavern for drinks. Rarely had she ever initiated our outings either.

“We are ready, and we look incredible ,” Jahlee sings from behind me.

Smirking, I turn and grab my sandals, slipping them on before we leave. The entire second floor is noisy and filled with people dressed in fine clothing attending to whatever engagements they have. I’m surprised when Jahlee leads us past the stairs and farther into the fray of nobility in the west wing.

“We’re eating dinner here?”

“There is something I want you to see,” she answers, narrowly avoiding a male with broad shoulders who looks like he purposefully stepped into her path.

A flicker of anger sparks within me at the disrespect. I blow out a steady breath and lengthen my stride so that I’m walking beside her, a feat hard to do with how many people fill the hallway.

“Bastard’s sister.” This hissed insult comes from a passing female with short onyx hair and a black tattoo that crawls up her neck.

Jahlee’s steps halt before she twists around, a frightening smile plastered on her face. “How incredibly original. Did it take you long to come up with that?”

The female bares her teeth, her fingers flexing like claws as she takes a step towards Jahlee—a male and female flanking her sides. Her muscles are firm beneath the chiffon fabric of her silver sleeves, the delicate finery completely at odds with her aggressive stance. I brace myself, my gaze traveling over the trio as I assess them.

“Enjoy your freedom while you can, you pathetic stray. The gods can only hope you and your mongrel brother get what’s coming to you.”

Jahlee goes preternaturally still as her eyes bore into the female. Goosebumps sprinkle the skin on her arms, and I hold my breath as I wait for her to shift. Tension warms the air, the atmosphere so charged that I worry one more anxious second will set it ablaze.

“What’s going on here?” Kane shouts as he pushes his way through the crowd lingering to watch the exchange. He has one hand stuffed into his pocket, his gait bordering on a pretentious swagger.

“I am just reminding Jahlee of her and her brother’s place.”

“You do know that threatening a member of the royal family is a criminal offense, right, Lady Apa?” Kane replies as he steps between Jahlee and the other female. He stares her down, her gaze morphing from unfettered fury to knowing resignation. With a huff, she sends Jahlee and I one more menacing glower and then turns to leave, her retinue following.

“What are you doing here, Kane ?” Jahlee demands with a scowl as she clenches and unclenches her hands.

“You’re welcome for that,” he chides, ignoring her question and turning to face her fully.

“Did you forget that it’s summer, or did daddy not help you dress today?” Her eyes draw down his body in a scathing manner, taking in his blue tunic with the sleeves going to his wrists while the center buttons are undone halfway down his torso. He wears it over dark trousers and laced-up boots, the latter of which are flaked with dried mud.

“Watch it,” he fumes, taking a step towards her until there’s hardly any space between them. Jahlee holds firm, tipping her chin up to look at him. “Your brother isn’t here to protect you.”

“Enough,” I snap, shoving my shoulder between them. “We have a dinner we need to get to.”

Kane scoffs, his gaze lingering on my lips before meeting my own. “Interesting that you would stand up for them.”

Jahlee laughs, the discordant sound like the smashing of piano keys. “ Interesting that your master gave you such a long leash today. Run along, little kitty. I’m sure you’ve got some bitch work to attend to.”

Oh, fucking gods. Grabbing Jahlee’s elbow, I push her forward past Kane right as he makes a noise that echoes out deep and throaty, rattling the glass sconces on the walls. Gesturing for her to lead us to dinner, I wait until we are far enough away before I ask, “What the hell happened back there?”

She tries to flash me a grin, but it doesn’t hold the same levity as her usual ones. “I stood up for Kai, that’s what happened.”

“Okay, and what about with Kane? He was just trying to diffuse the situation.”

She barks out a short laugh as she shakes her head. “No, he wasn’t. He wants everyone to think he’s some diplomatic dignitary, floating about between the people and the Crown and relaying what both need to the other. But the truth is, he’s just an asshole.”

I snort, glancing at her. “That sounds like your brother.”

Her finger digs into my chest as she steps in front of me and snaps, “ Don’t fucking say that. They are nothing alike.” Anger burns in her eyes, the soft brown color deepening with it. Slowly, I wrap my hand around her wrist and gently pull her finger away from me. Jahlee goes lax, the tension seeping from her nearly as quickly as it came. “I’m sorry. It’s just, no one looks beyond Kai’s facade. No one gives him the chance to prove that he cares, that he is doing the best that he can. Kai genuinely wants to help our people. He just doesn’t know how.”

The guilt that previously sparked within me flares again as I release Jahlee. “Why do so many hate Kai? Why call him a usurper ?”

Jahlee studies me thoroughly, weighing her answer for a long while before she decides that whatever she has to say is safe with me. “I’m only sharing this because part of the story involves me. Do not ask me for more details than I give you. Kai should be the one to relay the story fully.” A line forms between my brows, but I dip my chin in acknowledgement. “Kai was all but forced to become king. His father called him to the palace under the guise of wanting to speak to him about our mother. But when Kai arrived, he forced him into the ceremony to become the next successor to the throne. He used me as collateral, threatening to kill me if Kai didn’t go through with the ritual.”

Her eyes drop away from mine, guilt ravaging her features so thoroughly that I swallow down any of my follow up questions. “Thank you, Jahlee, for telling me.” I feel ridiculous offering the words, but something within me twists at the way the weight of that night, of what Kai was forced to do, seems to crush her. We return to walking when something she said to Kane snags my attention. “What did you mean about Kane having a master?”

Jahlee rolls her shoulders back and lifts her chin. “I was talking about Tua.”

“Tua? Does he advise Kane as well?” If so, that seems like a flagrant conflict of interest. I don’t even know what Kane’s official title is, but how could Kai allow his advisor to also work with the man who was supposed to be king?

“Tua is Kane’s father.”