Page 35 of Rejected By the Shifter King

Lysander?A warm rush of concern flowed into him with her thoughts.What's wrong?

Everything was wrong. This whole marriage was wrong. But he knew that was only his pride speaking. Instead, he focused on something more pragmatic.I left money for you. Did you not get it?

Estrella swallowed hard, realizing the time had come for her to confess.I did.

Lysander's gaze narrowed at the way his mate's voice had all of a sudden become small and subdued, almost scared even.Have you been hiding something from me?

Not deliberately, but...Estrella shifted in her feet as she tried to think of the best way to break the truth to Lysander.I know you had plans for the money. The twins told me how it was supposed to take care for all my needs, and at first, I truly did intend to follow your instructions to the letter.

But?

Her mouth opened and closed. The words just wouldn't get out, and she stared up at him pleadingly. A moment later, she heard him sigh in her mind, and she almost expired in relief. It was just like the old days, and whenever Lysander found out she was in trouble, he would simply be exasperated in the end but never furious or, worse, disappointed.

Go on, tell me the lot of it, my Star.

His dry tone made her relax, and this time she found it easy to speak. "When the twins first introduced me to the people as your wife, I was able to talk to some of them, and that's when I learned that the money you gave me could be used for something else."

Something more important than putting your home to right?

Estrella found herself lifting her chin even though she still couldn't quite meet his gaze. "Remember what you wrote? You told me to keep your kingdom safe for me." And because she was looking elsewhere, she completely missed the way Lysander stiffened and how the twins, having finally caught up with them, had turned white at her words.

"So that's what I did."

And that was how Lysander ended up being given the grand tour of what his princess proudly claimed as the world's first anti-vampire defense laboratory. The underground state-of-the-art facility had been built within the secret chambers of an abandoned mine. It was also 100% Fae-owned and its current value was expected to grow exponentially once it went public.

Questions raced in his mind, and Lysander shifted out of Ammon's form in order to speak to the twins directly. "Are there people still investigating the kidnapping attempt on my wife?"

It took Aluin more than a second to reply, having been slightly thrown off by the prince's sudden change of subject. "It's still an open case with local authorities and the FBI, and our own men are looking into it as well."

"I...see.' It was the prince's turn to answer in a similarly delayed fashion. Shrill, internal squealing had commenced the moment he referred to Estrella as his wife, and not only did it hurt his ears like hell, but all the high-pitched noise also had him struggling to hear Aluin's words.

Open case...FBI...local authorities...our own men...

Lysander's face hardened. It was exactly as he expected, but the knowledge that he was right didn't please him at all.

Alain noticed the suddenly harsh expression on the prince's face. "Your Highness?"

"This laboratory." Lysander's tone was abrupt. "Who else knows of it?"

"Outside the people in this room and a few other soldiers with the highest security clearance, the ony ones else aware of it are the immediate members of the princess' Lyccan family."

Shit.This was exactly as he feared as well.

Estrella was starting to feel nervous. "Why are you asking these questions?"

"Because this lab is no longer as hidden as you all think. We either have a mole in our midst or one of us has had his cover blown." Lysander's tone hardened. "This is the reason why none of our investigations into the kidnapping have wielded results. All of us were looking at the wrong direction. The goal of the abduction wasn't to gain Estrella's hand in marriage and become her co-ruler. They wanted to kidnap Estrella in order to find the laboratory—-"

Estrella could feel herself paling as she realized what Lysander was saying. "They wanted to destroy the laboratory," she whispered sickly. Because the ones pulling the strings were the creatures the laboratory had been designed to kill.

Vampires.