Page 210 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Enough, Aiden. I don’t feel like helping you hunt down your dismembered body parts again. It was a pain in the ass to get your leg to reattach last time Rycon ripped it off.” Rhyalla muttered as she idly spread some soft cheese on a cracker. “Kasha’s been through a lot, she doesn’t need your horny ass breathing down her neck.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” He asked, frowning. The amused look was gone, and he suddenly looked concerned. We all exchanged a glance, and I pursed my lips.

“We have a lot to tell you.” I said, glancing at Kasha. She dropped her gaze, and I caught a faint whiff of shame. It pierced through the infuriating layer of Aiden’s peat moss scent which was currently mingling with Kasha’s catnip.

“I’ll tell him.” Kasha said, surprising me. She held her head up high and met his mismatched eyes before beginning.

“I am Kasha. Spymaster for The Court of Pride, and former sex slave to Ash Nevra, the Queen of Lust. This is my story.”

By the time Kasha was done, Koda looked exceedingly sad, and Aiden looked like he was ready to go to fucking war.

“I had no idea this was happening.” He growled and Kasha shrugged.

“Not many on this side of The Veil do. None of us felt your kind would care about the affairs of daemons.”

Koda frowned. “It is not that we do not care, Little Sprite. It is that we must think about the safety of our own people first.”

Kasha shrugged sadly. “Same thing.” She whispered, which clearly didn’t sit right with Koda.

“Anyway, that’s why we’ve invited everyone.” Rhyalla explained. “A representative from the lions, tigers, the eagles, and the serpents will be arriving shortly as well. We intend to warn them of the impending war. We are hopeful that the rest of you will agree to help us thwart this evil.” Rhyalla said. “Rycon and I have a stake in the war, so Olkuyrbe will be joining to fight for Raven, considering Rycon is her bonded.”

Aiden had gaped at me when we got to the part of the story detailing how I had been bonded to Raven. He hadn’t looked impressed, which had pissed me off more than I already was.

The longer I sat here next to Kasha with his scent all over her, the more irritated I was getting. I wanted to burn her fucking outfit and rub every single inch of her naked skin with my scent, until there wasn’t a trace of Aiden left to find.

“Well,” Aiden said, leaning back and rubbing his chin. “You don’t need to wait for the big meet and greet to get my vote. The wolves are in.”

As much as I wanted to pummel him for getting his shitty-ass peat moss smell all over my mate, I couldn’t help but grin. I knew he would be in. Kasha beamed at him, and my good mood immediately evaporated.

“Thank you, Aiden,” she said softly, looking at him with a fondness that made me grind my teeth together.

“Yeah, thanks.” I bit out. “Rhyalla, why don’t you show Aiden where he’s staying. Kasha’s tired.” I said abruptly, getting to my feet and pulling her up with me. She needed to change, or I was going to fucking lose it. Kasha frowned at me, confused.

“No I’m not, I’m actually doing okay.” She said, but I tugged her away, steering her back toward the settlement.

“Come on.” I snapped, and she turned back to wave goodbye to Rhyalla, Koda and Aiden, who was watching us again, looking amused. I was going to wipe that fucking smirk right off his face later, but first, I needed to get his scent off her before the others arrived… and before I popped a godsdamn blood vessel.

Kasha

‘Alexa, play Free Animal by Foreign Air.’

Rycon was dragging me back to Rhoan House by the wrist so hard it almost hurt.

“Let me go,” I snapped, trying to jerk away from him, but his grip only tightened. He didn’t reply, and I could tell he was angry about something, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what.

We just had lunch and he had grown quieter and quieter the longer we sat there, and then he suddenly declared to his friends that I was tired and dragged me away.

Funnily enough, I wasn’t tired, for the first time in a long time, I felt a little bit like my old self, and I hadn’t been ready to return to Rhoan House, but he hadn’t really given me much choice.

“Rycon!” I snapped, finally managing to rip my hand out of his crushing grip right as we got to the ladder leading up to the tree house. “You can’t just drag me away against my will and then ignore me when I ask you to let me go.”

He whipped around to face me, and I watched his nostrils flare.

“I need you to go upstairs and take a shower.” He growled; his voice so low it rumbled through the marrow of my bones.

What… the… fuck!?

“Pardon me?” I asked out loud, recoiling from him. “Why!?”