Page 248 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Yes, it’s a young female and a wolf shifter. I can have them brought out to you.”

“Excellent, thank you Trenton. Once again, you have shown yourself to be exceedingly useful.”

Trenton smiled again. “Don’t mention it. I will ask my casters to focus on retrieving more so you may more thoroughly explore this theory.”

I nodded, already writing down some preliminary thoughts and notes.

“Bring me the female and the wolf. The sooner I can get this organized the better. I’m running out of patience. Her obsession with The Dark Prince is getting out of hand. She’s becoming more and more unstable.”

Trenton laughed. “Tell me about it. Though, it’s doing wonders for my sex life. She’s absolutely unhinged in the bedroom.”

I gave him a cool glare. “I have no interest in what you do with the Queen in your spare time Trenton. Save the sordid details for someone who cares.”

Trenton smiled and shrugged. “Maybe you should take her for a ride. It might loosen you up a bit.” He sneered and I scowled at him.

“Bring me the bonded pair, you’re wasting time.” I snapped, and he chuckled darkly, before heading out of the colosseum to retrieve my new subjects.

If this worked, it would change everything. I would be able to set my plan in motion much earlier than I had originally anticipated.

I grinned up at the throbbing crystal, smiling at the little glowing hand prints that slid down the stone from the inside.

Still so much work to do, and so little time. Ah, well. It would all be worth it when I finally had the power I needed to purge the world of its impurities.

Magickal blood would reign, and we would no longer live in fear of mortals discovering our kind. That disgusting half breed that my daughter had adopted would be the first one on the wall. I would nail her body to a spike and use her death as an example for those that dared betray their species and cross breed with damn animals.

Just a few more loose ends to tie up, then the real fun could begin.

Rycon

Ifollowed Kasha’s scent to the meadow, where I found the flower crown she had made herself. If I wasn’t so sick with worry, I would have found it fucking adorable. I snatched up the crown, holding it to my nose and inhaling her scent. She hadn’t been here for a few hours now. I needed to hurry.

I closed my eyes and inhaled again, sorting through the myriad of scents around me until I found hers. A hazy line of catnip that wafted through the air, growing stronger in places where she must have stumbled and brushed against a tree or a rock.

Still clutching the little crown, I took off at a brisk, tireless jog, following the trail of her scent deep into the jungle.

I almost lost her for a bit, when I came up to a stream. She must have walked through the water, in an attempt to hide her scent. She was so fucking clever. If she was trying to make sure Anaya didn’t follow her, this would have been a great way to do it. As it was, Anaya wasn’t the one looking for her. It was me, and she couldn’t hide from me.

I stalked up and down the river bed, until I found what I was looking for. A tiny drop of blood on one of the smooth river stones.

Kasha’s blood.

She was bleeding.

My grip tightened around the flower crown, rage coursing through me at the thought of my mate, injured and alone in the fucking jungle, because of that stupid snake.

I was glad I hadn’t just outright killed her. She was going to bleed for this. I was going to make her rue the fucking day she touched my mate.

Back on the trail, I followed the periodic splatters of blood as they appeared on the riverside, until I picked up her scent again. She had exited the water after walking roughly a kilometer upstream, crossing to the other side. I picked up the pace, the smell of catnip getting stronger with each step.

Then I heard her. I frowned, it sounded like she was… fighting something?

Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!

She didn’t have her powers, she could get seriously hurt out here. I bolted in the direction of Kasha’s grunts and screams, my heart rate increasing more and more with each step. My lungs were burning and my whole body was screaming at me to eliminate the threat to my mate as quickly as possible.

I exploded through a dense line of Kapok trees and found myself in a clearing. The thick canopy of the rainforest was open here, and the full moon illuminated the space with a bright wash of cool silver moonlight. My eyes fell on Kasha, who was holding a hand out in front of her, with her eyes closed, and her face flush. She was alone, and not fighting anyone. What had she been doing out here?

“Kasha?”