Page 87 of The Queen’s Shadow

‘Good morning, Raven. Sleep well?’ He purred into my mind, sounding pleased with himself. I snorted.

“You know exactly how I slept, asshole.” I snipped and he chuckled softly.

‘Careful my love. Keep calling me names and I’ll have to think of some creative ways to punish you.’

“Stop it. I mean it Amon. You can’t just disappear for five days then come back out of nowhere and expect me to be okay with it.” I snapped. I angrily scrubbed shampoo into my hair, working it into a frothy lather before tipping my head back to rinse it out. It was that crappy hotel shampoo that always seemed to make your hair tangle more easily than normal. It was not helping my mood.

He sighed in my mind, sensing that I was not going to let this go.

‘I know, my love. I’m sorry. I wanted to check in sooner, but I was… indisposed.’

I squeezed the tiny bottle of conditioner out into my hand and did my best to work it into my ends. I scowled at the now empty container. I never felt like they gave me enough. I missed my shower in The Court of Pride.

“What does that mean? Indisposed? What is happening over there?” I pressed, and he grew quiet for a moment.

‘I am not sure. Ash Nevra and Kieran have harvested a large piece of soulforge. They have it planted in the middle of a large underground colosseum of some kind. I’ve been charging it with darkness for the last five days. It has been… challenging, to say the least. The amount of energy that the soulforge calls for is extensive. It has made it difficult for me to do much else.’

I felt awful that he had been forced to push himself so hard, but I couldn’t deny that a large part of me was relieved that he had just been forced to charge whatever this soulforge thing was. I had been expecting much worse.

Amon explained to me the significance of soulforge while I finished up the rest of my shower and got changed. I slipped into my armor and strapped my shadowstone blades across my wrists, before pulling my hair back in a long sleek ponytail.

‘So how are things there? No luck finding Kasha?’ He asked gently. There was no hint of accusation in his tone, just soft concern. I shook my head, sighing.

“Not yet. I’m getting pretty frustrated, and the team is burning out… Rycon…Rycon is -”

Just then, the panther in question slammed the door to my room open. I had asked the front desk to give everyone keys, since we were using my suite as a sort of meeting base before we went out each day.

‘For Origin’s sake, he looks like shit.’ Amon commented as Rycon entered. I winced at the truth in his words. He was right, Rycon had definitely looked better.

It was more than just stress. Something else was going on that he wasn’t telling me. There were dark shadows under his golden eyes. His normally bronzed, olive skin was sallow and pale, which felt at odds with the sunny and hot climate we had spent the last five days in. As usual, he was wearing his restructium suit and dripping in weapons.

“Pops and Sparks are getting breakfast, then we’re going to The Gilded Harlot.” He informed me. He had taken to calling Cerenah ‘Sparks’. I had no idea why, and hadn’t bothered to ask. She didn’t seem to mind the nickname, in fact, her lips tended to tip into a sad little smirk when he called her that. So, I refrained from commenting.

“I got a tip last night that some patrons were bragging about getting advanced access to the chameleon.” He informed me.

His skin rippled as he said the words advanced access and he winced as if the thought had caused him pain. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“You mean like, at this very moment? Or in general?” He asked snidely, before throwing himself into one of the upholstered salmon armchairs that sat in my suite’s sitting area. He threw his head back, pressing his index finger and thumb into the corners of his eyes. It was as if he were trying to rub away the pressure of a migraine.

“All of the above. You look like shit.” I pressed, and I could almost feel Amon raise an eyebrow in agreement in my mind.

“I don’t remember asking for a therapy session, Kitten. Until I do, fuck off. I’m fine.” He snapped at me. Amon snarled in my mind, and I rolled my eyes.

‘Calm down, he’s just grumpy.’ I said, but my mate’s anger continued to grate against the inside of my skull.

‘If I was there, he wouldn’t speak to you like that.’

I almost laughed out loud. ‘Oh, he most certainly would.’ I smirked and Amon paused, before relaxing finally, chuckling.

‘I suppose that is true. But I would have enjoyed punishing him for it all the same.’

‘You’ve been away for too long. You’ve forgotten that this is just what he’s like. He doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s also stressed. It’s killing him that we haven’t found Kasha yet. We are usually up early and out all day when it’s quiet, but I’m pretty sure he goes out alone at night too.’

Amon softened at this and sighed. ‘You will find her. I know you will.’

I nodded, though I was starting to feel less sure. This city was huge. We still hadn’t even fully scoured the entire boulevard. It felt like we were searching for a needle in a haystack.