Bonds of the Forsaken: A Reverse Harem Romantasy (Her Forsaken Mates Book 1)

6. Kaiya

Slipping off my heels, I walked barefoot down the red velvet carpet of the Science Division HQ, relishing the whisper of each step.

Lady Frexin said to be at her office at 8:30 sharp, so I had to hurry … but I couldn”t resist reveling in the moment a bit.

The sconces along the hallways flickered with familiar white light — so different from the orange glow of the lyphos lamps back home as they cast shadows over the gilded green wallpaper.

I let out a long sigh.

Gods, I”d missed this place. The mysteries, the discoveries … the excitement of a new assignment.

My stomach fluttered at the thought.

A mission briefing was exactly what I needed after that damn ball. If I ever had to listen to one more inane conversation about the gods-forsaken weather, I”d scream.

But I”d done as Lady Frexin required.

The low hum of voices echoed to my right as I turned a corner, and I glanced over the banister. Scientists dressed in cream-color lab coats were discussing something with exaggerated gestures.

A man in the front of the room held out a long metallic tube while a woman motioned toward a tall machine that resembled a massive human skeleton. Several tall glass cylinders filled with blue liquid stood to the left and right, connected to the device via thick rubber tubes.

In the months I”d been gone, they”d nearly completed the so-called ”mech,” and it was stunning!

The workers looked haggard, likely having worked many days without an actual break … but that”s how it was working for Lady Frexin near the end of a project.

She was nothing if not determined.

I resumed my trek to her office as the door to the Relic Disposal Wing opened down the hallway. An armed soldier stood at attention outside while two men carefully stepped into the hallway, holding aloft a large wooden crate.

I stepped aside so they could easily pass, and they offered me a nod as the metal door thudded shut behind them, the familiar clicking and whooshing of unseen mechanisms sliding and spinning inside.

The door was yet another of Frexin”s inventions — one which made the disposal wing even more secure than the Palace treasury. It was a necessary concession considering the danger the twisted relics posed.

Satisfied, they made their way down the hall.

Lady Frexin”s door slammed open, and an all too familiar form stomped out.

Tye.

Those furious yellow eyes widened briefly as our gazes met. But he shook his head and muttered something under his breath before storming past. His shoulder barely brushing my own.

A brief flutter of unease stirred in my belly as I watched him go.

Lady Frexin had promised it would all be okay.

But it was only a matter of time before he found the evidence he was looking for.

”What”s got a fire under your ass?” asked a familiar voice behind me.

”Fuck off, Prince,” Tye growled back.

I spun around to see Tye knock Jaiel”s hand off his shoulder before continuing his angry walk out the hall.

Why was Jaiel here? Hadn”t he just been bragging about an orgy he was heading to?

”What did you do this time?” he asked as he strode toward me. His eyes tight as he stared after Tye”s retreating form.

”Hey! I”ve never done anything to him.”

”And yet —” He cocked his head.

I gritted my teeth. ”Why are you here? I thought you were on a mission to fuck everyone from here to the Fae continent?”

”Dimiri requested I attend a briefing in Lady Frexin”s office,” he said, lifting a brow. ”What about you?”

Gods. He was connected to the mission?

All the excitement I”d been feeling just moments before disappeared at the thought.

Frexin”s door opened, gently this time, and her familiar voice filtered through. ”You are too kind, your highness. Consider the matter resolved.”

I froze. Highness?

A moment later, a large man with angry sunken eyes wheeled through the open door, pushed by a royal attendant. He sat in a large, ornate wheelchair, and wore a spiked crown atop his wrinkled, bald head. That stone crown was unmistakable — King Torsten, one of the three rulers of the Empire, had been meeting with Lady Frexin and Tye.

Jaiel dropped into a low bow and I into a deep curtsey as they wheeled him past us and down the hall. His retinue of royal guards followed closely at his heels.

My heart raced and my mind spun. King Torsten was a known recluse, but when he got involved, the response was swift, and often involved severe punishments for those who failed or wronged him.

He was not someone I wanted even thinking about me or my work, and if Tye had told him something …

”Miss Maderoth, Prince Kierstall,” Lady Frexin said as the sound of footsteps faded down the hall. ”Please come in. The King has a mission for you.”