Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Colbie
I ’m not wearing a watch, and my phone is in a backpack because it’s useless underground, so I lose track of time, but it feels like we’ve been down here for days. When we finally see light at the end of the tunnel, I’m not the only one who picks up the pace, but the six of them do shove me to the back of the group and pull out their weapons, preparing for anything that may be waiting for us.
Good thing they do, because when we emerge from the tunnel, I discover we are surrounded by armed and masked guards bearing the symbol of the Chaos Kingdom.
“Drop your weapons, and no one will be hurt,” one of the masked men orders. “The king requests your presence for dinner this evening, and I would prefer that you come willingly than have to drag you there, chained and cuffed.”
The man’s voice makes me shiver with unease. The only thing visible on him are his eyes, which are a stunning pale green very unlike Hunter’s beautiful emerald green ones. The rest of him is covered by a formfitting leather uniform with a hood and cowl covering his head and face. A long sword is strapped to his back, and he is covered in knives and guns in various holsters.
I slide my gaze to the side, sizing up the men and women accompanying him. Some of them are wearing the same hooded uniform as him, but the rest are just wearing normal military garb with no head coverings. They are, however, all armed to the teeth. We are definitely outgunned, and I’m not sure any of us could shift quickly enough without getting injured. This is also the Chaos Kingdom, which means all of these armed assailants are a mix of species and, as such, unpredictable.
The guys must realize the same thing, because they drop their weapons. “Fine, but if anyone so much as looks at the queen strangely, then all bets are off,” Hunter growls, smoke drifting from his nose.
“Of course, dragon. We want her safety as much as you do,” the original man says as his team separates. He leads the way, the rest of them surrounding us. No one makes an aggressive move as we follow him to a cavalcade of cars awaiting us.
I glance around at the desert surrounding us on all sides, apart from the sealed road that leads away from the area. The first man opens a door to one of the middle cars, a luxurious limo large enough for all of us. He gestures for us to climb in as the rest of his team enters the remaining four cars. Hunter and Micah climb in first, and Gem gestures for me to follow them when he hears Hunter call, “Clear.”
The leader of the guards holds out a gloved hand and helps me into the vehicle with a polite head nod. I perch on one of the bench seats, and I’m surprised to see him follow directly after me, taking the vacant spot beside me. The others enter after him and spread out on the remaining seats, Gryffin on my other side, all of them focused on the armed man next to me.
“Who are you?” Liam asks as the door closes and the vehicle starts moving.
I peer out the window and see two cars are in front of us and two guard the rear. All of the vehicles are flying little flags on their hoods bearing the symbol of the Chaos Kingdom.
“I am the king’s head assassin,” the man replies as he sprawls in his seat, relaxed and calm like he has no concern about being surrounded by seven powerful shifters. “And his liaison between the Chaos and shifter kingdoms.”
Gryffin tilts his head to the side. “You’re Titus?” he asks, and I hear the curiosity in his voice.
The assassin’s eyebrows jump in the first sign of emotion he’s shown so far. “You have heard of me? Did your father share secrets with you?”
Gryff shakes his head. “No, I overheard him talking to one of my mothers about you a few years ago—something about being grateful the new king wasn’t as big of an asshole as the previous one, but he wasn’t sure if his new liaison wasn’t going to be one.”
I feel Titus shake with what I think is amusement if the twinkle in his eye is anything to go on.
“Yes, I’m sure he still feels that way.”
“What does the Chaos king want with us?” I ask him, and he turns those stunning pale green eyes my way. He seems to be looking directly into my soul, but without seeing the rest of his face, I can’t even begin to guess what he’s thinking.
He shrugs elegantly. “That isn’t for me to say, but I can assure you he means no harm. A ruling royal from one of the other nations hasn’t set foot in Chaos Kingdom before.” He slides his gaze to Gryffin. “Though that isn’t the case for you, is it, princeling? You and your bond mates have made use of our delights a few times.” Gryffin scowls but doesn’t deny it. Titus returns his attention to me. “My king is a curious male with many secrets. I’m sure he is just extending the hand of hospitality. He will put you up at the castle, you can speak to him, and then you can continue on your way, but it could be you find exactly what you are looking for when you speak to him,” he says vaguely before turning his attention to the window, like being in our presence doesn’t concern him one bit.
The tension in the vehicle is stifling. My mates are on high alert, and my creatures are bristling with agitation, but it’s not aggressive agitation—it’s curiosity and no small amount of lust. They are attracted to this male and curious about how he can be so relaxed surrounded by all of us. I squirm in my seat, unable to keep still, and try to distract myself by watching the scenery go by. I know I’m not fooling anyone. I bet my mates can smell exactly how I’m feeling. Brodie smirks at me with knowing eyes, and Liam alternates between glaring at me and the male beside me. I bet I’m going to get an earful when we’re finally alone. I do appreciate his restraint though. When I catch Gem’s gaze, his face is pensive as he glances back and forth between the two of us. Hunter, Gryffin, and Micah all watch Titus closely, but I think the three of them are having a telepathic conversation as well. I’m sure they will fill me in if it’s anything I need to know.
“The Chaos king’s assassins always wear those cowls and hoods when out in public so no one can ever identify them,” Gryffin whispers quietly in my ear, but I don’t doubt that Titus can hear him. I don’t know what crossbreed he is, but all supes have good hearing.
“So what kind of half-breed are you?” Brodie asks bluntly, and although I was just thinking something similar, I scowl at his lack of tact.
“Brodie,” I hiss, “that isn’t polite. You shifters hate it when people ask you the same thing.”
“Aren’t you a shifter as well, Your Majesty?” Titus drawls calmly, ignoring the tactless wolf.
I startle at his question but feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Yeah, but it’s new for me, so I don’t care if someone asks me what I am.”
“So what are you?” He leans forward slightly with anticipation, but before I can answer, Hunter growls.
“That information is need to know only at the moment, and you don’t need to know.”
Titus waves a hand, casually dismissing the dragon. “Oh, I already know. Quite the special little cupcake, aren’t you?”
My mouth drops open in surprise, and my mates’ animals all respond with aggression, the limo filling with growls and rumbles.
“How do you know?” Micah asks, reaching for a knife sheathed on his thigh.
“Uh-uh, I allowed you to keep your weapons in a show of good faith. Stabbing me now would go badly for everyone.” Titus’s tone is deadly, and I reach over and place a hand on Micah’s, halting his movement.
“It’s fine. He’s an assassin and spy, and for all we know, Lucas told him.” I narrow my eyes on the assassin who gives me a slow wink. I’m almost certain he’s grinning beneath his face shield.
The tension in the vehicle is still high, and the silence we’ve drifted into is stifling as the desert soon gives way to a lush tropical oasis. I lean forward in my seat to get a better look out the window. Exotic palms and bushes dotted with a flower I don’t recognize line the streets and gardens of the residences we pass. Cute little cottages and family homes spaced far apart to give everyone a sense of privacy soon give way to a denser area. Apartment buildings, shops, and entertainment venues are in abundance, and the streets are full of people socializing and having a good time.
“What time is it?” I ask Titus. I know we left Zalfari around eight, and we walked for at least six hours to get here, as well as the stop we made at the hot springs, plus we’ve been driving for half an hour.
“It’s almost five in the evening, just in time to have dinner with the king,” he replies, pulling a cell phone out of one of the numerous pockets in his uniform. He sends a short text message as the buildings give way to more lush tropical land, and we pull up to a large set of closed gates. Guards exit a nearby gate box, both armed and wearing severe expressions on their faces. Titus merely lowers the window, and once they catch sight of him, they melt away, and the gates open.
“They can’t even see you beneath that getup. You could be anyone,” Gryffin points out, and Titus chuckles.
“I can assure you they know who I am, and no one would dare try to impersonate me or my four brothers. They would find themselves on our bad side, and that is never good.”
“You’re that confident?” I ask.
“The Chaos king’s assassins get whispered about in all corners of the kingdoms. He probably has the right to be that confident,” Micah says flatly.
Before anyone else can say anything, the vehicle pulls up in front of a lavish palace, and it’s at least the size of the one I now reside in. Steps lead up to double doors with guards standing on either side who are also fully armed. Neither of them move a muscle as the vehicle comes to a stop and the driver jumps out and opens the door for us. We climb out, and once again, we find ourselves surrounded by the rest of Titus’s team, who have piled out of the other vehicles.
“Is this all really necessary?” I ask, waving my hand at them. “We came along peacefully.” I narrow my eyes on the assassin. “And if you know what creature I am, you know I could have shifted and killed every one of you within seconds.”
“But could you have? You are still new to all this, and I’m sure you haven’t had a lot of opportunities to practice shifting. We could have put bullets through all of you in the time it would have taken you to change.” He stares at me, his gaze calculating, and I have the urge to rip that fucking mask off his face so I can see it.
“Maybe, but I guess we will never know,” I taunt him. “Unless you’re scared that you don’t actually have a chance against us, which is why you need all of this backup. The great Chaos assassin is scared of a bunch of shifters and their new, inexperienced queen.” I smile widely, and his body stiffens as he clenches his fists. Typical male. Have a go at their skills, and their pride overshadows any common sense.
He waves a hand, and his team stops in their tracks. “But, sir,” one of the females starts to argue. His head swings toward her, tearing his gaze from me, and she blanches at whatever she sees. Nobody says another word, and they make themselves scarce. I’m sure there is a barracks around here somewhere just like at the palace in Aramis.
“Come,” he snaps, and the two guards open the double doors as he approaches, giving him a head nod as he passes. Titus doesn’t even wait to see if we follow, and the seven of us exchange a glance.
“We could make a run for it now. I could shift and fly us out of here,” Hunter suggests, but I shake my head.
“No, let’s just get this over with so we can find Nox. The last thing we need is to have to avoid the Chaos king’s assassins and guards while we look for him, and I don’t doubt he’d send them after us if we ran. He obviously knew we were coming, and it won’t hurt for me to meet him,” I reply quietly.
“I agree,” Gryffin says, his eyes staying on the assassin’s back. “My father trusts him, so I say we do too. Dad is rarely wrong.”
“How does he explain his council then?” Liam says dryly.
“Inexperienced and the shock of being the shifter king,” Gryffin growls at his teammate.
“Fair,” Brodie agrees as we follow the assassin into the palace. Unlike the shifter palace, there are people everywhere in this one. We pass many parlors filled with beautiful people who are talking and laughing, drinks in hand. None of them pay any attention to us. Staff members dressed in uniforms stop and move aside whenever they see the assassin approaching, their eyes wary and postures tense.
“Not winning any friends here, are you?” I call out, trying to get a rise out of him, annoyed at how blasé this man is. He doesn’t consider us a threat at all, and that has my creatures gnashing their teeth, wanting to bite him just to prove they can.
We pass a fountain that makes me pause.
“Now that is much nicer than the abomination in the front of the Aramis castle,” Gem says, stopping with me.
It’s of four ladies, all with their backs to each other in a circle. Each one is slightly different. One has fangs, talons for nails, and almond-shaped eyes, while another has wings coming from her back. A third has a book and a potion bottle in her hand, and I recognize the final one, except she has clawed fingers, her eyes have elongated pupils, and she has the tail of a wolf.
“That’s Aramis.” I point her out to Gem. “Or I think it is. She didn’t have those animal features when I saw her.”
“The others are Eryx, Shayla, and Tanith.” He points to each of them. “The four goddesses of the realms. It seems the Chaos Kingdom reveres all four. It’s not surprising, since they don’t have one of their own and they allow all manner of people to reside here. It makes sense, to be honest.”
We move on, winding through a myriad of corridors. There are so many that I feel completely turned around, but Micah hums his approval.
“This setup is genius,” he mutters to us.
“What do you mean?” Gem asks just as quietly.
“This is designed to cause confusion for any intruders who may try to breach the palace walls. They would end up turned around and lost on their way to what I’m assuming is the throne room in the middle of the building.”
“Very good, Captain,” Titus calls back with approval in his tone.
“I bet they have secret passageways with a more direct route for anyone in the king’s trusted circle,” Hunter murmurs under his breath barely loud enough for us to hear, let alone Titus, but he does.
“It is a good theory,” he says flippantly as we approach another set of double doors with guards standing on either side. They push them open without a word from the male, and he doesn’t even slow in his pace.
What I thought was going to be an extravagant throne or ballroom actually looks more like cozy, comfortable, yet spacious living quarters. There are sumptuous couches scattered around the room in bright jewel colors. A large bookcase with a fireplace built into it lines one wall, and a huge skylight overhead shows the rapidly darkening night sky, the stars beginning to appear.
A blond man reclines on the couch, looking up as we enter, and a huge smile crosses his face when his lavender eyes meet mine. I can’t stop the gasp that leaves my mouth at the sight of him. Apart from his blond hair, it’s like looking at a slightly older, more masculine version of me.
“Holy shit, do you have a twin?” Brodie exclaims as the man and I stare at each other, his expression full of hope.