Chapter Seven #2
“Enter,” Lucas calls as all of our attention turns to whoever is on the other side. The door flies open forcefully, and a uniformed attendant stands there, breathing heavily. He looks to be in military garb, and not the normal uniform of the palace staff.
“Your Majesty, come quickly. Something happened in the throne room—something you need to see right away.” I’m not sure whom he is talking to.
His eyes dart between me and Lucas as if he’s unsure which one of us he should be addressing as well.
Lucas pushes his chair back, and the rest of us follow suit.
“Report,” he demands as we make our way out of the conference room. Gracelin and I exchange a glance, and she shrugs as we follow the guard and her parents through the palace, Violet keeping pace with us.
“What’s in the throne room?” I hiss.
“I have no idea. Dad doesn’t use it unless there is an official engagement with another kingdom or he’s holding a grievance forum with the shifter nation. Though the crowns were moved there after the retirement party so maybe it;s something to do with them”
“What’s a grievance forum?” I ask, trying to keep up with the princess.
Apparently, though, I’m now a shifter that doesn’t come with automatic fitness.
I struggle to keep up with her, and Violet grabs me as I stumble, my coordination not any better than when I was human.
I hear her snicker and glare at her playfully.
Her wings are tucked away again now that the magic has dispersed.
“Once a month, Dad sets aside a day to hear his subjects. Any person who has a problem, big or small, can make an appointment to see him. It allows his people to feel like they can rely on the king to hear their needs. Otherwise, the council would try to block anything they deem unimportant.”
Our footsteps echo through the long corridors, and I swear this place is like a maze.
“A wave of magic washed through the throne room, and when it dissipated, the crowns for the future queen and her mates were altered,” the guard explains breathlessly. I’m almost certain it’s not from exerting himself. Most shifters are fit, so I’m pretty sure it’s the magic that freaked him out.
“Altered?” Lucas repeats.
“You’re better off seeing it for yourself.” The guard looks worried as he holds open the elaborate doors leading into the throne room.
I gape in amazement at the ostentatious room.
The marble columns and floors are almost blinding in the light shining through gorgeous skylights inlaid in the roof.
Massive, sparkling chandeliers hang from the ceiling, which must light the room like a Christmas tree when it’s dark, but a startled gasp and a number of exclamations from my companions turn my attention to the problem at hand.
I catch up with the others closer to the dais at the back of the room.
Sitting on it is a large throne, for lack of a better word, and on either side of the throne are eight slightly smaller chairs.
Above each chair floats a crown surrounded by a clear, sparkling, floating bubble.
“Eight crowns?” Gracelin murmurs as I try to make sense of what I’m seeing. “There were only six to start with.”
“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” I ask, completely bewildered by their reactions.
Lucas runs a frustrated hand through his hair, causing it to stick out in multiple directions, and paces back and forth in front of the dais, muttering to himself. Evie and Mia are having a quiet, intense conversation, and it’s Layla who turns to me, her eyes troubled and confused.
“When a new king or queen is marked, the crowns we used to wear are taken by the goddess’s magic and reformed for the new ruler and their mates.
This happened on the night of our official retirement and the same night you got your marks.
” She points to the bands around my wrists.
“This is how we know how many mates you will have to choose.” She drops her voice and moves closer to me and the two girls, obviously not wanting the guards to overhear her next words.
“With you having a mate bond, that’s now changed, but it still doesn’t explain this.
Watch Team One still only has five members. ”
“Can you find Lady Sable please?” Lucas asks the same guard who got us. “She will either be in her clinic or the archives. Please tell her this is urgent.”
The guard doesn’t wait and tears off back the way we came.
“Leave us,” Mia instructs the other guard, who salutes us and disappears in the same direction.
“Well, actually, Watch Team One has six members.” I don’t hesitate to explain now. “I saw their symbol on a man I met when I was staying with my grandparents for a couple of days when I was first marked.”
This has everyone focusing on me, and I find their collective attention slightly intimidating.
“What do you mean?” Lucas asks and takes a seat on the steps leading up to the dais. The poor man looks overwhelmed.
“When I was first marked, I had a panic attack and thought that if I ran, no one would find me. I stayed with my grandparents and was walking along the beach when the goddess made it very clear that running wasn’t an option.”
“Did you say goddess?” Layla almost chokes on her words, her golden skin turning pale.
I explain my encounter with the deity and how I met Nox. I skip over the more intimate details, but I’m blushing, and it’s not hard to guess why. While I appreciate their attempt at discretion, all five ladies’ eyes sparkle in a knowing way.
“You say this human had a mark the same as our boys?” Lucas asks, frowning. “That shouldn’t be possible.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he was human. He was wearing a pendant exactly like mine. In fact, he gave this one to me. I now suspect he’s a shifter, but as to why he’s living in the human zone and not acknowledging the bond group marking, I have no clue.”
“If he does have the same mark as the boys, then that means he is also your mate. We are going to have to go into the human zone and retrieve him.” Gracelin crosses her arms stubbornly. “You can’t be crowned without him.”
“But what about the two new crowns? Does this mean I now have eight mates instead of six, and who are they? Will they be marked with the same mark? Did Watch Team One’s bond group just grow by three?”
“Gryffin always insisted there were six of them. I guess it’s within the realm of possibility that there are now eight.
The goddess works in mysterious ways.” The voice at the front of the room has us all looking at Sable as she walks toward us, her intelligent eyes assessing the display in front of us.
“Has this ever happened before?” Evie asks her. “Have new mates been added after the initial anointing?”
“No, but nothing about this new ruler has been the same as previous monarchs.” She focuses her attention on me, and it’s all I can do not to squirm under such intense scrutiny.
“First, there were six mates, and then to have two more added later is unprecedented. Plus, Colbie is the first multi-shifter in years, not to mention she’s a hydra, which hasn’t been seen since the war.
I have a feeling our lives are going to be very exciting.
” She smiles at me now, and some of the intense pressure eases slightly.
Lucas stands up and brushes his pants, smoothing out some of the wrinkles.
“Let’s tackle this one problem at a time.
Colbie, you need this Nox person. You should head into the human zone and convince him to come back with you.
Once he realizes he’s mated to the queen, I’m sure he will see reason.
Take the boys with you. Normally shifters aren’t allowed into the human zone, so this visit will have to be off the books to keep it quiet.
If you get caught, we can use the excuse that you want to visit your grandparents before your life gets too hectic. ”
“Then I think we need to appeal to the equine shifters for some tracking help, because finding the shifter children is a priority. Maybe they can also help you track down the final two members of your bond group. That’s if they haven’t appeared while you are away.
I don’t doubt they are newly marked. It would be unusual for three members of a bond group not to present themselves to the bond placement team.
They are probably as confused as you felt when you were first marked. ”
“Does this mean they will all be younger? Bond marks appear around seventeen,” Violet points out, and I grimace at the idea of having two mates who are teenagers. I look at the king, queens, and Sable in horror.
“No, please tell me that’s not going to be the case.” I can already tell that none of them have a clue. Sable puts a hand on my arm and gives it a squeeze.
“Have faith in the goddess. She won’t give you more than you can handle.”
I scoff, the laughter that bubbles up after it bordering on hysterical.
“Seriously? She gave me eight mates. What am I supposed to do with eight mates?” I hear the desperation in my voice, but Gracelin just smirks at me and winks.
“Have a good time. A very good time.”