Chapter 44
T he following day, I opened my eyes to find Xandros absent from the room. However, Javier is sitting on the couch, engrossed in the television. I stretch my limbs, feeling alert and awake for the first time in ages. “When did you get here?” I ask, my voice still laced with sleep.
“A few hours ago,” Javier responds, his eyes fixed on the screen.
“Where’s Xandros?”
“Working,” he replies before a knock on the door cuts off his words. Javier swiftly moves to answer it, revealing King Rehan standing there.
“Morning,” he greets, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. Javier sighs in response, a subtle sign of annoyance. However, Javier makes no comment as Rehan enters in his stripey pajamas and his slippers like he does each morning.
Rehan moves around the room, pushing all the furniture out of the way to clear space while Javier finishes his coffee. “Some help you are,” Rehan whines at him.
“Coffee comes first,” Javier replies, holding up his mug. King Rehan shakes his head while I move to get into different clothes; my nightie is definitely only appropriate if I intend on flashing the king, which I don’t.
Grabbing some clothes, I slip into the bathroom and change before coming back out, only to have a surprise attack launched on me.
My breath catches in my throat, and for a moment, I can only lay there stunned. As I lie on the ground, gasping for air, Rehan stands above me with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smirk on his lips.
“Cheap shot,” I groan, struggling to get up again.
Rehan and I engage in our morning training session.
We spar, exchanging blows and blocking each other.
In a surprising turn of events, I manage to knock down Rehan for once, a burst of pride surging through me.
I do a little happy dance. However, my celebration is short-lived as my feet are suddenly kicked out from under me.
I fall to the ground with a thud, the air knocked out of me.
Rehan swiftly moves to stand over me, pinning my wrists down. “Don’t celebrate too early,” Rehan scolds. I lift my leg, using my strength to push him off before swiftly pinning him back down. I open my mouth to reply when the door swings open, freezing us where we stand.
We freeze in panic as Queen Adina steps into the room.
Her hair is black and straight, pulled back into a high ponytail.
She wears a black dress, with a black belt and black stiletto heels.
The queen’s eyes widen as she takes in the scene.
I quickly realize how bad this looks, with both of us drenched in sweat and me straddling the king, her mate.
Especially when the queen already hates me.
“What the hell!” Queen Adina snaps, and I immediately jump off King Rehan.
Adina pauses as she steps forward, her eyes lingering on Rehan before darting to me.
Her fists clench at her side as she takes a deep breath.
Javier reacts quickly, placing his body in front of me as a protective shield.
King Rehan scrambles to his feet, attempting to explain.
“Love, it’s not what you think,” he insists, however, she is livid.
“What do I think? What do I think, Rehan?” Queen Adina’s voice trembles with anger.
“I’ve spent the last hour looking for you.
Can you imagine my horror when I asked a maid where you were, and she said in Xandros’s mate’s room!
Do you have any idea how angry he’d be if he caught you in here wrestling his damn mate?
” she snaps; Javier’s hand moves to my hip, pushing me further behind him.
“Training his mate. That’s all. Nothing sordid is going on,” Rehan insists, his voice laced with desperation.
“Sordid? I know that. I would feel if you were sleeping with her, Rehan. I’m angry because you’ve been doing this behind my back, and Xandros he’ll be livid if he finds out. Did you think of how much trouble she would be in if caught in here with you two all sweaty!”
I remain silent, watching the heated argument unfold between Rehan and Queen Adina. Javier stands resolutely in front of me, acting as a buffer between them. I do my best to ignore their words, knowing I shouldn’t be a witness to their quarrel. Queen Adina’s accusations cut deep.
“What have you got to say for yourself, Rehan? Sneaking into her room each morning. I thought I was going crazy and imagining things. I even accused her of hitting on you!” Queen Adina’s frustration is evident in her voice.
“Well, I couldn’t exactly train her in the hall.
Let’s not pretend that you would have agreed to that, Adina.
I had no choice. Xandros definitely wouldn’t have approved, with Vin’s presence, she needs to know how to defend herself.
I know what her parents did, and I know—” Queen Adina abruptly cuts off Rehan’s explanation.
“She isn’t her parents, Rehan. I know that now.
This little scene would have put her at risk if Xandros had walked through that door.
Not from Vin, but from our son. Not in her room.
Somewhere more public. If Xandros catches you training her in her bedroom, he will be furious.
It doesn’t look good, and it seems like you’re sneaking around behind his back.
Hall or not at all,” Queen Adina snaps before storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Rehan and Javier exchange a bewildered expression.
“Did she just give me permission?” Rehan asks, his voice filled with surprise.
“I think so,” Javier admits, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
After Queen Adina is gone, Rehan quickly follows, and Javier goes to get me lunch, leaving me alone in the room.
I decide to take a shower, hoping to wash away the tension that hangs in the air. However, when I’m in the shower, I hear a noise in the bedroom, causing me to freeze. I listen intently, my heart racing when suddenly Tyra’s voice reaches my ears.
“Sienna?”
I quickly turn off the water and wrap a towel around myself before stepping out of the bathroom. Tyra is standing there, peering around nervously. “How did you get in here?” I ask, surprised. She holds up a key.
“Master key. Got it copied,” she replies, glancing nervously at the door.
“I have to be quick. Toby called me. I need you to meet me in the laundry room at 2 PM. I’ve organized an additional pickup; I lied and said it’s extra laundry from Vin’s guard and the extra guests.
Luckily, I was stockpiling extra laundry in case I had to get you out early. ”
“Wait, today?” I ask in shock; that is very little time for me to prepare.
“Yes. The king isn’t due home until tonight. 2 PM, no later,” she warns.
“How am I supposed to slip away? Javier is watching me,” I say with a surge of anxiety.
Tyra rummages in her pockets and produces two pills.
She drops them into my hand. “Put these in his drink. They’ll dissolve and knock him out.
We’ll only have an hour max, before he wakes.
Sleeping pills don’t work on Lycans as they do on humans,” she explains.
I nod, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Also, how would I manage that without him noticing?
Tyra quickly leaves, and I stare down at the dissolvable pills.
Quickly rushing back to the shower, I wash the soap that is still in my hair out. By the time I come out, Javier has returned with lunch. The tray sits on the coffee table while he sits in his favorite armchair, sipping his bottle of lemonade.
“Sandwiches,” he points to the coffee table.
I nod, moving to the walk-in closet and getting changed; glancing at the two pills in my hand, I chew my lip, trying to figure out how I am going to get this in his bottle of lemonade.
When I come out, Javier is sifting through the DVD collection he snuck up here a few days ago.
“Which one?” he asks me, holding up the folder full of DVDs.
“You pick; I’ll probably read,” I tell him, moving to the coffee table. I sit beside his drink, which luckily still has the cap off. I grab a sandwich while he flicks through his folder. Finding one he likes, he gets up, moving to the TV and DVD player.
While his back is turned, I drop them into his drink.
My heart races the entire time as I watch them sink to the bottom.
They fizz, making the bottle cloudy as they do so.
I glance at Javier, who is setting the DVD in place, and my heart rate picks up rapidly as he grabs the remote and turns.
I quickly grab his drink, moving to take a pretend sip of it.
“That one is mine. It’s sugar-free,” Javier tells me.
A bead of sweat runs down the back of my neck as I set it down before I finally inhale. The fizz has stopped, and the pills wholly dissolved.
“Sorry,” I tell him, and he shakes his head.
“It’s fine,” he tells me, taking a sip of his drink.
At the same time, I take a bite of my sandwich and sip my drink.
Javier and I eat, watching the previews on the DVD.
I then grab my book when Javier comments.
“It tastes different,” he mumbles, swirling the bottle. “Did it taste strange to you?” he asks.
“Tasted bitter; I suppose it would with no sugar,” I shrug, dropping onto the couch.
“I hate when they change it; I’ll have to ask Mari what they changed,” he sighs.
I was two chapters into my book when I noticed Javier jolt; peering over my book, I watch him fight against exhaustion. “Are you okay?” I ask him, and he yawns.
“Yeah, the movie is boring,” he states, then shakes his head.
I return to my book, occasionally glancing at Javier; eventually, his head falls forward, and I get to my feet.
Walking over to him, I tilt his head back.
He mutters something unintelligible, and I rest his head back on the couch.
Moving to stand before him, I rummage into his front pockets while my heart thuds rapidly.