Chapter Three
Chapter
Three
Brodie
We don’t mess around once we have Archer secured.
Hunter sets a fast pace toward our borders.
Once we enter the forest that delineates the neutral zone from shifter grounds, he shifts, and I help Archie onto his back before climbing up behind him.
Normally I would shift and run by myself, but I want to be here to make sure Archie doesn’t fall.
Hunter flaps his giant wings, and we take to the air, Archie whooping with pure joy.
I smile at the kid’s reaction as the wind whips past us.
Hunter’s speed is unparalleled in the air.
Archie always begs Hunter to take him flying every time we visit the castle, but his overprotective mother always says no.
She’s not here now, though, and I’m sure she will forgive us when we return her son to her safe and sound.
Flying on the back of a dragon will be overshadowed by the worrying fact that he was kidnapped.
Archie is the grandson of the current king and queens. They have three children themselves, and Archie is Princess Gracelin’s son. Neither of the other royal children have found mates yet despite the mounting pressure from their parents.
Archie is lucky, Hunter’s voice rumbles in my mind. He could have disappeared without a trace like the other three children who are still missing. Someone is obviously targeting shifter children, but to go after the king’s own grandson is bold.
We suspected the witches were taking our children.
They are the closest, and the vamps and fae are too far away.
The other logical conclusion is a human.
But why? I muse, my grip on Archie tightening with my worry.
Thankfully he doesn’t notice, just stretches his arms wide to pretend that he’s flying.
I’m sure it means nothing good. It also bodes badly for shifter-witch relations, and goddess help the humans if it’s them.
It’s a terrible time for it. On the full moon, the new king or queen will be selected, and they are walking into a shit storm of epic proportions.
Do you think the timing is deliberate? he asks.
Without a doubt. What better time to stir up trouble when the shifter species is in a time of transition?
The castle comes into view, and Hunter spirals down toward the large courtyard. Guards run out holding weapons, but I see them relax when they notice the deep purple dragon. Hunter is the only one of his race who is that color.
But the witches and shifters have always been on good terms. In fact, we’ve been at peace with all three other races for many years. I can’t imagine that they would risk that after all races were almost annihilated by humans two hundred years ago.
So what? A rogue witch? He guesses as he puts his wings out to slow our descent and make the landing gentle.
I would assume so, but we’ll leave that up to the king and his queens to determine.
The witch queen will be here for the coronation of our new king or queen in a few weeks.
I’m sure they will get to the bottom of it.
Until then, we’ll warn our people to tighten the security on their children and widen our search for the remaining missing ones.
Dad will spin a story so as not to panic the shifter population.
I feel his renewed determination to find the other missing children.
We’ve managed to keep the news from the general shifter population up until now, but we can’t afford to do that any longer.
Widespread panic isn’t going to help either.
This is really a bad time for any upheaval.
The transition of a new king and queen is always a little rocky for the first year until they find their footing and get used to shifter ways.
I swing my leg off Hunter and slide down his body before turning around and gesturing to Archie. He crosses his arms stubbornly, and his lip juts out in a pout. “No, I’m not getting down.”
I chuckle. He looks so much like his uncle, one of my best friends, at the moment that it’s comical. “Your mother will be here at any moment, and what do you think she will say when she sees you riding a dragon?” I ask, and his eyes widen before he quickly leaps.
Luckily I have quick reflexes and catch the small boy before he can damage himself.
I lower him to the ground as Hunter shifts back into his human form.
Thankfully our watch uniforms are spelled to change with us so he’s not naked, because the castle doors fling open and the king and queens run out, followed by their two daughters.
“Archie!” Gracelin cries, pushing past everyone and snatching him out of my arms. Adam, her mate, joins them, wrapping his big arms around the two smaller figures. His bear’s rumbling growl sounds both relieved and aggravated at the same time.
“Brodie, Hunter, where did you find him?” The king asks as his wives surround the family, fussing over the little boy.
The rest of the guards fade away, leaving behind only General Bryson, the commander of the shifter army and Hunter’s father.
Bryson is a large man, and his oldest son Hunter is practically his twin, but King Lucas is slighter, not quite as tall, and he has a long, lean figure indicating he would excel at stealth just like his tiger.
Bryson grips his son’s shoulder in greeting but does not show overt affection when on duty in public view.
“Actually, we didn’t find him. A human in the neutral zone did and tried to report him to the watch,” I explain as the four of us make our way back into the castle, followed by the rest of the royal family. The only one not around is the king’s son, but I know why, so I’m not particularly worried.
“A human?” The king frowns as he leads us through the extravagant castle that is their family home.
Many of the rooms are only used for special occasions, but I can tell he’s leading us toward his family space.
Soon, they will move out of this castle for the next king or queen to take up residence.
They have a family compound nearby they will move into.
All outgoing royal families are gifted them from the goddess as part of their retirement package.
“Tried to report it?” Bryson growls, sounding annoyed. Not only is he the general of the shifter army, but he also is the night watch commander.
I sigh and turn my attention to my boss. “Gianna was manning the switchboard tonight. You know what she’s like.”
He grumbles and shakes his head. “That girl has gone too far. I never should have allowed her mother to convince me to hire her.”
“What is she like?” the king asks, not hiding his annoyance, and Bryson runs an agitated hand through his hair as Hunter and I exchange a glance.
Gianna is a man eater. I’m almost certain the only reason she took the job with the watch was so she could be around all the strongest shifters.
She wants her pick of the crop and often lets her ambitions to snag a strong husband get in the way of doing her job properly.
She’s also not particularly fond of humans.
“Gianna told the human she had no teams to send, but the human female says she didn’t even get a chance to tell her about the cub before she was cut off,” I reply before Bryson can answer. The man is like a father to me, and I hate that he has to explain the behavior of one annoying shifter woman.
The king’s tiger rumbles inside his chest, and Bryson’s dragon joins in. I wouldn’t want to be in Gianna’s shoes.
“I will see to Gianna. She’s going to be very sorry she didn’t prioritize her job over her need for a husband,” Bryson growls, and I wince. I don’t like Gianna, but I’ve been on the end of Bryson’s ire before, and it’s not fun.
“No, send for her. I want her to explain to my face why she neglected to take an emergency call when the watch was on high alert for a missing child. Even if she didn’t know all the details, she was still neglectful in her duties.
The night watch is there to keep the neutral zone safe, and she failed,” King Lucas demands, and Bryson lowers his head in acknowledgment of the order.
He pulls out his phone and shoots off a message before turning his attention to Hunter and me.
“Tell us about the human. Are we sure she found Archie and wasn’t the person who took him in the first place?
” Hunter’s father asks as we enter the royal family’s living room.
The king waves all the staff away, leaving us alone.
We make ourselves comfortable, the tears staining Gracelin’s cheeks making me feel thankful that we found her son in one piece.
She’s always been like a sister to me, and seeing her despair was heartbreaking.
“I’ll kill her, and nobody will stop me,” Adam rumbles, his fur bristling on his arms as he struggles with his shift.
The three of them find a couch, and Gracelin puts a hand on her husband’s arm, warning him to be careful.
Archie rests his head peacefully against his mother’s chest, but at his father’s words, he sits bolt upright.
“No, leave Colbie alone. She was nice to me. I love her, and I want to marry her,” he declares with hearts in his eyes, stabbing his father’s chest with his little finger.
It breaks the tension in the room as we chuckle at his declaration. He’s too young to realize shifters don’t marry humans—or not often, anyway.
“No, Archie is right. The woman protected him. He told us he was snatched up from the stables when he snuck out of bed last night and went to play with the kittens. From how he described them, we think it might be a witch. He claimed they smelled like moldy hay,” Hunter explains, leaning against one of the walls.
I take my place next to him as the queens and Princess Gretchin find a place to sit.
King Lucas and General Bryson also remain standing.