next, my voice was my own, if not small and slightly broken.
“What happened ?” I asked. And for a moment, the world went blacker than the night sky above us as my heart seemed to shrivel like a rotten fruit and fall to the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t breathe, and if the world hadn’t come back in to focus just then, allowing me to see the rise and the fall of my sister’s chest, I may have collapsed to the ground like something shattered and irreversible.
When someone placed a hand on my arm, another snarl ripped up my throat, and I jumped backward with my sister clutched maybe a little too tightly in my arms. Another wave of confusion swept me when I saw whose hand it was that had touched me.
“I’m sorry,” Queen Camillia’s eyes regarded me carefully, drifting down to Nelly every other second or so, as if she didn’t want to trust me with my own sister. “I will explain everything later, but we must go now.” Her gaze fell to Nelly once more, and the look that passed behind her eyes made my brow furrow and my arms tighten more fiercely around my Nelly. What in the holy hell was going on here?
“Your sister is fine,” Queen Camillia said, with so much affection that my heart ached a little and an unexplained touch of something like jealousy ran through me. “But we are all in danger if we stay here. We have to go.”
I hadn’t noticed them getting out of the car, but Kayden and my Mother were now standing beside me. Queen Camillia’s eyes grew as large as boulders when she caught sight of my Mother, and a little more anger spiraled in my stomach, remembering that the Queen had been the one who had told me my Mother was dead.
Soraya dashed forward, catching all of us off guard, and leapt into Kayden’s arms. He caught his niece and held her closely. When he spoke, his voice came out steady, but confused. “What are you doing here?” he asked, looking up at Catherine for a response.
“Oh, for Lord’s sake,” Queen Camillia sighed, and came striding forward. She placed her slim hand on Kayden’s arm, and my hackles went up until I realized what she was doing. The Queen was a powerful Searcher. She could explain quicker that way.
When she drew her hand back, Kayden sucked his breath in sharply. He turned to look at me, and the look in his golden eyes was so full of alarm and something else akin to horror that I turned on my heel and began running back to the Mercedes with Nelly still clutched in my arms.
“Wait!” I heard someone cry, and it took me a moment to recognize Tommy’s voice. I spun around to face him. “We all have to leave! We can’t go back now. Victoria, got get the van,” he said, and when the wolf tipped its head sideways Tommy ripped his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to at her. She caught it out of the air between her teeth and loped off into the trees.
“The keys should be in the glove compartment! Head southeast!” shouted the Queen, and turned to face me once again.
All eight of them were staring me, or rather, at my sister, who lay in my arms. I could have screamed out loud, I was so damned confused. “Someone tell me what the hell is going on here right now . Or I’m taking my sister and getting the hell out of here,” I said, directing the question at the Queen. “And you just see if you can stop me.”
It was Kayden who answered me. “Alexa,” he said, and then his words were drowned out by the engine of the van as it came smashing through the trees. I squeezed my eyes shut at the glaring headlights. Victoria sat behind the wheel. She put it in park and waved her arm out of the window, telling us to hurry up.
I stared at them all for just a moment and bit down hard on my tongue. “Fine,” I said between clenched teeth. “Where are we going?”
“I know the way,” Queen Camillia said.
“Fine,” I repeated.
Kayden tossed her the keys to the Mercedes, and the Queen caught
“What happened ?” I asked. And for a moment, the world went blacker than the night sky above us as my heart seemed to shrivel like a rotten fruit and fall to the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t breathe, and if the world hadn’t come back in to focus just then, allowing me to see the rise and the fall of my sister’s chest, I may have collapsed to the ground like something shattered and irreversible.
When someone placed a hand on my arm, another snarl ripped up my throat, and I jumped backward with my sister clutched maybe a little too tightly in my arms. Another wave of confusion swept me when I saw whose hand it was that had touched me.
“I’m sorry,” Queen Camillia’s eyes regarded me carefully, drifting down to Nelly every other second or so, as if she didn’t want to trust me with my own sister. “I will explain everything later, but we must go now.” Her gaze fell to Nelly once more, and the look that passed behind her eyes made my brow furrow and my arms tighten more fiercely around my Nelly. What in the holy hell was going on here?
“Your sister is fine,” Queen Camillia said, with so much affection that my heart ached a little and an unexplained touch of something like jealousy ran through me. “But we are all in danger if we stay here. We have to go.”
I hadn’t noticed them getting out of the car, but Kayden and my Mother were now standing beside me. Queen Camillia’s eyes grew as large as boulders when she caught sight of my Mother, and a little more anger spiraled in my stomach, remembering that the Queen had been the one who had told me my Mother was dead.
Soraya dashed forward, catching all of us off guard, and leapt into Kayden’s arms. He caught his niece and held her closely. When he spoke, his voice came out steady, but confused. “What are you doing here?” he asked, looking up at Catherine for a response.
“Oh, for Lord’s sake,” Queen Camillia sighed, and came striding forward. She placed her slim hand on Kayden’s arm, and my hackles went up until I realized what she was doing. The Queen was a powerful Searcher. She could explain quicker that way.
When she drew her hand back, Kayden sucked his breath in sharply. He turned to look at me, and the look in his golden eyes was so full of alarm and something else akin to horror that I turned on my heel and began running back to the Mercedes with Nelly still clutched in my arms.
“Wait!” I heard someone cry, and it took me a moment to recognize Tommy’s voice. I spun around to face him. “We all have to leave! We can’t go back now. Victoria, got get the van,” he said, and when the wolf tipped its head sideways Tommy ripped his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to at her. She caught it out of the air between her teeth and loped off into the trees.
“The keys should be in the glove compartment! Head southeast!” shouted the Queen, and turned to face me once again.
All eight of them were staring me, or rather, at my sister, who lay in my arms. I could have screamed out loud, I was so damned confused. “Someone tell me what the hell is going on here right now . Or I’m taking my sister and getting the hell out of here,” I said, directing the question at the Queen. “And you just see if you can stop me.”
It was Kayden who answered me. “Alexa,” he said, and then his words were drowned out by the engine of the van as it came smashing through the trees. I squeezed my eyes shut at the glaring headlights. Victoria sat behind the wheel. She put it in park and waved her arm out of the window, telling us to hurry up.
I stared at them all for just a moment and bit down hard on my tongue. “Fine,” I said between clenched teeth. “Where are we going?”
“I know the way,” Queen Camillia said.
“Fine,” I repeated.
Kayden tossed her the keys to the Mercedes, and the Queen caught
Similar Books
