Hawthorn was about to get up and join Orin in the interrogation but stopped when he saw Seraphina enter the dressing room. Her curious behaviour made him remain seated. When she emerged, Hawthorn frowned.
Seraphina had changed from the dress she'd worn all day to the clothes she'd been caught in.
"How did you get those clothes back?" he murmured, narrowing his eyes.
When Seraphina approached the window, Hawthorn gasped and slid back on the seat. The chair hit the wall as he stood, racing out of the room. He ran through the corridors, reaching the guest quarters quickly. Bursting through the door, he expected to find Seraphina missing, but she stood beside the window. Giving him a derisive glare, Seraphina picked up the vase beside her and threw it at Hawthorn.
"You were watching me," she screamed.
Hawthorn moved to avoid being hit. The vase smashed against the wall near Hawthorn, but that didn't make Seraphina stop.
"If that waste of space you call a guard or any of his underlings hurt Bram, you will never have me."
Hawthorn wondered if it would be appropriate to pretend she'd yelled so hard that he'd lost his hearing. Seraphina was angry, so he wisely refrained from any jokes.
"Bring Bram back right now."
She moved to the dining table and picked up the cutlery. Hawthorn's eyes widened as Seraphina threw the knife at him. Anything that she could find, she threw. The room was a mess, but neither cared. Seraphina wanted to turn everything in the room into a projectile, and Hawthorn wanted her to get the anger out of her system.
When the small objects were scattered like a minefield around his shoes, Hawthorn stepped forward. There was nothing left unless she decided to pick up the lounge and throw it at him. Given her anger at the moment, Hawthorn would not be surprised if she tried it.
"Is he your lover?"
Hawthorn tried to remain calm in the volatile argument. Seraphina's lack of an answer didn't help his mood.
"Answer me, Seraphina."
"No." she hissed. "And despite what we are,"
"Uh-uh," Hawthorn chided softly. "Don't go there. It is my place to ask, and as you are the one that will provide me with an heir, I have every right to know that any child born is mine."
"You're not getting anything until Bram is safe and away from you and your guards."
Hawthorn smiled and stepped back.
"So here you find yourself in need of a little negotiation. If you wish to barter for Bram's life, then perhaps you'd better make a few alterations. A change of attitude would be a great start. When you've had sufficient time to calm down, I will be more than happy to start the process with you. My terms are clear, Seraphina. A loving, faithful wife who won't try or succeed in killing me, one that will willingly join me in my bed and produce many beautiful children with me. A long, happy and love-filled life together. None of this screaming or throwing things."
"You put a camera in my room," Seraphina growled.
Hawthorn turned with a smirk.
"And look what we found. Oh, and just so that we're clear, the maids won't be cleaning this mess."
Hawthorn ignored the angry words, giving the guards a firm nod. They closed and locked the door.
"Listen for any odd noises. Intervene if you think it is necessary, but other than that, the queen may do as she pleases but must remain in her room."
Hawthorn left the bemused guards and made a hasty path to the dungeon. They'd discussed what would happen once they figured out that the bird was Bram, and Hawthorn hoped that Orin remembered.
Reaching the dungeon, Hawthorn entered the observation room. The one-way window gave them a view of the interrogation room and the occupants.
"What have I missed?"
"Nothing much aside from Bram confirming his identity and that he has never fraternised with Seraphina. Not sure if Orin believes him."
"They haven't."
Kohen turned to the king with burning curiosity.
"I watched as she offered him the pants. She turned away to let him change his form and dress. A lover would not do that."
Hawthorn recalled the rest of the vision he'd witnessed. A meal interrupted for an underdressed man.
"Kohen, find Bram something warmer to wear and provide him with a meal and something to drink."
Nodding, Kohen left the room to tend to the tasks. Hawthorn entered the room, surprising Orin and Bram. Orin stood, offering the seat.
"Thank you, Orin. Please remain at the door."
Hawthorn leaned on the table, clasping his hands with a defiant smile on his face.
"It's been a while, Bram. Where have you been? What have you been up to?"
"Doing as you ordered me to. Protect Seraphina no matter what."
"I don't recall telling you to help her escape."
"I didn't. I tried to stop her, but she was determined. When I realised what your father's intentions were for Seraphina, I stopped trying to convince her to stay."
Hawthorn leaned back, producing a long feather from the inside of his jacket. Bram sighed as he turned his head.
"I read about your race in a book. It was just a chapter, and by all appearances, it was supposedly just folklore but everything about it and you aligned and made sense. A shapeshifter. Care to elaborate?"
"We're just another species, nothing amazing about us."
"Oh, I must disagree. You can turn into a raven. That is something pretty damned special."
The door opened. Orin stepped back and took the shirt from Kohen.
"The other request is being prepared and should be here soon."
"Thank you, Kohen."
Orin closed the door again, and Hawthorn turned with a forced but endearing smile.
"Can you choose the form you take, or is it just a raven?"
"I can alter to any living creature."
"How wonderful. Since discovering that the bird was not what he seemed, I began considering the path ahead of us. Seraphina arced up quite dramatically, which means that if I want her to remain compliant, I have to keep you alive. Your reasons for the actions you took are understandable, and I suppose that you have performed your duty to the crown as requested. We cannot fault you for taking my demand literally, and of course, no one could have predicted that Seraphina would run in the hours of rest. Now that Seraphina is more understanding of her future and perhaps a fraction more cooperative, I think a few alterations are necessary. You will remain alive but you will be punished for not advising us of where Seraphina was after my father's passing."
Bram glanced at Orin, who was leaning against the door with his arms folded over his chest. Nothing had changed in this place. He thought maybe a couple of changes might have happened after Ruslen died, but they hadn't. Orin was still the arrogant captain of the guards, and Hawthorn was still the same old self-indulgent rich kid. Maids flitted around the place, mostly unseen and unheard. Servants loitered in the darkness, watching everything that went on.
He did not miss this place and wished that he could turn back time. If he could, Bram would have warned Seraphina from accepting the mission from the humans.
"You will be our spy."
Bram's attention turned back to Hawthorn.
"I want to know everything that is going on. Jack Wesley betrayed our agreement, and I cannot trust him anymore. You will go to Downing Street, and you will find out what is going on. I don't care if you have to turn into a flea and hide in his hair. You will earn your forgiveness by saving the vampire race from the humans."
Hawthorn noticed the flinch in Bram's eyes. There was a hint of anger.
"And you will remember that Seraphina is a vampire, and now that the Prime Minister has been here and seen her, he will know that she is my queen. She will become his secondary target."