82: The Queen's Plan

Quincy St. Martin

My eyes rove around the table. Here we are again in the formal dining room having dinner with the king and the queen.

Lady Celeste is here at the table too. She’s been awfully quiet.

I’m determined to enjoy my dinner this time. I lived in constant hunger at the pack house. Food is something I never take for granted.

Besides, I’m hungry. I enjoyed our run from the forest back to the palace this evening. The eight of us ran as a group, but I was way ahead of everybody.

I was even faster than my mate, who is supposed to be the fastest in the pack.

I’m glad that in the werewolf and lycan world, males covet strong females just as females find powerful males desirable. The bond created when mated to a powerful partner will make us even stronger. Needless to say, Caspian was very proud.

Appetizers came and went.

They are now serving us some kind of fowl, garnished with chopped parsley and yellow and red sauce delicately drizzled on the gleaming china, which has the royal crest emblazoned on the edge of each piece.

I cut through the meat, swipe it across the sauce, and stuff it into my mouth. Mmmm, so good, I almost moan. The meat is so tender it almost melts in my mouth.

The sauce is a balance of spices, and it’s like a party in my mouth. If Nana was here, she’d accost the chef for the recipe. The conversation around the room is subdued. Everybody can feel how fragile our peaceful moment is, but I pay no mind.

Caspian is looking amused as we exchange glances from time to time. Sometimes we’re lost in each other’s eyes, lost in our own little world where no one else exists.

“Caspian, I’ve sent the suit to your room,” says Queen Sophia suddenly, addressing her son for the first time this evening. “You will wear that suit to the ceremony tomorrow.”

His body goes rigid all of a sudden, his face turning to stone. Caspian lifts his head to face his mother. “I will wear the suit I already have for the occasion.”

“No, you will match Lady Celeste. I requested the suit to be made especially for the ceremony,” she says calmly, but firmly.

I can feel his burning rage growing and the red-hot fire flaring in my chest. Black is rapidly swallowing the green pupil and the white of his eyes.

I lift my hand to touch the top of his gently. As soon as my skin touches his, I feel the heat cool somewhat. He’s still angry, but he’s in control again. His eyes clear.

“I’ve lost my appetite. Please excuse me, Father, Ladies and Gentlemen.” He snatches the napkin off his lap and tosses it onto his plate.

The chair scrapes back with a grating sound as he stands up. The guard hastily opens the door for him before he storms out. I stare at the door, stunned. That was quick and... Unexpected. A few seconds later, the door swings open again and the angry prince back strides in.

He grabs my wrist and drags me out with him. I expect the queen to yell or scream for him to stop, but she’s strangely quiet. I chance a quick glance before we exit the room.

She stares after us, but instead of anger, she has a strange speculative look on her face.

Caspian takes me to an icy stone gazebo out in the garden and buries his face in my neck, breathing me in. His arms around me keep me warm despite the frozen temperature.

“I swear Mother is bent on pushing my every button to drive me crazy. It didn’t used to be this way,” he says with his face still pressed against my skin.

We stay like that until I hear footsteps approaching. I relax when I catch their scents. Lazarus, Constantine, and Darius.

“I wish I could stay with you longer, ~moya printsessa~, ” Caspian says, looking above my head at our three brothers. “But I have to go.”

“Where are you going?” I say.

“We set up a meeting with Chamberlain. Remember the youngest member of the royal advisors who suggested we come back sooner? He has some urgent matter to discuss with us.”

“Okay. Be safe,” I tell not only him but also Darius, Constantine, and Lazarus, who are now standing close by.

The four of them walk me back to the palace’s entrance, where Günter is already waiting.

“Remember, please don’t go wandering around by yourself, my love,” he reminds me again before he kisses me on the forehead.

Then they’re gone into the night.

***

I pace around in our bedchamber, rubbing my chest. Caspian, where are you? Something is wrong. I can feel it. I was just dozing off when this strange jolt deep in our bond woke me up.

The sound of knocking on the door makes me jump.

“Quincy! Are you in there? Open the door!” Genesis’s voice is faint from the other side.

Genesis, Serena, and Penny rush in as soon as I open the door. “Something’s not right,” I tell them, and all of them nod in agreement.

“We can feel it,” Serena says.

“I think they’re in danger. I can’t shake the feeling,” I tell them. “I think we need to go to them.”

They all agree, and Penny says, “I don’t want the guards to follow us. Call me paranoid, but after the last attack, I still don’t trust anybody outside our pack.”

“I agree,” Genesis says. “The men didn’t bring any guards with them either, so I don’t think they want anybody to know what they’re up to.”

“We’ll have to find a way to sneak out without the guards knowing,” says Serena.

“The tunnel,” I suggest.

Penny nods her head right away. “There’s a tunnel that leads to another room outside the east wing from this room.”

I hear Genesis sigh. I know she really hates spiders.

“But first, let’s get changed,” suggests Serena.

I have to agree because all of us are now in our pajamas.

“We’ll meet back here in my bedchamber in five,” I tell them.

They return less than five minutes later, and we’re all dressed quite similarly in jeans, sweaters, boots, and our hair in ponytails or braids.

The feeling of doom increases in my chest. “Okay, let’s go.”