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“Hmmm. I believe this week is what humans would call Spring Break.” With a careless, effortless toss of his head, he slung his long silky hair back over his shoulder. “I had a vision of you recently that involved water.”
“Really? When?”
“When you were healing Thierry.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Keeping my touch light, I reached for Lew’s bond, trying to unobtrusively sense where he was. If he was still in the room with Esetta, I wanted to give them as much time as possible.
He was on the roof, shifted to his gryphon. Watching the sunrise with his friend sitting beside him. Thierry’s head was on his chest, Lew’s wing wrapped around him.
:Let them stay on guard on the roof,: I said to Rik in the bond.
:Already done, my queen.:
I gave him a lingering kiss, leaning into his chest. His arms locked around me, one big palm sliding up beneath the hoodie to stroke my back. :I don’t know how it will play out yet but this is it. The battle I’ve been waiting for. The Dauphine will be at the end of this trip.:
:We’re ready, my queen.:
I pierced my wrist, drawing my blood to release enough of my power to corral my hair into the silver net that hung down my back and supported the load. Daire’s bottom lip doubled in size but he didn’t say a word out loud. “I know you and Nevarre were planning on helping with my hair, but I don’t have time to enjoy it this morning.”
“Gina’s up and headed downstairs now,” Nevarre said. “Magnum awaits you in the hallway.”
Rik gave a nod to the door and Daire padded over to open it for us, but I didn’t immediately follow. Not until I checked Xin’s location.
:I have his scent.: The wolf ran flat out, tongue lolling but he didn’t feel tired. :I didn’t want to wake you.:
Chills raced down my arms. Everything’s coming together at the same time.
:How close are you?:
His bond rolled over me, letting me see and smell through his wolf. We ran down a hill with flatter ground ahead, dotted with trees and pockets of green water. Crickets, buzzing flies, croaking frogs, long-legged birds on the hunt for dinner, softly calling out to each other. The ground felt soft and springy like a sponge beneath his pads, thick and heavy with moisture. The odors of rotting vegetation, mud, and slow-moving water were thick in his nose—but not strong enough to mask the taint of Thierry’s footsteps. I could almost see the darkened, dead spots of decay that he’d left behind as he staggered out of the sucking mud.
Xin tipped his nose to the sky and breathed deeply, sorting through all the various scents to identify the sea salt not far away. Maybe two or three hours for his wolf. :I should find the source soon or run into the gulf.:
I fisted my fingers in his ruff and breathed in his ear. :I can’t lose you, Xin.:
Without pausing his run, he snarled in the bond. :Let her try to take me from you, my queen, and she’ll feel my teeth in her throat.:
:Touch my bond as soon as you find anything. We’ll be moving closer to Houston today.:
His wolf’s ears pinned back, his teeth bared. :That’s only a few hours away from here.:
Not a coincidence. Though I wasn’t sure what the Dauphine had in common with Skolos. :Be very wary of any alarm that might notify her we’re on her trail.:
:Understood, my queen.:
I stepped out into the hallway and Magnum curtsied again. Today she wore an all-black suit with her usual chignon and light makeup. Stylish, elegant, and all business, even shortly after dawn. I wasn’t sure how she or Gina managed to always be so put together, day or night.
“Good morning, Your Majesty. I thought I could show you a few things upstairs before you go down to eat, though if you’re hungry, the tour can wait until a more convenient time.”
“No, this is perfect. Thank you, Magnum.”
She led me back down the short hallway to the marbled landing. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over Central Park with Isador Tower dominating the view. Both stairs and an elevator provided access above and below. Another hallway led to the opposite end of the house.
“We always called this hallway the gallery.” Pausing, she gestured to the nearest door but didn’t open it. “Queen Carys claimed this room, and the room opposite is Gina’s suite. There are larger suites at the opposite end for queens with Blood.”
I didn’t really care about the rooms themselves—but the artwork in between each bedroom door caught my attention. Various sized oil paintings hung down the hallway, each in heavy ornate black and gold frames. The first one was of a massive white stone house with a faded green slate roof, tall chimneys, and a pair of imposing towers framing the front entrance. It had to be at least ten thousand square feet. “Did my mother paint these?”
“That particular painting was completed by Queen Selena of Isador Hall in London.”
