Page 96 of The Wolf Queen’s Curse

“Opium. I could smell it. They put in enough to make us sleep.” I yawn, walk to the window, and throw it open to inhale the night air.

“Did you drink some by accident?”

“No, I drank it on purpose.”

“What?” she says.

“I needed to be sure they weren’t trying to kill us.”

“And if they were? You’d be dead.”

“Don’t worry. My ghost would have come back to warn you.” At her look, I say, “A sip wouldn’t have killed me.”

“That still seems a very reckless experiment.”

“It wasn’t.”

I take more deep breaths of sharp night air. Then I push my head out to listen. In the distance, I pick up the sound of male voices, laughing and talking. The hunt must be over. I close the window and sit back on the bed.

“They wanted us unconscious,” I muse. “But they didn’t want us unconscious in order to hurt us. So what was the point?”

“Hanora seemed very intrigued by my powers. That’s strange. People aren’t usually interested in necromancy.”

“I am.”

“Normal people,” she corrects.

“Are you saying I’m not normal?”

“You just purposely took opium to see what would happen.”

“Oh, I know what would happen. I’ve taken it before. Experimentally.”

She squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head.

I continue, “If you believe, in retrospect, that Hanora was overly interested in your powers, could that be the answer? Maybe there’s a ghost here that she doesn’t want you talking to?” I consider that. “No, she had the gin drugged before she learned you were a necromancer. She asked me about werewolf mates and you about necromancy. Engaging us. Relaxing our guard.”

I turn to the window. “Are they getting us out of the way so they can hurt the men? I can’t imagine the Pack sees you and me as serious threats. Besides, as soon as Bishop returns, he’ll realize I’m missing and know something’s wrong.”

I look at her. “What do you think?”

“Oh, can I talk now? You’re done asking and answering your own questions?”

“I was thinking it through aloud.”

She shakes her head. “I believe there’s a reason you were put in here with me. They seemed to take extra pains with that. At first, I presumed they wanted us together to do us harm, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, so I don’t know what—”

I lift a finger as footsteps sound in the hall. Ann tenses, but I shake my head and whisper, “It’s Bishop.” I wouldn’t have thought I’d recognize his footsteps, but I do, especially when they’re moving fast, as if he came in and is heading straight to our room to make sure I haven’t been murdered in his absence.

The door to our room smacks open. It’s right beside Ann’s, and I realize there’s even a connecting door, which suggests it was indeed once a nursery. I hurry to that door, which is also locked, and I’m whispering an unlock spell when Bishop’s voice has me stumbling back.

“What the hell is this?” he snarls. Which seems a very odd thing to say to an empty bed. I get the door unlocked and inch it open just enough to see that our bed is not empty. There’s someone in it. Hanora. Stark naked and reclining on the pillows.

Well, I suppose that answers the question of what she had in mind. Can I admit I’m disappointed? Here I was envisioning some wicked plot against us, and it’s just a young woman trying to seduce my husband. I mean, I don’t blame her, but still …

“Hello, Alpha,” Hanora purrs.

“Where is my wife?”