Page 111 of Pain

“Four things you can hear,” he said without hesitation.

I tuned into my surroundings for a moment. “Cows … and … and chickens.”

“Good. Two more.”

“The bathroom fan … and Maxar’s fingers snapping behind his back because he makes finger flames when he’s anxious … or happy … or bored.”

“And now, three things you can smell,” Drak said, his voice even gentler next to my ear.

“You,” I said instantly. “Cold, wintery, minty. Like fresh snow in a mountain forest.” I pulled in another deep breath and held it in my lungs for a moment, held his scent in my nose and lungs as the dark spots on the fringes of my mind slowly faded. “And the bubble bath—jasmine. And the candles—vanilla.”

“Good,” he said, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “Good girl.”

Slumping back against Drak a little, knowing he could keep me from sinking into the water and never resurfacing, I closed my eyes for a moment to just collect my senses and thoughts.

The men remained quiet.

Blinking my eyes open, I glanced up at Zandren and nodded. “What else did they find?”

My bear nodded. “From what they could tell, there were no signs of a struggle. The disarray of

the house was from the Phaceaneshlookingfor Melissima and Gemma. Butthere was no blood. And the infirmary looked to have been looted, but in a very calculated way.”

“Like Melissima took what she knew she would need for Gemma,” Maxar added.

“They searched the woods extensively as well, but found no trace of them,” Zandren went on. “Which we’re going to take as a good sign. Melissima covered her tracks well.”

“Or whoever took them covered their tracks,” I said, a sudden shiver racing through me and causing Drak to tighten his hold.

Maxar shook his head. “We don’t think anybody has them. The Phaceanesh were sent to take care of them, but Melissima escaped with Gemma. For now, we need to believe that they are safe.”

Zandren nodded. “Ottvo and his sons are going to keep looking for Melissima and Gemma and keep us posted. Hopefully, they find them, and they will provide them with refuge until we get back. We’re not going to give up the search. We will find them.”

Fresh anger replaced the fear inside of me, heating my icy veins until sweat prickled along my hairline.

“That’s my girl,” Maxar said, clearly feeling my change in emotion. “Channel that anger into something productive. Tomorrow, we settle this challenger bullshit once and for all.”

Nodding, I stared down into the fading bubbles. “Thank Ottvo and his sons, please. Let them know I am in their debt.”

“Spoken like a true queen,” Zandren said with a smile and a nod before turning to go. Maxar followed him, though they kept the door open.

“Would you like me to go?” Drak asked, having loosened his grip on me significantly.

I shook my head and leaned back against him, pinning him between the tub and my body. “No. Stay, please. Just stay and hold me. We don’t need to say anything.”

He wrapped his arms around me, but didn’t squeeze like before. His lips fell to my neck. “Okay.”

Drak remained quiet as we sat there in the bubbles. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t shut off my brain. I’d always been a curious person, and now that I had an entirely new world to learn, I was hungry for information.

“Tell me about Howar,” I said after several moments of silence passed between us. “What was he like growing up? What’s his mate like?”

Drak was still quiet, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he fell asleep. He wasn’t asleep though, he was just thinking. Selecting the perfect words before he spoke.

“Howar was like any other boy growing up. Wild, energetic, cheeky. We all were when we were children. For a while he thought he’d never be king. That his father would always rule, and he seemed content, if not relieved with that notion. Not all kings and queens have long reigns. A lot of wars over the centuries led to high turnover in the courts. But as his father’s greed for power took over, Howar knew his time to become king was approaching. That his father would probably die in war at the hands of a foe. So he stopped playing around—we all did.

“Everyone was thrilled when Calliope van Cortlandt and Howar Volmark were determined Fated Mates. The van Cortlandts are one of the oldest vampire families alive. Both Howar and Calliope’s parents were thrilled. However, as wonderful as their union was, that also gave King Dren—Howar’s father—an ally with deep pockets and an even deeper influence. The van Cortlandts are some of the most vocal in the Realm about their dislike for humans. About all other species, really. They strongly believe vampires should be in power as we are the superior species. They also carry a lot of influence. A few calls from Ivar van Cortlandt and Howar could have an army of ten thousand strong at his disposal.”

“That would explain why Queen Calliope went all weird with me on the phone when I told her humans bleed every month.”

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