Page 113 of Pain

“By helicopter, of course.”

“Then it will take no time at all for you to hop back on your little chopper and meet us inAntruminus Neutralitima.”While Drak and I sat in the bath last night, I asked him what the official name of the cave was, and he said that they used the demon term for Cave of Neutrality. So I chose to use the demon term when speaking with Howar. To just further drive home that I was learning the ways of this realm and for him to not fucking underestimate me. “We’ll see you there at one o’clock. Please extend this modification to Queen Anysa. I look forward to finally meeting all the leaders of the Realm. Goodbye, King Howar.”

Then, before the asshole could say another word, I hung up.

“Fuck, that was hot,” Maxar said. “I love it when you go allqueeny. Get’s me hard so damn fast.” He pointed to his erection in his genie pants and bobbed his eyebrows playfully.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, smiling as I took a sip of my coffee. “Well, we need to get a move on,” I said, swallowing the delicious medium roast. “We won’t let them get there before us.”

My mates all nodded.

Even though my heart was still in tatters over not knowing where Gemma was or if she was safe, I knew I needed to deal with one thing at a time. Right now, I needed to deal with Lerris and Howar. Then, we’d find Gemma, and put an end to the Phaceanesh who tried to kill my best friend. My to-do list just kept getting longer, but I suppose that was the life of a queen. While I would always wish I could have met my father, it was times like these that I really wished for some royal guidance. He would have been able to show me the ropes of what it meant to be a ruler. I was going into this with no knowledge, besides what I watched on television.

My matesmademe eat breakfast, even though I still wasn’t hungry. But they wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I nibbled on some leftover mac ‘n’ cheese from the Sunset Bar & Grill, washing it down with another cup of coffee.

Then we were back on the road, our bag of weapons in the back, along with six roast chickens, two for each of the bears in the woods.

“Dad loves a good roast chicken,” Zandren explained as we climbed into the SUV. “He’ll eat anything really. But his favorite is roast chicken with mashed potatoes.”

The affection for his father that came across in Zandren’s tone made me smile.

We were quiet for the most part as Maxar drove us back toward the cave, all of us deep in our own thoughts about how today was going to go. I caught snippets of Maxar and Zandren’s thoughts—all of it worries about me, and Gemma—but mostly I stayed out of their heads. I had enough going on in my own brain to worry about. I tried to get Drak to open up a bit more in the tub last night, but he wouldn’t. So I stopped pushing. Maybe when we finally mate-bonded, he would open up to me. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to mate-bond with someone who remained so closed off.

We reached the place where we parked yesterday, but the plan this time was to park the SUV in a hidden location a quarter of a mile away. Drak, Maxar, and I climbed out of the vehicle, along with the bag of weapons and the food for the bears. The weight of Moloch’s Sacrifice slung across my back in its scabbard was a much-needed reassurance. Zandren told us to walk to the cave withouthim while he drove to the new parking spot. He planned to shift and then meet us there.

“Do you think they can already smell the chicken?” I asked as we stalked through the quiet, dark forest, yet to be touched by the morning light.

“Without a doubt,” Maxar said. “Bears have an impeccable sense of smell. They can smell a deer like three miles away if the wind is right.”

I made a pouty face. “I was hoping we could surprise King Ryden with the chicken.”

Maxar chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at me. “I think he’ll still be very appreciative, regardless of whether it’s a surprise.”

After another thirty minutes of walking in mostly silence, we reached the dark slate base of the mountain. The hole where Zandren dug for the handle to lift the door was still there, as were the slight markers we left in place to see if anybody else had been by and disturbed things. There was no evidence of anybody else, thankfully.

Maxar reached into the hole and grabbed hold of the handle just as the sound of a twig snapping in the forest behind us made us all freeze. A distinct scent swept up my nose with the cool morning breeze, but it didn’t send my hackles up or make my blood run cold. It was a familiar scent.

We spun around just as four enormous bears padded toward us. I recognized my mate right away, and he picked up the pace, separating himself from his father and the lieutenants to come over and lick my hand. “Hi, Pooh Bear,” I said, bending down and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

King Ryden and the other two bears joined us, their noses working overtime, picking up the smell of the chickens. I laughed and grabbed the bags of food.

“While I’m sure you three have been dining on succulent rabbits, squirrels, and berries, Zandren did say that you’re a big fan of roast chicken and mashed potatoes. So we brought you some.”

All three bears made the same purring noise that Zandren made as I opened up the containers for them.

King Ryden stepped forward and licked my hand, purring like a gigantic kitty cat, before backing up and going to town on the chicken and spuds. Theycrunched and swallowed the birds, bones and all.

Behind us, Maxar yanked up the door for the cave, and once the bears finished their breakfast we all went inside, with the exception of the lieutenants who were staying out as sentries. They also shifted and put on clothes that Zandren had us pack for them, as they would communicate with us via phone while we were in the cave.

Zandren and King Ryden shifted too, and I turned away while my father-in-law got dressed.

Maxar snickered. “What? You don’t want to see your mate’s father’s naked body? What’s wrong with you?”

I stuck my tongue out at him, then flipped him the bird, which made the mage bark out a laugh.

“Little One,” Zandren said, prompting me to turn around and find my handsome mate standing beside a very handsome man who could have just as easily been Zandren’s twin rather than his father. King Ryden’s eyes were the same mesmerizing swirling shades of brown as Zandren’s, and he had shaggy, dark-blond hair as well. His features were more weathered though, telling of his abundant centuries on this Earth and the things he must have seen. Deep creases surrounded his eyes and mouth, but he had tangible kindness to his smile and in his eyes that made me instantly love him.

I stepped forward, slightly nervous—if I’m being honest—and stretched out my hand. “King Ryden, it’s an honor to meet you.”

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