Page 16 of Their World

“Why didn’t you summon me?” Jol asked as he inspected my arm.

“Huh?” I asked, trying to process what had just happened.

“The stone. I gave you the stone so you could communicate telepathically with me if you needed me. Why didn’t you use it?”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled it out and admitted, “I forgot about it. And I was trying to get her to understand that I wasn’t a thief.”

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, between his horns.

Were his horns sharp on the ends? They were pointed and looked sharp.

“What are you doing out here, anyway?”

“Oh!” I gasped, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the new plant Dhun had found. “Dhun can smell them! I need more water and cages!”

His eyes widened as he looked from me to Dhun to the plant and back. “That’s remarkable. But wait … instead of growing these, we should be trying to grow crops. These are just flowers.”

Heat flooded my cheeks in embarrassment. “Oh, I didn’t know what they were. I’m sorry. I just got so excited that I?—”

Jol set a hand on my cheek and said, “Little Queen, don’t explain yourself.”

More heat filled my face. “Jol, I?—”

Dhun barked as Zoman ran into the garden.

“What happened? I saw Azgon fleeing with her tail tucked between her legs.”

“She attacked our little queen. I let her go, knowing she would spread word quickly to the others not to mess with Lily.”

Our little queen? I needed to explain to him that I basically already had mates. It wasn’t official, but?—

“Come, let’s go back inside,” I said. “I don’t want to cause anymore misunderstandings.”

Dhun whined, but complied.

“I’m going to go wash up,” I informed them and showed my dirt covered hands.

Dhun started to follow, but I shook my head at him. “I’d prefer to shower alone.”

“She’s in the castle, so she’ll be fine,” Zoman reassured him. He looked at me and said, “Do not leave the castle, not even to the garden.”

I saluted him mockingly. “Yes, sir.”

He scowled and I smiled, proud of myself for irritating males no matter what world I was in.

Hurrying up the stairwell, I made it to the floor my guest bedroom was on, but had to pull out my book to look at the floorplan diagram to turn down the correct hallway.

The Grand Advisor stepped out of a room just before my door and set his hand on my head. “You need an attitude adjustment, littlehybrid.”

He used some weird power that had sizzling pain shooting throughout my body, like being electrocuted, and I was unable to move. I couldn’t even scream as I dropped to my knees before him.

Chapter

Five

“Are you alright?” Zoman asked.

I sat up, rubbing my head. “Wh-Where am I? What happened?”

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