Page 26 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

I groaned, the multiple flower lights stabbing into my skull like tiny daggers. This was a hangover. Had to be. And I was definitely dehydrated now. Still, did it matter whose bed this was when it was this comfortable? Maybe I could stay here forever. The pull of sleep was tempting, and I moved to roll onto my side.

“Hey! I was sleeping there,” a masculine voice protested.

I shot upright, my head spinning from the sudden movement. Everything lurched, the world tilting sideways as I fought against the vertigo. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my equilibrium to return.

“Always the moment he walks out. I called it. Told him it would happen,” that same voice grumbled.

My breath caught as I turned. He sounded like Ryan Reynolds, but I couldn’t be so lucky. He wasn’t even a man. A massive cat lounged across my legs, his head tilted slightly, one ear twitching as he studied me. What kind of cat was that big? A Maine Coon, maybe? His black and silvery white fur seemed to ombre from his neck down. His mane was fluffy and white, framing a black feline face with orange-golden eyes.

There was no way. Maybe someone spiked my drink with something. That would explain the voice?—

“Fine, I guess I’ll just handle everything myself. Like always.” He sighed, lifting a paw to his face and licking it with lazy precision.

I froze. The voice wasdefinitelythe cat.

What thewhat? Where was I? Fucking Wonderland?

I panicked. My gaze darted wildly around the room, taking in the fireplace, the reading nook, the massive bed draped in fur-lined blankets. The wooden posters were intricately carved, familiar in a way I couldn’t place, though none of this was truly recognizable.

It was too weird. Too much.

I looked down, my breath catching as images from last night began piecing themselves together. The ball. The chase. The fountain. The prince. I had gone home, started packing, and then… Sadie. I texted my sister. But that message—it had been interrupted by a voice.

Not just any voice.Thevoice. The one I would recognize anywhere.

My hand flew to my lips.

No.No. He didn’t?—

A door slammed, but it wasn’t in this room. A quarrel filtered into the room with jarring clarity, and a female voice rose in righteous indignation.

“Vareck! What are you doing? Why is?—”

Whatever miniscule hope I still had that this was just a random one-night stand vanished like smoke in the wind.

“Is that any way to greet your king?” another woman said. Her tone was deeper. Less pitchy. Definitely chastising.

Therewas a short pause.

“Apologies,” the first woman said stiffly. “Your Majesty, my son is still missing?—”

“We’re working on it,” the second female said. I didn’t get the impression she cared for the first woman much. “Guards are sweeping Seattle’s Arcane District as we speak.” Gods. My family. Were they safe? The Arcane District was my home. It was the supernatural equivalent of Little Italy or Chinatown. Most major cities had a version of it, but the one I lived in was the very first of its kind.

“Working on it? It’s been over thirty-six hours!”

I gasped in shock. Holy shit. I was out for that long?

“And you have the abductor in your rooms! Why isn’t she in the dungeons?”

Suddenly I understood the disdain. I wasn’t one to make snap judgements, but something told me I’d be in a world of pain if the first woman had her way.

“Eleanor,” Vareck said, deep voice rumbling. Goosebumps broke over my arms, and it wasn’t because I was cold. “I’m handling it.”

“But—”

“Are you questioning me?”

A short pause followed. “N-no . . .”

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