Page 91 of Chosen Destiny

Edward yawned.

“Let’s get some rest.” I smiled, knowing we were all tired.

Bodey took a few steps toward King Sutton and offered, “I can help you get that bag into the house.”

“It’s heavy, but I’m used to it.” King Sutton chuckled while Edward snagged the carry-on and wheeled it through our garage.

The five of us headed inside, and within a few minutes, they were situated in their rooms, and we were getting ready for bed.

As soon as I was in my pajamas, I crawled into bed while Bodey called Dina. A few minutes later, my mate slipped in beside me and pulled me into his arms. Listening to Bodey’s breathing and steady heartbeat, I soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

We had a full house.The former advisors, their mates, the royal advisors, Stella, Stevie, King Sutton, Edward, Queen Consort Brittany, Dina, Chelsea, Bodey, and I were at my and Bodey’s house eating breakfast.

Janet, Stevie, Taylor, and Destiny had arrived at seven and taken over the kitchen, not allowing Bodey and me anywhere near the stove. For a moment, I’d worried they wouldn’t let me get a cup of coffee, but Stevie had handed me one right away. She knew me well enough to know that if I didn’t get my morning cup, things would get scary.

We placed two additional chairs at the table so fourteen of us could sit in the kitchen while Janet, Taylor, Destiny, and Alicia sat at the island. Stella, Stevie, and Brittany sat on the back deck, enjoying the fresh air while those of us at the table were deep in conversation.

Bodey and I sat crammed together at the end of the table nearest the wall, and King Sutton sat on my left side.

The king took a bite of his eggs and swallowed. “My men watched the guards around Kel’s property all night. There was a guard outside each exit at the queen’s mansion, with one additional man at each corner of her house, for a total of ten guards. There is a separate garage a few feet away, which four guards surround.”

“That gets us to fourteen.” Samuel, who sat directly across from me, placed his fork on his plate. “What about guards running the perimeter?”

Edward popped a piece of biscuit into his mouth from his spot between his dad and Jack. “Twenty-five ran the perimeter the entire night, even during shift change.”

At least it was a consistent number. If it had been random, that would have made things harder for us.

“How many do they think are inside?” Miles tapped a finger along the table.

King Sutton shrugged. “It’s a guess, but there were five guards that swapped from inside the house, so we’re assuming just five. They switched out at the same time as the others for a shift change.”

“That sounds like a fair guess,” Lucas said, standing between Samuel and Miles.

After taking a sip of coffee, Michael set his cup down and stared at Bodey. “It sounds like we should expect forty-four.”

“We should say fifty to be safe.” Dan chewed a piece of bacon as he leaned back in his chair across from his son.

Phil snarled, his arms brushing Carl and Dan. “If she thinks she’s so invincible, why does she even need guards?”

“It’s all about appearances.” My throat ached, the few bites of breakfast I’d eaten heavy in my stomach. “A queen needs protection, and she wants to ensure no one questions her claim to the title.” I hated that I was beginning to understand her.

Chelsea sat taller, the white priestess dress looking different on her, especially with Dina on the other side of her, dressed in black.

“Were there any signs of witches?” Chelsea held a cup of tea in both hands.

King Sutton winced. “We didn’t send any witches with them, but they saw five women working in a garden in the backyard. They wore dresses similar to yours.”

“From what I remember, Kel’s royal coven consists of twenty witches.” Dina held her head high, but her dull-looking skin made her appear like a different person. “I’d estimate at least twenty there with her, just to be safe.”

“Seventy is what we need to account for.” Bodey nodded. “Fifty shifters and twenty witches. We should bring at least double.”

That sounded reasonable, but what did I know? I’d never planned a war before. We were done allowing Kel to bring the battles to us—we were bringing the whole damn war to her doorstep.

“Not trying to be negative here”—Jack lifted a hand—“because, really, that’s Lucas’s job, but how certain are we about these numbers?”

Carl tipped his head toward his son. “Jack’s right.”

---