Page 53 of The Stolen Kingdom

Maris huffed and shook her head. “Really, Eyphah. You had me worried there for a second.”

“I am looking forward to becoming an aunt. Better than having kids of my own.”

Maris chuckled, the idea of having kids never crossed her mind until Melvian revealed that she was pregnant. She was too young to be thinking about kids, but maybe one day she could raise a couple of kids with Valda…

Shaking her head, Maris waved at Eyphah. “An aunt can return the kid and not be frowned upon.”

“Exactly! No one will think I am a bad aunt!” Eyphah laughed, placing her hands on her waist as she made it to the door. “If I am not mistaken, we didn’t finish our training session today. Unless you want to cancel.”

Canceling was not an option. Not when things were about to get more dangerous. “I will meet you at the training grounds.”

10

Sealians had horrible guards, and Valda was sick to her stomach. It wasn’t hard to understand why Isen could simply waltz in. His blue hair was his badge of honor. No one even blinked an eye when he went to pass the guards, but how come there was no one guarding the lands by the lakes?

How was she supposed to go back to Cressida, knowing that Maris was out in the open, completely unprotected? She had promised Isen that she would sit right where the lakes were and wait for him to head back.

Of course, she knew better than to wait for him. She brought along a small tent and bed, knowing damn well the man was going to spend as much time with his mate as he could. He would probably stay the night, and Gods, how fucking jealous she was.

She had planned on staying on the outskirts of New Agenor at first. She would play with Cerberus, holding sticks with leaves for her to swat at, share a meal of dried meat with her, and end everything with scratches to her chin, ears, and back. Yet, Cerberus was restless. Her eyes flickered to the division where the cabins started, ears moving back and forth.

Valda frowned as Cerberus walked away from her, and onto the roads that led to the houses. Standing from where she was resting, Valda grabbed Cerberus’ fluffy tail and gave it a warning tug. The cat quickly turned and hissed at her, swatting her hand and then jumping a couple of steps away from her.

“Stay close to me, Cerberus,” Valda said, her voice low. “I don’t want you drawing any attention.”

Cerberus sat on the ground, her head tilting to the side, her ears still moving about as if taking all the sounds in the area. Her head turned back to the small road, and once again she stood to walk back to New Agenor.

Valda cursed under her breath and picked the behemoth of the cat. “I know what’s wrong,” Valda whispered, pressing her face to the cat’s neck. “You miss her just as much as I do, don't you, girl?”

Cerberus’ purrs vibrated against her face, and Valda sighed in disdain before squeezing her to her chest.

“We could go find her, but you have to promise me not to run off and get yourself seen…”

Cerberus pressed her cheek against Valda’s face before she settled her on the ground gently.

Valda’s gaze fell on the small road leading to the houses of New Agenor. To think that all she had to do was walk towards the cabins and she could see her…

To actually see her, touch her, smell her. To see the fine details of her expressions, and not just a reflection of a memory within a dream…

Swallowing hard, Valda closed her eyes, concentrating on the beating of her heart. How was she going to control the primal need to stand right across Maris? To smell her, to taste her, to know that she was fine… Her hands twitched at the mere thought of having the other woman near her.

If she wanted to sneak into New Agenor, she would need to quiet down not only her beating heart but also her emotions. If she didn’t, Maris could pinpoint her right away.

Valda rubbed a specific spot on her chest, releasing her breath along with her precipitation. Cerberus had already taken a couple of unsure steps ahead before turning to her, closing her eyes slowly and letting out a soft chirp.

Taking out a head cover, Valda hid her hair and made her way to the small broken roads leading to the center of New Agenor.

Things have somewhat changed in the settlement. The happiness and buzzing of the people were palpable, yet the joyous thrum that beat within the settlement was muffled by an unexplained tension.

As if at any given moment, the Sealians were expecting something horrible to happen. Valda frowned at that. If they were so fucking worried, why didn’t they guard their settlement better? How come they didn’t take better care of their queen, ofher mate?

Moving through the tight, slim corridors between the houses, Cerberus used her shadow to walk about and go unnoticed. For being such an enormous cat, Valda was grateful she understood when to stay hidden.

It didn’t take long for Valda’s thoughts to drift toward Isen. Where had he gone? It had been several long minutes since they’d arrived, and he’d disappeared inside. By now, he should have found Melvian—or at least Maris.

Letting out a quiet huff, Valda turned her attention toward the House of Arago, her sharp eyes scanning for any movement near the entrance.

Her chest tightened. She wasn’t ready. Not yet.

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