Page 60 of Bearing Secrets
Eventually, the Hunter would point him toward his real mate; that would be awkward, but Kirell had thought it through already. He would play it off as having thought she was his mate, but with no Hunter around to confirm, he could claim to have made a mistake. There would be some grumbling, but by then it would be too late.
Hopefully.
“Kirell.”
Krave’s whispered call snatched his attention away from Natalia, returning it to the screens in front of him. Krave had run the cameras backward until he found an image of the person who had disappeared into the blank zone.
“No.”
“I cross-checked it while you were daydreaming. He’s the only one to go there. He never comes out, because I’d wager he took the passages, hoping to hide his presence. If I had to guess, I’d say he had hoped to never even be seen on camera. That first one caught their legs by accident, or we’d never have known there was a person there.”
“Check the cameras near the King’s quarters,” Kirell said, tired.
“Why those?”
“Because that’s where they came out and joined up with me to help save the Queen.”
Krave glanced at him but did as he said. Sure enough, a few minutes later a side panel opened and their culprit emerged to stand alongside Kirell on the screen.
“There has to be another reason for this,” he said dully, standing. “I refuse to believe it.”
He pressed a few buttons that started burning the video onto a thumbdrive.
“Kirell, the footage is clear.”
“There’s another explanation!” he snarled, snatching the drive and storming from the room.
There had to be.
27
His journey through the hallways passed by in a strange blur. Afterward he would try and think back to it, but his brain wasn’t able to recall any of the details. Not the route he’d passed or any of the people he’d encountered. It was like it had shut off in an attempt to insulate him from the pain of the betrayal.
It only went to show that his brain had more sense than the rest of him.
Pounding his fist on the door, he waited until the owner opened it. The fact that they were in their quarters was random, but again that didn’t clue in to Kirell. Not until much later.
“Why?” he asked, before stepping inside without warning. “That’s what I don’t understand. Why?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Kedd asked, sounding bewildered.
Kirell plugged the thumb drive into the side of the tv and worked the controls until it started to play the video file.
“That’s you,” he said, numb. “I don’t get it. What were you doing, Kedd? It looks bad.”
It looked worse than bad. It looked incriminating beyond belief. Kirell desperately wanted it to be untrue, and perhaps that’s why he was willing to give his longtime friend the benefit of the doubt.
“You need to tell me what was going on, Kedd.” He sighed, watching the video yet again. “Because if other people see this, you know the rumors are going to start flying, and people are going to call you a traitor.”
The word wasn’t being thrown around lightly these days, but Kirell knew that many were upset the apparent ringleaders of the attempted coup all died during the attempt, without answering questions and naming any other hidden comrades. If they got a whiff that Kedd was involved, he’d be in for a world of pain.
“Just tell me, Kedd. I can help.”
There was still no answer forthcoming. Kirell’s own frustration was starting to boil over into outright anger, and he whirled on his friend to demand he answer the question.
Instead of Kedd standing calmly and ready to explain, though, a giant straw-colored bear was preparing to charge at him.
“You sonofabitch!” he shouted, diving to the side as Kedd darted forward, massive paws swiping at him. His reflexes saved the day, but the television and stand disintegrated under the blow, a reminder of what would happen if the beast made contact with him in his human form.
