Page 46 of Bearing Secrets
No, he had to act like the Assassin of the House if he hoped to be successful. Once he and a few other supporters of the Queen were firmly entrenched as Title Holders, things would begin to calm, but—for now—they were operating on very unsteady ground.
“Kirell… Who am I meeting?” Natalia asked as they approached another panel in the wall.
He slipped ahead of her and lifted both hands, one upraised to have her stay there, the other to rap twice on the door; this was followed by a pause, then two more raps, then a pause and one rap.
“The Queen,” he replied softly as a panel slid open in the wall and the muzzle of a gun became visible on the far side.
“Thewhat?” Natalia yelped.
A voice sounded through the door, the muzzle of the gun tracking over toward Natalia. “Who is it?”
“Kirell. I’m here to see the Queen. She will want to see me and my mate.”
It cost him a lot to say those words when he knew they weren’t true. To lie to his fellow Ursidae was something Kirell had never expected to do, something he’d neverwantedto do. He’d always been a prideful man, but today he was ashamed of himself.
Not ashamed of Natalia—she was a good woman—but of the way he was purporting her to be something she wasn’t. The shifters had always banded together to face external threats. In the past, Canim and Ursidae had fought side by side against the forces of humans when they’d been attacked, regardless of any ongoing disputes. They were almost like brothers in that regard.
“Come in. Slowly.”
He nodded, knowing he was being watched, and gestured for Natalia to come stand close to him.
“You’re taking me to see your fucking Queen? I’m so not ready for this,” she hissed at him, lashing out with her voice even as she stood firmly at his side.
“It’s fine, trust me. Kaelyn is not someone you need to worry about impressing. She hates the official trappings of the office as much as everyone else.”
“Says the guy in his dress uniform looking smart as hell.”
He blew air out between his lips. “I’m wearing this to offset the glam of your dress. Normally, I’d wear a shirt and jeans. It’s not a formal visit.”
“I picked up on that when you dragged me through the back-alley entrance instead of through the front doors. What are you hiding, Kirell?”
“You.”
The doors opened and two guards, weapons raised, followed the doors back, using them to obscure much of their body, just in case.
“Uh, they have guns,” Natalia observed, shuffling closer to him, her voice and body-language fraught with fear.
“It’s just precautionary. Since we’re not here to cause any harm, you have nothing to worry about.” He nodded toward the waiting room and together they walked forward.
It wasn’t the Throne Room. Kirell didn’t want to risk meeting there, so he’d gone to the office, where the Queen spent most of her time when she wasn’t officiating over some sort of ceremony or greeting visitors and such.
“Kirell!”
He turned as Kaelyn strode across the floor, her short blonde hair contrasting vividly with the black jumpsuit she wore.
“Your Majesty,” he said, bowing. Beside him, Natalia whispered a curse that he was fairly positive was about him and dropped into a clumsy curtsy.
“Oh, stop it. Use my name, for the love of the gods.”
“Gods?” Natalia asked, before biting her lip to stop herself. “Sorry.”
“You’ve really got her wound up, haven’t you?” Kaelyn admonished, whacking Kirell gently on the arm with the back of her hand as she passed him by. “Sorry, I haven’t been informed of your name yet.”
“Natalia.”
“Natalia. It’s nice to meet you. But seriously, don’t listen to this jerk. He likes to follow the rules and traditions and thinks I should be treated like I’m some form of royalty, instead of the head of a household.”
“Youareroyalty,” he muttered, but it only earned him a reproving glance.
