Page 35 of Bear Protector
“Should? That does not sound convincing.”
“Relax. I’m doing this for all of us.”
“Such a tedious sacrifice.” Liam placed a firm hand on his alpha’s shoulder. “Just don’t get too attached to the witch.”
Xander shook off Liam’s hand. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Says the dreamy-eyed man who looks like he’s fixing to claim a sorceress as his mate.”
“Did I ask for your opinion?”
“Not yet, but don’t come crying to me when the shit hits the fan. I’ll send you to the corner ofshut the fuck upandI told you so.”
Xander laughed. “Get your ass to your station, you obnoxious, meddling bastard,” he told his friend, and headed off to get a message to his contact in the Nauru coven.
It was time to get answers about Kiera.
13
Kiera
All day long, Kiera made an effort to keep her mind clear and closed. Something had caused her to breach the Chancellor’s thoughts, and she had no idea whether the connection was two-directional. Thankfully, the Chancellor did not come looking for her the second she arrived. Perhaps he didn’t know?
Coco was no help at all. She made it clear she was ready to tell Kiera much. As soon as she and Aleena got back to her room, her familiar flew off out the window that very second, leaving Kiera with no one to ask. No one with experience that she could trust, anyway. Believing Reena might know, she went searching for her. The woman was not in her laboratory or the greenhouse, and her assistant was not sure of her whereabouts either.
God, was everyone at the fortress avoiding today?
From one moment to the next, she was either soaring on a cloud from her time with Xander, or frantic with worry about these overnight changes. How on earth did she manage to levitate both herself and Xander without even meaning to? How could she read the Chancellor’s mind with no effort, and from inside the shifter camp? Did any of these early morning events have anything to do with losing her innocence?
Because the questions would not stop, she spent the day in the library, nervously consulting numerous spell books and ancient grimoires for answers. She found nothing. If she could not figure out what was happening to her and why, it was only a matter of time before Chancellor Minassus would start asking questions.
If he knew anything about it at all.
At dinner in the main dining hall that night, her fear came to fruition.
She did her best not to attract any attention from the Chancellor, who sat in his usual spot at the head of the long table built for over twenty diners. The conversation around her was mostly gossip and polite banter. For a while it seemed like any other dinner, and fortunately, no one asked her to explain her absence over the past few days.
Everything changed when two young witches began to speak about preparations for the first winter storm. Kiera shivered slightly, hoping no one would address her. A part of her wanted to publicly ask the Chancellor whether each prior Chosen was dead, and why the new Chosen witches were never told. Whenever she focused on him, she got a flash of his thoughts. At the moment, they revolved around how busy he had been this past week, but every few minutes, the Chancellor’s mind would wander.
This glazed chicken is not as tasty as the last time it was served.
At least the bread is fresh.
Maybe I should bring in a few cooks from my village.
I wonder if that old hag next door to my mother’s house is still alive.
Ahhh. Yes. She is, and it appears her spicy rosemary glaze is still the talk of the town.
What are these young ladies yammering about tonight? I should be more strict with them at the dinner table. Or have dinner alone in my study. Too bad I need to show my face a minimum of one meal a day.
I should get an assistant to keep them in line.
No, I should re-institute a mandatory hour of daily silence…at dinner time.
Yes.
Kiera wanted to laugh. The time was not right for any reaction, though. She could not afford to be noticed, so although she was only half-way through her meal, she placed her cutlery on her plate. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she got to her feet.
