Page 76 of Happily Ever Bitten (Underworld Royals 2)

“I knock my mother out.” He said the words so seriously that I had no doubt he meant them.

“Right.” I swallowed. “I, uh, guess… I guess that’s what we’ll do.”

He pulled me in for a kiss. It’s the best plan we have.

What if Napia is waiting for us?

We kill her. He uttered the statement with clarity.

Just like that?

Just like that, he replied. You up for this, Zay? I know it’s been a long day.

You’re the one going on hours of sunlight and no blood.

Yeah, but I’m running on pure adrenaline now. That bitch hurt my family, and she’s threatened my kingdom. It’s time to send the serpent back to where she came from.

Zaya nodded. That I can get behind.

Good. He kissed my forehead, then turned toward Jeremiah and Narissa. They’d been politely chatting near the doorway.

Jeremiah wore a Nova Kingdom star pendant signifying his placement as a lieutenant in Valora’s court. I hadn’t seen him since the wedding but remembered his kind smile well. He took his job seriously, which was evident in the way he remained in protective mode beside Narissa.

“Ready?” the guard asked us, his blue eyes piercing as they went to Grigory.

“Yes,” he replied. He had the bag from Narissa in his hand. Inside was some sort of mint leaf dipped in lime. Or that was how it smelled to me, anyway. It actually resembled a fig branch. The markings on it were what produced the aroma.

Jeremiah stepped forward with the amulet in his hand. “Everyone, grab onto me.”

Narissa followed suit first, her arm threading through his. I touched his wrist, my opposite palm going to Grigory’s shoulder as he clasped Jeremiah’s shoulder with his free hand.

Space and time warped around us as the portal engaged, whisking us to the familiar grounds of Noxia palace. My stomach rolled with the motion, not because it felt weird but because of my nerves.

I’d portalled plenty of times. It was more of a minor nuisance to my conscious.

But I’d never teleported directly into a violent situation before.

The moment our feet touched the ground, the alarms roared loudly, just as Jeremiah said they would. He blinked out as soon as we materialized, his primary t

ask to guard Valora and Adrik, leaving the three of us to face Lux alone.

Grigory was moving before I even had a second to study our surroundings. He drove his fist into a nearby guard, kicked another, then plowed through the door into his mother’s bedroom chamber.

Power whirled in the air as she ignited some sort of spell meant to stun.

Grigory growled in response.

Shit. I spun into action, taking down a third guard with a hit to his throat. I didn’t want to kill them, as I feared they were all under the same hypnosis and it felt wrong to hurt them when their minds weren’t their own.

Energy hummed around me while I took on a fourth guard, his sword slicing through the air and directly for my throat. I stumbled backward, alarmed, only to gasp as Narissa released a ball of green energy directly into his torso.

He gasped and fell to his knees, the sword clattering to the ground.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded.

“Stun powder,” she replied, shrugging. “He’ll be fine in a few hours.”

“You could do that, and you’re just now telling us?”

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