Page 28 of Forsaken Royals

She insisted on wearing the plainest clothes possible all the time. It didn’t matter that we’d given her a wardrobe big enough for three females—she chose to do things her way, even with something as minor as that.

Her shoulders were tight with tension, and I sent waves of warmth to lay across them like a heating pad. She relaxed, looking over her shoulder, even though I was hidden.

“Keep looking forward, Little Flower,” I said. “Pretend we aren’t here.”

“Ifeelyou here,” she mumbled. “Don’t crowd me. And don’t help me unless it’s an emergency.”

I wasn’t going to let her get hurt, but I kept that to myself. If she needed me, I was ready to do whatever it took to keep her safe.

“We’ll give you as much space as you need,” Lex said.

She made a left turn, then a right, and dipped into a nondescript alley. The tingle of a security spell passed over us as we crossed from the street into the alley behind her. It was weak magic, especially for a secret organization like them. Was that a good sign, or did they suspect something was up?

Arden stopped in front of a wall and rested her hand on one of the bricks. It glowed, and a door replaced it. She stood back and waited.

A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a nondescript male fae. Tommy, I assumed. Two guards were just inside the door on either side.

“Hey, come in,” he said.

Lex created a gentle breeze, so the door stayed open a few beats longer, allowing us to slip in behind them. Both of the guards scanned Arden for weapons and illicit potions before giving her the go-ahead. The hallway was dark and long, the bubbling sound of chatter at the end of it.

“How have you been?” Tommy asked Arden. “It’s been a while since you’ve accepted a job.”

“I’ve been okay.” Arden shrugged. “And I haven’t officially accepted it. I’m still waiting to get that information on my parents before I say yes or no to anything.”

“Ah, right. Well, you should get it today.” Tommy pushed open a hidden door, revealing a waiting room. A male fae was waiting around and nodded in greeting at her. “We’ll be with you in a bit.”

“Okay, thanks.” Arden sat down, looking at the TV.

And she waited. And waited. The other fae in the room got taken back by another one of their guards, leaving the room empty. I held in a sigh as I watched her watch TV. Flint’s patience was wearing thin, just as mine was.

Finally, Arden stood and left the room. We followed behind her. The traces of magic hiding the doors along the hall were in the air. How many fae were in this place, and what was behind all these doors? It must not have been important—guards weren’t in front of any of them, and I didn’t feel the traces of cloaking spells around them, hiding anyone protecting the place.

Arden took a left, then a right, reaching a dead end. She glanced behind her.

“You’re good,” Lex whispered. He went into the hall to watch for guards.

Arden blew out a breath and held her hands up in front of the blank wall. The spell was intense for her, making her breathe heavily as she worked. But she cracked the spell, revealing a door. She pushed it open, revealing another door. She did the same spell as before, and this time, a room was behind the door.

It was huge, stuffed with precious things—furniture, art, books, and more. If I went through here, I’d probably find half the shit they’d stolen from us.

Flint noticed a painting that had been stolen from a museum that we’d funded months ago, but he didn’t touch it.

“Where is it?” Arden murmured to herself, tiptoeing through the clutter. “There!”

She took a step around a stack of old books and stopped in front of a case with the artifact underneath glass. The area radiated much more magic than any of the other parts of the room.

Arden took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to undo the spell protecting it. Flint hovered. Did he not believe she’d crack it?

“I can feel you there, Flint,” she hissed, not opening her eyes. “And yes, I know it’s you. I’ve got this.”

Lex and I held back a laugh as Flint gave her room to work, a frown on his face. She took slow, steady breaths, the case pulsing with golden light. Sweat trailed down the back of her neck, and her arms shook. A burst of light and energy rippled through the room as she broke the spell. She froze, waiting for any indication that she’d tripped an alarm. Nothing happened.

She pulled the artifact out of the case. The sword was a little over a foot long, the sheathed blade curved and encrusted with jewels. Arden had removed the spells protecting it, but it still radiated a ridiculous amount of power. It wasn’t a fake.

She tucked it in the back of her jeans, covering it with her hoodie, and started to leave until something caught her eye.

“Let’s go,” Lex said, just loud enough for us to hear.

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