Page 34 of Bound By the Vori

A scent teased at Rykaal’s nose, and his tongue flicked as he drew the scent in deeper. It was a strangely familiar scent layered beneath everything else. No doubt it had been drowned under the perfume of the floral arrangement decorating it. What was it?

Reggie wrinkled her nose and giggled. “I know. It still disgusts me how much I crave the little bugs. My mates always tease me when I ask them to bring ormi back home for me.”

Kim chuckled sympathetically. “I can certainly imagine. I guess that’s why you included such a large bag. Thank you!”

The scent teased him, and he frowned. It was familiar. So very familiar. It reminded him of something that he should know.

Reggie’s smile slipped, a look of confusion settling in as Rykaal’s eyes widened in recognition. “What do you mean?”

With a snarl he sprung, startling shrieks from the females that caused the males to instinctively react as they lunged for him. He ignored them as his body began looping protectively around his mate as he viciously struck the bag with his tail, sending it careening away, the sight of which brought the attacking males up short. He had struck it with enough force that he sent it flying far from his female as he clutched her close to him, his hearts pounding violently in his chest. He did not know where it landed—he did not care as long as it was far from his mate.

“Rykaal, what is the meaning of this?” Vadal bellowed angrily and Rykaal felt the sharp prick of Shaagra’s spear at his neck. Sijhord growled aggressively but he waved his nestmate off, his gaze pinned on Vadal.

“I am certain there is a reasonable answer,” Esheb soothed, though the tension in his voice was audible.

“I would certainly like to hear it,” Inkol hissed.

It seemed that every male was fully prepared to attack him in that moment, and he could not say he could blame them. He would have reacted similarly to a sudden, violent action from any of them.

“Shoyla venom,” he spoke from between stiff lips.

The snarl on Shaagra’s face eased, and a look of fear lit his eyes as he quickly looked over at his mate as if to assure himself that she was fine.

“What do you mean shoyla venom? How do you know?” the Matriarch demanded as she slowly entangled herself from her sentinel.

“I recognized the scent. It took me a minute as it has been revolutions since I was exposed to it, but then it came to me. Shoyla venom has a distinctly sweet smell,” he explained. It was overpowered in the basket among the flowers and sweet foods in there, especially the ormi which were doused with it, liberally enough that once the bag was brought fully out I smelled it immediately and put it together.”

“And immediately removed it,” Vadal said with a long, relieved sigh.

Reggie trembled in his arms, looking at him askance. “But I don’t understand. I didn’t put that in there. I didn’t include ormi at all since I didn’t have time to look for any at the market. It was just fruits and products from our territory. How did this happen?”

“Someone must have intercepted it,” Esheb replied grimly.

“What of the guard who brought it to the room?” Inkol interjected, a fierce scowl on his face. “We should investigate the tampering there first.”

Sijhord shook his head. “The ormi was already in the basket when it was delivered.”

“It was brought by courier?”

“Yes. An Edoka male—young. I tipped him well since the basket was noticeably heavy. He appeared nervous, but Edokas, especially the younger ones, generally are.”

Esheb dipped his head in acknowledgement and lifted his comm to bark his orders into it. “Lock down the entire palace. Do not argue—just do it. And bring up the security feeds. I want to know who intercepted a courier heading toward the family dorms.” He paused, his scowl growing monumentally. “What do you mean you cannot?” A grim look settled on his face as he faced the Matriarch. “The video feed from the entire valkut hour was deleted. This was done by someone with clearance from within the palace.”

Her jaw tight, the Matriarch lifted her head regally, her crown coils slithering around her shoulders in a fighting display as she looked over at Inkol. “Take the humans to a safe room. We will scour every part of the palace. Question everyone. Someone must have seen something.”

The male dipped his head. “Yes, Matriarch. I know just the place. I set it up some days ago when we were investigating the vorubal. It is only a short distance away. I can get them there quickly.”

“Good. Stay with them. Protect them as you would me,” she ordered. “Esheb, you are with me. Alert all the guards.”

“I will go with the females,” Shaagra growled, removing a lance pommel from a strap on his vest. “I do not know the palace and will be of no use searching. I will protect them,” he said, his eyes piercing Rykaal and then Sijhord, communicating clearly his promise to them.

He would protect Kim as if she were his own Reggie. As much as Rykaal loathed to leave his mate without even Sijhord for protection, they were needed. As guards—or even a former guard in Sijhord’s case—they would move through the castle quicker and with fewer obstacles. Rykaal nodded, giving the male his trust. That did not make it any less difficult to watch Inkol and Shaagra leave from the room with Kim in tow.

Giving them one last look over her shoulder, she disappeared from sight, taking his hearts and the breath in his lungs with her.

Twenty-Nine

The room that Inkol brought them to was no less fine than the sitting room they left. Kim wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Some sort of pleasure room? It had a large pool at the center with numerous exotic ferns and plant life that made a striking setting among the stone benches and plush pillows. And everywhere there were flowers. Kim wrinkled her nose, wondering if they were perhaps left over from the Flower Festival. She didn’t recall seeing any other part of the palace filled with quite so many, but if it was a pleasure room that made a kind of sense.

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