Page 42 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

I decide to embrace the no talking thing. Ophelia means well, and I’m sure Pertusio wants us to be quiet, but the dome of silence is her idea.

“Pertusio stopped me in the hall. He said there was a special aide coming by in a little while to get Alder up. Where is your attendant?”Attendantis Ophelia’s term for the guard who will knock me out if I fall asleep and start to sleepwalk.

“I’m awake. We gave him a bathroom break.”

Ophelia straightens her tunic. “I see. Well, you do have several visitors in the great hall who want to see you. Pertusio said if you stay calm, they can come in for short visits.”

“Castor.” I glare at her.

“Actually, I believe the first up is Muster.”

“The battle-ax is back,” says Alder. “Excellent. Send that––”

“Send my father in.” While Ophelia has heard it all, she doesn’t need to hear what the two of them call each other.

“Alder.” She gives him the same scolding look Kai gave her mate.

“Yes, Ophelia. I will be on my best parent-patient behavior.” Dad tucks his chin to his chest. He looks like one of Annabelle’s sharks when she scolds them for eating too many sticks.

Ophelia’s lips thin, and she smiles. She’s gone, and a minute later, Muster, Father, is here. He has light blond hair with a touch of gray at his temples. His eyes are dark, and other than that, he looks a heck of a lot like Holter.

“You’re not dead.” Father grimaces. It’s almost a grin. Not really. More like a barracuda mouth.

“Neither are you,” Dad says to Father.

“But you keep trying.” Muster hasn’t come close to either of our beds.

“The same can be said for you.”

Muster shakes his head. “Nico. I’m glad you’re alive.” Father sits in the guard’s chair, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together. He almost appears like he’s going to say something of great importance. Instead, he looks between the two of us. “Where’s Holter?”

“Our gatekeeper hasn’t let anyone in but you.” Alder sits up even more. I’m not telling him he can’t. They’re keeping him here for me. It’s easier because the second he’s back on his own, he’s going to refuse to have anyone come and help him. I’m off my game.

“Polarisis back.” Obviously it is, or Muster wouldn’t be sitting here.

“The king,” Alder says. “Oh, that’s going to put the governors in a tizzy.” And Dad isn’t wrong. King Atlas being back in the Veiled City is going to shake things up.

Kai walks in, her mate trailing her. “The doctor said to keep it brief.”

“I’ll see you two when I get back.” Muster grips Alder’s leg.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Alder replies.

“I am. ThePolarisis leaving again tomorrow.” But there’s something in the way he says it that tells me it’s not true.

“No,” Alder says.

My fathers are glaring at each other in a silent battle. Muster shakes his head and storms out of the room.

Kai’s eyes are wide. “Are you okay?”

“I’m better than a caught-and-released fish. The blubber fish isn’t going back out.”

“But he didn’t say...” Kai stares at the closed door and back to Alder.

“When you’ve been in a pod long enough, you don’t have to say.” Dad folds his hands over his blanket and closes his eyes.

Kai straightens Dad’s already straight blanket. Then she nods at me. “Castor would like to come in. The doctor said to space visitors out, but Castor’s being rather insistent. So is Holter. He’s waiting out in the hall.”

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