Queen Alpha (NYC Mecca #2)(66)

I grinned. “You knew it was her. That she wrote on my behalf?”

The magic born threw back his head and laughed. “I could see my little spitfire in every word, but it was your words she used. She knows you better than anyone else. She knows what you’d want her to say to your people.”

“I’d be lost without her,” I said, injecting every ounce of my love for Calista into the sentiment. “She’s been my rock for twenty years, and she has never given up on me.”

Baladar surprised me then with a hug. I was so used to no one touching me without permission, I tensed for a second. But then it was nice. Just a light, comforting hug.

When he pulled away, he had a bright purple flower in his outstretched hand. “Take care in the Otherworld. Use this to stay in touch with me, and be safe. I would not see you lost. The shifter world needs you and King Kade.”

He pulled away, and before I could say anything more he was gone, disappearing into the brightness of his prison world, leaving me with the fae flower communication device, which I tucked into my backpack. I needed to figure out a way to break the imposed imprisonment of him here. I still couldn’t understand why it hadn’t fallen with the death of the Red Queen. Somehow she had figured out a way to continue to rule, even from the grave.

Kade reached around me to open the door, his hands brushing along my sides as we stepped out into the dark night, bathed by the glow of the street lamps. What the…?

We were nowhere near Baladar’s loft. We were only a block from the palace. That man had some serious magic up his sleeve. Kade wrapped one of his arms around me, offering comfort in the way of our people – touch. It hit me hard then. I wasn’t alone. Sure, I’d never been fully alone, always surrounded by dominants, guards, advisors, but I had stood apart from them, always with the proper protocol, me being heir or queen. The only one who was my equal was Finn, and I’d clung to our bond with ferocity.

Now I had Kade too, another equal – more than equals, we were partners – and that gave me a sense of strength and happiness I’d never felt before. It also scared me to death. How did one go on without their partner? It was like my soul was divided again now, and I had twice as much to lose if this went badly. Crap. Going to the Otherworld was a really bad idea, but we had no choice. If anyone else was the third part of my soul, it was Violet. I couldn’t lose any of them.

I would just have to pray to all the shifter gods that I was strong enough for this, that I could be a queen, friend, and mate, without losing any of my loved ones.



We moved silently toward the royal home as Nix took to the skies. So far we’d passed a few shifter patrols, but my dominants were familiar with the general walk line and shift changes, so we were able to avoid them. The closer we got, though, the harder it would be. Selene seemed to have doubled the numbers patrolling, and I wasn’t sure if it was fae or me she feared. Either way, she was continuing her trend of being a pain in the butt. It was stressful to think of all the stupid and selfish energy she was probably filtering across our boroughs, and right when we were at war. It was not a time for that sort of weakness to be here.

“Three royal guards on my six,” Victor whispered. “Turn into this alley. We’ll wait it out here.”

No one spoke or questioned his orders, even though he sounded a little uncertain. All of us were missing Ben right now; he would have had a million routes plotted out in his head, already have known which way to turn to avoid everyone. My heart squeezed tightly in my chest as I swallowed down my sorrow. There was no time for mourning, no matter how much I needed to grieve.

Nikoli stepped closer to Kade and me, whispering softly: “I can cloak three people, but not all six.” Darkness surrounded us in the alley.

“Cloak, Monica, Blaine, and Victor,” I said. “The king and I will meet you in the crystal room. They know the way.”

He moved to argue but Kade interrupted. “Do it.”

“But—”

“That’s an order, Nik.” Kade’s voice could cut glass. We didn’t have time for anyone to be second-guessing us. The truth was Kade and I together were stronger than everyone in this alley. We would be fine.

Reluctantly, Nikoli slowed his steps, squeezing himself into Monica, Blaine, and Victor’s space. The alleyway was tight, and three wolves walking side by side left barely any room for the bear magic born. Before my dominants could ask what was going on, they vanished, as if they had just traveled on the vortex, but I knew they were still standing before me.

Kade, Finn, and I hugged the wall to let them pass us. A whoosh of air brushed across my face and then they were gone. I’m sure they had wanted to argue, but Nikoli had probably cloaked and silenced them, for their own safety. We gave them a few minutes before Kade and I stepped out of the darkness.

The street was empty again, so we stuck to the shadows and moved with speed toward the royal home. I had no idea how we were going to get inside, but that was a problem I’d deal with once we got there.

The huge building dominated much of the sky in the area. I could feel the surge of mecca stronger there than anywhere else.

“Cloaked shifter to our right,” Kade said with urgency. I felt it then: shifter energy. They had to have been cloaked and shielded so no one would notice. The only reason Kade had was because he was powerful and the shifter was basically right on top of us.