Page 107 of Kingdom of Aramis

I turn my head to glare at him. He smirks, crosses his arms, and leans against the doorframe as Liam mumbles, “Cockblock,” in my ear.

I smile as my grumbly bear snarls at his bond mate, and then I throw back the covers and slide out of his hold. I stand and stretch, pushing out my tits, and Brodie pushes off the doorframe and stalks over to me. He’s patient and waits until I finish my stretch before he slides his hands to my hips and tugs my body against his.

“That was mean,” he says, resting his forehead against mine and looking into my eyes.

“What you did was mean too,” I retort, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. He flinches, his eyes widening with surprise before he swoops in and takes my mouth in a blistering kiss. I melt into him, unsurprised by his boldness, and enjoy an intense kiss from the normally playful wolf. He tastes like sunshine and happiness, and when he pulls away abruptly, I whimper at the loss.

Liam tugged him away from me and is pushing him out of the room. “Nope. If I can’t get my morning sugar, then neither can you,” he argues, and my door bangs closed behind them, leaving me needy and sad.

Sighing, I head for the shower to wash away the remnants of our fun from last night. My body aches in delicious ways as I run the loofah over my skin, and I smile as I remember all the things Liam and I did to each other while we satisfied the mating need.

When I finally emerge and dress, Violet, Gretchin, and Gracelin are waiting for me.

“There you are. Have a good night?” Gracelin teases, and I roll my eyes at her.

“You’re all up early.” I ignore her as I brush my hair and braid it so it’s out of my way. I’m dressed in some of my old clothes today—leggings and a shirt in case I need to help out inthe bakery when we stop in. I also have a backpack of clothes I packed for our trip before Liam and I got busy last night. He told me they will give me a watch uniform when we go there today. I’ll wear that during our trip, because I can shift in it without worrying about being naked if I have to shift unexpectedly.

“We just wanted to wish you luck. I hope you find Nox quickly, and then we can focus on that last mate of yours. He will be a fairy, so I’ve sent a message to my parents, asking if any of the males in our village have received a new mark,” Violet tells me.

“After you speak to the equines about tracking the shifter children, then you can head to her village and see for yourself.” Gretchin watches me with worried eyes. “I wanted to come with you, but Bryson and Dad vetoed the idea. I hate that you’ll be going without me. I’m supposed to be your bodyguard.”

“Yes, but she also has six mates keeping an eye on her ass. They won’t let anything happen to her,” her sister reminds her, and Gretchin rolls her eyes.

“Please, they will all be distracted by the mating need. She needs me because I’m not going to be focused on getting into her pants,” Gretchin argues, and I feel my cheeks heat a little.

“You only wish you were getting a piece of this.” I wave a hand at myself, teasing her, and she grins.

“You wish. I have mad skills that would rock your world,” she tells me, and I feel a sense of relief as I see her lighten up a bit. These girls have quickly become family to me, and I don’t like it when they worry.

“Come on. The guys are already waiting for you near the stables. You’re going through the forest and then straight to the bakery. At this time of day, no one should be about in the neutral zone.” Violet hands me my phone, which I tuck into my pocket, and then I throw my backpack over my shoulder.

I pick up the ring box that Archie gave me and pass it to Gracelin. “Can you see that this gets returned to the vault?”

She winces but nods. “I won’t let Archie see me do it. He’s going to make my life miserable when he learns his sidepiece is no longer in the palace.”

I have an idea, so I hurry back into my closet and dig around in my jewelry box, which the guys brought from my apartment. I find a ring I’ve had since my childhood. It’s one of those mood rings that changes color depending on the temperature of your body. It’s too small for me now, but for some reason, I couldn’t ever part with it. A flash of a memory comes to me, and I smile. Gryffin gave it to me during one of our games where he was the prince who saved me from the villain witch sisters, promising to make me his princess.

“Here, give this to him and tell him that I would love to be his sidepiece.” I shove my hand out to Gracelin, and her eyes widen in surprise.

“I remember this. Gryffin won it at one of the shifter festivals and gave it to you. I can’t believe you kept it.”

I shrug. “I guess past me must have had some inkling that he would be important to me in the future.”

“Doesn’t this seem like maybe someone has been manipulating you for a long time?” Violet asks hesitantly, voicing some of my own inner thoughts. “The fact that you have a prior relationship with the royals and you found Archie outside of your bakery…”

“It really wouldn’t surprise me,” I tell her.

The other two don’t comment, but their expressions indicate that they have the same suspicions. “Alright. Don’t come with me. We don’t want any of the palace staff questioning why the four of us are up so early and moving around. I’ll message you when we have any news,” I promise them, and they wish me luck and return to their rooms.

I move quietly through the palace, not coming across any of the staff. When I make it to the stables, the guys are standing around, talking softly. They are wearing their watch uniforms, and Micah is in his armed forces fatigues. I’m guessing they are all wearing them for the same reason they are going to give me a uniform. I can’t say I’m not a little sad that I won’t be able to see all that delicious male shifter flesh, but on the other hand, these guys are my mates. I have a lifetime to appreciate them. I say a small little prayer of thanks to Aramis, and a slight breeze wafts around me like she’s saying,You’re welcome.

“Good, you’re here. Let’s get moving. I’d like to make it in and out of the bakery and to watch headquarters before the sun comes up, and we only have about three hours,” Gryffin says as I approach them. He seems to be all business now, and I appreciate it. Although we have personal stuff we need to work out, focusing on the task at hand will keep me from becoming overwhelmed.

“Colbie, you and Micah will fly with me and Gem again, and the others will shift and meet us at the bakery. I’m too heavy to land at the bakery, but I’ll land at the watch building, because it’s closer to your shop than the edge of the forest, and we will go on foot from there,” Hunter tells me as the others shift and take off through the forest.

Chapter

Twenty