Page 166 of Kingdom of Aramis

“I have a tranq in case they are feral.” Micah raises his gun, and I gape in horror.

“They might be feral?” I hadn’t even considered the possibility. I need to get that damn book back. “Poor babies. Is there a way to erase their memories of what happened?” I ask Titus, and he nods.

“Yes. A full fae could probably do it. If they need it, we can appeal to the fae for assistance.”

Hunter slowly opens the door, Micah sticking close to him, as the two of them enter the room. I peer in behind them, and thankfully, it isn’t dark, but it’s no better than the cells. There is nothing in the cement room but a pile of hay, a dirty old blanket, and a small, very agitated white wolf pup. It snarls at the sight of Hunter and yips, snapping its little jaw at my mate.

“Shift,” Hunter commands like he did to Archie that first time in my bakery. The command rolls over me, and I barely feel it, but it works on the pup. It freezes and whines as its body starts to painfully reshape itself. By the time it’s finished, a young, naked, sobbing girl has replaced the white pup.

“Help me, please,” she begs, and Gem rushes in and scoops her into his arms, wrapping the dirty blanket around her.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe. We’re going to get you back to your parents,” he promises. Her chest heaves as she sobs uncontrollably in his arms, and my heart fucking breaks. Tears well in my eyes, but before they can fall, my grief turns to fury. My creatures roar inside my head, and the need to create bloodshed and chaos begins to ride me hard.

“They will pay,” I swear out loud.

A shout has us leaving the room, and we find Nox has opened two more doors and commanded the two children inside the rooms to shift. Two small boys are carried out by Titus and Micah, while Liam and Brodie remain on alert. Both are sobbing as hard as the little girl and are wrapped in the same dirty, smelly blankets she is.

“Alright, I can’t sift all of us, so we will take the kids, and then I’ll come back and get you. I’ll be no longer than five minutes,” Titus says, holding the boy against his chest. Gem and Micah each put a hand on him while keeping a tight hold on their respective charges, and they disappear.

Hunter and I breathe a sigh of relief now that the kids are free, but Nox is staring down the hallway, frowning.

“What is Gryffin doing?” He points to where the white tiger is crouched in front of another locked door, snarling and scratching at it.

“Do you think it’s another kid, one we didn’t know about?” I ask Hunter, and he shrugs.

“Only one way to find out.” Nox does his tech magic, and the door unlocks. He steps back, and Hunter takes point with Gryffin on his heels. The door swings open, and when I peer inside, I’m stunned into speechlessness.

Chapter

Forty-Three

Colbie

“Colbie? You’re alive! They told me you were dead.” My mom looks as surprised to see me as I am to see her. I look around, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. This room is completely different from the ones the kids were kept in. It’s luxurious and spacious in a way that doesn’t surprise me, knowing my mother. It has all the amenities of a fancy hotel room, but it’s a prison nonetheless.

“Oh my god, Mom, are you okay? Are you injured? Come on, let’s get you out of here.” I run in, holding out my hand for her to take, but her surprise turns to fury, and her face twists as she snarls.

“You stupid girl, you always ruin everything.”

I flinch like she physically slapped me. Gryffin lunges, snarling, but Hunter is quick to grab him by the scruff and haul him back. Mom screams and kicks out, thankfully missing.

“What do you mean? What’s going on?” I’m so fucking confused, but before she can reply, a howl and a growl from Liam and Brodie has us exiting to find we have company.

Vallen Tideman is standing at the end of the corridor with a number of guards, all with their guns pointed at us.

“Ah, Colbie, so nice of you to join us. I guess we won’t be needing your mother after all.”

“No!” she shouts, hurrying out of her room to join us. “You promised that you would change me if I helped you. You promised I could be queen if I used my blood to open your stupid book. You said the power and her mates would transfer to me when she died because we have the same blood. I will rule over all shifters, with you as my prime king.”

As her words register, my heart feels like it cracks in half. My mother basically condoned my death as long as she got what she wanted. I thought she hurt me in the past, but every past infraction pales in comparison to this ultimate betrayal.

A tear slides down my cheek as she clings to Vallen’s arm, but I see the calculation in her eyes. She’s saying what she thinks he wants to hear, when I know she has no intention of making him her king. He’s a handsome man, but if she thinks she can have my mates, then she’d dispose of him in a hot second.

“Yes, but why would we use you when we have the original here now?” He waves a hand in my direction, and she snarls and lunges for one of the guards, pulling a knife from a sheath on his thigh before she spins and runs at me, screaming.

“I hate you! You ruined everything, just like you did when you were born.” Fuck, I thought I couldn’t hurt any more, but I was wrong. I can’t stop the sob that escapes my mouth as I put my hands up to defend myself. I’m so broken that even my creatures are cowering in despair.

I grab her wrist with both hands, stopping her from jabbing the dagger into my heart. I think even my guys were shocked into inaction, because none of them moved to stop her, but that only lasts a split second before they lunge toward us. Nox grabs me, tugging me away, as Hunter grips her wrist, squeezing hard.I hear the bone break as she cries out in pain, dropping the knife. Before she can be restrained further, Gryffin lunges at her, tearing her throat out. She lets out a garbled scream before she topples over, clutching her ruined throat. She looks at me with pleading eyes as Titus, Gem, and Micah reappear.