A slat in the door opens and Aamon, the prince’s advisor, peers through. He takes one look at us before stepping back and unlocking the entrance.
“The Prince has summoned a meeting,” he says, turning around, his robes whipping behind him. “Make haste.”
We follow Aamon into the courtyard. I can’t help but cast nervous glances around me, as if at any moment, Rizer’s going to jump out from the shadows. Thank the goddess Caspian’s still holding my hand. That gesture alone makes me feel a tiny bit safer.
Eziel stands in front of his throne, his arms folded over his powerful torso. He’s never looked so beautiful than he does right now at this moment, bathed in the glimmers of light that reflect off his clothes and necklace. The rest of him is shadowed in darkness.
His eyes scan everyone in the courtyard. “As many of you know by now, my father is searching for something that was taken from him.” His eyes linger briefly on my face, then cut to my hand linked with Caspian’s. A dark glint shines in the prince’s eyes. “Something valuable. Until he’s found it, the Inner City will only be accessible through my own portal here in this courtyard.”
With a wave of his hand, an emerald portal materialises above the stone in which I and all the other hunters bled on.
“Access will be given to those hunting in the trials. Any personal business will no longer be permitted.”
Shocked, angry whispers break out between everyone.
“For how long?” someone asks after several moments of bickering.
“Indefinitely if the alpha does not find what he’s looking for,” Eziel replies, casting me another veiled glance.
A deep shame rises to the surface of my being. Everyone is being punished , potentially because of me. As if sensing my inner turmoil, Caspian squeezes my hand and smiles at me. I return it, thankful more than ever for his support. I don’t think I’d be able to get through this without him… as infuriating as he’s been in the past.
“So we’re all stuck here unless we’re working?” Alaric pushes off one of the pilasters and approaches the front of the crowd. He turns around and smiles but it seems calculating. “Then we better all get fucking hunting.”
He saunters off after that, whistling as if he’s strolling through the park.
I’d laugh if I wasn’t so freaked out.
The only saving grace is that we can leave hell if we’re on a mission. The thought of being stuck down here forever, with Rizer’s pack, is incomprehensible to me. At least not until I’ve won the trials and made Rizer suffer for what he’s done.
“Let’s go,” Caspian whispers, leading me through the courtyard.
We pass Dove and her partner on the way. She waves and tries to get me to walk over, but Caspian’s on a mission. He practically drags me to our apartment. As soon as the door closes, he turns to me.
“Rizer,” we say at the same time.
Caspian’s mouth twitches. “It’s got to be him. The realms have never been shut down like this.”
“What do we do?” I scan the room for Knight or Dragon, but they’re nowhere to be seen. Not even on the burned sofa. They must be in one of our bedrooms. “We can’t hide here forever.”
He nods and paces the room, the marks on his face glowing. “Hiding is what he’d expect you to do. We need to keep training and hunting as usual. That way we can hopefully throw him off our scent if we’re constantly leaving through different portals.”
“Okay…”
Caspian stops pacing and walks over to me. “Don’t be scared, Songbird,” he whispers, so softly my heart skips in my chest. “I’ve got your back. I’ll reach out to some of my contacts to see what I can find out.”
I nod and take a deep breath. “Alright. I’m going to check on the fur babies.”
“They don’t even have fur,” I hear Caspian mumble as I walk away.
Smiling for the first time since I got back, I enter my room. Knight and Dragon are entwined on the foot of my bed. Knight’s grown quite fond of sleeping with Dragon. He claims it’s because of the hot water bottles and piles of blankets, but I think it’s because he sees him like a brother.
Dragon lifts his head when I close the door softly behind me. Knight, however, remains snoring like a walrus. Such a cutie.
“Hey, Dragon.” I kneel by the side of my bed and extend an arm. “Did you sleep okay?”
Dragon immediately crawls up to me, his little tail wagging the same way as a dog’s would do. In the weeks I’ve adopted him, he’s already grown three times the size he was. He pokes his little tongue out and licks my cheek. A giggle escapes me and I stroke the side of his neck. Soon he won’t be able to sit on my shoulder and nuzzle into me like this.
“Can you tell I’ve had a bad day?” I whisper, scratching him.
He leans in and presses his face against mine, his scales warm. I pick him up off my shoulder and cradle him in my arms as though he were a baby. It’s then that Knight wakes up with a loud groan and stretches.
“What’s shaking, Redhead?”
I smile, glancing up at Knight yawning away, his tiny legs crossed underneath him.
“It’s been a long day.”
“You know the big bad wolf I told you about?”
Knight stands to attention right away. “What’s wrong? Which foe must I unleash my mighty wrath on to protect my family?”
I fall silent for a moment and scratch Dragon’s belly. “I fear this is a foe neither of us can defeat,” I say, my stomach clenching. “At least not right now.”
Knight hops beside me. He doesn’t crawl onto my body like Dragon, but he sits close, which is his way of showing affection.
“Why not right now?” he asks and cocks his little head at me.
I stop petting Dragon, my thoughts straying to the past. Images of Rizer at my family’s kitchen
