Page 59 of Courting the Tiger King

A startled laugh fell out of Neah. “When can we start a wager on whatever is going on with you and those two boys?”

Sonnet sniffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But her lip twitched and Neah smirked, deciding to let it go for now. “Did Zen tell you that Romi stayed here again last night?”

It was an unsubtle change of subject, but Neah allowed it, too intrigued to do anything else as she dragged over a chair from the parlour and plopped it down at the foot of the bed. “Ohreally?” She narrowed her eyes on her sister, who blushed and fidgeted with the hem of her blue dress. “Kept that one quiet, Zen.”

“It’s not like that,” she said, voice slightly too high to be believable. “I mean, do I like her? Sure. Of course. She’s beautiful, and kind, and funny—” Zennon cut herself off, a red flush filling her face. “But she was here as a friend.”

Neah shared a look with Sonnet, reading the doubt on the witch’s face that she knew was probably on her own too. “Ten coppers say they’re wed before the year is out.”

Sonnet snorted. “Two silvers say within the next two months.”

Zennon huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m sitting right here, you know.”

“We know,” Neah and Sonnet returned in unison.

They dissolved into laughter and casual chatter and by the time Neah left to go and find Wren, much to the girls’ teasing, she was feeling a lot more relaxed. Maybe she’d been a little more worried about public opinion to this bonding ceremony than she’d realised. The problem with marrying a king was that everyone had an opinion and suddenly felt it was their place to share it. But she and Wren had been fated, ordained by the Goddess herself. Anyone else could go and fuck themselves.

The vague mention of anyonefucking themselveshad her overreactive instincts perking up, eager to hunt down Wren and prove just howhershe was. The door to her chambers had only just closed behind her when, distracted, she walked into a solid chest.

Cursing under her breath, Neah looked up and then blinked. “Castor. My apologies, my head was elsewhere.”

Wren’s uncle smiled. “No matter at all, the fault was mine.”

She glanced behind her to the door she’d just closed. “Were you looking for me?”

“I suppose I was,” he said, and the odd phrasing made her brows furrow before she cleared her expression. “I heard the good news from my nephew, so naturally I wanted to offer my congratulations.”

“Thank you.” She straightened, finally pulling up her composure and letting the easy mask of Lady settle over her. “That’s very kind of you.”

“I am a kind man,” he said, a small smile twisting his mouth. “Which is why I feel the need to warn you that any… secrets you may be harbouring might not be well received by the king.”He glanced at the door to her back and for reasons she couldn’t quite place, the hair on the back of her arms stood to attention. “I’m close with your father, of course, and being in my position… Well, one hears things, my dear.”

For a second, she could only stare. What was he trying to say? “If you’re referring to mywork,” she said, emphasising the word with a narrowing of her eyes, “Wren knows all about it.”

“And your sister? Does he know about that too?” Castor leaned in, as if he was relaying a secret, pity shining in his eyes.

“He does,” she said slowly. “But how doyou?” If the king’s uncle knew, what were the chances that others did too? There hadn’t been any more attempts on Neah’s life and she wondered if it was because whoever was doing this knew that she could handle herself. So if they couldn’t get to her directly…

She swallowed hard and took a step closer, invading the Lord’s space as she looked deeply into his eyes. “Who else knows about Zennon?”

He shrugged, a gleam in his eye that made all her senses prickle. “I can only guess?—”

Neah closed the remaining distance, shoving Castor into the stone wall to their left and fisting her hand in the front of his crisp white shirt. “Enough games. Tell me how you know about her. Who told you?”

He swallowed, eyes flashing wide. “Lady Neah, I must insist—” His words were cut off by the growl that escaped her, claws appearing at her hands and fur rippling across her skin. “The Queen Mother,” he gasped, eyeing the place where her claws had pierced the material of his shirt. “I don't know who else she told, I swear it!”

The Queen Mother. But why would Wren’s mother spread this information? What did she have to gain? Neah was missing something, she was sure of it.

She relinquished her hold on the Lord and stepped back as the shift she’d been holding at bay took her over. Heavy paws hit the ground and she snarled at Castor as he cowered against the wall. The warning, she hoped, was clear.

When she roared again, he fled and the door to her back creaked open. Sonnet peeked out and grimaced. “I thought you left ages ago.” Neah’s grumble made the witch raise her hands. “Okay, okay. Good kitty. Don’t eat me.”

Neah made a show of displaying her teeth and licking her lips before she nodded in the direction Castor had fled.

“Someone was here? Okay. Do you want me to—” She made as if to step out of the door and Neah snapped lightly at the air, making the witch freeze in place. “Okay. Got it. I’ll stay with Zennon.” A whine escaped Neah and Sonnet’s face dropped all pretenses of civility as she looked into Neah’s eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Neah believed her.

The door closed softly behind Sonnet and Neah was already moving. She needed to find Wren so they could discuss what was going on. Maybe he could talk to his mother and get some answers. Neah had a bad feeling that whatever they’d faced so far—it was about to get worse.

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