Page 67 of Courting the Tiger King

Cheered slightly by the thought, Wren took one step back and then another. Jamison snapped his fingers and two other guards stepped forward and each took hold of one of the enemy’s arms while another two scooped up the guard who had tried to run.

“Now, you let me do my job. As soon as I have anything, I’ll let you know.”

Wren wanted to protest but Jamison had already turned away and, admittedly, Wren was a liability in this form. The guards were no good to them dead, for now anyway.

Every hour that passed without news made Wren more and more restless. He’d managed to shift back to his human form after the first hour, had been ready to find Jamison and demand answers after the second, and had nearly broken Gabe’s arms when he’d tried to prevent Wren from ripping apart the palace in an effort to find something,anything,that indicated where they had taken Neah.

By the time it hit mid-day, Wren was half-convinced that his curse had already kicked in. He felt untethered, wild, one wrong word away from murder. Thankfully, before he could take that turn for the worst, Jamison emerged from his hideyhole and found them in Wren’s chambers.

Blood speckled his face and the knuckles of one hand were split and bloody. His mouth was a grim line and Wren knew that whatever the captain had to say was worse than he’d been imagining.

“Well?” Zennon demanded when the silence went on too long.

Her father glanced at her and then away, a flicker of something passing across his face that Wren thought looked a little like shame.

“Castor.”

Wren waited a beat, expecting more. “What about him?”

“He has her.”

Castor. Why would his uncle have Neah? “Your information is bad. This doesn’t make sense.”’

The grim look on Jamison’s face only intensified. “The information is sound. They knew details about the other attacks, things we kept quiet.He has her.”

A tremble started in Wren’s hands and made its way up his arms until his skin seemed to vibrate. Why would his uncle do this? What did he have to gain?

Wren hadn’t realised he’d spoken aloud until Skye answered him. “The crown.” He blinked dumbly, unable to process what Skye was saying. “Without you in the way, and no heirs muddying the water, he’s the next direct link to the throne. And his daughter after him.”

“You think my cousin knows about this too?”

Skye shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Did you get a location?” Wren said, voice hoarse, and he licked his lips as he repeated the question to the captain.

“No. They took her to another set of guards, Castor’s personal ones, and they don’t know where she went after that.”

It had been hours. By the Goddess, she could be anywhere in the kingdom by now.

“She has to be close,” Skye said, as if he could hear Wren’s thoughts. “He needs her as leverage. He’d keep her close either as bait or a bargaining chip.”

Wren took a calming breath and let it whoosh out when it didn’t help alleviate his worry. “Search all of his holdings, as many as possible within or surrounding the palace. If Skye’sright, then he’ll be at the ceremony but if we can recover Neah sooner…” Wren swallowed thickly. “She’s going to be okay. We’ll bring her home.”

They had to, Wren wouldn’t accept anything less.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

NEAH

“Acaged tiger, now thatisa sight to behold.”

The voice stirred Neah’s consciousness and she blinked blearily, wincing as the witchlight made her head throb.

Where the Hel was she? And Romi—oh gods, Romi.

Chains rattled as she dragged herself into a seated position, leaning heavily against the brick wall for assistance. The front and most of the side of her cage was made of solid metal bars, caked in grime and dirt and other things she didn’t particularly want to sniff out.

Her eyes slowly adjusted and a snarl ripped free from her throat when she saw the smug, smirking face of the man on the other side of the bars.Castor. This betrayal would hurt Wren and for that, and Romi’s death, Neah would enjoy ripping him limb from limb.

---