Page 37 of Kings
“I know that,” Bishop hissed. “I’ll handle it. There was no need for any of this.”
“Yes, because you’ve handled it so well thus far,” Eldric mocked. “The higher ups determined that you needed some motivation to see the job through.”
“She’s our mother,” Bishop said, his voice laced with disgust. He hated his brother, but even he didn’t want to believe Eldric was that cruel. That callous toward their own flesh and blood.
“And if you deliver the Vessel as you promised, she will not be harmed,” Eldric answered without a hint of remorse or guilt.
Bishop clenched his jaw, feeling the heat of his skin burning away to the beast inside. The look of recognition in Eldric’s eyes was soon joined with fear.
“You can attack me if you like, but it won’t change anything,” Eldric said, squaring his shoulders. “She isn’t here. They just knew you’d come, and they wanted to make sure you received the message.”
Bishop’s eyes narrowed. He had to be lying…
No. No, he wasn’t. His tell was subtle, but notably absent. His left eyebrow always lifted a bit when he was spinning bullshit, and he had done it often enough over the years for Bishop to notice.
That left only one option. “The temple.”
Eldric didn’t respond, but the smug look on his face was answer enough. “You know as well as I do, you’ll never get to her. Not unless you give them what they want.”
Bishop snarled, but he knew his brother was right. The temple was guarded by more than just the locks on its doors. The same power that had sustained Felidae for generations would protect and hold its secrets until the guardians of the temple chose to open it.
Sacrifice was the key.
“One moon-marked queen for another,” he muttered bitterly.
“That was always the deal,” Eldric said, clearly enjoying every moment of his brother’s suffering. “The child changes nothing.”
“I know that,” Bishop snapped. “It’ll be handled.”
“You have until the next full moon,” Eldric warned.
Bishop’s heart pounded. A month. A fucking month was all the time they were giving him.
“Of course, if you can’t handle it…” Eldric offered in a tone of false sympathy.
“No,” Bishop said, his tone growing cold as he displaced everything that would make his mission impossible. All the distracting feelings and weaknesses that had allowed him to get to this point. This failure.
Never again.
“Good,” Eldric said, his mouth stretching into a triumphant sneer. “And remember, brother. The moon isalwayswatching.”
Chapter 22
Ella
Three Weeks Later
Three weeks had passed since Natalia’s disappearance, and while the colony was still out searching, Ella had been confined not only to house arrest, but house arrest in the Meyers’ nearest property.
If it had been a matter of punishment, she would have taken it happily, but the moment the Empress had officially been declared missing, Ella had become her replacement by default. The colony’s forces were assuming that Natalia had been kidnapped, and as such, Ella would likely be the next target on their list.
She wanted to be out searching with the others, except for Sterling and Axel, who took shifts making sure she couldn’t leave. She loved them both as men, but as prison guards, they were absolutely infuriating.
Bishop still hadn’t returned, which was no surprise. For one thing, Ella knew he wouldn’t rest until he had found his mother, and the person responsible for her disappearance. He was also undoubtedly still furious with her for keeping the pregnancy from him.
She just hoped desperately that she wasn’t responsible for Natalia’s disappearance as well.
It seemed an absurd thought, but she couldn’t get that night out of her head. When she’d finally voiced her concerns to Axel, he had dismissed them outright. She could understand why he thought it laughable that a common housecat shifter could bring harm to anyone, but he hadn’t been there. He didn’t have the menace of those lost memories lingering behind the shadow of dread that came over her whenever she thought about that night, and those lost hours.
