Page 160 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“Then let’s do it. You have a mate to save.”
fifty
A Surprise Ally
*SHAYAN*
Ihear a cough behind me, following the voice that just talked to me. For a moment, I am frozen in shock. I’m busted! Fuck, I’m busted. All hope I had is gone now. This will mean mine and Royan’s certain death. I try to think of a good excuse while turning around to the person who just spoke.
What I see is a peculiar sight. A young teenage girl is sitting on my bed, her legs crossed, and a curious look in her eyes. Her ears are… fluffy.
“Your ears,” I manage, because I have no idea what else to say.
“Oh, dang it!” She moves her hands towards her head and squeezes her ears. “I always mess up when I shift back.”
“You are…”
“The fox,” she helps me. “Thank you for saving me, by the way.”
“The fox,” I echo, still not able to understand what’s happening right now. This girl here… is… “You are a shifter. You are the fox I saved in the cave.” She nods excitedly, while I frown. “You have been here all along? Young girl, I change and sleep in this room!”
“I never looked,” she says. “I want to save that for my mate only.”
“How come they didn’t detect your presence?”
“Oh that,” she beams and shows me a necklace. “It’s to hide me from prying eyes. I’m a countess.”
I can only stare at her as she reveals one shocking fact after another. “You are a…”
“My father is the Count and leader of the only existing fox shifter pack,” she says proudly. “I’m his heir. Oh, my name is Noemi. And, you are Shay, though that’s probably a lie.”
“But, how did you end up in this area?”
“I was straying from my pack,” she admits. “I sometimes do that. Go on an adventure. I’m an excellent tracker, and know plenty of secret paths and hidden passages.”
Slowly, I’m starting to put two and two together. “Countess,” I say quietly. “It’s dangerous here.”
“I know, but you saved me. I would be dead if it weren’t for you,” she shrugs. “I’m a future leader. I need to make sure that justice is served.”
“This is very commendable, but this place…”
“I know, the witch is gaga,” she says and points at her head, before looking at me sadly. “She has your
friend.”
“He is in grave danger,” I declare.
“So, what are we going to do?” she asks, her head perking up. “You have me as an ace up your sleeve now! We can do something.”
“I’m not going to endanger a teenage girl,” I say shortly.
“But, we already are in danger,” she says. “Being here is a danger.”
I’m stunned at her approach. On the one side, she seems to be so juvenile and naïve, and then she just hits the nail on its head. She is right. Being here endangers her massively. It’s only a matter of time until Penelope will find out that I’m a fraud, and that a fox shifter is with us. And not just any fox shifter.
I cannot let Penelope kill Royan, but time is running out.
“Shay?” she probes.
