Page 42 of Captured By the Monsters
“By whole, you mean Rumilus, no longer Specters, right?” Sera asked, and I nodded in confirmation. “How many of your kind are still Rumilus?”
“We’re not sure. After the Queen was killed and we became our shadow forms if we were not a matched Trifecta, we did not stay in touch with one another. Everything became centered around finding a mate and becoming whole once more.”
“And your leaders have been fair since they took over?”
“Yes, they’ve been tested by the crystal and know that their mate is not the True Queen. And so they lead our kind in this perilous time, but know to step down when the True Queen is found.”
“How long does this presentation last?” she inquired, nerves clear in the way her shoulders tensed up. I had a feeling she was nervous about being around other Specters after her last encounter with them in the cave with the other human women.
Leaning down to kiss her nose, I chastised her. “I’m getting there. Every Trifecta that finds a mate must bring her to the capital castle, as I’ve told you. She is presented in front of the leaders, demonstrating that she has been claimed by her Trifecta.”
“Then what happens if she’s not claimed?”
I heaved a sigh. “Unclaimed mates are not a situation anyone wants to be in. Once upon a time the crystal’s match was something that couldn’t be argued. But with so few women left for us to pick from and many of us succumbing to our Specter forms, if a Trifecta has a mate and she hasn’t had sex with her Trifecta, other Trifectas will challenge the validity of the match and fight for the mate to be theirs.”
Sera shivered. “I know you explained this before, but I don’t really think I internalized the full implications of it.”
“Yes. We didn’t want to push you or force you into anything—you weren’t ready. But we’re required to go to the castle and present you. We would have fought tooth and nail for you even in Specter form if we had gone without claiming you, but we’ll present a more unified front when we go there with you, claimed. Plus, we’re one of the few Trifectas that are now in our true form.”
Sera sucked in a breath. “Ok, so no one can fight for me now?”
“No one. It is against our rules.”
Sera fingered her crystal. “Okay, then what?”
“Well, then we test you to see if you’re the Queen.”
Sera let out a little squeak of surprise. “Me, Queen? No way.”
Chuckling at her adamant refusal of the idea, I soothed her, “It is a one in a million chance that you would be Queen. But remember, we are always looking for that one woman who can finally fix the wrongs of our land. We have hope we will find her soon.”
Her eyes softened and her shoulders slumped forward, “I understand. I can’t imagine how sad your people are. How desperate to return to the way it was before. Will there be other human women there?”
“Maybe. Since the leaders sent down women from The Above shortly before and after you came, some matches could have been made. Those Trifectas would be taking their mates to the capital.”
Sera gave me a delighted smile just as Rowen came back into the bedroom, carrying with him a gossamer dress. Her eyes widened and she pulled out of my embrace as she squeaked in delight. “This is beautiful. Where did you get it? “
Instead of answering, Rowen helped Sera by slipping the garment over her body. It flowed like water, settling over her curves in a tantalizing display of perfection.
“You look lovely,” I complimented and winked. “An outfit fit for a Queen.”
“I’m not the Queen,” Sera groused, glaring playfully at me. “I wouldn’t be any good at it anyways.”
Rowen shared a conspiratorial grin with me. “That’s for the crystal to decide.”
Axton returned with clothes in hand from the stash all Trifectas have in their homes in case of finding their mate, signaling it was time for us to begin our journey to the castle. A part of me was still fearful of bringing her around unmatched Trifectas, but I had to believe that we were strong enough to handle anything that could happen now that we were Rumilus.
We’d kill anyone who dared to even look at her wrong.
