The trio of Shadowcats considered our little pack with cold, appraising eyes. The thoughts dashing through my mind largely involved wondering if he had changed his mind about killing me. If Nate recognised my scent, he didn't show it. It was Prince Kaeden whom he chose to acknowledge.
"It's been a while, Kai."
So they did know each other. Kai tilted his head ever so slightly but otherwise didn't react. From the little information I had about his visit to the Shadowcats, a while meant at least nine years. It was only then I began to remember that was because the Shadowcats had hidden themselves away. Which rose the question as to why three of them were here. What had changed?
After his continued silence, Nate spoke again, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "I see. You aren't feeling very talkative. That will not matter — I only need you to listen. We are going to Evarlin. You and your friends are going to move out of our way."
I wasn't very happy with this. What had changed after eight years of solitude? Since when did the Shadowcats visit the Moon Guard? And more importantly, why?
It was obvious the others weren't very happy either. Becky asked through the mind link, "Could all five of us kick their asses?"
Personally, I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Kai was descended from a Shadowcat, so there was no reason why they would want to hurt him.
Kai spared her a dismissive glance. "No. They don't fight in packs like we do, but each of them is twice as deadly as an individual wolf."
"The prince is right." Nate's eyes glinted. "There's no need for violence, Rebecca. We're all on the same side here."
My eyes widened to what felt like twice their normal diameter. He could hear the mind linking? He knew her name? What the actual fu... fudge? How was it possible? Why had I never heard of this?
Why did I have so many questions and no answers to any of them?
It's because you never ask any of them out loud. My wolf was laughing at me again. She was right, and I hated her for it.
"Shadowcats can hear mind links," Kai explained mentally.
"It's odd that, isn't it? Considering we can't use them," Nate agreed. "Anyway, we've wasted enough time. Leave the deer for them, Brylan."
The Shadowcat opened his jaws, letting the carcass fall to the ground with a muffled thump. He licked a drop of blood off one dark paw, then followed Nate as he skirted around us. Becky made to go after them, but Kai put himself in the way.
"Leave them."
I wandered over to the deer carcass. To my wolf, this looked like a delicious meal, and I was very, very hungry. By all rights, Kai should have chased me away. He should have claimed his right to eat first and made the rest of us wait. But for whatever reason, he didn't. Kai came and ate beside us. I was left wondering if that had some deep meaning, perhaps reflecting how he would be when he was king.
***
My legs dangled over the edge of the balcony, winding themselves around the thin pillar. I rested my head on the wall beside me. The grey, bare stone didn't make for a very comfortable seat, but it was all I had. My weary stare was fixed on the base of the keep, while my fingers fiddled with Nate's necklace. A cold breeze brushed over my bare skin.
Nate and his Shadowcat buddies had gone in there, accompanied by the Commander of the Moon Guard himself, according to my nose. They still hadn't come out. Whatever they were talking about was taking longer than an hour. I supposed it was lucky I had managed to steal a few hours' sleep before we went hunting, or else my vigil would have been very short.
I needed to know what Shadowcats were doing here, of all places.
I was unlikely to find out by sitting on a balcony out of earshot and waiting to see Nate cross the courtyard and leave again. But hey, it was at least worth a try.
"Do I even want to know what you're up to?" Kai interrupted my dramatic monologue.
"Probably not," I said as he swung himself down so he was sitting next to me. We were close enough that our arms were touching, and I could feel the warmth from his body.
"Spying on the Shadowcats, are we?" he teased.
I could never get over the difference between Prince Kaeden and Kai. I only ever glimpsed the charming, friendly boy when we were alone. It was like he was two people insead of one.
"Not spying, doing extensive research," I corrected with a faint smile.
"I can't say I blame you." Kai gave me a sidelong grin. "But we need to be in bed. Long day tomorrow."
That only served to remind me that a prince had absolutely no reason to be sweating his ass off for a job he would only end up leaving when he came of age. Tonight, I was getting at least one question answered. "Why are you really here?"
His grin faded almost as quickly as it had come. Kai kicked his legs against the pillar, struggling to hold in a yawn. "If I answer, you have to keep it quiet."
"I can do that," I agreed, thinking of all the other secrets I was keeping. One more wouldn't make that much of a difference.
He sighed. "My step-father has got ambitious in recent years. He wants to put my half-siblings on the throne instead of me ... his own blood and all that. The argument is that they are of the royal line, and he can rule as regent until they come of age."
I began to understand. "But you're older and in the way."
"Yup. I'm a bit of a nuisance, since he can't think of a reason why an older legitimate heir should be put aside. Of course, that problem would be solved if I was dead. He could play the grieving father for a while, wait until my mother loses the battle with her illness and then swoop in to take the throne."
So his life had been in danger. Kai was watching me closely, wondering how I was taking all this. It confirmed the warning my teacher had given me. And he said until, not if. I wondered just how ill a person had to be for her own son to realise she wouldn't get better.
"But why here?" was my next question.
"It was my mother's idea. I wasn't making up all that stuff about doing something useful either. Besides, where could a prince be safer than in the fortress of the royal guard?" he mused.
"Did your step-dad ever actually try to...?" I trailed off, assuming he could guess.
"Kill me? I think so. There was a poisoned drink and a narrow miss with a crossbow bolt when I was running in the woods one night. It was written off as a stray from hunting practice, of course." The prince sounded so detached that it sent a chill down my spine.
"Wow," I murmured sympathetically. That one word by itself said everything. The things people would do for power.
A flash of movement caught my eye at the base of the tower. I leaned in closer, squinting to see what was going on. Not ten seconds later, a hand closed on my shoulder, making me jump several feet backwards so that I would have fallen off the balcony if Kai hadn't steadied me.
I whirled around to stare down the man who had startled me. He let go of me, giving an amused smirk. Tall, dark-haired and unspeakably smug, he was obviously a Shadowcat in human form. He must have been hella fast to get all the way over here without either of us seeing.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to scare you," the man assured me, not sounding all that apologetic.
Sure you didn't. That's not why you creep up on people.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Can we help you with anything, Brylan?"
"It's really the other way around. I was wondering if I could help you, given that you seem to be waiting for us."
Ah, busted.
"No, we were just admiring the view. I couldn't sleep." The lie slipped off my tongue so easily.
He smiled thinly. "Of course. Though I should warn you, the fortress is under curfew after midnight. It would be a shame if the night watchmen were to find you."
I was beginning to understand why Kai acted so uptight around other people. The vast majority of them seemed to be self-serving bastards. Some part of me knew I should keep my mouth shut, but my tongue seemed to have a mind of its own. Maybe I was just fed up of Shadowcats in general.
"Doesn't curfew apply to you as well?"
Brylan gave me a sharp look, as if he was surprised I was speaking at all. "Mind yourself, little girl. I was killing on the battlefield before you were even born."
Geez, how old was he? Forty at least? Looks could be deceptive when it came to shifters, even though our lives only spanned the same length as a human.
"Which makes you psychopathic, not necessarily immune to curfew," I muttered. Kai put a warning hand on my side, pulling me ever so slightly closer to him, as if he had predicted what was about to happen.
Brylan's eyes flickered into a deep gold and his canines descended, the unbidden beginnings of a shift. He took a steady step towards me, angling his face to give me the best view of his elongated teeth. As if I wasn't already fully aware of how easily he could rip my throat out.
Kai pushed himself to the feet, getting between us. I thought I saw his eyes darkening. Why would he risk his life for me? Brylan grinned sinisterly, rising to the challenge. The epic shifter battle about to take place was interrupted by an icy cold voice from the shadows.
"Is there a problem here?"
It was Nate, of course. The young Shadowcat gave my attacker a cold look. He still owed me a blood debt, and by the way he forced Brylan to back down, it seemed he hadn't forgotten that any more than I had.
"The girl needs to learn to watch her tongue," Brylan muttered angrily, but he took a step back, submitting to Nate.
"I don't doubt it," Nate said dryly. "But to fight the prince over it is a step too far. Have you forgotten your vows to protect the throne? What would the queen say if she knew you were trying to harm her son?"
I fought back a sigh of relief. Nobody would be dying here today. Nate had even managed to sort out the situation without revealing that we knew each other, although that was likely to be more to his benefit than mine.
Brylan forced a collected smile. "My apologies, your Highness. It seems I got a little carried away."
Just a tad.
"No worries," Kai said mildly. He offered me a hand, pulling me to my feet. I eyed Brylan warily and stayed behind my protector. It seemed too good to be true that the argument would be settled that easily.
"Goodnight, Kaeden." Nate left without waiting for a reply, practically dragging Brylan along with him.
I swallowed noisily, putting my back to the wall. What was it about Shadowcats that made me so careless? He could have killed me if Kai hadn't got in the way. And now Brylan would feel like he had a score to settle, which was really going to help me sleep at night.
Speaking of sleep...
Kai yawned, making me yawn as well. "Fun fact, yawning is actually contagious," I said automatically.
He snorted. "That's so made up."
"Nope," I replied, popping the 'p'. "Fifty percent of people will yawn if someone else does. It's supposed to be some kind of empathy reaction, although more recent research shows-"
Kai clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling the words. "Alright, dictionary girl, time for bed."
I slapped his wrist away and wiped my mouth, glowering at him. "You're lucky I didn't bite you."
"If you're into that," he said with a grin, careless as ever. I felt my cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
"Jerk."
All the same, I followed him back into the dorm and when it came to choosing my sleeping spot, I lay down not all that far from him. There was a feeling of safety that surrounded Kai. A feeling I couldn't get enough of.