Chapter 8

• Chairs scraped across the floor as everyone sat down.
• “I can’t recall the last time Mitz was that brusque.” The man with the scar said to Autumn as they sat down.
• “Yeah, it’s not her normal tone.” Rafael agreed, “unless bloody weapons on the table are involved.”
• I looked at the sandwich in front of me, then lifted the top piece of bread. It was jam. The others passed the tray of sandwiches around and started eating. Picking up the glass I took a sip. It was fruit punch. She must have seen what I’d had in my backpack I decided.
• Bastian sat there, not eating, just staring at his clasped hands resting on the table.
• Quinton also wasn’t eating. He sat across from me, just looking at me. “Did any of you introduce yourselves to, Reagan?” He turned and looked at the scary redheaded man, “before you got in her face?”
• “Uh,” Daxx looked around, “I think some of us did at medical?”
• Several heads turned and looked at me. I set the glass down.
• “I’m Crissy.” The short woman with sandy blonde hair said as she looked up from her notebook to nod at me, with a smile. Turning to the scary redheaded man, she huffed out a breath. “I can’t find anything for Reagan.” She stabbed the notebook with her finger. “For all the others there was something.” She frowned and just sat there unmoving for several seconds. “Strange fog,” she whispered.
• He gave her an affectionate look, “I’m sure you’ll find something, heart.”
• She nodded and looked at me again. “Do you have any tattoos?”
• I shook my head, not even wanting to guess why she’d ask that.
• “Okay.” Standing up quickly, she turned to the door. “I need to go to my corner.” She nodded, then paused in step and looked at me. “I’m glad you’re here.” With that she walked out of the room.
• Her corner?
• “You’ll get used to Crissy moments.” The woman with the short dark hair said. “I’m Paisley.” She gave me a pleasant and real smile. “This is my mate, Arius.” She put her hand on the shoulder of the man with the long black hair.
• “Prince Arius?” My mother had told stories about him. I looked at him. He didn’t seem as terrifying as my mother had said.
• Arius looked surprised. “Your mother explained a lot about Alterealm.”
• It wasn’t a question, but I still nodded. “Yes. She would talk about it for hours. I loved how happy she looked when she talked about it.”
• “I’m sorry you lost her.” The woman with long black hair said. “I’m Alona, Chase’s mate.”
• I started to get up.
• “Please don’t.” Daxx said.
• I sat down and looked back to Alona. “I’m not required to show respect?”
• Alona smiled, almost smirked. “We are very informal outside official moments.”
• I nodded. “Okay.” I looked around the table, glancing briefly at the pendants each person wore. “Can I guess who the rest of you are?” I felt silly. “For thirty years I listened to every detail my mother told me.”
• King Chase smirked. “Give it your best shot.”
• I inhaled and exhaled slowly and looked around the table slowly. “Okay. King Troy and Queen…” My mouth went wide when I looked at Daxx. “You are the Huntress.”
• Daxx gave her mate a hard look. “When I’m allowed to do my job.”
• I grinned. I had no idea what that meant. “My mother often wondered if the prophecy was more fable.”
• She lifted her hands. “All true.”
• I nodded, then looked to the scary man. Bastian had called him Justice. His amulet had the scales of justice on it. “Prince…Victor the Justice of Alterealm.” I said hesitantly.
• He inclined his head. “I am. Mate to Princess Cristy.”
• Cristy. Crissy. “She’s lovely.” If not a little confusing. I decided keeping that part to myself. I looked to the woman beside him, then to the man seated next to her. His amulet had a shield and sword on it. “Captain of the guard?” I studied him. “with a playful light in his eyes.” I smiled. “Rafael. You weren’t the Captain when my mother was still here.”
• Rafael grinned. “No, but she’s taught you the sigils well.”
• “Yes.” I nodded. “She wanted me to escape here and know how to show proper respect.” I looked at his tattooed arm then to Kara’s. My mother had told me the tattoos were identical in design. “You’re mate to the Captain.” I said looking at her.
• “I am.” Her cheeks heated.
• I took that to mean they hadn’t been mated long. Autumn was next. I grinned at her. “And you—you need to teach me that kick.”
• Autumn snorted. “Always willing to help a girl learn to defend herself.”
• “I’m more suited for healing than fighting, but you never know when it could come in handy.” I studied her pendant, a book and a sword, then looked to the man with the scar on his face. I inclined my head as I’d seen them do often. “Prince Michael, the Law Holder of the realm.”
• He bowed his head for a second. “Yes.”
• I smiled, feeling somewhat like a schoolgirl that had gotten the highest score. Taking a short breath, I looked at the couple seated next. I frowned, it was the marking for the enforcer, which made no sense. Prince Quinton was the enforcer, or so my mother had told me. “You’re the enforcer?” I glanced at Quinton. He sat there with his arms crossed over his chest, an unreadable expression on his face.
• Bethany leaned forward. “Yes, Leone is the enforcer and my mate.”
• Daxx sat upright. “Quinton is one of my Captains now.”
• I exhaled. “Of course, the huntress would have need of her own Captains.” I smiled at Quinton and received no sign of pleasantry back. Clearing my throat, I turned to the last man sitting there. Emil. I did the math in my head quickly and came up with nine brothers. He was clearly a brother, as he looked too much like Arius to be otherwise. My jaw dropped. “The prophecy was—is true.” I whispered more to myself than the rest of the room.
• Emil tilted his head to the side. “I’m feeling left out here.” He glanced to King Troy, “I spent three hundred years seeking answers and a woman that has never been here knows of my existence.”
• Troy lifted his hands, then dropped them. “Her mother was well versed in the realms’ prophecies.” He frowned and turned toward me. “Did she have an official position here?”
• I opened my mouth, then closed it. “Not that I know of…” Her necklace. I stood up quickly. “I have to go back over.” I stepped around the chair. “Her necklace. It’s over there.”
• Emil held up his hand. “We will get it.” He motioned to the chair. “Please sit, allow us to catch our breath.”
• “It was my mother’s family emblem. The pendant. I have to get it.”
• “Her family’s emblem.” King Chase looked to his twin. “An emblem makes finding her family much simpler.”
• “It does, brother.” King Troy looked at me. “We will take you back to get it tomorrow.”
• “We have many things on our to-do list right now.” Paisley said, giving her mate a stern look.
• I wanted to object, but this was the royal family Of course they had more important things to do. “Thank you.” I sat back down.