“So it’s Regan you don’t want in your Kingdom?” I ask, not able to suppress my curiosity.
“You’ve marked Lyon, and he has marked you. He’s officially your mate. I won’t force you to go without him,” Zeke tells me, his tone strangely soft.
“I’ve marked Regan, too,” I reply, my heart pounding in my chest.
He looks away, staring out the window. “He hasn’t marked you yet,” he says, his voice just above a whisper.
“And Regan is off?—”
“With Malachi and James visiting the Vampiric King, as I said,” he interrupts, his tone final.
“Why couldn’t your father go?” I ask, hoping to get more answers. Zeke clenches his jaw, a clear sign of his growing frustration. “Regan lied about his kingdom being the furthest. I want to know why,” I tell him, looking straight into his eyes.
His gaze hardens. “You’ll have to ask him, Zirah. I am not getting caught up in your relationship with him,” he answers, his voice cold.
“But you will with Lyon?” I ask, the question hanging heavily in the air.
“As I said, Lyon is my twin. He’s different. We have an understanding,” he repeats, leaving me to wonder about the hidden depths of their relationship. I don’t believe him. There’s something they’re not telling me. I can feel it. The question is, what are they hiding? And why?
“Stop the car,” I say abruptly, my voice echoing in the silent limo. Zeke looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
“We’re on the highway. There’s nowhere to stop,” he retorts. But I’m not backing down.
“Turn the car around. Take me to Regan’s kingdom,” I tell the driver, determination firm in my voice.
He hesitates, then sighs heavily. “You’ll see Regan in a few days,” Zeke says. That’s when I know they’re hiding something, and I’m going to find out what it is.
“Stop the car!” I shout. Zeke curses under his breath, and I see the driver glance in the rearview mirror. Zeke shakes his head and motions for the driver to continue.
My palms glow, a soft, luminescent light radiating from my skin. I thrust my hands forward, the glow intensifying as I mutter, “Haltus Movus!”
The car lurches to a sudden stop, sending Zeke flying forward. “Are you insane?” he snaps, pushing himself upright. The driver, a man in a crisp uniform, looks like he’s seen a ghost.
“Turn the car around and take me to Regan’s kingdom,” I demand.
Zeke shakes his head adamantly. “No.” He waves to the driver to keep going. Yet when the driver attempts to start the car again, it refuses to budge.
I recite another spell, “Adstare Movus,” and the tires screech against the pavement when he hits the gas, but the car doesn’t move an inch. “Take me to Regan’s!” I growl, my patience wearing thin.
Zeke lets out a frustrated sigh. “I can’t!”
“Fine then, I’ll walk!” I tell him, tossing my door open. I climb out of the car, and Gnash, Hunter, and Shadow jump out with me. Cars honk their horns from the middle lane, irritated that we’ve stopped suddenly on the highway. The sound of engines racing past fills my ears as I look around.
A few other cars have pulled over to avoid smashing into the back of our stalled limo, and one man jumps out, brandishing his fist in the air. A deafening growl from behind me causes him to stop abruptly and toss his palms up in surrender.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see the vicious growl came from Zeke, but my wolves echo the same noise. The man rushes back to his car and swerves into the next lane, nearly causing an accident as he flees the scene.
“Zirah!” I ignore him, and I hear a loud thud that sounds vaguely like he punched the car. “Fine! I’ll take you. Just . . . Just get in the car.” I stop, turning to find I am right. The roof of the limo is dented. His face is a mask of irritation, but there’s fear in his eyes too. I need to see Regan for myself. I need to know what’s going on.
I climb back into the car, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension. As we drive off, I can’t help but wonder about what lies ahead. The road to Regan’s kingdom is long and quiet. Zeke and I barely speak, each lost in our thoughts.
My mind races, trying to piece together fragments of information and anticipate what I might discover at Regan’s kingdom. The silence is broken by Zeke’s phone ringing. “Great!” he mutters, and I glance over to see it’s Regan. I press a finger to my lips, and he presses his in a line. “What’s up?” Zeke answers casually while shooting a glare my way.
I listen as Regan discusses something with him, only tuning in when I hear Regan ask how I am. “She’s fine, she is half asleep. We are nearly home,”
“Okay, you can bring her back here after she is done at your kingdom, or do you need me to send someone to collect her?”
“I can drop her back. Do you want to speak with her?”
