Calista continued analyzing, tossing things around in that computer brain of hers. “What if the person who was responsible wanted to make sure we’d blame the bears? They’re our natural enemy after all. It makes sense. Maybe they were trying to start a war so they could … I don’t know … divide us and take control of the magical mecca.”
It was a good theory, but honestly what other race was there that would even remotely have a chance of controlling the magical mecca? It destroyed humans’ minds in moments; they were not equipped to handle it. Not to mention the fact that the Red Queen was the most powerful of our kind. There was no one person, shifter or even magic born, alive that could take her down so quietly. A troop of fifty guards maybe, but one being … never.
Right? Was there someone I had missed?
“Is there any whispered words of a rogue shifter with strong enough magical abilities to take on the queen?” I asked. Calista had a database with very detailed records on all of our people. But it wasn’t always totally accurate because we relied on input from other alphas and such. As you can imagine, Selene was not very gracious with her time and information.
She shook her head. “No, we haven’t had any magical disturbances for a long time. No unauthorized activity on the ley lines. It’s been very quiet. Obviously a powerful magic born like Violet might have a chance, but…”
But Violet was in London and would never betray our queen. Would one of the others? If it wasn’t the bears who’d attacked her, and us tonight, then who? One of the heirs was dead, and so were our guards. Something bigger was going on here, and I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle.
I could not believe any one shifter or person had the power to take on the queen.
The entirety of New York City was a power grid of magic, and it enhanced the person tied to it through the vortexes. The queen was tied to three of them, and the bear king to two. No one else even came close, not even the magic born.
Calista continued to watch me. She would not let me rest until she was assured of my actions tonight. I groaned. “Fine, I will be diplomatic at dinner, but I will make it clear that the queen’s killer will be caught and revenge enacted.”
Calista didn’t seem thrilled with my response, but nodded. She was smart enough to see that was the best she was getting from me.
As I walked to the master bedroom I was trying to weigh up which thing was more important to me right now, food or sleep.
Exhaustion made up my mind for me as I crashed into the pillows and let sleep take me.
A few hours later, the scent of bacon drifted through the room and my eyelids snapped open. Calista knew how to wake me. Coffee or bacon did it every time. Shuffling out of my bedroom and into the open dining area, I saw the table littered with an array of mouthwatering food. Oh my God. I shouldn’t be so excited, what with the queen’s death and the Summit, but…
I was sort of bouncing on my toes. “Are those mac and cheese balls wrapped in bacon?”
Calista smiled. “Yes, the queen’s chef is quite exquisite. Promised that we could have anything the heirs’ hearts desired. I told him you ate like a five-year-old and so he came up with this.”
I stuck my tongue out at her, although she wasn’t wrong. I was a pretty picky eater. Fancy food freaked me out. Slimy oysters? No thanks. Caviar … just keep walking.
But this, this was my kind of food. To go with the mac and cheese balls there were truffle garlic fries, and chocolate lava cake, and mmmm raspberry lemonade.
Dropping into my seat, I took a deep breath as I savored this moment, before diving in. Shifters loved to eat; we had fast metabolisms, especially if we’d recently shifted or used our abilities, so food was a gift from the gods. We also had strong senses, which was why I couldn’t stomach seafood. The scent of old fish was not very pleasant.
The moment I popped the first bite into my mouth, I completely lost my mind and started shoving food in with abandon, chewing as fast as I could. Sure, I’d been taught etiquette, decorum, and how to eat with eighteen different forks since I was very young, but sometimes you can’t make a wolf shifter eat like a lady.
While I stuffed my face, Calista just rolled her eyes.
“Dinner is in two hours. I’m allowing you to eat because … well, right now you look like a pig in a trough.”
I snorted for effect and somehow still managed to shove more bacon mac and cheese balls in my mouth.
Calista turned up her nose. “The more grotesque eating you do here, the more refined eating you can do at dinner.”
I didn’t care what her strategy was, this food was awesome. As an alpha I expended even more energy than a regular shifter. It was impossible for me to get fat and I needed four thousand calories minimum to keep my brain running. Constantly checking in with my pack and searching through those bonds drained me. I heard a low whine and smiled as Finn trotted up to my side.
I thought you hated human food. Only liked raw meat, I teased him.
He opened his mouth and I saw drool forming. You know I can’t resist bacon.
I smiled before popping four mac and cheese balls into his mouth and he wolfed them down, his chest rumbling in his happy wolf way.
I’ll be outside in the courtyard if you need me, Finn said then, loping off.
Some heirs were attached at the hip to their familiars, like Selene, but Finn and I had a more independent relationship. He was always there when I needed him, but we gave each other our space.
“So … I have done some research on our bear councilman…” Calista placed a tablet on the table in front of me, close enough so I could see, but still out of touching distance. For its own electronic safety. I stopped eating for a moment, staring at a picture.