Page 86 of The Queen's Line

Speaking of, the crowd was laughing and cheering.

"That's our princess! It's about time the north was blessed with the queen's Hunger!" someone shouted.

Thao was only encouraged, tongue thrusting against mine, his hand untangling from my fingers to hold the back of my head for his kiss. The magic of the Hunger purred at his insistence, and Thao's own rumble shook and teased against my chest. I was clinging to him, barely restraining myself, when he finally pulled away, scooping me up from the ground with a giant roar of approval from the crowd.

I laughed and pressed my face to his throat, nipping at his pulse.

"There is something you need to see first, Bryony," Thao whispered. "And then Wendell and I will take our place in your Chosen at last."

"I chose you from the start," I said, lifting my face to catch his eye briefly as he strode quickly through the parting crowd. "I'm just slower when it comes to the claiming. You both want—?"

"Yes.Yes," he rasped, eyes growing dark. "Wewantyou."

Two guards were loitering in the tent near the neglected table of food, and they scurried quickly out the back, their cheeks puffed with pilfered food as we appeared. Thao put me on my feet, his hands around my waist, but he stepped back as I moved to steal another kiss, his face smooth and serious.

"There's something we've been keeping from you. We felt it was important at first, and then when we realized it wasn't, the moment never appeared and—"

The front of the tent opened again and the rest of my Chosen—minus Aric,alwaysminus him—entered.

"About time the three of you sorted this—" Cosmo started, smiling.

"Wen," Thao said, catching his lover's eye and making Wendell's smile melt away. "It's time, I think. I'm sorry, you should've been the one to say."

"No. You're right," Wendell said softly, nodding.

We were standing in the open doorway. Cresswell and Daniel were both missing, and Lady Prudence was napping on one of the low couches at the other end of the room, a pair of guards watching over us from the field entrance. In spite of Thao's reassurance and Wendell's calm, they were both obviously tense and nervous, and I didn't think the audience helped.

"Let's go speak in…in relative private," I offered, tugging gently on Thao's arm toward the conjoined tent meant to act as a bedroom.

"We'll be out here," Cosmo said, kissing my cheek as I passed and nodded at him and Owen.

Wendell moved ahead of us, his head hanging low and his shoulders hunched as he moved for the hanging curtains.

Lady Pru had been in charge of organizing the room for me, and she'd made it a warm and romantic space for myself and my Chosen, fresh flowers arranged in every corner and a large mattress nestled on the carpeted floor, a canopy of gauze hanging from the peak of the tent. Heavy curtains separated the two spaces, enough to mute sound but not to block it out entirely.

"Whatever it is, you needn't worry," I said as the barrier swung shut behind us.

Thao and Wendell exchanged a loaded look between them, worry and hope mixing together as well as that beautiful support they seemed to share between them with just a glance.

"It's overdue is all," Wendell said. "I hope you'll forgive me for not trusting you with this sooner."

I tried to keep my expression calm for his sake, but I itched with curiosity. Luckily, I didn't have long to wait, Thao pulled me back toward an open spot of the carpet, making room between us and Wendell. The tall blond rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly and seeming to melt as tension bled out of him, a small relieved smile spreading over his lips.

And then magic buzzed in the air around him, giving it a shimmery blue glow that was difficult to stare at, as if everything in focus around him was moving at a sudden and rapid rate. I'd seen magic like that before, and my lips parted as the glow spread out and then down, replacing Wendell with a massive and beautiful white tiger.

28

Daniel

The festival carried on, bodies churning in the field, barely noticing as their princess was bundled away, spinning through the grass. I watched Bryony go with Thao toward the tent, before turning and tracking the stranger she'd been dancing with. He was headed in the opposite direction, toward Cresswell, and I pushed off the stall I'd been leaning against, moving to join them.

I didn't recognize the man who'd been running for Bryony, but I had a sneaking suspicion this was related to what Emory and Jonathon had hinted. At the very least, it was something I might blame on Aric Martin as I was asked to do.

I was at the edge of the festival, searching through the dark, when I heard a hiss of whispers beneath the raised voices of the revelers. I moved behind a closed stall and found the three men.

"Was jus' lookin' to dance with a pretty girl, lads," the man groaned as the tall stranger pressed him to the wall of the stall, rifling through pockets and loose clothing.

I'd seen this new man approach Bryony and her Chosen earlier, and the way the princess seemed to bloom under his stare, batting her lashes in a way I'd never really seen from her before. She was certainly a far cry from the ferocious creature who'd held a sword to my throat, all girlish and sweet, giggling as the man had escorted her to the dancing.