I stepped through the doors, expecting to find the queen seated in her chair. Instead, she was standing next to another female, deep in conversation.
I tensed when I recognized the dark hair and tense stature of my would be boss, Cain.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Cain and the queen both turned to me. Marcella took a few steps forward. “Why am I hearing about the moonstone from Cain rather than from you?”
“The moonstone has nothing to do with our arrangement,” I said.
“It changes things.” Marcella turned away from me and walked toward her golden throne. She settled in on the red velvet cushion, then lifted her chin. “That stone cannot be allowed to exist. We all know that. I need you to bring it to me.”
“That’s not our arrangement.” I walked past Cain, moving closer to the throne.
“If there is a moonstone, I must not let it fall into the wrong hands,” she said.
“It’s the wolves’ problem, not yours,” I said.
She lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve seen it.”
“I believe he helped the half-shifter hide it,” Cain said. “I can send my people after her.”
“No.” I glared at Cain. “Leave Skylar out of this.”
“Skylar,” Marcella said. “What a lovely name. And a half-shifter you say?”
“A hunter,” Cain said.
“She has nothing to do with this,” I said. “And the stone isn’t our business.”
“It became my business the moment vampires started killing each other to claim it,” Marcella said. “Get it for me. Help me end this madness before anyone else gets hurt. BeforeSkylargets hurt.”
The threat in her tone was clear. “Nobody goes after Skylar.”
“She has the stone, doesn’t she?” Cain asked. “I should have taken her in last night. I knew you couldn’t pull this off on your own.”
I turned to Cain. “Be careful what you say next.”
“Do you know how much work I had to do to cover up the mess you made at the mortuary? Exploded vampires everywhere. Some of the other enforcers are starting to talk. That girl made you get sloppy. You can’t afford that. It’s my job to help you keep your cover but if you blow it over some girl, I’m not going to bother,” she said.
Rage bubbled in my chest. Skylar wasn’t justsome girlshe was my mate. “You forget who you are speaking to.”
“You have no authority in this realm,” she said. “You might be a prince but here you’re a fugitive.”
“Enough.” Marcella stood and walked toward us. “You both made a deal with me. I want that moonstone. And I want the violence that’s brewing to stop. With that stone out there, there’s going to be too many clans willing to take risks to gain power. We’re already facing enough threats from other realms. We don’t need them in our realm as well.”
“I’m not your errand boy,” I said. “Our deal is in regards to the Knights. I will continue to hunt them and I will find them.”
Marcella turned to Cain. “Bring me the half shifter.”
“No.” I took a step closer to Marcella.
She locked her dark eyes on me. “Then bring me the stone.”
“She doesn’t have it,” I said. “They sent it back to the pack.”
Marcella bared her teeth and turned back to Cain. “Go. Find it.”
Cain bowed low. “As you wish, my queen.” She spun on her heels and walked out of the room.