the Dreki realm? Well, that didn’t make any sense at all.
Brushing my hair back, I walked towards the door, hearing an upkick of voices and feeling nervous at some voices I didn’t recognize.
“We already have it planned for tonight,” Marco said smoothly.
Doctor Bates shook her head. “I’m sorry Commander Moretti, but this is far too important.”
My eyes flashed towards the soldiers that were standing near the door, making me feel very flighty and uncomfortable.
“We should just go and get it over with,” I pointed out, everyone’s head snapping towards me. Surprise seemed to cross some of the faces of the guards as the one near Doctor Bates made a noise of interest.
“Well, the resemblance is uncanny,” he said easily. Doctor Bates shot him a scowl, an action that had him smiling down at her. I wasn’t fantastic at reading people, but I could feel the underlying tension between the two of them easily.
“I don’t like this,” Henry muttered.
Seeing their indecision, I realized this was a moment I needed to say something, because for the first time ever my mates needed a level of direction. I knew they didn’t want me to be uncomfortable, but at the same time it didn’t seem like this was much of a choice.
“I want to meet her. Let’s do this,” I confirmed, even though I was still terrified.
Doctor Bates motioned for me as I found the shoes I’d been wearing before, glad suddenly that I’d slipped them off. My hands twisted in front of me as I followed her towards the door, my mates following behind me, Marco running his fingers along my lower back in a soothing motion.
“We don’t have to do this.” Marco sounded almost anxious and it made me worry, something I tried to not show. I felt far more shaken up than I would like to admit, and Doctor Bates’s insistence and eagerness to get to the queen only enhanced it. A slight tremble worked through me and my skin heated, my throat feeling thick as my fingers fidgeted. What was so important that we had to meet the queen now? Why did it make it far too real to do that?
I hadn’t realized I’d never responded to Marco until his hand intertwined with mine, pulling my attention. Speaking softly, I kept my eyes on Doctor Bates and the way she walked with the one guard up ahead, the two of them talking in whispered tones that I couldn’t hear.
“We do have to do this.” I squeezed his hand. “We came here for answers and she’s been helpful so far, so if she thinks we need to meet with the queen now, then I say we trust that.”
Marco muttered a curse under his breath before he inhaled sharply and nodded. “I don’t disagree with you, baby girl. Just remember that no matter what happens, we can always leave. We can leave this place and ignore whatever we learned here.”
I examined his face, noticing a string of panic there. He was as uncomfortable, if not more uncomfortable, as me with all of this. As a pair of massive doors loomed ahead, I paused and wrapped my arms around Marco, burying my head in his chest and whispering ‘I love you’ as he wrapped his arms fully around me. The low rumble that he let escape from his throat had me relaxing. I was finding that I truly considered this man my safe place.
“This is bullshit.” Henry’s voice was edged with a dangerous tone despite his words being under his breath. I turned my head slightly, noticing that the two up ahead had stopped, clearly waiting for us.
“Let’s just get it over with,” I confirmed, attempting to be positive.
After a sharp nod, I moved forward with my mates behind me. An odd sense of calm infiltrated everything as I rolled my shoulders back, trying to straighten myself and be more confident. I needed that. I needed that inner strength.
The gold doors up ahead opened after a sharp nod from the guards that lined the space. Immediately, sunlight flooded the hallway, and my eyes moved across the marble and gold room to the ceiling that was made of a glass dome that presented a stunning blue sky and gold clouds above. It was indisputably gorgeous, and distracting enough that I didn’t even notice how crowded the room was. I didn’t notice the large amount of guards that lined the sides of the room or the people that seemed to hover throughout.
Almost immediately, we drew