knew who it was.
The guard nodded, his narrow face flushed, as if he’d been running to deliver his warning.
Inga made a strangled sound of disbelief. “Call for Rimm to have the castle searched from top to bottom.”
“Stay here,” Chaaya commanded. “I’ll go.”
Basq grabbed her arm, preventing her from heading toward the door. “Wait.”
She deliberately glanced at his fingers wrapped around her upper arm. “Hey, Mr. Grabby, let go.”
He held on tight, even knowing she could…what was the word? Fade? Evaporate? Become incorporeal? Whatever.
“No.” Basq and Inga spoke in unison.
The queen scowled. “It’s my duty.”
“I’m the only one that can’t be infected by the evil,” Chaaya reminded them.
“We don’t know what the darkness is yet,” Basq stubbornly insisted. “There are a lot of evil things that can crawl out of the darkness.”
“The bloodsucker isn’t wrong,” Levet said, reaching up to touch Inga’s large hand. “You cannot expose yourself, ma belle.”
Inga scowled, but she didn’t pull away from the gargoyle. Basq rolled his eyes. What was it with Levet and females? He must have some mystical ability to blind them to his annoying personality.
There was no other explanation.
“It’s my duty,” the queen muttered again.
“No. As I’ve been repeatedly told, this is my duty,” Chaaya said, glancing toward Basq. “Just mine. You’re not going with me.” Basq shrugged. There was no point in arguing. She wasn’t going to leave this room without him. Period. Chaaya made a sound of disgust as she glanced back at Inga. “Can you shoot him with your big fork?”
It was Levet who answered. “Is it not a magnificent fork? It does the most amazing things. I floated at the bottom of the ocean.”
“It’s not a fork, it’s the Tryshu,” Inga snapped. “And this is my castle.”
Levet’s wings fluttered. “And these are your people. They can’t be protected if the beast manages to destroy you.”
Inga looked like she’d swallowed a bag of lemons, but it appeared the gargoyle managed to convince her to remain out of danger.
“I hate sitting around twiddling my thumbs,” the ogress groused.
“Contact your guards that were in the dungeons and have them isolated away from the public areas,” Chaaya told the queen, heading toward the door. “And make sure no one enters Brigette’s cell.”
“Be careful, chérie,” Levet called out.
Basq silently followed Chaaya toward the open door where they could hear the sound of shouts in the distance. Obviously, the search for the Were was on. Abruptly the female halted, turning to glare at him.
“I know you enjoy being a pain in the ass, but—”
“No.”
“Basq.”
“Chaaya.”
Chaaya grabbed the hilt of her spear. “Someday I’m going to stab you through the heart, and no one would blame me.”
“You’re welcome to try,” Basq assured her.
“Ass.”
“Brat.”
“Argh.”
They were still glaring at one another when there was a whooshing sound from behind the throne, and they turned to watch one of the murals slide open to reveal a hidden tunnel.
Basq frowned, expecting a guard to appear. Instead a slender female with long red hair and a desperate expression came skidding into the room.
“Brigette,” Chaaya snarled.
Chapter 4
Chaaya jerked the spear from the holster at her side, her gaze locked on the redheaded Were.
“Everyone stay back,” she warned, using her evil radar to try and detect any hint of the beast.
Brigette’s eyes widened in horrified surprise as she caught Chaaya’s scent, obviously not expecting to find her in the throne room. The two females had never met face-to-face until Brigette had been locked in mer-folk dungeons, but they’d been involved in an epic struggle over the past five hundred years. Chaaya had sacrificed everything to keep the beast locked in the hell dimension, while the Were had sold her soul to try and release the tide of evil.
“You,” the Were rasped, skidding to a halt. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Chaaya blew a kiss toward the younger female. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Brigette peeled back her lips, releasing a growl. “Like the plague.”
“That’s not nice,” Chaaya chided, taking a cautious step toward the female.
The Were reached beneath her drab gray robe to reveal a small trident. The same type of weapon used by the mer-folk guards.
“You were killed once,” Brigette sneered. “Are you eager for another taste of death?”
Chaaya snorted, taking another step forward. “I’m not afraid of you, dog.”
“You should be. I’m even stronger than before.”
“How?” Chaaya demanded.
“Zella returned my powers.”
“Impossible. The beast is locked out of this world.”
Brigette smirked. “Are you so sure?”
Was she? Reaching out with her senses, Chaaya felt…something. A strange hum of energy that wasn’t Were. Then