No one dared question the three members of the Queen’s Court as they stormed down the street in the early evening. They were fully armed, the glistening metal of their weapons bright in the streetlights. Everyone walking along the street quickly got out of their way, daring not be the one to stop them. No one wanted to be on the wrong end of a sword. The Court, when it came to extreme cases they had evidence for, had a habit of shooting first and asking questions later. Yes, trials were always given and given fairly—most of the time—but there were matters where forceful matters had to be taken.

Nikki was leading the way, Leo and Kayla falling into place behind her. They walked the city streets, moving into one of the many housing districts. They were searching for one in particular, the address having been provided by Amneris about an hour earlier before she fell asleep again.

They reached the house in question. Nikki bashed her fist on the door. “Kek, open up!” No response. “Kek, if you do not open this door in the next ten seconds, I swear to the Gods I will kick it down! Ten!”

She counted backwards, keeping an eye out for any signs of the man in question making a run for it. No response came, no one was running away nearby. Nikki took a step back and, with a yell, kicked the white-painted door from its hinges. It crashed the floor a few metres down the hallway. Whatever. It could be fixed later.

Nikki went in first, a pistol in her hands. The area was empty. “Clear!”

Leo and Kayla came in behind her, the former wielding his twin gladdii and the latter holding a pistol of her own. They called, saying the area was secure. The three begun searching the empty house.

Kayla searched the living room and hallway, a handheld device created by Zoe to track the properties of Scarlet Budtorite in her hands. She looked under lounges, in ever book on the bookshelf—the man certainly had a strange taste in literature—and in ever drawer. She even checked to make sure nothing was taped to the back of the wide-screen TV. Seeing nothing with her eyes and the machine showing nothing but normal readings, she sighed, returning to the main hallway near the front door as they’d decided.

Leo was the one to search the kitchen. Like Kayla, he also had a handheld device. He searched in every drawer, holding the device over all cutlery and crockery. He went through the pantry, frowning at some of the food options. Seriously, who ate cheese and bacon balls flavoured chips? Gross! The fridge wasn’t much better. The moment Leo opened it he recoiled, holding a hand over his mouth and nose. Something was seriously off. Daring not look through it with his eyes and hands, Leo shoved the device as far as he dared into the fridge. No results. He slammed the door shut and gasped for breath.

Nikki searched the bedroom, walk in wardrobe and ensuite. As much of a pain as the man was, she had to admit Kek had taste when it came to design. Either that or the house had come with the dark rug which perfectly matched the bed and cabinets. She had fun going through all his personal belongings, though she’d never actually admit it. After all, going through one’s personal belongings was wrong. Using a handheld over her own, Nikki searched everywhere and moved to the brightly tiled bathroom. Opening the mirror cabinet, she realised didn’t need the device to tell her something had been there.

“I think you want to see this!” she called.

Leo and Kayla were there in an instant. The three looked over the crudely painted message inside the empty cabinet. ‘NICE TRY FUCKWITS! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!’

“At least he has a sense of humour?” Kayla offered. Leo and Nikki gave her looks of disbelief. “Yeah, he’s long gone.”

“Probably with all the evidence,” Leo muttered. “Fucking Terpolites.”

“If nothing else, it means he’s provided us with a challenge.” Nikki passed her handheld and pistol to Leo. “Try to keep up.”

She shifted into a large black hound. They weren’t common on this part of the Continent, instead mostly being found more to the central areas. The creatures were known for their amazing tracing skills, though the Fae were close behind. Nikki breathed in the scent of the room and dashed for the door.

Leo struggled to keep up with Nikki in her current form, Kayla lagging further behind. The Zer species weren’t good when it came to land combat or speed, but Kayla was still a force to be reckoned with even when she wasn’t in the water. Leo had learnt that years ago the hard way. He slowed his pace to keep both her and his girlfriend in sight, not wanting to lose either of his teammates.

Nikki rounded a corner and howled. That howl was soon followed by the sounds of combat and a some very colourful language. Leo stopped in his tracks, exchanging worried glances with Kayla once she caught out. The both of them rushed to the source.

Kek was struggling to free himself from the hound growling in his face. The names he was using to describe Nikki . . . Leo discovered a second reason to punch this man that had nothing to do with his Queen’s state. Actually, no, a punch wasn’t enough. Perhaps a stab in the gut. Or a beheading. Surely Amneris wouldn’t be that upset if Kek just happened to be killed accidently while trying to escape. Surely she’d understand. No, it was probably best to follow orders. If anyone deserved to be the one to kill Kek, it was Amneris.

Leo placed his hand on the hound’s furry head, looking down at the struggling man. “Planning to run?”

“Normally, yes, but I seem to be caught up in this moment.”

Kayla knelt beside him, taking note of where Nikki’s claws were, how much damage had been done, and how much more could be done without killing him. “Now what?” she asked.

Leo scratched behind Nikki’s ears. She purred. “We retrain him and take him to the Palace.” He met the Terpolite’s eyes. “I believe he should see exactly what his little stunt has done to our Queen.”

Kek had the audacity to look confused at the accusation. “What are you talking about?”

Nikki released him and, in one swift motion, Leo had the man restrained. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

Nikki returned to her Lyriumian form and pushed her hands into Kek’s pockets. She pulled out a clear, silver-lidded bottle half-filled with a familiar red liquid. She held it between her thumb and forefinger. “Is that a bottle in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“Funny story—”

“This would be how he administered it,” Leo said, pulling a ring from the man’s finger. The underside had a small spike which matched the markings Kayla had found on Amneris’ hand.

Kek rolled his eyes. “Blame a guy for trying.”

“We are blaming you,” Kayla said, taking the bottle and ring, and sealing them in a small bag. “And with this, we have enough to put you away.”

“Should’ve run faster,” Nikki shrugged.

Leo pushed the man forward, Kek fighting every step of the way, With some help from Nikki and Kayla, the three managed to drag the man to the Palace. When the outside guards saw them coming toward the main entrance, they rushed to assist. Two of them took Kek’s arms, dragging him inside while Leo and Nikki escorted to the isolation chamber. Kayla handed the bottle and ring to one of her Healers to run tests on. They had to find out how concentrated the liquid was.

Leo pulled Kek up the stairs to the monitor station. Lvaane was waiting for them, though his eyes remained firmly on the window. Kek was held in place and made to watch what was happening below. Leo found himself doing the same. He swore at what he saw, needing all his self-control to not kill Kek on the spot. He knew Nikki, Kayla and Lvaane felt the same.

Down below, things had gotten worse. Amneris was bashing her head on one of the stone walls. Colt was trying, and failing, to stop her. Golden blood stained the wall, and the side of Amneris’ head and neck. Her clothing was torn. She couldn’t stop clawing at herself. Gods, she was in so much pain.

Lvaane glanced over his shoulder. “Do you see what you have done to my daughter?”

Kek narrowed his eyes. “With no due respect, Sir, she ain’t your daughter.”

Leo was amazed Lvaane didn’t punch the man on the spot.

Colt now had a firm hold on Amneris and was dragging her kicking and screaming to the centre of the room. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Kek made an annoyed noise. “The Prince is handling things well.”

“Prince?” Nikki and Kayla asked.

A fiendish grin crossed the Terpolite’s features. “She hasn’t told you yet, huh. I thought she would’ve.”

’Told us what?” Nikki demanded.

“That he’s Amneris’—”

Leo interrupted before he could finish. “What do you want me to do with Kek?” he asked Lvaane.

“Take him to a cell. Make sure he stays under guard.” The Old King eyed the man. “You will stand trial once my daughter has recovered.”

Leo bowed his head in acknowledgement. He and Nikki, along with the two guards, dragged the struggling Kek remained. Kayla remained with Lvaane on the observation deck, watching the scene below and taking notes. Hopefully some good could come from this incident which would allow them to stop it from happening again.

A stinging sensation on the side of her head brought Amneris out of a deep, dreamless sleep. She swore at it, attempting to pull the blanket over her head to make it go away. She just wanted to sleep.

“Hold still,” Colt said softly. “I am almost done.”

She hissed again as something wet—it felt like a cloth—was pressed to her head. “You fuss too much.”

“You require much fussing.”

She scowled. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

“I shall let you decide.”

Amneris convinced her body to sit upright, grimacing at the pain coming from the left side of her head. She raised her hand to the source, her fingers coming back covered in a fine layer of gold. She looked at the bowl Colt was using, seeing the water in a darker shade. “That bad?”

Colt took her chin and turned her head, looking over the now-clean wound. He taped a large bandage to the wound, pressing down for a few seconds to make sure it would stay in place. “It could have been worse, all things considered.”

“All things considered.”

He looked over her body. Amneris followed his gaze. She was now dressed in more comfortable clothes – a snug dark blue hoodie and loose pants. She lifted her clothes to find herself covered with new, recently clothes scars covering almost every inch of her. To the side, Amneris found her previous outfit torn to shreds and stained with gold.

“That bad,” she decided. Amneris turned to where she knew others were watching from the monitor station. “Never show me.” She asked Colt, “How much longer do I have to be stuck in here? Aside from the head, I’m just a bit tired. It’s been a whole day.”

Colt froze. “Tali, it’s been four days. You knocked yourself out.”

“But . . . But I never take that long to heal!”

“Try not to push yourself. You are still healing because of the crystals in the walls.” He brushed a hand down her side. “You are in much better shape than you have been.”

Amneris managed a small smile. “So, what have you been doing for four days that’s stopped you going crazy?”

“Babysitting.”

She gasped dramatically. “You did not just say that.”

Colt slipped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. “I am older than you,” he said, kissing her neck, “and, as your boyfriend, it is my job to babysit you. I take great pride in my abilities.”

“So mean.” Amneris leaned back, resting her still-aching head on his shoulder. “I’m your Queen. You’re supposed to be nice to me and follow my orders.”

“Am I?”

“Yes. I could have you executed for being an arse.”

“Last I checked, you liked my arse.”

Amneris rolled her eyes with a sigh. Men. “You do recall we have an audience, yes?”

“I am sure they don’t mind.”

Nikki’s voice appeared over a speaker. “We so do not mind. Keep going. Pretend we’re not here!”

Amneris sent Nikki an obscene gesture. It was followed by her gasp over the speaker, as well as Kayla and Leo’s laughs.

“Kayla,” Colt called. Amneris cringed at the volume of noise.

“Yes?”

“How much longer until she can leave?”

Kayla was quiet for a moment. “At least another day—”

Amneris groaned.

“—just to be safe.”

Amneris groaned again.

“One more day, Tali,” Colt said, “then you can leave this room.”

“I don’t know if I can last that long!” she whined.

“You can.”

“No, I can’t!” Amneris flopped back onto the makeshift bed. “It’s impossible.”

Colt sighed fondly. “You are the biggest drama queen I have ever met.”

She gave him a sideways smile. “You haven’t met Nikki?”

The Shifter’s cry of protest sounded over the speaker. Colt, not hiding his amusement, pointed out how the microphone was still on. There was silence, then Nikki swore again and hurried try and turn it off. Amneris couldn’t help her laughter.

Nikki was still fuming when Kayla, who actually knew which buttons did what, turned off the microphone. She spun in her chair to dace the others. Leo was leaning against a wall, watching Nikki say some very unfriendly things. At least, Kayla assumed that’s what it was. She didn’t speak ancient Greek. Lvaane was sitting at the small table in the room with a cup of tea and a few icing-covered shortbread biscuits. Jay, who had arrived again the day before, was sleeping soundly on the floor for no apparent reason. Kayla nudged him with her foot. He jumped, looking around in dreary confusion.

“As I said to Colt, I believe Amneris is okay now but would like to keep her here one more day just in case there are any final flareups or her head gets worse.” She asked Lvaane, “Is that okay?” The Old King nodded his approval.

“Is there a chance she could get worse?” Leo asked, arms crossed.

“Highly unlikely,” Kayla assured him.

“Better safe than sorry?”

“Exactly.”

The answer seemed to satisfy him. He came to the control panel and keyed the microphone. “I’m heading off, baby sis. That okay?” Amneris waved him off without looking up from where she lay face-down on the bed. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” came her muffled response.

Leo walked to the pacing Nikki, grabbing her waist from behind. Kayla and Jay watched as he whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it stopped the Shifter pacing and bought a strangely eager smile to her features. Nikki came over to call her goodbyes to Amneris and Colt before leaving hand-in-hand with Leo.

Jay clasped his hands over his heart and made a dramatic aww! Sound. “They are so adorable.” Kayla found herself agreeing.”