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“Be nice.” Leanna squeezes my hand. “Come on. Let’s go see what he wants.”

We follow him deep into the palace, the silence tense. Erik doesn’t utter a sound, and I can sense the beginning of Leanna’s tension. Something is up.

Finally, we reach a steel door, and Erik puts his thumb on a small, lit-up pad beside the handle. There is the sound of unlocking, and then he opens the door, revealing a white, marbled room.

“Maya?!”

Leanna is obviously shocked to see her here, and I stare at the loud-mouthed human girl for a moment. Then my eyes settle on the only other occupant of the room. It’s Healer Jerry.

“What’s going on?” Leanna steps inside, her voice strained. “You told us less than an hour ago that you weren’t going to bring Maya in. What is this?”

“Why don’t you ask Jerry here?” Erik says tightly. “He seems to have all the answers.”

Before the healer can say anything, though, Maya speaks up. “Jerry approached me a few days ago, Leanna. As you know, my mother is not well. Jerry offered to try to heal her. He was able to give her a few hours of lucidity.”

Leanna makes a small sound. “How is that possible?”

“Her disease is of the brain,” Jerry explains. “I can’t cure it, but I can offer some relief. Dr. Sorin has agreed to completely integrate with our kingdom. She will stop existing in the outside world. Her only demand is that her mother live with her on the palace grounds and receive regular treatment from me, which I am willing to provide.”

Erik sighs as if he’s getting a headache.

“Given my mother’s health, she doesn’t have long to live,” Leanna’s friend says quietly. “I’m willing to sacrifice my life in the human world if it means I can spend a few more years with her and give her some relief.”

“There’s something else you should know.” Jerry exchanges a look with Erik before revealing, “A few days ago, there was an attempt to steal Harold’s corpse. He was buried in his family’s mausoleum. The intruders were unable to break his casket, and while they were trying, they were interrupted by Dr. Sorin and me.”

“Hold up!” Leanna lifts her hands. “What were the two of you doing there?”

Maya looks guilty, as does Jerry. She tells us, “We wanted to convince Harold’s extended family that conducting the autopsy would not be disrespecting his body. I have a lot of experience in these procedures, and I can be very private about it. Nobody would have to know.”

Erik scowls, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Of course, that included me, as well. These two managed to convince Harold’s family, and they were on their way to retrieve his body. Dr. Sorin and Jerry sneaked Harold into the palace last night. I only found out about it after our meeting. With his family giving permission and your friend agreeing to cut ties with the human world, there is not much I can do but agree.”

“Oh.” Leanna seems to be temporarily speechless. “You should have told me, Maya—”

Erik gives the human doctor and the healer a disapproving look. “I agree. You should have. We would have stopped—”

“I would have helped,” Leanna finishes, cutting off Erik.

He shakes his head. “Whatever. Conduct your autopsy in private. Nobody is to know about it.”

“There is one more thing.” Jerry holds up a sheaf of papers. “The preliminary medical examination report that the intelligence unit gave you have two pages missing. We didn’t catch it before because the flow was uninterrupted. But the page numbers indicate that two pages are not there.”

Erik frowns, checking the report. “They’re not the type to be reckless. I’ll go have a word with them.”

“What about Harold’s body?” my mate asks, stepping forward. “It must have decomposed a lot. Will you be able to conduct the autopsy properly?”

A strange look passes over her friend’s face. “Well, that’s the odd thing. His body is perfectly preserved.”

Jerry nods, his own expression tense. “It’s as if he died just yesterday. Aside from being cold, there is no change.”

“How is that possible?” I glance at Erik, who looks equally shaken. “A year has passed.”

“We’ll find out for sure after I examine him. You’ll have my report in a few days. I need to test his blood, which is going to take a while since I’m working alone without a full laboratory.”

“I’ll arrange one for you.” Erik sounds defeated.

I can sense that my mate wants to stay, but it’s been a long day for everyone, and I want her to rest. “I’ll be taking Leanna home now.”

“No, you won’t.” Erik gives me a grim look. “A message arrived from the North. Your presence is needed.”

I stiffen.

If a message arrived at the palace here, that means it was sent by the elders.

What are they up to now?

Chapter 24

Cedric Raine

Crossing the Veil and leaving my mate by herself isn’t ideal, but I need to deal with this matter immediately.

“An heir?” I stare at the old farts in front of me. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have left my kingdom for so long. They seem to have forgotten their place. “You think you can order me to produce an heir?” I ask slowly, wondering which of us have taken leave of their senses.

The elders exchange a look between them, and I see the satisfaction on their faces. From my mild tone, they must think that I feel cornered.

I wonder whose heart I should rip out first.

“It is a matter of duty, Your Majesty. You need to produce an heir. This dispute between you and Queen Vivian has gone on for long enough.”

“I don’t recognize that woman as the queen.” I shrug. “There was no mating ceremony.”

They bristle but are clearly prepared for this argument. “Be that as it may, according to the laws of this kingdom, if the elders of the noble families collectively agree that it is time for an heir to be produced, the royal family has to comply. Aside from this, the elders have the right to proclaim a queen in the absence of one. It is Vivian’s signature on the document that ties the two of you, therefore we have decided—”

“Decided?” The corner of my lip curls in a half smile that has a hush falling over the room. “You’ve decided? Then I’ll drag her in here and you can decide which one of you useless pieces of meat wants to fuck her, because I won’t touch her.”