The Edge (Book 5 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Nineteen

I remember the dream I had last night as we return to the palace.

It had snowed, and Eli was with me at the beach house. We were sunken to the floor by the window in our bedroom, our fingertips brushing the frosted glass. Together, we gazed outside. The shores were dusted with snow and the ocean had transformed into a field of white.

We were going to live there forever, surrounded by the sea of snow.

And though it was beautiful, I wanted to go home.

Back to the palace.

But in that dream, I had this feeling that we were never going back and that the snow had caged us in.

******

My legs are stiff as I tear down the corridor toward the meeting hall. Charlie, Oliver, and Eris are close behind me.

"You should really slow down, my queen," Oliver says, huffing.

"Not until I know what this is all about," I say through my teeth.

We reach the meeting hall doors, and I push one of them open with so much force I nearly fall into the room and flat onto my face. Oliver saves me by grabbing ahold of my shoulders to steady me.

Everyone on the court is present, and their eyes turn to me in surprise.

At the head of the room is Lily.

Adrian, Angel, and Ruth stand behind her against the wall. Ruth looks down at the floor.

Lily turns her head to me. "Mave, if you'd please wait outside for a moment..."

"Not a chance," I snap. "This looks like a coup. What gives you the right to set up a court meeting without my permission or even my presence?"

The room falls into a quiet rustling of papers and nervous coughing. Then, Lily sighs and rolls her shoulders back. "Actually, my birthright does." She gestures to the members of the court sitting before us. "We were discussing Eli's situation and-"

"Hold on, no. That's not for anyone to discuss."

Lily raises her voice above mine. "For the good of the kingdom, it is."

What on earth did she tell them? Eli had told us he's uncomfortable with other people knowing about his current whereabouts and why he's there in the first place. The agreement was that he's just sick. No details. Just temporarily ill. Temporarily.

I grit my teeth together and ball up my fists so hard that my nails dig into my skin.

"Look, Mave," Lily says, leveling her voice. "In Eli's current state, he can't rule."

"I've been ruling in his place for months. What difference does it make now?" I say.

She tosses her arm up toward my stomach. "You're pregnant. If you end up having to mother your child on your own, what good will you be to the kingdom?"

Ouch.

"I... I won't be alone."

"Mave, I was always supposed to ascend the throne before everything happened last year. The court and I were simply discussing if it's about time for me to accept my role as queen."

I just stare at her.

Retorts flash across my mind, but I bite my tongue, realizing they'd all make me look like a child. How could I even think to say, But I'm queen! Would I stomp my feet and throw a tantrum?

I rip my glare from Lily's fake sympathetic smile and scan the members of the court. As soon as my eyes graze over them, they look away or pretend to be busy writing or reading what's before them on their tables.