The Lost Queen (Book 1 of The Lost Queen Series)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Kai stood in the center of Seraiah's room, staring at the place she'd vacated. One minute she'd been close enough to touch and then the next she was pulling away and leaving. A wall had gone up between them, but he couldn't figure out why.

He sighed and tried to run a hand through his hair before remembering he was wearing a circlet that made it impossible. He was about to rip the thing off and throw it across the room when Wisteria returned.

"Is there something else you require, Your Highness?" she asked, curtsying to him.

"No, carry on. I'll get out of your way." He brushed past her and out of the room, ignoring her curious stare.

He should go down to the stable yard and see them off. He'd had every intention to, but now something held him back.

Instead, Kai headed for his study.

He was still mulling over their conversation when he took a seat behind his desk with its piles of paperwork. Kestrel would know what he'd said wrong, but it wasn't like he could ask her. She was on her way to the Seelie Court now.

He picked up a paper at the top of the stack near his right elbow. It was a report on the kingdom's finances. Lines of numbers danced before his eyes as he skimmed the page. He should care about this since it was his responsibility now, but he couldn't bring himself to focus.

Kai was relieved when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he called, setting the report aside.

Eryx entered, closing the door softly behind him and approaching the chairs in front of Kai's desk. He did not sit.

"I take it they've left," Kai said.

"They have, and I sent two others with them for all the good it will do. At least they won't be entirely alone."

"You know I didn't force her to go. She made the choice on her own." Kai could have been talking about either of them, but there was only one Eryx cared about.

A smile ghosted over Eryx's face, there and then gone again. "I don't think you could force Kestrel to do anything she didn't want to do."

"She seems to have taught Seraiah the same thing. I should have told her not to go, even if she wouldn't have listened."

Eryx's brows rose. "Is she the reason you didn't come to the stable yard?"

Kai appraised him, wondering exactly how much Kestrel had told him. "I had work to attend to." He gestured to the paperwork.

"That's a yes, then. What happened?"

"Why does everyone always think something's happened?"

Eryx leaned on the back of one of the chairs. "I've known you almost as long as Kestrel has. You aren't that hard to read. Besides, I may have heard a thing or two when the girls were talking about you on the beach."

"They were talking about me?"

Eryx grinned.

"Not that I care about what they may have said." Kai picked up the finance report again and pretended to read it.

"Good, because I wasn't going to tell you. For my own safety, you understand."

"Shouldn't you be more afraid of me, given that I'm your prince?"

Eryx shook his head. "We both know you aren't the scary one." He straightened up. "I'll let you get back to your work."

"They'll be back in a fortnight," Kai called after him.

"Let's hope so," Eryx said over his shoulder before pulling the door shut behind him.