Sanctuary by Kaye Draper

Author:Kaye Draper [Draper, Kaye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-02-05T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 18

After I cleaned up and dressed, I felt a little more grounded, though I still wasn't ready to face the conversation I knew I had to have next. I sent word requesting that my mates meet me in Steel's borrowed room. We needed to discuss the attack and what it meant for our future.

The male in question was still looking a bit wan, but he seemed steadier since he'd had the opportunity to rest awhile. He attempted to rise when we entered the room, but I waved him back down. He settled for sitting with his back against the headboard of his bed, his keen gray eyes watching us, but his expression giving away nothing.

"Let's get right to it," I said, ready to just get this all over with. "Why are you here?"

He didn't crack jokes or tell me he was here because I'd hauled him home with me, the way I might have in his place. This male was nothing but serious. "I was assigned to watch you, Lady Katrina. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to foil the attack today. I underestimated the assailant. It was an unforgiveable error on my part."

I waved that away. "How long have you been lurking around here watching for trouble? Have you been here ever since we returned, or did the queen identify some new threat just recently?"

He took a breath, paused, then let it out before answering. "I have been on this assignment for two years, personally. Though there are others who have been at it longer." He gave me a sad half smile. "The Queen's Hands have been watching over you ever since you became steward."

I just stared at him. That long? But…why?

Bach spoke, his deep voice grim. "She was concerned for Katrina's safety from the beginning, then."

He exchanged a long, meaningful look with Steel. "Yes, my lord," Steel replied evenly.

Bach let out a sigh and shook his head. "And this is news to you?" He asked, glancing at me. At my nod, he turned his growing glare on Steel once more. "No one ever thought to tell her that her life was in danger?"

Steel shifted uncomfortably. "It was part of the queen's orders. We were to watch over her, but not interfere with her life. There was no decisive evidence that the suspicions regarding Lady Rose's death were correct. We didn't want any potential threats to know we were here. And I believe the king and queen wanted their new steward to be able to focus on settling into her duties, rather than being distracted or living in fear because of their unproven suspicions."

I shook my head as his words and his meaning sank in. "Lady Rose died in an accident. She encountered a stray herd of fire lizards…." The words dried up in my mouth. Fae were long-lived, but we did have accidents. And though it was relatively rare for a highborn, sometimes people fell to the dangerous creatures who shared our country. I had raged against the suddenness and the pointlessness of losing my stepmother.

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