When they released us, I tucked a lock of blue hair behind my ear, heat burning up the back of my neck.
Max tugged on my arm and I turned to him. “Come on little Vegas, they’re not gonna let us in unless you two lead the way.”
I realised the crowd were watching Tory and I closely, and wondered if Max was right about that.
Hamish beckoned us forward again and I moved to walk beside Tory as we followed him through the rebels. Orion walked at my back, so close to me that I could feel him everywhere, and I took comfort in knowing he was there, especially after all we’d been through, but every time I tried to turn back and draw him closer, he fell further away, the distance between us making my heart hurt. And I had the awful feeling it was intentional.
People bowed their heads to Tory and I, muttering thanks to the stars and my breaths grew uneven as the eyes of the rebels followed us. It looked like a lot of these people were royalists, die hard supporters of the Vega line, and it was strange to be the subject of so much attention at once. Even the A.S.S. club hadn’t made me feel this scrutinised.
My heart pounded harder as we made it to the farmhouse and Hamish bowed so low his nose nearly touched the ground, his right arm held out in a gesture for us to head through the door.
“Welcome to The Burrows, your royal highnesses,” Hamish said proudly.
Another cheer went up and Tory glanced at me, our hands finding each other’s instinctively as our souls drew us together. This moment felt endlessly important somehow. Like we were stepping into a future that had been laid out and waiting for us to accept it. Like we were finally treading the path we would need to follow if we ever intended to truly claim the throne for ourselves. And now that Lionel had sat his scaly ass on it, I wanted it more than ever.
Tory leaned in close to whisper to me, “If we ever become queens, my first law will be that no one is allowed to stare at us. And that’ll probably deal with your little stalker problem too.”
“Huh?” I laughed and she jerked her chin to point over my shoulder.
I glanced back, finding Orion hot on my heels again and looking right at me.
“What are you gonna do, throw me in prison?” Orion asked her tauntingly.
“Nah, the punishment for that crime is hourly dick kicks,” Tory said with a smirk, but then her eyes slid to the sky and her amusement died just like that, her thoughts clearly on Darius again. “Does he know how to get here?” she asked in concern.
“We can message him,” I said firmly, looking to Hamish. “Do you have an Atlas we can borrow?”
“Abso-tively,” he said, nodding profusely. “But you’ll need to come inside and make your star vows first. We have Atlases which have been enchanted to keep our location utterly butterly secret. The only ones who can share its location are the official Circle of Covert Keepers.”
“Who are they?” I asked.
“They’re very loyal royalists who may show others how to find The Burrows. Only a select few know of our location to ensure it can never be found by those who wish to harm us. Of course, you ladies will be welcomed into the Circle as will the Heirs if you so wish it,” Hamish explained as we filed inside, following at our backs.
“Are we seriously going to join the C.O.C.Ks?” Tory hissed to me and a laugh erupted from my throat.
We arrived in a small entranceway with wooden floors and a mahogany grandfather clock dominating the space. Hamish moved around us as we all lined up and the front door swung shut at our backs, leaving us all enclosed in the small space.
“Make me one of the Circle too,” Orion insisted and Hamish’s eyes darted toward him before bouncing away again in dismissal and Seth snorted a laugh.
“Don’t ignore him,” I snarled, my hackles rising in an instant and Hamish looked to me in alarm, cupping his mouth with his hand.
“But my lady, he is Power Shamed,” he whispered those two words in horror, barely able to speak them.
“Not to me he isn’t,” I growled.
“I-I-I-” Hamish stammered, trying to grapple with that.
“This’ll make him look at me,” Orion muttered then split his thumb open on his fang, turning his arm over and smearing blood across the inside of his forearm. The mark of the Zodiac Guild appeared like it was a living tattoo beneath his flesh, the silver sword etched with constellations and looking so ethereal it almost glowed.
Hamish let out a noise that sounded like the honk of a strangled goose then fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back into his head as he fainted and hit the floor in an awkward pile.