Chapter 334 Chapter 334
Konner was impressed, if not a little intimidated to see the armed security at the gate entering the campground. He knew how remote this land was, he’d searched the lakes here years earlier before the prince had taken refuge here. If they had the entrances covered and the area along the roadway it would have been an almost impossible task to get on the land any other way. All of this was a good thing, considering the rescued that had no clan or weren’t able to face life out of captivity were here. Feeling safe was likely on the top of their list of needs.
He slowed and pulled the van up the drive outside a large building. Stopping, he looked around, this was where they’d directed him. There was an armed man standing at the door, this had to be where the prince and princess were. “Looks like this is the place.” He said as he opened the door.
A tall woman with short brown hair came out of the building, she stopped and looked him up and down. She didn’t fit the description of the princess.
“Mister Flores, I’m Doctor Collins, I’m going to escort your passengers down to my colleague at the clinic for a quick checkup.”
Konner opened the side door on the van so Niema and Baylee would get out.
“The prince is waiting to speak to you.” The doctor told him as she came over. He turned to see her motioning to the door of the building she came out of.
Nodding, he reached in and grabbed both phones and his run pack. He put it over his shoulder, it wasn’t really a run pack like all others in his world had, it was more of a waterproof swim pack. Tucking the phones into opposite pockets of his pants, he closed the door.
“Thank you.” Baylee launched herself at him and hugged him tightly.
He gave her a quick hug and decided polars were a strong lot and he’d have to remember not to upset his boss, not that he would, she just plain scared him. The females in his clan were the aggressive ones, but Wynter Carr—-she was the epitome of aggression. That thought brought him full circle. The reason he was here, was to lay to rest a female of his own kind. Blowing out a breath, he gave Niema a polite nod and went over to the door.
When he stepped inside, he had to force his nerves to settle. He’d never met the prince but had heard many things about him. He was said to be blunt and straight to the point, which in Konner’s opinion wasn’t entirely a bad thing. Word around the council said his seconds were fiercely protective of him. He didn’t know one of them but had recently met the other, Calum, and his opinion on where the Alliance was heading once the king stepped back was going to be in a good direction.
“Konner. Oh good, you made it.”
He turned to see a woman with long blonde hair walking toward him. She was almost ethereal, and that was saying something considering the females of his clan all held that otherworldly shimmering glow. He inclined his head to her and kept it down.
“We don’t have time for that posturing crap.”
Konner lifted his head to see a tall man coming toward him. He resembled the king in many ways. A little scruffier looking than he’d pictured the prince, but the way he carried himself was just the attitude Konner could appreciate. That don’t fuck me vibe was what the Alliance and the whole shifter world needed to take them forward. The king had it in spades, but at times, in his opinion was too forgiving. “Sir,” he inclined his head briefly this time.
“Devin will do,” he put his arm around his princess, “and Rayne.”
Konner nodded. “It is my pleasure to meet you.”
“I’d meet a lot more that work on the Alliance teams if I wasn’t sequestered away here most of the time.” He sounded annoyed.
“It’s what is best for now,” Konner shrugged, “I hope the future brings better things for all our kind.”
“If it kills me,” Devin growled.
Rayne motioned to a doorway, “let’s move into the office.” She smiled at him, “would you like some coffee or something?”
“I actually can’t drink coffee. It’s dehydrating and that doesn’t quite work out well for my kind.”
She tilted her head, “I didn’t know that. Is there something you’d like instead?”
Konner cleared his throat, “any herbal tea would be welcome.”
Devin chuckled, “oh herbal teas we have, all of them.”
Rayne gave him a look, “shush, Shaelan uses them for so many things when she’s here, and I’m enjoying them too.”
Devin motioned to the door and started walking, he grinned as Rayne went the other way, “I still think you add coffee to them.”
She laughed and kept going.
He didn’t know what he’d expected from this royal pairing, but so far, he was a little more than shocked. “Calum called me and told me they’d recovered sales records from the last place they breached.”
Devin walked around to the other side of the large wooden desk and stood there. “They did, I was just trying to figure out what some of the short forms they used could be for.”
Konner glanced around to see the room had tables lined up along one wall with stacks of files and papers on them.
Devin hissed out a breath, “I’m trying to play catch up with all things Alliance.” He held out a folder.
Konner took and raised an eyebrow, “I wish you luck with that.”
Devin nodded, then motioned to the chair so he’d sit down. “If Tomas would just die it would make things easier.”
Konner opened the folder and then looked up at him, “we’ve definitely put a dent in his empire this year.”
Devin put his hands on his hips and nodded, “yeah, but I still want to see him roasted on an open spit.”
“There’s a lovely image,” Rayne walked in carrying a tray with her, “or I think it is, I’m not one hundred percent sure what a spit is.” She set the tray down on the desk, “is that the thing over the fire turning in the flames?”
Devin smirked.
“Well seeing Aiden like that might even make me feel the warm fuzzies.”
Aiden? She used his first name. “You know of Aiden Tomas?”
Rayne motioned to the tray, “sadly, seems like a lifetime ago now though.” She smiled, “please help yourself, I brought a few different kinds.” She picked up a cup and held it out to her mate. “Where are we?”
Konner leaned forward and picked up the first tea bag he came to a dropped it in the cup.
Devin sipped whatever she handed him, “we were just going to look at those records Beck found at the last house.”
Beck had found them. He’d have to call him and get more details. Konner opened the folder and looked at the top page in it, it was an account record. Aside from the dates and dollar amounts, he wasn’t sure what it said. He looked up at Devin, “can I get a copy of these?”
Devin smirked, “that is your copy, Calum told me to have one for you.”
Closing the folder, he clutched it in one hand. “Thank you.” He watched the princess pour hot water into the cup he’d dropped the bag into and then she sat down and clasped her hands in her lap. The mood was suddenly more somber. He knew it had been coming but had hoped to never have to do it just the same.
Devin sat down. “I’ve been catching up on a lot,” he sighed, “I blew off my responsibilities for a long time.” He motioned to the table of piles, “I have access to everything, and I will confess I was shocked when I read through your files, the searches, and such.” His brows were knit together, pain on his face.
Konner inhaled slowly through his nose. “It’s been hard.”
“Where have you searched for your people? It wasn’t in the files, that part, maybe I could...”
Konner offered a polite smile, “I have enough looking, you need to keep your focus on the whole of the Alliance, not just my clan.” He picked up the cup and blew on it, not even sure what he’d put in it, just knew he needed a moment to compose, and taking a drink was the best stall tactic ever. Swallowing the hot liquid, he detected mint and green tea, not a bad choice. “I’ve checked every area there was a settlement of my kind in, some twice over the years. Being as the sheer number of waters out there, in the last few years I’ve limited searches to completely remote areas or any that have had odd news sent out about them.”
“Odd news?” Rayne asked hesitantly.
He set the cup down again and turned to her, “yes, stories of people see people swimming in the middle of a storm or thinking they saw a mermaid,” he shrugged.
“Ah, I see. Have you found many that way?”
Konner nodded, “a few. An adult male nine years ago and a female a few years before that.”
Rayne was now giving him an odd look, a slight smirk on her face. “Did you start searching as a boy? Because if you tell me you’re older than you look, I’m going to have to ask what skin regimen you use.”
Konner grinned at her unique way of asking his age. He leaned closer and whispered, “if my kind always has access to fresh water and the proper food, we hardly age at all.”
Her eyes went wide, “really?” she looked him up and down, “so you’re...”
“A few decades away from a century of life.”
“Are you serious?” That was Devin now, as he stood up and came around the desk and looked at him. “Shit, I thought wolves lived long.”