“How the hell did you get in there?” Atlas ground out as Eleven let out an amused sound that she cut short.
I frowned, looking at Atlas, who looked annoyed and more confused than anything. Eleven met my gaze before letting out a small sigh. “It was an illusion. I walked past you minutes ago.”
My brows went up. “You can do that?”
“I can do a lot of shit,” she offered. Marco made a disapproving noise but approached, and immediately he cupped my jaw.
“You look gorgeous.”
“Marco.” I blushed as he leaned forward and nipped my bottom lip.
I looked over his shoulder to where Sai and the twins were staring at three men who were at the door. Well, staring wouldn’t be accurate—they were actually blocking their entrance. The men were dressed similar to Eleven but seemed far less serious than her and almost looked relaxed about all of this.
“We need to go,” Eleven reminded us. I could feel my boys tense, and I had a feeling that they were really uncomfortable with the orders she seemed to be throwing around… or maybe it was more the lethal energy coming off her. I could feel them almost subtly blocking me. It wasn’t something I would have noticed before, but it was amped up majorly being here in the Dreki realm. Or maybe it was just the more connected I became with my magic, the more I noticed it.
“Okay,” I whispered.
I kept hold of Marco’s hand as we left the room, the two of us walking at the front of the group as my other six mates lined up in two rows behind us. It confused me at first until Eleven and her three men lined up on either side of them. I swallowed, feeling as though this was a far bigger deal than I realized. I liked when my mates and I could relax, and this felt anything but.
It wasn’t long before I realized how correct I’d been.
As we left the part of the castle where our room was, we were led through a series of main hallways that we hadn’t explored before. My eyes traced the luxurious furnishings and decor as large flags, displaying the gold and blue crest, created a stunning contrast. Banners and flags decorated every surface, along with gold and brown decor that seemed to celebrate harvest-like food, from wheat to corn. It was beautiful, and so were the people flooding through the main hallways from outside. I frowned, realizing that it was truly more men than women. Although, both were beautiful, and everyone seemed larger and more impressive than myself, dressed in expensive tailored clothes and seemingly in a celebratory mood.
Well, until people began seeing us.
That was when the stares and whispers started, the sound anything but quiet considering the large number of people present. I didn’t think it was just me, either. I saw how people were looking at my mates. I didn’t understand it fully, but I saw the caution. It made me wonder who they thought my men were. I was sure they had some type of reputation here, but that didn’t matter to me. I knew who they really were.
When eyes began to stray to me, I was tempted to put my head down, a blush blasting my cheeks, but I was able to keep it together. Marco’s hand in mine gave me strength. Did they know who I was? Had my parents announced it? I wasn’t positive I wanted to know their reaction either way. At least on Earth the human media could be ignored to some extent, but in this crowded hallway with whispers surrounding me? Not as easy. A shiver ran over my skin as my phoenix tried to push through, wanting to show off despite me knowing it was not the time.
We neared a large set of gold doors, and I assumed we were back at the throne room until the guards opened them for us, revealing a ballroom completely decorated for celebration. From floor to ceiling, everything sparkled, and my eyes widened as I looked around, unable to process just how they were even able to decorate the four-story ceiling. Gold feathers and decor seemed to spiral down from chandeliers and dusted the marble flooring with gold dust that was cleared off to give way to a dance floor. On all sides were long tables and a table up front that looked set to fit over twenty people, including a throne at the very center. It was clear Cyra wasn’t here yet, but that didn’t stop anyone from beginning their celebration. Music danced through the space and I looked to Marco, feeling both excited and overwhelmed.
That was when I noticed how tense he was. His jaw clenched as he looked around the space, all of my mates seeming a bit on edge. I moved closer to him, wanting to lend him the same type of comfort that he usually gave me.
“Are you okay?” I drew his attention down as he examined my expression and let out a low rumble, not fully answering but making me know I wasn’t far off base about him being tense and not his normal relaxed self. Well, relaxed wasn’t really the right word for Marco… just more controlled than he was right now.
In fact, the only one that seemed even relatively calm was Croy, and I had a feeling that was because his wolf was feeling a bit more settled now that we had marked one another. His possessive feelings rang clear and vibrant through our bond, making me blush as his green gaze met mine, practically on fire.
“This way,” Eleven instructed, leading us forward. I briefly noticed that there were several tables that seemed to showcase school banners, and I had to wonder if those were the military academies that the boys had mentioned. There were students sitting at them already, large mugs in their hands and the scent of alcohol surrounding most of the room, letting me know that this was truly a celebration in their eyes.
We sat down at the large table, choosing seats on the right side of the throne, leaving the middle open. Commotion almost immediately started up once again as I looked around for the reasoning behind it.
If I had been further away, I wouldn’t have heard Eleven curse under her breath at the explosion of cheers and chanting of names. My eyes flashed up to find a group of men walking into the hall that… well, that sort of looked like me. Okay. ‘Sort of’ was an understatement. Obviously there were differences, but not only did they look like me, but they were wearing uniforms similar to my mates’ and had gold crown-like bands on their heads. I may have been figuring all of this out, but I was putting it together as I remembered Croy’s information regarding the Queen’s situation.
Not only was I their lost daughter… but this would be their six sons. My brothers. Wow. How was I going to explain myself to them? Maybe I was wrong, but I felt like it was a bit jarring to just look at someone and announce that you’re their long-lost sister.
They seemed in rather good spirits, loud music announcing their entrance, and the response from the crowd made me realize how popular they were. Everyone was clapping them on the back and greeting them, the six of them making their way to the front where Eleven was still muttering what sounded like curses under her breath.
I turned to look up at her and she offered me a tight smile, legitimate discomfort in her gaze. Did she not want to be around them?
“You can watch me from back there, if it’s easier?” I offered softly, not wanting her to be uneasy, especially if she had an issue with them that I was unaware of.
Softness invaded her gaze before she shook her head. “I’ll be damned if they get me kicked out of this position. They have been trying to do that for years now.”
Oh.
My surprise must have shown as she winced. “Sorry, I realize they’re your brothers.”
“They could be jerks, I wouldn’t know,” I pointed out.