Chapter 6

~Kamari~

"As I promised, your food is here." Calea came down and brought food for myself, a bag of raw meat, and a couple of other plates.

I chuckle, "That's a lot of food. I can't eat all of this."

"It's for them," Calea gestures to my trio mates. They must learn to tolerate the food we eat for the public." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Koa's lip curl up in disgust. I try not to laugh.

I smile meekly, "Of course. Can't have them eating raw meat at the dining area." I snark. I pick at the plate, feeling a bit drained. The murder of Dwen and watching a brutal fight between Aneth and Nye left me feeling burned out. 

"The council would like to speak with you about them." Calea gestures with a nod to my mates. "Just a short meeting, nothing big." She then gives a dark red dress—and other clothes in a big sack. I furrow my brows, "Why? They know what happens when Dragons find their soulmate. My lineage is proof of that."

Calea shrugs, "I presume it's not about that." She sits on the blankets beside me, "I think they might be a bit intimidated. Three Dragons are not a thing to take lightly. Maybe they're afraid you will grow too brave with fire breathers?"

I roll my eyes. The same council threw me on the throne. Part of me wanted to see how they would approach me now that I had three Dragon mates. A sly smile pulls at my lips. "Could it be possible the old men would try to poison me?"

Caldea double-blinks, "No. They want to have a conversation with you-"

"They want to put me in my place by showing their weathered faces. I know how this goes, Calea; you should have seen how they treated my mother." I knew all too well that the council had their little intentions behind a meeting with me. And I'm tired of hiding my true nature. If they wanted to come at me, let them.

I pull my knees into my chest, "This should be fun." 

"It's supposed to be serious," Calea says sternly.

I chuckle, "It's my Kingdom, Calea."

"They could dethrone you." She contours

"Really? Hm. I wonder how that would go." I knew those tired old fools wouldn't raise a hand themselves. They would get a giant army to destroy me, seeing as they had to get past my husbands first, and I had an inkling about Nye.

"Please don't fool around, Kamari. I don't want you in any trouble. Especially with them; you know how they can get." Calea pushes me to act ladylike, but rebellion pulses through me like a wild stag. After everything they put me up against, why would I go soft on them? They put me in a position of power, thinking they could control me. They had another thing coming.

"I understand your worry. But rest assured," I tell Calea with a soft smile, "I'll be a lady."

Calea's body relaxes, "Good. I'm happy to hear that. The council will be here in a little bit. So have a hearty breakfast." Calea gets up, but when she reaches the stairs, she looks over her shoulder at me, "Oh, and they know about Dwen…"

My eyes widen, and I stand up, "How? We told no one."

"Someone did." Calea looks down, worry furrows her brow. "They will bring it up. I'm just warning you so you don't feel caught off guard."

My blood boils. How did so many traitors lay their heads here at night? I groan, "Why can't I have any peace?"

"It comes with the title," Calea says before ascending the stairs and shutting the door on her way out.

I sigh heavily and sit back down. As I glance to my side, I see Nye crouch beside me and pick up the dress. "It's for me to wear to the council meeting." I smirk at him, "Maybe I can bat my pretty eyes and show some cleavage and make them forget about why they're here." I flop on my back. I shudder at the thought.

"Dwen," Nye says, and I gaze at him. It seemed like more of a question than a statement. I roll on my stomach and look up at him. I gaze at him for a moment before speaking. 

"I want to ask you something." 

Nye sits in front of me. Part of me didn't want to ask, but I had to know. I did know. I just wanted him to say it. I thought about it and realized Nye had put me to sleep on purpose. He had his eyes on Dwen the whole time. I get to my knees, and close the distance between us, he looks me in the eyes.

"Did you kill him?" I ask.

Nye's eyes don't falter. At first, he says nothing; I sigh and sit back on my heels. "I need to know."

"Why?" Nye tilts his head. It's like he had a poker face until he figured you out first. I press my lips thin. "Because you can't do that. Your presence here and the murder are suspicious. The council is going to bring it up. I'll tell them you were with me the whole night. Because technically, when I woke up, you were."

Nye seemed to understand me more than Aneth and Koa, at least for now. "Kamari," Nye says as he cups my face in his hands, and can't help but be a little startled at the action. "Why do you ask me when you already know." He says, with the slight hint of a smile on his lips.

My breath catches in my throat, and I pinch my lips together. Nye tilts his head; his eyes dance with maliciousness.

A door opening makes me stand straight, and I see Calea's eyes widen. "The Council, They're here."