Page 9 of Taken By Fury
Aimee chewed her lip. “I will speak to Greydon and if he deems the information good, then he will command Zander to free you.” She leaned in closer. “But you cannot go back to being Zolar’s baby maker.”
“Do you really think I was there for enjoyment?” she snapped. “They took me from my life the same as all the others. I had a job I loved and a man who adored me. We were planning our wedding when I was kidnapped from the parking lot where I worked.” Her body shook with the rage she had been holding in for so long.
“I am sorry. We should contact your family.”
“I have no family!” Sheila shoved back the tears that threatened to spill. She hadn’t cried since the day they put her behind bars and Zolar came to her with his demands. She had already lied to the god when cornered about the DNA she had been working on. At the time, she had no clue it was a match to what Zolar was searching for. Valarian DNA. She told him it came from a bone her father had discovered years ago in a lost city in the Amazon, and that had not been a lie. What had been, was the file which contained a more recent match to a female that carried the same DNA. She was one-hundred percent Valarian, but the file had no name. Not even an age, just that the donor was female and Zolar wanted to know who this female was and where to find her. Sheila had said she didn’t know. She hadn’t been part of that testing. Even with threats that the god was going to pry it from her mind, she continued the ruse. Offering instead to work for him, pointing out that she was an expert in her field and if anyone could find who he was looking for, it would be her.
It had bought her time and even some freedom.
“But you mentioned a man who adored you. What about him?” Aimee pressed.
“He thinks I am long dead, and it’s best to keep it that way.”
* * *
Zander madeit back to the palace, where he immediately used his link to his brother to locate his whereabouts. Greydon was in the gardens so he transported himself there. Upon appearing, he found his brother sitting on a bench by himself.
“Where is Aimee?”
Greydon looked up from his book, his brow arched. “You mean the queen?”
“Of course, but you know she rather I call her Aimee.”
With a sigh, he closed his book. “She is feeding your prisoner, which is what you should be doing.”
“I am remiss and will thank her, but more important, I think I located something of value.” He procured the trinket from his pocket and handed it to his brother.
“This is interesting.” Greydon immediately flipped open the end of the cylinder and pulled out the parchment. When he unrolled it, his eyes widened. “Did you read it?”
“Of course not. This was for your eyes, not mine.” He sat next to his brother and leaned in to get a closer look. The text was in their ancient language, but he knew exactly what it said. “Do you suppose it’s another artifact?”
“I would say it is a high possibility.”
At that moment, Aimee strolled into the garden and when her gaze landed on Zander, it was filled with disappointment. Okay, he got it, but Sheila rubbed him wrong in more ways than one.
“Zander, Sheila has been fed and given more blankets.” She crossed her arms. “We need to talk about this situation. You cannot leave her in that cell.”
“What will you have me do?”
“I would…” Her words fell off as her gaze landed on the items her mate was holding. “What’s that?”
“Zander found this, and we believe it might be a clue to an artifact,” Greydon replied.
“Ohh.” She snatched the paper from her mate and looked it over. “This says we need to visit some ruins in the Amazon, but it does not indicate why. Would Uuna be so vague?”
Zander rubbed his chin. “Probably. I mean, if she came right out and stated there was gold at the end of the rainbow, anyone might try to claim it.”
She pointed at the paper. “Did both of you miss the fact it clearly states only a prince will find what he seeks?”
He looked at his brother, and Greydon looked at him.
“She is very good at this,” Zander said.
Greydon smiled. “Yes, she is. So, I guess that means you will be paying a visit to the Amazon in search of another lost city.”
“So it would seem. I’ll gather my things.” He stood, but the weight of the queen’s stare forced him back into his seat.
“Oh, no, you do not. You are not leaving Sheila here in a cage while you traipse around the world.”
