“Of course.” She smiled demurely. Every outfit I’d seen the woman in had been frankly bizarre, and this one was no different. She wore a chiffon gown with similar hues to that of a moldy plum, ranging from red purple to a silvery gray. The bodice of it was tight to her body, as was her white hair, which was slicked down against her head. Keeping my gaze, she sat down.
I followed suit.
“Simeth.” She turned my name over in her mouth like a rock.
I nodded, and after a brief pause added, “Yes.”
“I want you to know that I only have minimal details for everyone. I will try to pull as much as I can, but I need you to do the heavier work in this. She’s your fated mate, so you’ll know when she’s close,” she explained.
“Any help is plenty.” I said, trying to seem humble.
She smiled and it pushed up wrinkles around the sides of her mouth. She reminded me of a really mean little dog that would bite if I didn’t keep feeding her treats and compliments.
“She’s a shifter—” she began.
I sighed in relief, and then caught myself, quelling the joy from my expression. Rhuron might have been fine with a human, but I was not. I didn’t want someone that would have to get used to shiftersandthe kingdom all in one go.
“You’re happy about that,” she said with a laugh.
I could feel color seeping into my ears and freckled cheekbones, but I didn’t reply. It was vital that I hid my emotions better than that.
“Now, now, no need to be shy with me,” she said, misreading my reaction. “She’s a cute little fox shifter: pretty, short, a painter of sorts…” Her voice wandered off like she was trying to take in more details. “Her hair is almost silver, a smoky color despite her youth, and her eyes … her eyes are likewarm gold,” she added.
She wasn’t the tall busty dragon shifter I’d expected, but I could learn to be okay with this.
“What’s her name?”
“Mara,” she said with confidence.
“And her last name?”
“I don’t know.” She didn’t apologize. The seer seemed really proud of herself for what things she knew and at the same time blasé about what she didn’t. It was an obnoxious personality trait.
I nodded. “Do you know anything else?”
“She really enjoys sweets,” she replied. “And she’ll see right through this stern facade you put on.”
“Excuse me?” I stood up from the table angrily. “You might be vital to my country right now, but I won’t accept your rudeness.”
“I meant no offense,” she said lightly, raising her palms as if trying to calm me. It only made me angrier.
“You may not have meant it, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t offend.”
“My apologies, Prince Simeth,” she cooed. I hated that she was treating me like a child. I was twenty-five, finished with my royal education, and old enough to rule. “What I meant by that comment was simply that she would see you for who you are.”
I wasn’t sure I understood.
I thought I’d always been transparent in life. Although I was guarded and careful, those were just parts of who I was.
“I need you to understand me, though. Take your time with her, she has a tie to life inside that city down there. If you try to pull her from Ember Abyss without asking, she will never forgive you.” Her face had gone gravely still, almost deathly.
“It’s been my plan since before this talk to take my time with her,” I explained.
“Good,” she nodded. “She’ll be good for you.”
As I left, my ears felt hot like I’d just downed a large drink of ale. What would this fox shifter see in me? I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.