The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 34 - Another Spy

"What do you mean Melita is his daughter? She was dropped off when she was two, wasn't he already gone by that time?" Kamryn asked in confusion.

"He was, but her mother was still here. Santi had found his mate and did nothing but abuse her. She ended up pregnant. We tried to help her, but seeing Melita was a constant reminder of who her father was. So she asked us to take care of her. We took her in and agreed to raise her as though she was our own. We didn't want her to know who her father was, and we didn't think Santi knew he had a daughter. It appears we were wrong." Randal said, feeling older than his fifty years.

"So if Santi has these people willing to sacrifice themselves for him, the only way we can beat him is with our new powers and our cubs' powers?" Micah asked, holding Jaz's hand.

"Yes, the power of six is the only way to take down his dark magic. As you know, there is always an antidote to black magic. The power of six will be the only one to beat someone that powerful." Stanley answered. He wondered how Santi received magical gifts, but Randal didn't get any. Was there something else in play here that they were missing?

"Can you please finish interviewing the staff so we know if there are any other bad eggs in the palace? Now that I know Santi is involved, we will cut down to the bare minimum of staff once you're done. I don't want him trying to get to anyone else here." He looked at Anna's and Jaz's parents, who all nodded.

"Yes, we'll get started on that right away. I'm glad we got through so many people today at breakfast. That was about a fourth of those on the list. We'll split up in pairs so we can get through the rest and let you know our replaceings." The two sets of parents quickly left the office to begin their interviews.

"Anna, Jaz, how are you holding up?" Lynn asked, feeling for the two young expectant mothers. They had both been through a lot in an extremely short amount of time.

"I'm good. Everything is coming at us fast, but I don't think either of us would change anything." Anna said, looking at Jazlyn to see if she agreed.

"A week ago, I was still mourning my mate rejecting me, and now I'm mated and pregnant. I couldn't wish for anything better, no matter what happens." Jaz answered, looking at Micah with a small smile.

"We want to keep your pregnancies a secret until you can no longer hide them. Even then, we'll limit the people around you. I'm going to ask Jeana to design clothes for each of you that can help cover your growing bellies. I don't want to give Santi any reason to strike early." Randal looked at the two young women, who nodded.

"Why don't you all go to your rooms, and we'll make sure you have everything you need. I want to keep you from everyone until your parents have had time to speak to the staff," said Lynn. The two couples got up and went to their rooms, leaving the king and queen alone.

"I never imagined Santi was behind all of this. I can't believe he has found willing sacrifices. He had to have done something to them to make them volunteer." Randal sat down in a chair and sighed. Lynn walked behind him to rub his shoulders.

"We'll get him, dear. No one is going to threaten this family and get away with it." Lynn said with confidence. She had faith in the power of their sons with their mates and unborn cubs.

Why were those witches and warlocks going around the palace to talk to people? The spy was nervous when she heard they were talking to each person within the palace. She knew they had to be looking for something. She was so scared she had to stay hidden. They would definitely know she was hiding something.

She crept behind a pillar as she watched two of them speaking with two of the guards that weren't in the dining hall for breakfast. She tried to listen to what they were saying, but she didn't want to let herself be seen. She had to get a message to Santi that Spirit Energy was up to something. As she turned to go in the opposite direction, she almost ran directly into Stanley and Caprice. How did they get there so fast? She had just seen them standing next to the guards. "Hi, I'm Stanley, and this is Caprice. Can we talk to you for a minute?" He asked with a smile.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" She asked, letting her fear show.

"We're talking to everyone. We want to meet the palace staff to understand what everyone does and see if there is anything we can do to help." Answered Caprice. Something was telling her the woman in front of them was up to no good. Everyone else they spoke to had been nervous but loosened up after a few minutes. This woman seemed terrified.

"I don't need any help." She started to leave, but they stopped her.

"What's your role here?" Stanley asked.

"I'm an attendant. I help people who stay here to ensure their needs are met." Caprice and Stanley shared a look. Something was off about this woman.

"We haven't seen you around. Are you assigned to specific people?" Caprice asked and saw her eyes start to dart around.

"No. I help anyone who stays here. I just haven't had a chance to check in with you yet." She started backing up, but they moved so quickly, blocking her in place, that she didn't see it coming.

"Why are you trying to leave? Do we scare you?" Stanley asked when he saw her shaking.

"Why would I be scared?" She asked, not sounding convincing.

"That's what we want to know. How about you come to the royal office with us?" Caprice said, moving closer to her.

"I can't. I'm busy right now." She said, shrinking back further into the corner.

"I'm sorry, but we weren't giving you a choice." Stanley grabbed her arm and began pulling her toward the office.

"You can't do this to me. You have no authority over the people here." She tried to pull free, but he held her arm so tight it wouldn't budge. The last thing she wanted to do was see the king and queen. "We have orders from the king," Caprice said calmly as the young woman fought to be let go.

"Somebody help me. They are taking me against my will. Get these freaks off of me now." She yelled at anyone they passed. However, no one paid any attention to her. She started crying the closer they got to the royal office. She couldn't see the king and queen. They would never forgive her. She knew they would throw her in the dungeon with Lucas.

Caprice felt the fear rolling off the girl in waves, but that wasn't the only thing she felt. She was sending deceptive energy. Caprice and Stanley both strongly thought she was another spy. When they had been interrogating the guards, they had felt another energy nearby. Something told them the person was trying to hide. It only took a few seconds to replace her.

When they got to the royal office, Stanley knocked on the door, only going in when he heard Randal grant permission. He pulled the woman into the office with no problem, even with her fighting him every step of the way.

Lynn and Randal looked at each other in shock. Why was Stanley bringing her into their office, and why was she crying. They saw the look of fear on the woman's face.

"What's going on?" Randal asked with confusion.

"We have found another spy," Caprice said and saw the disbelief on the royal couple's faces.

"What? That can't be. Are you sure?" Lynn asked, feeling the hurt wash over her.

"Yes. We have no doubt. She won't tell us who she is other than an attendant for outside visitors." Stanley said, looking between the woman and the couple. Lynn spoke with outrage in her voice.

"Her name is Renata. She's my assistant. She makes sure everyone's needs are met, but she also knows everything that goes on in the palace. We have always treated her like family."