The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 54 - Too Much

Everyone in the palace was scrambling, trying to figure out how Marcus and Alice were able to get their prisoners out with no one seeing. At first, they thought it was an inside job, but Anna didn't agree.

"Black magic is powerful. I believe they were able to cast a spell as I did when I sent Elsie to the cabin. Marcus and Alice were here but didn't have to open the cell doors. They used their magic to bring all the prisoners to them." Anna looked at the cells where Melita and Elsie had been held. In the dungeons, she had felt the strong presence of Alice and Marcus, but here she felt nothing except the lingering black magic.

"Why would Santi want the spies? We had already caught them, so what purpose could they have for him now?" Kamryn asked worriedly. He was certain whatever they were taken away for, it wasn't good. He saw Anna bite her lip while she was thinking.

"I know he wanted Elsie for her connection to Spirit Energy, but I can't think of a reason he would want the others. I'm sure as willing as they were to betray the king, they most likely wouldn't be willing to sacrifice themselves for Santi." Anna looked at everyone else, who was nodding in agreement. She could see the fear on Kamryn's face. No matter how much they practiced their magic and prepared for the battle, they would only know what they were dealing with once the fighting began.

"Is there anything we can do to get them back? Not that I'm particularly concerned about what Santi does with them, but I don't like them taking people from the palace without us knowing." Randal asked Anna with a frown. Having those witches on the palace grounds without anyone seeing them made him feel vulnerable. Were they really ready to face whatever was coming?

"It's probably best to leave them where they are. We want to fight them on our turf, not theirs. They may be using this to get under our skin. We need to go on as though nothing has changed and continue our preparations." Anna said confidently, trying to keep everyone on track. She didn't want any doubt floating around that could lead to their opponents replaceing cracks in their defense.

"Why do you keep saying they?" Maura asked as they headed away from the cells.

"Santi and whoever's behind him. Those are our two biggest opponents. If they bring an entire army, it won't be anything compared to the two biggest targets. We need to practice taking out multiple people at once, so we don't get burnt out before the finale." Anna took Kamryn's hand in hers as they walked.

As confident as she tried to sound, she was terrified inside. Despite everything they did to prepare, she knew everyone would not likely walk away from this fight. She hated feeling like she was leading everyone to a slaughter when they didn't know the power of what or who was helping Santi. What if the power of six wasn't enough?

Kamryn watched Anna with concern. He could almost hear the wheels spinning in her head. It wasn't fair for her to have so much on her shoulders in such a short time. Everything has happened so fast, and things just kept getting thrown at them. He swore once this fight was over, he was going to take her and their daughter away for a while so they could enjoy some family time.

When they got to the royal office, they were told Alpha Gary had called and requested that Randal call him back as soon as possible. When he did, Gary told him about the visit they received from Alice and Marcus. Anna agreed that Shila should stay hidden until the fight. They would have Legend or Rocky teleport her when it was time to come to the palace.

After they hung up with Gary, everyone looked at Anna. She didn't know what to say at first. She got her thoughts in order while looking at her father. Anna knew it upset him that his sister and Marcus were technically gone. Whoever they had been before being taken over by evil was gone. There's no coming back from that.

Micha and Jaz were sitting to her left. They were both young and had been thrown into the deep end like she and Kamryn had been. Yes, she was the same age as they were, but she felt older. Would they come out of this okay with their son? Kamryn started rubbing her back, and it snapped her into action. Everyone was waiting for her, and she'd been lost in her thoughts.

"We have to be mindful that if Alice and Marcus are watching the Black Mist Pack, they may also be watching us. They already know that Spirit Energy is here, but they may be looking for what tricks we have up our sleeves. Let's not let that dissuade us from what we need to do or affect our training." Anna tried to keep the fear out of her eyes. She had this overwhelming feeling that some of those in the room would not be with them after the battle. She couldn't stay there any longer, or she would break down. When she stood up, it was as though they thought she was going to continue.

"Kamryn, can we talk alone?" She asked as she started walking to the door. He followed her, but he was confused because Anna never left people hanging. He didn't question her or stop her. He knew for her to be acting strangely, something must be wrong that she didn't want to share.

Anna didn't stop walking when they were out of the office until they got to their room. Once there, she pulled him to the bed and laid down. As he wrapped her in his arms, Kamryn felt her shaking. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "What's wrong, sweetheart? You're scaring me." He asked as he rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"I couldn't be in that room anymore with everyone looking at me for answers. I'm fearful that no matter what we do, it won't be enough. How can I encourage everyone to fight when we may all end up dying, anyway?" Anna let the tears fall. It had all been building up in her, and she had to get it out. She was only comfortable talking with Kamryn in private about her fears and insecurities.

"I know it's not fair that everyone looks to you for all the answers. This is a lot for one person to feel responsible for, but you're not alone. We're in this together. Everyone in that room looks at you because you are the strongest person here. We all know what we're getting into with this battle. Our eyes are wide open." Kamryn's heart ached to see her cry from the pressure they'd put on her. She's not even twenty years old, but she's making all these decisions that would be too much for someone twice her age.

"Do you think less of me now that I admitted I'm not as tough as I appear?" Anna rubbed her hand over his face, looking into his eyes with a small smile. She loved him more than anything. Kamryn was her rock. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Are you kidding? I like seeing that you're not tough as nails all the time. Do you feel better now?" Kamryn rested his head against hers, holding her tightly.

"Yes. I needed this alone time with you to get my head back on straight. Sometimes I miss the time we were in the cabin because it was only us. Is it always going to be like this when you become king? Will we be pulled in a hundred different directions and never have time to be together?" Anna asked sadly, even though the way she said it was more of a statement of fact rather than a question.

"My parents have a lot of time alone. It's just hectic right now, but I promise it will get better. We'll have as much time alone as we want. We will be king and queen, so we'll make all the rules. You, my queen, can have me to yourself as often as you want." Kamryn rolled her over onto her back and kissed her deeply. When she ran her hands under his shirt, he immediately felt aroused. She was right; they needed more time to be together.

"Do you think you can make me forget about Santi, the battle, and everything else for a while?" Anna asked as she continued rubbing her hands over him. Kamryn didn't need to be asked twice. He quickly removed both of their clothes. He spent the next couple of hours making sure she had nothing on her mind except the pleasure he was giving her.