NORA POV

It shouldn’t be surprising that everyone knows who the Queen Mother is by now, but what surprised me was how gently she held Liora. Her voice came out calm but playful as she asked, “And where are you going, little one?”

She tilted her head a bit and added, “Running away like a rat?” then turned her eyes toward me.

I quickly bowed to greet her and stepped forward to take Liora, but she gave me a sharp look that made me stop in my tracks. I looked back at Derek, unsure what to ...