Free A Shade of Vampire 24: A Bridge of Stars by Bella Forrest

state?”
    “It would have to be during one of his visits to his wives. He isn’t scheduled for another one until the day after tomorrow—my mother.”
    The day after tomorrow. I cursed beneath my breath.
    “We cannot wait that long,” Aisha voiced for me, glancing at me nervously. “It has to be tonight.”
    “Tonight?” The doubt in Horatio’s eyes made my stomach clench. He stood up and began pacing up and down, slowly, thoughtfully. “In that case… I might have another idea. It could kill us all, but it’s an idea nonetheless.”
    I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.
    “However, we could not do it without Nuriya’s help.”
    I raised a brow in question.
    “On the night of the wedding, it’s tradition for husband and wife to reveal each other fully to themselves,” Horatio explained to me. “It’s also the same night that—according to my mother—he has historically attempted the mutation… But I’m guessing that they would have some time alone first.”
    “We’d have to catch him before that.” Aisha shuddered.
    “I’ve no idea if this will work. Usually royal weddings are planned many weeks in advance, and I’m not sure my father would want to rush his wedding with Nuriya, considering what a landmark he considers it to be. I can’t help but think he’d want everything polished to perfection. However, if the request came from Nuriya… you just never know. In any case, we could try.”
    “Try to get Nuriya to convince Cyrus to hold the wedding tonight?” Aisha’s brows raised so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.
    “As I said,” Horatio muttered, “it’s a long shot. It’s up to you whether you want to take the risk.”
    “We’ll take the risk,” I answered immediately.
    Risk wasn’t something that scared me anymore. Failure was.

Ben
    S o we need Nuriya’s help . Last time I’d seen the woman, she’d looked so far gone, she could hardly help herself. And even if we managed to convince Nuriya to try to shift the wedding to tonight—which was preposterously short notice by anyone’s measure—and Cyrus agreed, I still wasn’t sure what Horatio was thinking. How would we even overpower his father in order to damage his stinger? But one step at a time. No point counting eggs before they’ve hatched…
    It was decided that I would go to Nuriya and attempt the persuasion. First, as a fae, I was capable of being invisible to jinn, and second, I should be at no disadvantage compared to Aisha because Nuriya was fond of me… at least the old Nuriya had been. I was not sure what state of mind she was in now. Hopefully she would still recognize me.
    I left Horatio and Aisha in his apartment and hurried back to Cyrus' quarters. A place I had hoped I would not need to return to. Horatio had instructed me to go fast, for if I hurried, I would have about half an hour with Nuriya before Cyrus returned. Apparently the king and queen had made it a habit to go for a leisurely wander in the desert after one of their rendezvous.
    As I raced along, I prayed that Cyrus would keep to his schedule.
    I entered the apartment, moving from room to room until I found Nuriya, slumped in a ruby-studded rocking chair. A book lay open in her shackled hands, but she was not reading it. She was gazing absentmindedly at the opposite wall, her face devoid of expression.
    Still invisible to her, I moved in front of her and crouched down before solidifying myself. As my face appeared before hers, life sparked in her eyes and she jerked backward in shock, the book falling from her palms.
    Well at least she’s conscious.
    Then to my relief, she gasped my name. “Benjamin?”
    She’s not as far gone as I feared.
    Before she could protest, I grabbed her hands and led her toward where I remembered the nearest bathroom was located. Pulling her inside, I bolted the door behind us. She was still gaping at me, her mouth opening and closing like a fish’s.
    “How… What…” she stammered,