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Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

“Don’t touch me,” was all the prince said, and his mother led him out of the parlor.

32

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Confirmations

“I couldn’t tell you what the Queen called us down for, but I can tell you that it was the most peculiar meeting I’ve ever had,” Elof said when we were debriefing Pan and Bryn.

After we got back to the hotel, we went to his room, where Bryn was waiting with Pan. Pan hugged me as soon as he saw me, like he had been afraid that I wouldn’t come back. Elof went across the room and shrugged off his vest before carefully folding it and putting it atop his luggage.

“So they go to bed at six o’clock?” Pan asked when Elof had finished.

I shrugged. “It sure seemed that way.”

“When I stayed at the palace, we had dinner way later than that,” Bryn said incredulously.

“Bizarre though their bedtime rituals may be, the most concerning thing was Bodil’s fixation on Ulla,” Elof said, turning his gaze to me. “You certainly touched a nerve with her.”

“I haven’t done anything really. She must not like anyone asking about her dead relatives,” I said.

“Or maybe she just doesn’t like anyone,” Bryn muttered.

“That is a plausible theory,” Elof said, ending his statement with a loud yawn. “You must excuse me. I hate to kick everyone out, but I really wouldn’t mind getting to bed early tonight.”

I didn’t feel much like hanging out myself. My stomach was still turning, and I went to my room with Bryn. I read some more of the Kendare Blake novel and tried not to catastrophize all the reasons the Omte Queen might not like me. Eventually, I gave up and tried to sleep, hoping that the morning would bring along clarity with it.

But when I woke up, I felt the same as I had the night before, only now with a backache from the crummy hotel mattress. I had a quiet breakfast in the lobby and then Elof announced it was time to head down to the clinic to get the results. Bryn called Bekk to have her meet us there, and Pan stayed behind, the way Rikky had told him to.

I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing her either, but she’d always been nice to me. Still, I felt better knowing that Bryn and Elof would be there too. We took the hotel airboat to the clinic, and a nurse in tangerine scrubs took us back to a patient room that had been set aside for us. Bekk arrived a few minutes after we did. Her olive skin was slightly ashen, and her expression was blank.

Rikky came in after that, but she never even looked at me. She kept her eyes fixed on Elof when she said, “I can take you back to the lab now.”