“You must be in heaven,” Cam joked to J.D. “With all these decorations.”
She whistled. “Yeah. It looks like Christmas threw up in here. In a classy way. I mean, you know, if Christmas ate champagne and truffles beforehand.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up and he mentally shook his head. J.D. really was one of a kind. And he loved every bit of her.
But did she feel the same way?
Don’t be silly, he told himself. Of course she does. His bear agreed.
But she hadn’t said the words. Not yet anyway, which is why the doubt was there.
His bear chuffed reassuringly. It was so close, he could almost feel and taste the bond, and surely, that wouldn’t be the case if she didn’t love him back. Perhaps she was just not the type to say the words. After all, she was trying so hard to make things work.
“I think I see your grandmother over there with Jason Lennox,” she said.
“Excellent, let’s go see her.” They excused themselves from the rest of the group and headed to the alcove in the corner where J.D. had spotted Natalia chatting with the younger of the twin dragons.
“Cam,” Jason greeted as they shook hands. They had met previously at the royal wedding, and even though he’d been living in Blackstone for nearly six months now, hadn’t approached them until that night at the carnival. “Thank you so much for allowing me to escort Her Highness. Aside from my own mate, I don’t think I have ever had a more beautiful and charming date.”
“Oh, you flatterer.” Natalia chuckled and playfully hit him on the shoulder with her fan. “If only I was a few decades younger.”
Technically, Cam should have been his grandmother’s escort, but he wanted to be with J.D., so he asked Jason and Matthew if they could take care of Natalia. It had actually worked out because Christina had just given birth a few days ago and was unable to attend the party tonight.
“Your Highness,” J.D. greeted Natalia with a subdued nod. “Hey, Jason, how’s Christina? And the babies?”
The dragon shifter’s face lit up. “They’re doing great,” he grinned. “Pandora and Persephone are wearing us out, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Mr. Lennox has promised me I would be the first person outside the family to meet his twin girls,” Natalia beamed. “Oh, I do miss holding babies.”
When she shot a meaningful look at Cam, he only smiled back. For the first time in his life, he didn’t mind his grandmother dropping hints. In fact, he himself had imagined it many times this past week. J.D.’s stomach growing large with their cub or kitten. Holding his child in his arms. Watching her nurture their son or daughter. His polar bear very much enjoyed all that.
“By the way, Cam,” Jason took him aside and lowered his voice. “I need to talk to you about something later. I have news some—”
“Well, well, aren’t we looking all cozy here?”
It was a good thing he had prepared mentally for Arabella’s presence tonight. The pure joy he felt at having J.D. by his side would gird him for whatever poison she would fling. He wouldn’t even give her the satisfaction of paying her any attention. However, it was hard to miss the way his grandmother’s eyes grew large and her face turned ashen all of a sudden. “Babushka?”
“Aleksandr. Will you not greet me?”
Every muscle in his body stiffened, and his bear reared up at the sound of the heavily accented voice. Whirling around, disbelief shot through his brain for a moment, but he knew his eyes weren’t deceiving him. “Hello, Uncle Stepan.”
The older man’s piercing light blue gaze bore right into him, his dominant polar bear like a lurking monster waiting within him. Stepan Dashokov was one his grandfather’s five brothers, next oldest after Igor, and if rumors and whispers Cam had heard growing up were true, the one who objected the most to Igor’s marriage to Natalia. Apparently, Stepan was bitter as he had always wanted to take over the family business from their father but had the bad luck of being born second after Igor.
“What a surprise to see you here, Stepan,” Natalia said nervously. “And such a long way for you to travel.”
“Yes, and since this is such a small, intimate gathering, I’m surprised you bothered to make the trip,” Cam added. “Tell me, how did you manage an invitation?”
“MedvedDaz has many dealings all over Europe, including the Northern Isles. We are invited to a great many Christmas parties and affairs.”
Though Stepan was technically vice president of the company, he was still in deep in the other side of the business. Transitioning to a legitimate operation was a process, after all, yet Cam couldn’t help but wonder if his uncle dragged his feet in making that full transformation.
“And after all, we are family, yes?” Stepan continued. “How could I not come and see my dear sister-in-law and grand-nephew at the same time?”
“A missed opportunity, especially for someone so busy,” Arabella added.
From the smug look on her face, Cam could guess exactly how Stepan found out about this party.
“Will you not introduce me to your … friends?” Stepan raised a light brow and looked meaningfully at Jason and J.D.
“Of course.” He swallowed, hoping to moisten his dry throat. “Uncle Stepan, this is Jason Lennox, one of our hosts tonight. Jason, this is my great-uncle, Stepan Dashokov.”
“Mr. Dashokov. Welcome to Blackstone Castle.” Jason’s nod was polite, but his dragon displayed a flash of unmistakable dominance.
“Mr. Lennox. A pleasure to finally meet you.” Stepan returned the nod and made no attempt at any posturing. “I have been trying to secure a meeting with Lennox Corporation for very long time now. Perhaps we can have a chat later?”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to talk to my brother,” he replied. “He’s the CEO. I merely run the charity foundation. I’m not sure that’ll be of any interest to you.”
“Of course.” His jaw ticked at the rebuff, but his face remained cool and unchanged. “And who is this lovely creature by your side, Aleksandr?”
“Uncle Stepan, my I present Ms. J.D. McNamara. My mate.”
“Ms. McNamara. Lovely to meet you.” Cam had no doubt that Stepan already knew who J.D. was, considering it was Arabella who had called him, but the totally unsurprised look on his face confirmed as much.
“Good evening, Mr. Dashokov.” To her credit, J.D.’s expression was neutral, but he knew there was a storm brewing inside her, knowing that Stepan was part of the family who would harm Natalia.
“So, Aleksandr has found his mate,” Stepan stated.
“He sure did,” J.D. added. “Though some people might wish otherwise. You know. Desperate people.” Her gaze flickered at Arabella.
Don’t let her get to you, he wished silently at J.D. Please. Not tonight. He knew his mate was not pleased that Arabella was here and obviously was responsible for the presence of his great-uncle. But all J.D. had to do tonight was smile and be polite, at least until this whole thing was over.
“Tell me, Ms. McNamara,” Stepan began. “What is it you do?”
“I run a garage,” she said.
“Garage?”
“She’s a mechanic,” Arabella interjected with a snort. “A tradesman.”
“She owns the whole garage,” Cam clarified. “She’s a businesswoman.”
J.D. stiffened at his side. “I fix cars, trucks, and motorcycles. It’s a business, yes, and I get paid for what I do.”
“Well, we all know what people who get paid for what they do are called,” Arabella sniped.
J.D.’s face turned red. “Why you—"
The orchestra’s horn section heralding the arrival of their guests of honor couldn’t have come at a better time, and Cam sighed with relief as J.D.’s mouth snapped shut.
“If I may have everyone’s attention,” a voice boomed over the loud speakers. “Let us welcome, Their Majesties, King Aleksei and Queen Sybil of the Northern Isles.” A round of applause erupted from the crowd.
“I
’m glad they used the short version,” Jason joked. “If they used all their titles, we might be here all night.”
King Aleksei entered the ballroom, his queen consort on his arm. They made a striking couple with the king being so tall and elegant in his formal wear and Queen Sybil looking regally beautiful in a full-skirted silver ball gown. Flanking them on either side were two fierce-looking men whose eyes scanned the crowd, their presence effectively keeping people away.
“The famed Dragon Guards of the royal family,” Stepan remarked. His normally stoic uncle sounded impressed.
“Why is there no receiving line? Does no one in this country observe proper protocol?” Arabella asked. “And why is no one else being presented? Princess Natalia should have been introduced before them, as the second-ranking royal. And before her, Cam, and any other members of the aristocracy.”
Of course, what Arabella meant was that she wanted to be announced, a fact that didn’t go over J.D.’s head. “The vice president’s here, too, you know,” J.D. said in an irritated voice. “And he’s our second-ranked elected official here. In America.”
Cam felt a headache coming on at the thought of being trapped between the two sniping women. But thankfully, Jason’s diplomatic ways saved him.
“Sybil begged and pleaded that they make this informal,” Jason explained. “Actually, she didn’t want a ball at all, but seeing as they were visiting heads of a foreign state, there had to be some kind of social event. So, she and the State Department’s protocol office made a compromise: no dinner or a receiving line and an announcement only.”
The crowd parted and made way for them, and though this wasn’t a formal state affair, they first made their way to Vice President Baker’s party. They chitchatted for a while before turning toward Natalia.
“Princess Natalia,” King Aleksei greeted. “How lovely to see you again. It’s been such a long time.”
Natalia curtseyed. “Your Majesties. Indeed, it has been a long time.”
“You remember my great-aunt, don’t you, Sybil?”
Queen Sybil smiled warmly. “Of course. Thank you for accepting our invitation. And welcome to Blackstone. How are you finding it so far?”
“Your birthplace and childhood home is a wonderful place, Your Majesty.” Natalia answered.
“Your Majesty,” Stepan said. “It is a pleasure to see you again. And your beautiful queen.”
The dragon king’s expression remained neutral, but the queen’s posture turned rigid. “Stepan. Thank you for coming all the way just to meet us. Though it was unnecessary to travel so far as my trade ministers meet with you quite often.”
“According to my social secretary, Mr. Dashokov was very insistent on giving us the honor of his presence,” Queen Sybil added, her lips pursing. “How could we resist?”
Natalia smoothly slid into the conversation with a delicate clearing of her throat. “Your Majesty, you remember my grandson, His Grace, the Duke of Westmoreland? You met only once during your wedding.”
“Of course,” Sybil gave him a warm smile. “It’s Cameron, right? Cam.”
“Cousin Cam,” Aleksei greeted. “It is nice to see you again.”
“Your Majesty,” he said, giving him a deferent nod.
Sybil looked to her brother. “Jason told us you were living here and working as a ranger! Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was quite surprised to hear that you were in Blackstone, but then again, I should have known,” King Aleksei said with a shake of his head. “Even though we were in Oxford around the same time, he much preferred mucking about the countryside doing his research rather than having pints with me at the pub.”
Arabella cleared her throat, obviously not liking being ignored. She looked meaningfully at Cam.
Cam felt his stomach drop. Due to protocol, he would have to introduce Arabella before J.D., something his mate wouldn’t understand. “Your Majesties,” he began. “This is Lady Arabella Stepford-Price.” Beside him, J.D. practically fumed. “She was gracious enough to accompany my grandmother on her long trip.”
“Your Majesties,” Arabella fawned, going down into a deep curtsey. “What an honor it is to meet you. It’s a shame we had not met back when Cam and I were—”
The death glare he shot Arabella managed to shut her up. “And,” he continued. “This is Ms.—”
“J.D.?” Queen Sybil’s jaw practically dropped. “J.D. McNamara, is that really you?”
“Hey, Sybil, don’t you look so fiiiiiine,” J.D. joked. “I mean, Your Majesty.”
The queen broke away from Aleksei and pulled J.D. into a hug. “Oh my God! It really is you!” She laughed as she stepped back to look at J.D. “I didn’t recognize you in that dress and the makeup. You look gorgeous! Not that you’re not—I mean, no offense, I meant that in a good way.”
“None taken, Sybil,” she chuckled. “You look pretty damn—er, darn nice yourself. Your Majesty.”
Arabella’s nostrils flared. “I didn’t realize you were acquainted.”
“Her Majesty and I go way back.” She put an arm around Sybil. “So, I hope you’re not drinking and diving, now that you’re a queen and all.”
Queen Sybil smirked. “I’ve learned my lesson.” The king shot her a questioning look and quickly, she explained to everybody how J.D. had rescued her when she was a pre-teen.
“Ms. McNamara,” King Aleksei began. “If it were not for you, my mate would have perished, and we would not be here tonight.”
“What? Pshaw.” She waved a hand at him. “Anyone would have done it.”
“Not just anyone,” Sybil said. “No one at that party cared. Except you.”
“Even though I did not know you or my queen back then, it seems I owe you a debt,” King Aleksei insisted.
“Do you need a second Christmas tree?” The queen joked. “By the way, not that I’m complaining about seeing you, but what are you doing here?”
“Ah, my dear grandson has left out an important detail about Ms. McNamara,” Natalia interjected. “She is his mate.”
“Mate?” For the second time that evening, the queen looked flabbergasted. “You and Cousin Cam?”
“It’s fate, isn’t it, Your Majesty?” Natalia declared proudly. “It is meant to be. She saved the queen’s life long ago, and now, she turns out to be the mate of your cousin.”
Sybil squealed in a very un-queenly manner. “Ack! This is so cool.”
Aleksei’s mouth quirked up. “It is definitely fate. Congratulations, cousin. We must toast to you.” Without even looking at them, one of the dragon guard flagged down a passing waiter, who distributed flutes of champagne. “To Cam and J.D.!”
“Cam and J.D.!”
Everyone took a sip of their champagne, though Arabella’s lips barely touched the bubbly liquid as she sent poisonous looks at J.D. His mate, of course, shot her her best cat-that-ate-the-cream expression.
Sybil gathered J.D.’s hands in hers. “Join us for Christmas dinner tomorrow here, please?”
“You mean, I don’t gotta eat Chinese takeout or pizza? Sure, we’ll come.”
“We can catch up as well, cousin.” Aleksei put his hand on Sybil’s waist. “Until then …”
“Wait,” Natalia said. “Please, Your Majesty. I must speak with you now.”
Oh no, Cam thought, not this again. “Babushka, this is not the time.” He reached out to put a hand on shoulder. “We can speak with Their Majesties tomorrow.”
“Bah,” Natalia brushed his hand away. “Time is running out. Who knows if the clues are still fresh at this point?”
“Cam, let your grandmother speak,” J.D. said, and Natalia smiled at her gratefully.
“Fine.” He let out a huff and shot Aleksei an apologetic look.
“What is it, Princess Natalia?” Aleksei asked.
“Remember what I told you? Of your Uncle Sasha? I have more news.” Natalia told them about the dragon that had been spotted. “So, Your Majesty, don’t you think it is worth inve
stigating this claim?”
Aleksei thought for a moment. “Have you seen this dragon yourself?”
“I … No. It was only relayed to me by a reliable source. But I know it.” A hand went up to her heart. “I can feel it. The dragon and Sasha are connected.”
“My dear aunt,” Aleksei began, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I understand that after all these years, the loss of your—our dear Sasha has saddened you. But from what you have told me previously, you have been disappointed by these clues and stories before. Don’t you think it’s time that … perhaps … we should focus on what we have now.” He motioned to J.D. and Cam. “And lay the past to rest.”
Natalia’s lower lip trembled. “But—”
“Babushka,” Cam interrupted. “Perhaps—”
“No.” All eyes turned to J.D. as she said that one word.
“Love,” Cam began. “You—”
“Nuh-uh.” She wagged a finger at him. “You don’t get to decide how she feels or how to act. I believe you, Your Highness.”
Natalia’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Thank you, kotyonok.”
Turning to Aleksei, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d like that favor now, Your Majesty.”
Aleksei’s blond brow rose up. “Favor?”
“Yeah, the debt you said you owe me.”
“J.D.!” Cam warned. “Not now.”
“Yes, now,” she insisted. “Please. Your Majesty. Just … just have someone check it out. I mean, surely you could send someone to investigate this lake.” She gestured to the two burly guards behind him. “You got any more of those hunks? They look pretty capable.”
The king continued to stare at her. “The Dragon Guards of the Northern Isles are the fiercest and most loyal warriors of my people. They are not errand boys.”
Arabella snickered, which prompted J.D. to glare at her before turning to Aleksei. “Are you going back on your word? About that debt?”
Blackstone Ranger Scrooge: Blackstone Rangers Book 6 Page 17
