King (The Chess Chronicles Book 3)

by Riley Walker

  I grab Winston by the hand, hauling him up off of the couch and jerk him behind me out of my bedroom and down the stairs. I turn on him, “We need to look at the food supply first. We keep our kitchens well stocked, but not even we have enough to feed all of them. I can have Shelby go to Jessup, and start gathering those supplies and different medicines and herbs we will need. We can spare a few soldiers to start setting up camps around the castle. If I know the Inferiors, they will refuse to come inside. We need to be prepared for the grounds to be taken over.”

  Winston stops me before I can run off and get started. He runs the back of his hand down my cheek and tilts his head, just staring at me. “You will make an amazing Queen one day, Princess.”

  I don’t know what comes over me, but I hop up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek before running off to find Shelby and any members of staff I can get to help. We have a lot of work to do and a small amount of time to get it done.

  32

  No Royals Here

  I was right, the Inferiors refuse to come close to the castle walls. Instead, they choose to stay on the outskirts closer to the forrest line. The soldiers were able to find enough tents to accommodate half of the Inferiors and fortunately, they were able to salvage several from their camp so everyone has shelter.

  Shelby and Jessup found enough medicines and herbs to care for the wounded. I am told the the death toll for the Inferiors and Renegades were in the hundreds. I can’t imagine what Rook and Hawkeye are going through right now. I still haven't received any word from them and as the hours pass, my anxiety grows.

  Winston has stayed true to his word and not left my side since yesterday. This morning he is helping me gather up as many articles of clothing that I can to distribute to the Inferiors. I have also asked some of the staff to help with gathering books, toys and anything else they can find that might help with the children.

  It's on our second run to the makeshift camps when I see them. I would recognize those corkscrew blonde curls anywhere. “Annie!” I yell as I start to run in her direction. She turns her head and breaks out into a huge grin when she sees me. I grab her up in a bearhug and just take a moment to breathe in the sight of her. “I am so happy to see you, little one.”

  “Annie, get down right now. You can’t just go around jumping on Princess Franchesca like that. Remember our manners.” Annie’s mom, Helen, chastises her and we both chuckle.

  “Helen, remember, there is no Princess out here. Just a normal woman working and getting dirty with everyone else.” I throw a wink at her and she just shakes her head. I put Annie back on the ground and reach over to give her mother a hug as well. “I was so worried about the two of you. Are you alright? Do you need anything?”

  Helen swats my questions away, just like I knew she would. “We are both fine. Rook and Hawkeye, along with your Knight, are still back at the camps. They are taking care of the ones we lost.”

  My shoulders sag in relief. They’re okay. “How did they look? Did they say anything?”

  Helen places her hand on my cheek, “Sweet Franchesca, I was told to give you a message. Hawkeye said to tell you and the Little Penguin hello and to try not to burn down the castle attempting to cook.” She pauses to give me time to explain both the penguin and burning comment. I just shake my head because really, there is no explanation. “Edrik wanted me to tell you, Chess, stay with Winston, don’t leave his side for anything. Oh, and he loves you. Rook said don’t kiss anyone new, no more fated mates, and he wanted me to pop you on the butt. You’ll forgive me for not doing that, okay.” I start laughing at Helen blushing over telling me this.

  I hear a throat being cleared behind me and I remember my manners. Stepping to the side, I let Helen get her first look at Winston before I introduce them. “Helen, I would like to introduce you to Winston. Winston, this is my friend Helen and her precious daughter, Annie. I had the pleasure of meeting them when I stayed at the Inferior camps.”

  I watch the blood drain from Helen’s face when she finally realized who she just met. Before I can say anything else, she is bent over in a curtsy. For Winston.

  “Forgive me, King Winston. I did not know who you were.”

  Winston pulls her out of her curtsy by her elbow. “It is alright, Helen. There are no Royals out here. Only a normal working man, getting dirty with everyone else.” I glance up at him when he repeats the words I told her earlier. He looks down at me and winks before tapping me on the back. “I am just going to step over here and carry these clothes to the supply tent.”

  Helen and I both watch him walk away, his muscles straining under the weight of the clothes. “Franchesca, where do you find all these good looking men? I mean, Rook and Hawkeye are ruggedly handsome, but Edrik and Winston, they are hot in a whole other way.” Helen pretends to fan herself and we both double over in laughter.

  “Helen, you surprise me! I wasn’t expecting to hear those words come out of your mouth.”

  “Honey, I may be older than you, but I am not blind.”

  I swat at her, “I thought you had a man back at the camps. Aren’t you still seeing Roy?” Roy is my bald, red bearded, poker buddy. Rook named him leader of the Renegades in his absence.

  “I am, but he has been so busy lately. I’m hoping once Armand is out of the way for good, things will slow down some. I miss my sexy time.” She gives me a sly grin.

  “It was good to see you, Helen, but I need to get back to helping. Winston has a fit if I stray for too long.” I hug her one more time before heading to the supply tent to find Winston.

  The next few days fly by. Winston and I work non stop handing out clothes, toiletries, and food. I was banned from the kitchen, but they still let me deliver the food after the “professionals” cook. Whatever.

  Today, Shelby and I are hosting an MMA class for the kids. Winston thought we were crazy, but the kids need something to keep them occupied and what better way than to learn some self defense. Plus, it will wear them out because some of these kids can go all day long. I don’t know how their poor parents do it.

  Shelby and I both have a small group of kids and Winston is currently being used as my test dummy. I’m showing them the best way to take a man down using a swift kick to his knees. I lost count how many times I have managed to get Winston on the ground when the hairs on the back of my neck stand in attention. I stop mid kick and turn around to look behind me. It takes me less than a second for my brain to register what I am seeing. Once I know for sure it’s not an illusion, I take off running and don't stop until I am in the arms of my Knight.

  “Chess,” he breathes my name into my neck. I turn my head and kiss him until I am forced to come up for air. Edrik places me back on the ground and looks me over, from my head to my toes. “Are you okay? No problems while we were gone?”

  I shake my head no, the words lost in my throat. He kisses me again before stepping to the side and letting Rook step forward.

  Rook doesn’t give me a chance to jump on him. He takes one big step forward and grabs me by my hips, pulling me to his chest. I throw my arms around his neck, wrap my legs around his waist, and hold on for dear life. He doesn’t stop kissing me until someone clears their throat and smacks him on the back. He growls at whoever dared interrupt us, then places his forehead to mine.

  “My Cara, you are a sight for sore eyes.” Another throat clearing has him rolling his eyes before placing me back on the ground. “You might want to tell him hello before I kill him.”

  I laugh and look behind Rook to see Hawkeye standing there. I slowly walk over to him, then punch him in the gut. He doubles over and coughs before speaking to me, “Princess, what a way to say hello to your favorite shifter.”

  “Hawk, you keep interrupting my happy reunions with my fated and I’ll do more than punch you in the gut next time. Now stand up and give me a proper hello.”

  I open my arms and wait for Hawk to give me a hug. He doesn’t like anyone to know this, but Hawkeye gives some of the best hugs
.

  “I’m glad to be home, Princess. You don’t know hell until you have spent a week with these two love sick puppies. The entire time it was, ‘I miss my Chess. I need my Cara.’ I wanted to beat them both.” He pats me on the back before releasing me and looking around at the makeshift camp we have set up. “Where is the Little Penguin?”

  “Shelby is over there with the kids. She and I have been working with them on self defense, using some MMA moves.” I watch his eyes roam until they find her a few feet behind us. “Winston has been helping us as well. She’s been busy helping Jessup with the wounded. It’s been chaotic, but I think we finally have everything down now and everyone is getting what they need.”

  Hawkeye kisses me on the forehead before walking off toward Shelby and the kids. Something tells me I need to start paying better attention to him and my best friend.

  33

  Welcome Home

  Edrik, Rook, and I are back in our favorite place, the grotto. As happy as I am to finally have them home, I can feel the anxiety of not being out there rolling off of both of them.

  “Tell me what happened while you were out there?.” I am curled up in Rook’s lap with my feet propped up in Edrik’s lap.

  “Cara, so much happened. We were right on top of him when we got word of the raid on the Inferior camp. We had no choice but to abandon the mission and get to the camps. Our people come first and we couldn’t leave them alone and suffering. They had lost almost everything, so we gave them the few supplies we had left so they could make it here.”

  Edrik squeezes my feet before taking over the story. “We hadn't planned on coming back until we caught him, but after giving everything to the Inferiors, we needed to get back here to restock our supplies. Plus, we wanted to see you. Neither one of us have had any rest since we left. We may be hunting Armand, but you are always at the front of our thoughts.”

  I lean forward to kiss my Knight. “I missed you both so much. I’ve had to sleep with Shelby and that girl can’t be still. Tonight we’ll all be together again.” I sit back and Rook leans over me, kissing me with his delectable lips.

  Rook speaks into my ear, “I know we are only here for one night, but this is just what we needed to keep us going.”

  Edrik laughs under his breath. “Maybe the three of us being together will help us get a decent night sleep. Sharing a bed with you, Chess is one thing. Sharing a tent and listening to this man growl and grumble in his sleep all night is another. I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

  I take this as a sign that my mates are ready for bed. I stand up from Rook’s lap and climb out of the grotto. It doesn’t take but a second to hear the two of them doing the same thing. We each wrap up in a towel and silently make our way to my bedroom. After we each shower and change into our pajamas, well pajamas for me, boxers for them, we all crawl into my bed. Edrik is facing me, his hand on my hip while Rook is spooning me from behind, his arm wrapped around my middle. All three of us are sound asleep as soon as our whispered I love you’s are said.

  The next morning I wake up feeling claustrophobic. This is normal when Rook is in bed with me. He sleeps on his side and curls his massive body around me, while Edrik tends to sleep on his back with his head facing the door. Even in his sleep that man is on guard. I am trying to climb out from under Rook when I feel the bed shaking. I look over and see Edrik laughing at me.

  “What’s so funny Eddie?”

  He kisses my nose and drags my body out from under Rook. Rook just groans and rolls the other way. That man could sleep through an earthquake. “I am just reminded of a time Rook and I had to sleep in a particularly small tent. I woke up in the same predicament you are in. I jumped up and threw him clear across the tent and it collapsed around us. It took several minutes for us to pull ourselves out of the tent. Rook was so pissed, and he had no clue what was going on. He came at me ready to fight, but I explained to him that I am not his Cara, and therefore I would appreciate him staying on his own side of the tent. After he calmed down, we realized the entire camp had been watching our little disagreement, and they found it very amusing. The men called him cuddle bear the rest of the day. That is until he started growling and threatened to shift and eat them all.”

  I am laughing so hard I would have fallen off the bed if Edrik didn’t have a tight hold on me. That’s when Rook rolls over and looks at us. “Edrik, we agreed to keep that story to ourselves.”

  “You know if I hadn’t told her, Hawkeye would, and he would have made the story much more scandalous.” Edrik says right before smacking my ass and kissing me on the head. “Time to get up, Princess.”

  Rook reaches over and grabs me, pulling me onto his chest, “What about my cuddle time?”

  Edrik shakes his head, “You have been laying on her all night. Come on, we need to get up. I am sure the King would like a debriefing sometime today.”

  The three of us get dressed and go in search of my dad. We find him in his study looking over the maps as usual. When I walk over and give him a big hug, I notice that he seems to have lost a little weight and his face looks haggard. “Dad you look awful. Are you not sleeping?”

  He hugs me back and gives me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Frannie, I will not be able to rest until your Uncle is dead or captured. Armand will stop at nothing until he takes you from me, from your people. He now knows your fate is to be the Golden Queen, and to unite our Kingdoms. I fear that this has made you even more of a threat to him.”

  “I understand that dad, but you have to take care of yourself. You are no good to us if you are too weak to help us defeat him. Where is Mother? Why isn’t she forcing you to eat and sleep?”

  The door opens and in walks Mother just as I finish my little speech. She glides across the room with an air of superiority that I will hopefully never be able to accomplish. I turn my icy gaze on her. “Mother, we were just talking about you. Why have you not been taking care of dad? Why are you letting him stay locked up in this study? It is obvious he is not eating or sleeping.”

  She gives me one of her famous glares that used to frighten me, but it no longer has the same effect.

  “Franchesca, you should watch how you speak to me. I may be your Mother, but I am still your Queen. Your Father is a grown man, and how he chooses to spend his time is up to him. That being said, I came in here to inform your Father that I will be conducting interviews today to fill the position of household manager. Maybe I can find someone to get this house back to normal.”

  I am not surprised by her callousness. Mother never cared about anyone but Mother. Queen Amelia smiles at her King and gives a simple nod before turning around and leaving the room.

  Dad lets out a deep breath and sits down in the chair behind his desk. He waves in Edrik’s direction and Edrik takes this as his cue to speak up. “Sir, we were almost upon Armand and his army when we got word that the Inferior camp was attacked. We had to change course to go and check on them. We could not, in good conscience, ignore their call for help.”

  King Bastian sighs, “Of course not, you did the right thing. However, with your team being pulled away early, and my team unable to uncover anything new, we are now back to square one.”

  Rook clears his throat. “Not necessarily. We know where he was headed and we think we know what his next move will be. He used the Inferior camp as a distraction. He didn’t want us to find his other abandoned mine where he has been storing important minerals. He will soon realize that we have taken everything, and with King Winston’s permission, we are hiding his stash in the Dark Fey Kingdom.”

  This news makes my dad sit up straighter. He knocks his knuckles on the desk and says, “Well at least we have some good news. What are you waiting for? Get restocked and go find that bastard.”

  We all hurry out of the room and Rook grabs my hand, pulling me toward my bedroom. When we enter, he wastes no time capturing my lips and kissing me passionately. This man always takes my breath away.

  Roo
k stops kissing me and pulls me to his chest in a fierce hug. “Cara, we will get Armand this time. We have to because I can’t bare to keep leaving you.”

  I give him a squeeze back. “It can’t be helped, but I am holding you to that. I need both of you home with me.”

  Edrik walks in to the room and comes up behind me, placing his hands on my hips. I spin around to face him and see regret in his eyes. I place my hands on his cheeks and kiss him tenderly on the mouth. The kiss goes from sweet and tender to hungry. He slides his large hands over my butt and pulls me into him. I can feel his hardness on my stomach and my libido flares to life.

  Rook chuckles behind us. “Cara, I can smell your arousal. Edrik, I would like nothing more than to stay and show our Princess just how much we love her, but every minute that we stay here, the farther away Armand gets and the longer we will be seperated from her.”

  Edrik pulls away and gives me one last kiss and lays his forehead against mine. “You are right, Rook. Let’s go inform Hawkeye and our men that we will be leaving immediately. Chess, we will return as soon as possible. I don’t have to remind you to stay close to Winston. Be extra careful when you are visiting the Inferiors that have arrived. You may be in the Light Fey Kingdom, but no where is truly safe as long as that mad man is out there.”

  34

  Not An Asshat

  (Winston’s POV)

  I watch as the Princess and Shelby tell Rook, Edrik, and Hawkeye goodbye. This time, the King has decided to stay behind. I do not know if it is because he is needed here, or if the scolding he told me the Princess gave him earlier changed his mind, but I agree with him. He needs to stay. He is looking tired and worn down, and his being home will give my Beloved a better peace of mind.