It’s sweet, Lily learning to lean while Alex learns to stand without trampling the people he loves. I guess we’re all growing up.
Alex’s voice is dripping with contempt. “The General is not to go near Lily—before or after the public announcement. You can have your sweeping, tear-filled displays because she’s agreed to it, but he will not come into this palace under any circumstances. If I have to wait until the crown is on my head to see his head removed, so be it.” When King Fairbucks opens his mouth to protest, Alex raises his hand to shut his father up. I’m astonished at the poetry of the king being shut up, when it’s usually him bulldozing others. “If General Klein tries to murder her again after the announcement of our engagement is made, it will be clear you have a problem in your cabinet. It will make you look weak, like you cannot control the snakes you pretend to command.”
King Fairbucks swallows a sip of his wine and takes his time setting down his glass. “Very well. I’ll continue to keep him off the palace grounds even after the announcement.”
Then, without a discussion or nod of a head, the four of us exit, moving as one away from the meal that’s turned all of our stomachs. I lead us down the hallways toward the receiving room, hoping King Ronin has a plan.
11
Making History and Breaking the Future
Lilya
The second Salem locks the door to the receiving room behind us, my façade of self-control crumbles. I throw my arms around Lexi, holding him through his fury at watching his parents behave so horribly. “It will not be that way when you rule. You are kind and good. You respect your people, so you won’t lie to them when it’s your turn to decide what they hear.”
“When we rule, you mean,” Lexi corrects me. “That you still believe in our people after hearing that? I’m amazed by you. We’ll figure this out. So long as you don’t run away, we’ll make the territory better. All three territories.”
I nod eagerly, then lift up on my toes to peck his lips. “You will be a noble king someday.”
“Instead of a wicked prince?” At my wry smirk, his shoulders lower. “I will never force you to be a silent queen,” Lexi promises, and then steps back to shake out his nerves, cracking his knuckles a few times and managing an anxious smile.
I turn to Des, who kisses my lips in a quick promise that somehow, someway, life won’t always feel like this. I touch his heart and breathe, finally feeling my ribs expand to their full potential as his heart convinces me that there is truth still left in the world.
I step away and meet Salem’s eyes, taking in his nod as he stands off to the side near the door. He’s protecting us, standing guard just in case. That’s how he loves, and I’m lucky to be counted among the few he cares about, however strangely.
When I turn to Ronin, he’s composed with his spine straight, looking like a king plopped smack in the middle of a chaos he didn’t create but must now maneuver. He’s on the outside of our group perhaps because that’s where he feels he belongs.
I decide I’m not okay with that, so my feet scamper in his direction and my arms throw themselves around his neck. His eyes close as our hug lifts me off my toes, the way all good hugs should. His cheek is smooth as his lips find my ear. “How I’ve needed to see your face, my darling.”
“I missed you terribly. You really came all this way just to see us?”
“I promised to go with you every step of the way through this thing, and I intend to make good on my word. I’m your family, aren’t I? We’re supposed to do things like that for each other?”
I’m so overwhelmed with love for this man that I kiss his cheek, drawing out a chuckle and a blush from him as he slides me down his body so I’m standing before him. Ronin waves his hand to Des. “Son, I see you haven’t torn the heads off any corrupt monarchs. Well done. Though, I admit, I was tempted just now. I look forward to hearing the actual reason General Klein is too busy to be reunited with his daughter.” His eyes burn into mine. “I recall a troubling slip of a conversation where you told me that what you were most scared of was your father. I trust nothing has changed in that department?”
I swallow hard. “I haven’t seen him yet.”
He shakes his head. “Lilya Klein, daughter of General Klein. I daresay I probably saw you scampering around the palace when you were young, when I was here visiting to discuss affairs with General Klein and King Fairbucks.” He thumbs the bottom of the scar on my cheek. “I can’t believe he’s capable of something so horrible. And yet, perhaps I can.”
Des comes over to us but stops two feet away. Ronin reaches out and grabs him by the shoulder, pulling him in so one arm is wrapped around me, and the other is around Des.
Des stiffens, his eyes wide. I know he’s used to hugging the guys, but it breaks my heart a little that this looks like it might be the first time he’s been hugged by Ronin in his adult life. “Um, are you feeling well, King Ronin?”
“I think it’s time you boys stopped using my title. You’re my great-grandson, after all. And we’re in this together.”
Des shoots me a look of worry. “What have you done, blue eyes? Have you broken the King of Drexdenberg? Have you used your fae trickery on him to get him to be kind?” His hand feels Ronin’s forehead to check for a fever. “Perhaps you’ve taken ill.”
Ronin laughs through his nose and releases Des but holds me firmly to his side. “Actually, I’ve been feeling more clear-headed than ever this week. Maybe it’s the last of the poison leaving my system. Maybe it’s that I’m excited for the first time ever that Drexdenberg will fall to good and capable hands. I don’t feel the crushing weight of doing it alone anymore. I have my son.” He smiles at Des, who looks so shocked, I almost feel bad for him. Then he gazes down at me, a smile of pure indulgence touching his eyes as he drinks in my features. “And I have my girl. The future looks bright, indeed.” His head lifts to address us all as he brings me to sit beside him on the white chaise lounge. “Now, I’d like the true version of the story, if you please.”
It’s the one time I wish Lexi would take over, and the one time he grows up and doesn’t, leaving the telling of my story to me. I cover the basics the guys already know, leaving the more damning details to myself.
Classmates died in a freak accident (I don’t fill him in on the details of that). General Klein wanted to get rid of me. Shifter tearing up my face. Escape to Neutral Territory at eight years old.
Ronin’s jaw ticks at each detail, but he soaks in the entirety of it, and finally speaks when I’m finished. “That version is quite different than the one King Fairbucks spun in the dining room. I trust he knows the truth but is going in a different direction?”
I nod, and Ronin doesn’t skate over my pain. He cups my cheek, giving me a shred of sweetness to support me through this grim situation. I like that he’s not afraid to touch my scar. After being referred to as “deformed,” it’s redemptive to be caressed in my ugly spots. “I don’t want to see my father,” I admit in a whisper.
Ronin nods solemnly. “It looks like the cheery story that will be spun to the public about General Klein is out of our hands, I’m afraid. I’ve known King Fairbucks a great many years, so giving him this one might be inevitable. But what I can offer you is me—a poor pittance, I’m sure. Would it help if I promised to stay here by your side through it all, so there’s no chance General Klein will be able to harm you again?”
I sink into his embrace, relieved he isn’t willing to abandon me when I’m this aware of how badly everything could go wrong. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” His arm stays around me as he continues. “Now, to all my future rulers, let me impart this wisdom: when we give in on one point, we must look for where we can take back another advantage for ourselves. We give King Fairbucks and General Klein the rose-painted reunion they desire, and we take the wedding.”
My nose scrunches. “We’ve always had the wedding, though. It’s next month.”
“Ah, but what you don’t know is that
the apple rosé hasn’t been ordered.”
I don’t have any clue what that means, but Lexi’s nostrils flare. “But apple rosé takes two months to cure. Father assured me he ordered it the first day he learned of our engagement.”
Ronin nods once. “Exactly. The traditional wine is always served at royal fae weddings. I checked with the kitchen staff, and it hasn’t been ordered. It isn’t being made at all.”
“They don’t think we’ll go through with the wedding,” Lexi concludes, his tone grim. “Well, they’re wrong. We love each other.”
I rally every time I’m reminded of how sure Lexi is of us.
Ronin holds up his finger. “Ah, but it’s not your love they doubt. Love had nothing to do with your parents’ marriage, Alexavier. It’s a daughter with a past they don’t want that’s driving this. A girl they can’t trick into being quiet. They have no intention of letting you go through with this wedding. I don’t know their plan, but it is most certainly not to let the two of you wed.”
My lips press in a firm line. “That’s such a small detail, though. Are we really making this big a stink about wine?”
Lexi casts me a pained look. “Have you read the letter sent from the General to you yet?”
My eyes narrow at him. “No, but you have. Why don’t you share with the room what my mail says?”
Lexi lowers his chin. “It’s a threat to keep your mouth shut. That you know why he tried to put you down quietly, and if you cause a problem, he’ll shed light on the real reason he tried to kill you.”
The room goes quiet, and though I haven’t eaten a thing, I’m worried I might vomit.
Ronin looks down at my fear, not with that beam that shines for me, but with a question mark I wish wasn’t there. “What reason is that?”
I stand, moving out of Ronin’s reach, hugging myself around the middle. “No reason that matters right now.”
Des’ hand finds my back. “You’re looking for logic in a murderer’s musings? He tried to kill his own child. I don’t care what insipid reason he concocts. It’s madness. Lily doesn’t need to answer for her father’s crimes.”
I love Des, and I also fear the day he finds out all I’ve done.
But that day is not today. Today his hand rests on my back because that’s where it belongs.
Ronin slaps his hands together, retrieving our scattered focus. “We’re giving the fae their father/daughter reunion, but I have something in mind that we can take for ourselves. We cannot let King Fairbucks control this part of the journey, or the course of history will never change. I have marriage documents in my bag that I brought just in case. I can marry the two of you right here, right now. Then there’s nothing they can do about it.”
My heart goes still and all breath leaves me. “You mean… Married today? Right now? But we haven’t even made the public engagement announcement!”
“You can surprise your in-laws by making it a marriage announcement. Take control of this throne, or King Fairbucks will choke all that’s good in you until the day you die. You’ve been here barely a week, and it’s already started.” Ronin’s warning comes at me in earnest, and I see the sincerity in his eyes.
My gaze cuts to Lexi, who’s burning with the same passion to move this leg of the plan forward this very minute. “I have the wedding rings upstairs.” He waits for my nod, which I manage as all the moisture leaves my throat. Then Lexi turns to the door, his hand stilling on the knob. “This will be an act of war,” he tells Ronin. “You understand that, don’t you? It’s your name on the license as the officiant.”
Ronin grins like a wicked cat who’s on the brink of trapping a canary. “Funny, I thought marriages were supposed to be an act of love.”
Lexi chuckles and then disappears, his feet running until they fade from my hearing.
Ronin turns to Des and me. “I think the evening should go like this: give the fae their tearful father/daughter reunion. Then surprise everyone with a marriage announcement. Then perhaps I’ll take a moment to give my blessing, since you were my daughter-in-law first. Best drop all the bombs at once.”
Des rubs the nape of his neck. “I guess we’re really in it now.”
Salem’s been quiet through the whole thing, but finally he speaks. “I’ll have a carriage ready and waiting behind the palace. I’ll make sure it’s not one marked as belonging to the palace, but just looks like a normal transport. We can flee to Jacoba if things get out of hand.”
“Can you guarantee her safety?” Ronin asks.
Salem shrugs, which isn’t very reassuring. “Do ye have a better plan?”
Ronin sighs. “Your borders are closer than mine. I suppose it’ll have to do.” He pulls out the marriage license and sets it on the table, filling out our names and the date and such.
I’m getting married. Lexi and I are getting married.
When my fiancé trots back into the room, he’s confident. His shoulders are rolled back with anticipation beaming from every pore, telling us all that this is what he wants.
I am what he wants. A new world. A new future. With me.
I reach out for Lexi, and he takes my hand. So many flickers of this exact moment play in my mind, my hand much smaller as he pulls me up into tree limbs, over fences and through fields. We’d come back dirty and tired but so very happy. We were children then, but now we’re making so many grown-up decisions.
My knees are shaking as I stand in front of Ronin with the guys standing behind us. A respectful quiet brushes over us all as we set to make history, and break the future.
12
Toward the Light
Alexavier
It’s loud. I brace myself for it every time, but whenever there’s a huge nationwide festival or some big announcement, the charm used to make Father’s voice boom out makes the nearest thousand or so wince at the volume. I hold my posture and my smile like the well-bred prince I am, but it’s an effort. Flinching is not tolerated when you’re the king’s son.
The stage is long, a set-up/tear-down contraption that is assembled in front of the palace on days like this, framing us with ivorum that glistens out across the land. We’re raised ten feet off the ground so everyone can see us, and there’s a line of soldiers to keep the people from clambering too near. We’re above them but one of them. It’s a powerful picture, and I’m grateful to be part of it today.
Lily is off-stage, hidden behind a partition off to the right and below us, but still separate from the throngs of citizens. She’s standing with Ronin, Des and Salem, waiting for her cue. She’s changed into a pure white gown that flows to the floor, showing off her trim waist and luminous, subtle curves. The material’s not transparent this time, thank goodness. Her hair’s been done up, her lavender curls pinned to look like they’re spilling out the back of her head. I’m so used to seeing her doused in blood, or sleeping on the cave floor. Today she looks like a fae princess.
She looks like she belongs with me.
Father drones about the bond between he and I, and it’s all I can do to fend off my eyeroll. Mother’s eyes are glazed over, but she doesn’t teeter. No doubt Father’s cut short her flow of alcohol until after the big announcement, so she’s on her best behavior to earn back her only saving grace. Father brags that he would do anything for his child, as he knows the General would.
General Klein is on the other end of the stage, dressed in his white military jacket and pants. His musculature is still there, though some of the bulk has shifted with age, making him look like a man on the brink of retirement who’s held onto his post a few years too long. How I want him off the cabinet. How I long to see him hanged for all he’s done.
Lily was… She’s… Lily deserved better, and I despise him for taking her away from her home, from me.
Father’s voice reaches a crescendo, and he actually manages to sound choked up, so I tune back in to listen to the drivel I’m supposed to be agreeing with.
“So today, I’d like to invite parents to hold tight t
o their children while you witness this momentous occasion. General Klein thought his daughter lost, but she’s been found by your prince, and brought home to us once more. Today he puts down his sword and picks up his heart that’s been broken for sixteen long years. My fellow fae, please welcome Lilya Klein as she sees her father for the first time in her adult life!”
I turn toward my true family, watching Des study Lily with anxious eyes as she glides up the steps and onto the stage. Des is gaunt, like he’s afraid we’re subjecting her to far too much. That this cruelty will push her over the edge.
I’m worried she’s going to crumble under the pressure of hundreds of thousands of eyes. I have to remind myself that the girl who was terrified in vampire country knows well the way to play the game in Faveda. Though she’s had less training than most, she knows what the people want, so she gives it to them in spades with her chin high and a white silk handkerchief in her hand to dab at invisible tears as she crosses the stage toward her father.
I cannot help my grimace when the two embrace. Fury the likes of which I’m not accustomed to wells up in me, threatening to spill out in a punch aimed at the General’s shaking shoulders. The quaking is too overdone to be genuine emotion, but the audience eats it up because that’s what they want to see.
Wicked Prince: Book Two in the Territorial Mates Series Page 8
