Royally Entangled

by Catherine Banks

  “Okay, no nuts,” I ordered after looking at the ingredients on the menu. I turned and asked, “You guys want anything?”

  They were still surrounded by the girls, but didn’t seem bothered. It probably happened a lot.

  “Strawberry on a sugar cone,” Fox ordered.

  “Vanilla sundae,” Nico ordered.

  “Peanut Butter Rush,” Rhys ordered.

  “Two scoops of chocolate with caramel sauce,” Deryn ordered.

  “Got all that?” I asked when I turned back around.

  He nodded. “I’ll get started.”

  “Who is she?” one of the girls whispered to her friend while looking at me.

  “She is our friend,” Deryn informed them.

  “Lucky bitch,” one of them muttered.

  I was. Bumping into the guys was the greatest set of accidents I had ever experienced. Even with the attempted bombing and sniper, I didn’t regret it. They were stuck with me now. The bond was permanent, and I would never try to get rid of it.

  A sudden wash of magic swirled in me and as it dissipated, I felt all of the guys and their emotions clearly for the first time.

  They all turned to face me, feeling as I touched them through the bond.

  “You accepted it,” Nico said happily.

  “What are they talking about?” one girl asked.

  I nodded.

  Deryn walked to me and pulled me into a deep kiss.

  The girls gasped and began talking in whispers.

  “We’re supposed to keep this a secret,” I reminded him after he released me.

  “We still are,” he replied.

  “Totally unfair,” Nico grumbled.

  “Rude,” Fox said.

  We got our ice cream and walked back towards the apartment, eating in a swirl of bliss.

  “We were discussing having a schedule,” Rhys said between bites of his ice cream.

  “A schedule for what?” I asked.

  “For us to be with you,” he explained. “So that you don’t have to have all of us in your apartment at once. We would each take one day during the week and the rest of the week, you could choose who you wanted to protect you.”

  “A schedule of who will guard me?” I asked, thinking this was a sex schedule. Both of which I was okay with.

  “Yes,” he replied. “And, so we can get some alone time with you.”

  “Would I be able to hang out with all of you, even if it was one of your days?”

  They nodded.

  “Why this decision?” I asked.

  “We don’t want to suffocate you,” Nico said. “This way you have more freedom.”

  “But, if you go outside of the apartment, you have to take one of us with you,” Deryn ordered me.

  Shocked wasn’t the beginning of my feelings on this development.

  “Thank you.”

  They led me to the park, which was abandoned this late at night, instead of straight to the apartment.

  “Why are we here?” I asked.

  “Try to shift,” Deryn ordered me.

  “Oh. Okay.”

  He took my ice cream cup, which was empty, so I had my hands free.

  I had no idea how they shifted, but I closed my eyes and pictured all of the times I had seen a werewolf change. My entire body began to tingle, and then I felt it change.

  “Holy shit,” Fox whispered.

  “Shift into a dragon,” Rhys ordered me.

  That shift was easier, but becoming a huge Dragon was startling and a bit disorienting. I looked down at them, their eyes wide in disbelief.

  My scales were a beautiful purple color, a color I had never heard of a dragon having. I shifted back and collapsed on the wet grass, panting.

  “This is crazy,” Fox whispered. He sat down next to me and said, “Tomorrow, I want you to try some elf stuff. Though, I’m sure you will be able to.”

  “What should we do?” Nico asked Rhys. “This is a huge discovery. The Elders should be told.”

  “We could have two go and tell them while the other two stays to guard her,” Deryn suggested.

  “Will it be safe for the two who go?” I asked.

  They looked at each other, and I knew the answer.

  “I can take her to my dad’s,” Deryn offered. “He’ll help protect her.”

  “Are you sure?” Nico asked. “She can shift into a wolf. That’s likely to set a few people on edge. It makes her a potential threat.”

  “We’re going to need to start teaching her how to control the powers,” Rhys said. “The last thing we need is for her to shift in a restaurant or something.”

  “Why am I so tired?” I asked.

  “You used a lot of magic,” Fox explained. “You have to learn to pace yourself and figure out how much you have. We’ll have to increase your stamina too.”

  “Like, by running?”

  He nodded.

  “I hate running,” I groaned.

  “Let’s get back to the apartment,” Rhys said as he looked around. “I don’t like being out in the open with her for this long.”

  Fox helped me stand up and kept his arm around my waist as we headed home. “You’re truly an enchanting creature,” he whispered into my ear.

  I blushed and said, “Thanks.”

  He kissed one of my flaming cheeks and chuckled.

  Chapter 12

  We got them to agree to speak to us, with the promise that they would allow us to leave and to return home unscathed,” Rhys informed everyone.

  “Really?” Nico asked.

  Rhys nodded.

  “They’re not going to kill me, are they?” I asked softly. I was a potential threat to all of them, at least in their eyes. I would never do anything to hurt my guards or their clans, but they didn’t know that.

  “We won’t let them,” Fox whispered adamantly.

  “When do we go?” Deryn asked.

  “Now,” Rhys said. “Martin is on his way and should be here shortly to drive us.”

  “Have you guys finally gotten over your jealousy of Martin?” I asked with a smirk.

  “No,” they all said at the same time.

  “What?” I asked and laughed.

  “He has slept with you,” Deryn reminded me. “We won’t ever not be jealous of someone who slept with you. Especially, not the one who took your virginity.”

  “Males,” I grumbled.

  “He’s here,” Rhys said and headed towards the door.

  The schedule had become a great thing for us. I got three days to myself, but usually spent it with all of them, or had one of them come over to have some more alone time. Alone time was a rare commodity for us and it was incredibly necessary to keep everyone sane. Unknown to them, I kept a record of who came over on my off days, so I could make sure that I wasn’t favoring one of them over the others. I didn’t have a favorite and I wanted to ensure that they all knew that.

  The Elders were alone in the giant room this time, but I was still terrified. The guys stood around me in protective stances before the Elders.

  “What have you come to discuss with us?” wolf Elder asked.

  “There’s been a recent development in our bond,” Rhys started.

  “She’s using your abilities, right?” dragon Elder asked.

  Our surprised faces made him laugh.

  “We know it is possible for humans to do this when they are part of the warrior bond. We did a lot of research into it, after we learned of Jolie joining you four,” dragon Elder explained.

  “Uh,” Rhys said, stumped since I was certain he had planned out exactly what to say to the Elders.

  “Do you have any instructions for us or recommendations?” Nico asked them.

  “You need to announce your relationship soon. If someone sees her change, or use the powers, before you announce it, it could be disastrous for you,” elf Elder ordered them.

  “We haven’t found out who was trying to kill her,” Rhys explained.

  “It’s likely not
one person. It’s most likely that it is several individuals from all of the clans,” Wolf Elder told us. “I would not fret about that specifically and instead just focus on keeping her safe, no matter the circumstances.”

  “Also, Nico, you should have a talisman made for her, to store some magic power. She is human and her body can’t handle using too much magic at once. If she runs out of magic in an emergency, the talisman will provide her an additional source, though it will be tiny,” elf Elder said.

  “Thank you,” Nico replied. “I will have one created.”

  “Will the others think I’m a threat?” I asked them. “Will this make them uneasy with me?”

  All three nodded.

  “However, most will understand that as their queen, you are not seeking to destroy the Princes’ clans, but unite them,” elf Elder said.

  “Will you take them as mates?” dragon Elder asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked him back. Weren’t they already my mates? I was sleeping with all of them.

  “You are their queen, yes, but you can also be their mate. You would need to create a mating bond with each of them individually,” dragon Elder explained.

  “It comes with risks,” wolf Elder added. “After you create the mate bond, if one of them dies, or if you die, they will feel it ten-fold compared to you being a part of their warrior bond.”

  “And you have a higher chance of getting pregnant,” elf Elder added. “We aren’t sure why, but after a mating bond is created, couples get pregnant much easier, even when using contraceptives.”

  “Good to know,” I whispered.

  “Think about it. If you don’t take them as mates, they may be required to take a mate by their clans. The princes are often given mates by other clans in a business marriage to unite clans or packs,” wolf Elder told me.

  “Wouldn’t that distract them from protecting me?” I asked, since they had told me that before.

  “Yes, but in this case, the mate wouldn’t be as important as you,” he said. “And the mate would know that.”

  That was incredibly crass. I couldn’t imagine being someone’s mate and knowing that another woman would take priority over me for protection in an emergency.

  Deryn told him. “We’ve already discussed this with our kings.”

  They had? Why hadn’t they talked to me about it and what their decision is?

  “When times are tough, royalty is forced to do many things that they do not like and had not planned to do,” elf Elder said.

  “Any other advice?” Fox asked respectfully.

  “Learn to control your abilities as fast as you can,” dragon Elder told me. “Once you do, you will be able to protect yourself, until your guards show up, should they not be with you.”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  “Ruminate over everything we said. Especially, about announcing it soon,” Wolf Elder said.

  “Have you made a decision about whether to remove the bond or the curse?” Dragon Elder asked.

  “I won’t be removing the bond,” I said adamantly. “I’m still debating about the curse.”

  “We are glad to hear about the bond,” he said.

  “Thank you for your time,” Rhys told them.

  We bowed and returned home.

  “Well, that went much better than expected,” Rhys said as he plopped down onto Deryn’s couch next to me.

  I wanted to ask them about the mate bond, but decided I would do it individually over the next four days, when I was going to see them separately.

  “I’m glad they already knew about it,” Nico said with a sigh. “My fingers were tingling with magic, worried they might attack us.”

  “During the days that we are alone with her, we should teach her about each of our powers,” Fox suggested.

  The other three nodded in agreement.

  “Jolie?” Rhys asked. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Everything,” I muttered.

  “It’s a lot to take in,” he agreed.

  “What are we going to do about the announcement?” Deryn asked Rhys. “Should we announce it soon, or hold off?”

  “Let’s hold off for a bit,” he said. “I want to get her powers under control and talk things over with my father before we do the announcement.”

  “All of the poor maidens are going to be crushed when they hear that you have a queen,” I said with what I hoped looked like a true smile as I tried to lighten the mood and stop focusing on my worries.

  “They will be,” Nico agreed with a smirk at me.

  “My brother can stop being jealous of me once that happens,” Fox grumbled. “Once I’m not the top bachelor, he will get more attention from the ladies.”

  I laughed and they laughed with me. This was better. Laughing and joking was much better than being scared or worried. It was a constant issue with the curse, but it seemed that I might be able to get a handle on it and suppress it a tiny bit.

  “Who’s hungry?” Deryn asked.

  “You’re all always hungry,” I teased them.

  “True,” he agreed.

  “Let’s get Chinese food tonight,” I requested. “We always get pizza.”

  “We haven’t had that in a while,” Rhys agreed. “Sounds great.”

  “Let’s play something,” Deryn said and walked to his video game shelves.

  I rushed to stand by him and grabbed the game I had been dying to play. “What about this one?”

  “Rumble?” he asked.

  “It’s four players, so we can take turns with just one person not playing. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”

  “Oh, I haven’t played that in a long time,” Fox commented with a wide smile. “I’m totally going to own you all.”

  “What game?” Rhys asked from the kitchen where he had his head buried in the fridge.

  “Rumble,” I told him.

  He spun around. “Oh, yeah! I’m going to destroy you, Fox.”

  Fox rolled his eyes. “Bring it on.”

  After hashing out the order, we all sat on the couch and grabbed a controller. The point of the game was to defeat the other players so that you are the last one standing, by beating each other up. It was a 2D game, but oh so fun.

  The game started and everyone immediately went after Fox, since he had claimed that he could beat everyone. He was out of the game quickly, which left three of us. I attacked Rhys, who was defending himself against me when Deryn came up behind him and attacked him.

  Suddenly, both turned to me and attacked me, killing me.

  “No fair!” I yelled and set my controller down.

  They focused on each other again and Deryn ended up winning.

  “Take two,” Fox said.

  Nico took the controller I had set down and joined the game.

  “No, you don’t!” Fox yelled when they tried to defeat him first again. He jumped over them and defeated Deryn.

  “Damn it!”

  Fox attacked Rhys, but ended up dying instead.

  “No!” Fox yelled.

  Nico swooped in at the last moment to defeat Rhys and claim victory. “Yes!” Nico yelled. “Finally!”

  “Crap. He finally won for once,” Rhys said.

  “It won’t be the last either,” Nico said confidently.

  After five more matches, our food came, so we set the controllers down to eat together. We all sat at the dining table, plates and silverware out instead of using the paper plates the store had provided.

  “This is nice,” I whispered. “I’ve never had a family meal like this before.”

  “You’ve never had a meal at a table with your family?” Deryn asked.

  I shook my head.

  “What about Thanksgiving?” Nico asked.

  I shook my head. “I’ve always wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Like they have in the movies.”

  The guys looked at each other and then returned to eating.

  “What about Christmas?” Deryn asked.

  “My Grandma and
I used to trade gifts, but that was it.” Though, the idea of buying presents for the guys sounded fun.

  “We’re going to show you what these celebrations are supposed to be like,” Deryn promised me.

  “Definitely,” Rhys agreed.

  Rhys and I stood together in the park, my body coated in sweat from his training, and my clothes stuck to me.

  “Done for the day?” Rhys asked.

  I nodded. “Please. I am so tired.” To accentuate my statement, I dropped to sit on the ground.

  There were a few joggers out, but most went by without stopping. That surprised me since Rhys was standing there in a pair of tight sweatpants and a shirt that accentuated his muscular chest. He looked damn good.

  He dropped down to sit next to me and kissed my cheek. “You did really well.”

  “Thanks,” I replied and leaned my head on his shoulder.

  “What do you want to do next?” he asked.

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you,” I admitted.

  “Uh oh,” he grumbled. “Whenever a woman says they want to talk to you, it’s not good.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and stood up. “Come on, let’s go home and shower.”

  “A shower sounds wonderful,” he whispered and slid his arms around my waist. He pulled me back against his front. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “We’re in the park, in the middle of the day,” I reminded him with a blush.

  “Then we best hurry home,” he whispered, picked me up, and ran.

  I squealed and clutched his neck as we flew down the sidewalk, somehow avoiding all of the people who were walking around. He didn’t stop until we were in front of my apartment.

  I gasped in a lungful of breath and he set me down to open my door.

  “Next time, I would suggest that you don’t hold your breath,” he chuckled.

  “Noted,” I whispered.

  He shut the door behind us and followed me to the bathroom, but before I could climb into the shower, he grabbed me and pulled me against him again, kissing me passionately. I kissed him back, glad to have some alone time with him where I didn’t feel bad about focusing on one of them with the others around.

  He slipped my shirt off and moaned when he slipped his hand under my sports bra. He almost tore my pants, ripping them off of me in his haste. I tugged at his shirt and he removed it and his pants.