At least that went okay. Making a difference, one awkward conversation at a time.
When the servant returned with the tray, Jace thanked him and took his name to put in a good word for him later on with the head cook. He took the tray back up to his bedroom and set it down on the nightstand on his side of the bed, sitting cross-legged and holding the bowl of ice cream. Keiran ignored him and Jace ignored Keiran, putting a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, making sure to click the spoon against the side of the bowl and between his teeth. Keiran continued to ignore him and Jace took another tiny bite, though he made it sound like a much bigger scoop than it actually was.
“Do you have to make so much noise?” Keiran growled. “I’m trying to sleep here.”
“Sorry.” Jace tried to sound innocent. “I’m just enjoying my ice cream.”
He could practically hear the omega’s interest spike. Keiran shifted around under the covers and turned his head to look. “How did you get ice cream?”
“I sweet-talked a servant. He gave me some. All for me. And none for you. Sorry.”
Keiran sat up and narrowed his eyes. “You’re trying to trick me into eating ice cream? You’re so weird.”
Jace laughed and set the bowl down on the mattress, turning to look at the other. “Was I that obvious?”
“Kind of.” Keiran still looked grouchy, but when he reached out for the bowl of ice cream, Jace let him have it. It was only a single scoop of vanilla, but it was still ice cream and who could resist? “So, why were you trying to do something as lame as this?”
“Is it really that lame if I managed to get you ice cream for breakfast?” Jace pretended to flinch when Keiran punched his shoulder. “The servant I talked to said the ice cream would help entice you to eat. Is it working?”
“No!”
However, when the omega finished eating his ice cream, he let Jace feed him bits of cracker and a few spoonfuls of soup. After that, Keiran seemed in a bit of a better mood, so Jace coaxed him into the bathroom and helped him take a shower. He enjoyed rubbing the omega’s body all over but tried not to make a big deal out of it.
“There,” he said, holding the towel over Keiran’s head and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Doesn’t that feel better?”
“I guess.” Keiran still looked grumpy but Jace sensed it was mostly for show and, by the time they finished dressing, he took hold of Jace’s hand as he always did. They headed out in the hallway together to get started on their day, an hour late.
Chapter 18
A week went by before the council reached a decision and summoned Keiran and Jace back to the meeting room. Keiran clutched at the alpha’s hand the whole way, partly for support and partly to keep himself moving because his legs tired easily these days.
“What do you think they’ve decided?” he puffed.
Jace paused, either to think or let Keiran catch his breath. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m starting to think that we need to adjust the council members. They represent just one segment of the entire population. At the very least, I think we need to add in some younger minds, who aren’t so set in their ways.”
His shoulders slumped. “So, you think that they’re going to just say no to everything and this was all a waste.”
“No,” Jace said, firmly. “Even if they reject the idea, it’ll be in their minds for the future. And no matter what, I am going to marry you. You will be my mate. That has to make some sort of difference. It has to.”
I’m not as certain about all of this as you are.
Nevertheless, Keiran continued to hold tight onto Jace’s hand and followed him into the meeting room after knocking. All 13 representatives were there, every single one of them looking as grim as a person could. As far as Keiran was concerned, that didn’t bode well.
“Please, sit,” the one called Gareth said.
Jace folded his arms and planted his feet. “I don’t think so. Keiran, you can sit and get off your feet, but I think I’ll stand while I hear what you have to say.”
Keiran lowered gratefully into a seat, glad to have the pressure off his swollen ankles. Everything he had was swollen these days, it seemed. Jace would turn that into a sex joke. Just like that, he was horny. Damn hormones.
There could only be one reason that Jace wanted to stand, and that was intimidation.
“Okay,” Gareth said, slowly. He looked hesitant and glanced around the table. “Do I have permission to speak for all of us?”
“No,” someone else muttered. “You don’t, but you’re going to anyway.”
Gareth ignored the other speaker, something Keiran knew enough about for it to register as rare. Normally, a remark like that would lead to a full-blown argument and then a call for a break to let everything cool down afterwards. “It took many long hours to reach this conclusion, Prince Jace. We sat here once this past week for over 20 hours to try and untangle some thread or other of the conversation.”
“I don’t need to know your personal history, Gareth,” Jace said, clearly impatient. “Skip all the rest and just tell me what the consensus is. As briefly as you can, since I know how much you like to talk.”
Gareth seemed taken aback and opened his mouth. He closed it, as if deciding not to argue, and opened it again. “Very well. We have decided, after much deliberation...”
He’s stalling because he doesn’t like the outcome, Keiran realized. And hadn’t Gareth been one of the council members opposed to splitting the kingdom apart?
“We have decided, tentatively, to further discuss your proposition of dividing the kingdom again. The logic has been shown to all of us, whether or not we personally agree with it. It is our duty to accept truths whether or not we agree with them.”
Jace reached out and held onto the back of the chair at the head of the table. His knuckles were white, stark against his tanned skin. “Good. And what is our next step?”
“It won’t do us any good to hide this from the public. They’ll find out soon enough and won’t be pleased that they were not involved in the process. We feel it is in our best interest to hold a press conference in the city outlining the idea as it currently stands.”
Jace nodded and finally sat down, since he had gotten his way. He grinned fiercely, pleased. “Good. This is such an important step. When can it be done?”
“As soon as possible. I suggest in three days’ time.”
“That seems rather hasty.”
“On the contrary,” Gareth said. “It probably won’t be soon enough to get ahead of the rumors, but that is the soonest we can estimate that we will have everything straightened out for what you’re going to say. And it will be you who speaks. Not the omega... That is, not Keiran.”
“Yes,” Jace agreed. The entire council looked surprised, and Keiran had to hold back a laugh at the looks on their faces. Their prince kept throwing them off and they no longer knew what to predict. “I know that is my place as prince, especially since my father won’t be able to attend. The people need to hear this from me, so we should get on with it.”
Keiran spoke up then. He couldn’t help himself, even though he knew it was best to remain quiet. “What exactly is it that needs to be discussed?” he asked. “If we’re the ones who proposed the idea, we know all about it.”
Jace answered him, tone gentle. “It comes down to politics. We have to figure out a way to present this information in precise and definite terms despite the fact that we don’t—and won’t—know much about it ourselves. We have to act like we’re completely certain of what we’re doing, or else the people will be doubtful and we’ll actually make this whole situation even worse.”
“But I guess if we act like we’re making the decisions for everyone, that will make the situation worse, too.” Keiran tilted his head to one side. “That’s a really thin line to walk.”
“Right.” Jace smiled at him. Despite everything, Keiran felt a glow of warmth and smiled back. Maybe he wasn’t so bad at this court stuff after all.
/>
“Well then,” Gareth said. “We need to get on with it. First things first...”
Chapter 19
During the infrequent visits Jace made into the city whenever business called for it, Keiran had always tagged along, but this press conference was a much different matter. All those other times, they piled into the back of a car and let a driver take them. There would be a car in front and another behind, an escort of sorts that included several members of the Guard that stayed nearby at all times. Keiran considered those measures extravagant but, after being ambushed by those attackers out on the castle grounds, he understood the extravagance. And that happened at the castle! All those times they’d been venturing into the middle of a potential mob and he’d never known, never realized the danger.
Even if he hadn’t picked up on that, he would have now as they walked out into the courtyard and found an entire circle of heavy castle-owned cars awaiting their arrival. The windows were blacked out, the bodies armored, and the glass presumably bulletproof. Keiran counted ten cars, and an eleventh in the middle of the circle.
“I guess that’s our ride?” He pointed.
“Yes.” Jace held the door open for him and then followed him inside, slamming the door shut again. “I know it all looks like this is going to be scary, but it’s just for the worst-case scenario.”
Keiran laughed nervously and cuddled as close to Jace as the seatbelt would allow. “I would think that a civil war is the worst-case scenario, huh?”
Wrapping his arm around Keiran’s shoulders, Jace hugged him tight. And then he did something that touched the omega’s heart: he placed his hand over Keiran’s rounded stomach and rubbed it. “Well, I won’t lie and say that it’s ideal, but the whole war thing hasn’t gotten into full swing as of yet. Death counts would be much higher, and spread out wider instead of being so concentrated.”
I’m not comforted by the idea that a war can be put into just numbers. It’s so impersonal. Death is death.
“People really do have more sense than it might seem at times like this,” Jace continued. “They’ll hold off on doing anything stupid as long as we aren’t doing anything that upsets them badly. That’s why all those meetings we’ve had over the past few days were so important.”
Keiran yawned and laid his head on the convenient shoulder nearby, looking out the window as the circle of vehicles started to move out and head toward the gate. “I hope so. It’d be a shame if all that was just a waste of time.”
Jace kissed the top of his head. “It’ll be worth it.”
They passed through the gates, and Keiran waved at the guards, as he always did whenever he passed them. They waved back, mouths moving but the sound muffled by thick metal walls. Wishing him luck, hopefully.
They passed through the upper-class neighborhood and entered into the main city, which in some areas was deserted and packed in others. People were either staying inside or presumably on their way to the press conference. The areas where there were no shapeshifters present at all tended to have some sign of a recent crime. Broken glass on the sidewalk, police tape, burn marks... The signs of an unhappy confrontation between the two sides. It hurt Keiran’s chest to notice that the places with the most damage were those that already appeared to have been a bit on the lower-class side of things. Those people couldn’t help their place in life, they were trying their best to do with it what they could or else to escape it, and they were suffering the most.
How many children were suffering? They couldn’t help the situation any more than their parents could. They were true innocents.
Keiran held his hands over his stomach. As if sensing his thoughts, Jace moved one hand to place over Keiran’s. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered.
I hope you’re right.
After a short time, Keiran caught a glimpse of the city hall. His next glimpse terrified him in a way that he couldn’t explain. There were cars, dozens of different kinds of vehicles all packed together like swarming beetles. And beyond them, a mass of people. Most of them simply stood and looked toward the huge building in front of them, but their edges spilled up on top of the parked cars and even on the roof. Everywhere a person could potentially be, there was indeed a person there.
“Holy shit,” he muttered. “I had problems speaking in front of the council.”
Jace squeezed his shoulders. “Aren’t you glad that I’m the one who’ll be doing the talking this time?”
“Hell yes, but how are you going to do it? How does anyone do that?”
“I’ve had the training for it, but it’s not that easy.”
You don’t say?
“It’s mostly just a matter of knowing what I’m going to say and getting it over with,” Jace said. “That’s another reason that it was important to get all the details right. If I trip up, I know how to move on and where to move on.”
“But...” Keiran shook his head. “How do you manage to do that in front of that?” He pointed out the window, aware of his finger shaking as they drew closer. The cars on the right side of their protective circle were so close to the crowd now that people had to shuffle out of the road to make room for them to pass. “I can’t even imagine it.”
“I don’t enjoy it either.” Jace frowned and caught Keiran’s hand in his, holding onto it for only a moment as if to gather his strength. “But it comes with the position. Unless I abdicate the throne, this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life.”
“And would you? Abdicate?”
Keiran felt the shock that pulsed through the alpha before his features even showed it. “Of course not. Never. It’s my destiny. My fate. You can’t escape that.”
“You can’t?”
I didn’t exactly want you to do that, so that’s good.
Jace relaxed a little. Their car was equal with city hall now, passing behind it and slowing down. Any moment now, they would have to get out and face that mob. “No. I think sometimes, no matter how much you want something, it won’t ever be able to happen. Life has a different plan.”
Someone opened their door from the outside and Jace got out. Keiran stayed where he was, pondering that last statement. He hadn’t been able to be a blacksmith and, as much as he had wanted to be a doctor, it didn’t seem like that was in the cards for him even now. He was the prince’s boyfriend, carrying the prince’s child. That was his fate, his destiny. And everything he had gone through? What was that worth now? His healing abilities?
“Baby, you coming?”
Keiran looked out the open door at Jace, the alpha who treated him so kindly. The alpha who loved him, who would have died without Keiran’s knowledge out there on the castle grounds. Was that the point of it all then? Had he gone through all of this, destined to save Jace as Jace had saved him?
I love him. It’s a fair trade.
“Yes,” he said, and held Jace’s hand while getting out of the car. “I’m coming.”
Chapter 20
This wasn’t the first press conference Jace attended, but it was certainly the first where he was on his own. Normally, he stood at his father’s side in an at-rest position. He was to nod and laugh and smile in all the right places while looking out over the crowd. The time would pass quickly, as he’d occupy his mind with picking out interesting people in the crowd to examine; he never listened to what his father said or how he said it, as he was present at all the practices beforehand.
And now as he stood there at the top of the steps up to the hall, hands resting on the podium in the smudged areas where so many others before him rested their hands, he wished that he’d paid attention.
Keiran stood a few steps behind him, surrounded by members of the Guard. Two of the remaining members flanked Jace. Between him and Jace stood a variety of politicians both local and foreign, as well as the mayor. The positions everyone took were all predetermined and rehearsed, as old as the podium before him.
The crowd stood waiting for him to address them, prey and predator bumping shoulder
s. At the bottom of the steps, held back by police, were the press. They shouted questions for him to answer, demands for poses so that they might get an interesting shot to put in some newspaper or other. He ignored them all. He wasn’t here for them. They were the only ones in the entire city who would benefit from literally anything. Everything was news, and a civil war made for a great piece on the front page every single day. The more disturbing the details, the better.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Don give him a signal. It was time. He tapped the microphone, making it squeal. The sound echoed across the entire crowd due to a system of speakers. Most of those gathered hushed themselves, and the din dropped to an acceptable level.
Jace broke script immediately. He turned away from the crowd and looked back over his shoulder at the omega he loved. Keiran flashed an encouraging smile, and Jace felt a rush of warmth pulse through his body.
I can do this.
He turned back to the crowd, ignoring Don’s angry, questioning gestures, and leaned forward slightly into the microphone. “Hello.”
He was too close. His voice became a hellish shriek even worse than the squealing of a moment before. As the shapeshifters in the crowd flinched, he watched the ripple spread through them like a butterfly effect. Leaning back, he tried again. “Hello.” And that was better. “Now that we’re all awake, I’d like to begin.”
Cue the polite laughter. Everyone was clearly on edge still, but it was a start. Jace flashed back to his conversation with the servant before and knew what he had to do.
“I know tensions have been high lately, but I can reassure you that, as your prince, I am fully dedicated to settling this matter so that we can all go back to being bored out of our minds every single day.”
More laughter, with more joining in this time. Jace straightened his shoulders. “All of you know who I am. I am Prince Jace, heir to the throne of Head Predator, and future leader of all of Dexus. For now, but not for much longer. I stand before you to tell you all that times are changing and these changes will not go unnoticed. People of Dexus, we are on the verge of war because of our differences and because of the way our society has been run. And that isn’t anyone’s fault, but is only the result of past generations doing the best they could with what they had.
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