by L. Rose
“Open your eyes, angel,” Nate said into my hair as he forced my legs down to touch the ground. I unwrapped my arms, opened my eyes, and hit him in the chest.
“Next time I’ll kick you in the balls. I would have walked through on my own when I was ready.”
He snorted. “We didn’t have all day.”
A throat cleared. I turned, and my mouth dropped open. I quickly snapped it closed and got myself together by straightening and replacing the glare I’d shared with Nate to a neutral expression.
“King Nelydriel. Elf and ruler of all fae,” the equally tall man at the king’s side announced. I suddenly felt underdressed. I also should have asked if I needed to bow to a king, or because I was queen, I didn’t have to. I didn’t know what I was meant to do, but my gut and heart said not to bow, so I listened.
Instead, I took a step forward and said, “Paige Alice, ghoul queen and bonded mate to Asher, Thorn, Nate, Alex, and Ezra.”
One of King Nelydriel’s dark brows rose; it was totally different from his long white hair, not blond, but pure white. The top half was pinned back, showing off his pointy ears. Heat hit my cheeks because I pictured myself touching his ears while kissing his face.
Oh, fuck no. No! I cut that vision off and clenched my teeth, double-checking my mental shields were up. This couldn’t be happening now. He wasn’t even using his power for my ghoul side to place a mark on him.
I licked my suddenly dry lips and ignored the way his turquoise eyes shined down along my body as he took all of my short self in. I couldn’t help but return the gesture and ran my eyes down his firm, fit body, over his expensive, long-at-the-back and down-to-his-thighs gown-type top, and… oh crap. Were those stockings? I thinned my lips, so I didn’t laugh. However, when I got to his cute boots, a sound escaped from me and I quickly brought my gaze back up to his narrowed eyes.
Look bored, Paige. Look bored, and do not get lost in those fucking eyes.
“Paige,” Alex whispered. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“I thought you would be taller,” the king mentioned and sounded snobby while doing it.
“And I thought you would have wings, be three inches tall, and nice.”
Someone, from his fifty or so men on his side, barked out a laugh, then quickly shut it off before I could see who it had been. The king’s lips twitched while most of his men stiffened and the shorter man with a rounded potbelly beside him gasped. “How dare you compare the great sire to the common folk fairies.”
I screwed my nose up. Just fucking great. There was prejudice and probably bigotry there as well.
“Get over it,” I told him, and he seemed to choke on his saliva. He stepped forward, but I suddenly had Asher, Thorn, and Xi in front of me. “It’s all right, guys,” I told them, reaching out to part Thorn and Asher. Thankfully they didn’t fight me on it.
“Paige,” Alex called. I glanced at him. “Something isn’t right.”
“What?” I whispered. Unease filled me.
He scrunched up his forehead in confusion. “I don’t know.”
“Rallis, enough” was clipped. I looked back in time to see that at his king’s words, Rallis moved back to his boss’s side. The king held out his hand to me. “Welcome to Airrile, Paige Alice. May I show you around before we sit to speak?”
Paige Alice. I sure noticed it wasn’t Queen Alice. I took another quick look at Alex, who shrugged. Shit, until he knew what was troubling him, I couldn’t be rude and run for the portal.
I glanced at the king’s hand and fought the pull to touch him. Though, I noticed it wasn’t as strong as what I’d felt with my men, which was good. But then my eyes flicked over his shoulder to a man with long black hair and the pull suddenly intensified. Strange. This didn’t make sense. Why did one man’s appearance call to me, and yet, it felt as if the other man was the one who held some type of connection to me?
What the hell was going on? Had I finally lost it? Was it this place? Were we even on Earth?
Scolding myself and the runaway thoughts, I forced my eyes back to the king and then placed my hands behind my back and nodded. “Thank you, that would be nice.” I fixed a mock smile on my face. I didn’t like this guy’s attitude since he pretty much ignored my men and looked down on us. I was sure my body was on a high from walking through the portal or something because the king was a stuck-up douche. Unless it was the portal that did something to me. I needed to get this over with and then speak with my men privately about it.
His lips twitched again, and I wanted to punch him in the face because it looked cute on him. So what? His looks were nice, but it didn’t mean anything. All I had to do was focus on the stockings and boots because they looked damn ridiculous, and the attraction I felt to his looks would fade.
The king dropped his hand and dipped his chin. “Right this way.” He turned and started forward. His people parted for the king, only I wasn’t sure if they looked up to him or feared him. As I passed the man with black hair, I shivered and felt like sniffing him, licking him, and even peeing on him. What the fuck?
I pushed it all down, stabbed my fingernails into my palms, and looked out in front of me. That was when I noticed the rest of the area and sucked in a sharp breath.
The warm sun shone down on rolling hills of green pastures and woodlands. A breeze swept over my skin, and I took in the birds singing their songs in the trees near us. The path we were on led us down to a town about the size of New Orleans. The buildings were like something out of a Santa’s village that I’d seen in movies, old and beautiful.
I pressed my hands against my stomach while it fluttered even more.
I’d thought my castle and surrounding lands were amazing, but this was picturesque.
“Stunning, isn’t it?” the king asked.
I shrugged, blanking my features, and said, “It’s okay.” He fought a smile, and I heard someone make a sound in the back of their throat, either a scoff, a snort, or a laugh, I wasn’t sure, though. What I did know was that it wasn’t one of my men. Ignoring it, we walked down the path in silence for a little while, until I asked, “Do you have a name?”
“I do” was all he said. I ground my teeth together.
“You may refer to him only as King Nelydriel,” the suck-up said from the king’s other side. He spoke in a tone that told me he thought I was so below his master’s princess boots I wasn’t worth the time of day.
I stopped walking. It took them a few beats to notice. However, the black-haired elf did, and then the others turned to face me. I fisted my hands at my sides, so I didn’t punch the king’s little minion in the balls. “I think you need to bring your head back out of the king’s ass to breathe the fresh air and see with your own eyes that whatever you think about you, about your king, and about your world, doesn’t make him or any of you better than my people or me. We all bleed in the same way, and if you keep up the hoity-toity crap, I’ll have my hellhound bite your head off.” Ezra gave off a growl in the back of his throat. It was too bad it sang to my ears and he looked too handsome for me to think it was threatening in any way. Although it wasn’t a show for me and it had the minion taking a step back, which was good.
The king’s brow rose again, and I wanted to rip it right off.
“My queen, maybe we should leave,” Thorn suggested.
“I think you’re right.” I turned and started off, fighting the sudden ache in my chest. I caught Alex relaxing before he saw me looking and nodded. He was happy we were going.
“You’re leaving?” the king called.
“You’ve got a view of my butt, which means I’m walking away, so yes, we’re leaving.”
“No queen should speak or act as you do,” the minion called. “It’s crass.”
I whirled back around. “What’s crass is the way you and your king have acted since we’ve shown up. I would have spoken and acted with respect and manners if I’d been shown it in the first place.” I spun back around and started stomping away.
“You came here wanting us to join you against the council. Now you’re walking away from that chance?”
I froze because the voice was one I hadn’t heard before. It was soft yet deep. I wanted badly to turn around, but I didn’t. I dug my nails into my palms once more, and said, “What makes you think that’s what we came for since you would be aware that my mate spoke to the king of evidence we have to share regarding his father’s death?”
He cleared his throat. “Even though we’re in a different dimension, Paige Alice, we still have ears everywhere. We heard they had found out about the new ghoul queen. About how they were coming to your territory to, no doubt, cut you all down. However, you had put them off by stating how you were coming to see them. It was either a stupid or smart move. I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Smart. It means my people stay safe.” Finally, I turned, my gaze settling on the man with the long black hair standing with his arms crossed over his chest. His battle attire, like all of the guards, looked like it had been made out of hardened gray scales. “Shall we speak in private, King, or would you prefer this public show still?” I asked, crossing my own arms over my chest.
Asher hissed. Nate and Ezra growled, readying themselves with arms out for a shift. Thorn and Xi pulled swords free, and Alex called his powers forward as the air around us shimmered. All of them moved to surround me.
I stayed still while the space around us morphed into an empty room the size of my throne room back home. I didn’t let the shock register on my face, but I was surprised as hell since I had felt the sun’s warmth and the soft breeze from outside, yet none of it had been real.
That wasn’t the only thing that changed. The appearance of the man we’d thought had been the king altered into the man with black hair, which meant…. I glanced at the actual king and watched as his black hair disappeared, replaced by the fake king’s long white hair and clothes. They had pretended to be one another in appearances.
The guards at his back had their weapons out and trained our way, while his minion smirked, and the fake king grinned like he found this all hilarious. The rightful king dipped his chin down and announced, “My name is Cedrick Nelydriel. I am the true king of Airrile.”
My body hummed and my heart raced, but if my mates heard it, they could take it for the shock of what happened. Lastly, as something inside me clicked, making things feel right, my pussy throbbed.
Fuck no. I would fight this mark, this connection. I didn’t need another mate, and besides, he had his own lands and people to take care of. I fisted my hands, planted my feet firmly on the floor, and locked myself down.
Nate and Ezra looked at me. I shook my head and showed my determination of not wanting this. Asher reached back and took my hand in his, running his thumb over my skin in reassurance.
I knew they would tell me the Fates had picked this man for me, that he was meant to be in our lives for a reason, but I wouldn’t have it. I had my men. I loved my men. There wasn’t room for anyone else. Fuck this bond. Fuck my body and heart.
No!
“What is the meaning of these parlor tricks?” Thorn demanded.
“We have had our own problems with the council. People coming under different pretenses, but all were seeking to end my life.” He waved a hand to the man now with long black hair. “My brother, Kiered, thought it would be safer if he acted in my place to see if you would also be a threat.”
Nate snorted. “You let your brother take the fall if something happened.”
Cedrick’s jaw ticked. “I didn’t let.” He glared. “I wasn’t given the choice. Apparently being the king means my life comes before anyone else’s. Something I hate and would change if I didn’t have everyone going against me. I also wouldn’t allow him to go it alone, which is why I am here pretending to be him as a guard so I can fight my own battles.”
“Ha,” I let out and pointed at Cedrick. “Sounds familiar. You guys would have me in bubble wrap tied to a bed if I didn’t fight for my right.”
“I’m sure tied to a bed has some benefits,” Kiered said with another grin and a wink.
“Kiered,” his brother bit off as my men made some type of noise or growl at the man.
Kiered raised his hands. “Hey, I’m not saying I want to tie her to a bed. Relax.” I caught his quick glance at Xi. Interesting.
“This is the man you had in your stead?” Thorn questioned.
Cedrick’s brows dipped, and he shook his head. “His skills at fighting are beyond most.”
“Aww, bro. I love you too,” Kiered teased, and I liked him a lot more now that he wasn’t pretending to be the toffy king. But did it mean that was how Cedrick was all the time? If that was the case, I was sure my mind, body, and the Fates wouldn’t be that cruel and want him to still be in my life. Not that I would allow it.
Kiered stepped forward. “Now, are we able to move this into a room that’s more comfortable?”
“I have the meeting room set up, your highness,” Rallis said with a bow and a glare my way. I still wanted to stick my finger up at him.
“Please lead the way, Rallis,” Cedrick replied, then glanced at me. “After you.”
I ground my teeth. I didn’t want to walk in front of him. Then again, I also didn’t want to have him in front of me either because I knew I wouldn’t be able to help myself—I would check him out… unless I had my men do something arousing, then my attention would easily sway to them. The only problem with that was how easily I could get lost in what they were doing and forget everything else around me.
Like now, when my mind wants to run with a thought of them in bed together.
Focus, Paige. Focus goddamn it.
As I straightened my red silk shirt out, Asher, Thorn, and Xi parted. I took the first step forward, then another. My body shivered because I could swear his eyes were on me.
“Holy shit, you’re checking out her ass,” Kiered whispered. However, he must have forgotten about our advanced hearing. I heard a slap, and then Kiered cursed and some of the men chuckled. I glanced to my men and saw even they held a smirk or a grin over it. I wanted to stamp my foot and tell them to be offended; he was looking at my butt in the first place. I stopped myself from shaking it and let the annoyance go. I was the only one overreacting.
We followed Rallis down a long hallway. Male and female elves scattered out of the way. Honestly, we must have looked a frightful sight. Xi and Asher had blood all over them; I hadn’t even thought to get Alex to fix their appearance, not after he had been depleted. Though, I knew he was back in full force, or else he wouldn’t have called for his powers in the room earlier.
Leaning into him, I asked, “Was it the glamour that had you on edge?”
He nodded. “I could feel magic, but I didn’t know where because it didn’t make sense it was coming from everywhere.” He glanced at me. “I’ll know what to look for now.”
I took his hand and squeezed it. Smiling up at him, I told him, “I know you will.”
As we went by some windows, I looked out and found the scene they had set in the room was exactly like what I saw out in the real world. It was still beautiful. It had me wanting to go out there and actually see it for real.
A woman walked out of a room in front of us. She sneered, and then her gaze went behind us, which changed her expression into a coy smile and sweet, soft eyes.
No doubt one of the elves behind us was her beau.
We passed by, still following Rallis, when I heard, “My lord, how are you this day?”
My head twisted. I squeezed Alex’s hand tightly. I wanted to turn around and smash her face into the door for even speaking to him, but I fought it, and it hurt. My body burned. Ezra and Nate moved closer. They reached out and touched me, a hand to my lower back and one sliding into my other hand. The skin-on-skin contact with my bonded helped cool me.
“Very well, Elizitenth,” the king replied.
“May I help with something?” she called.
“N
ot right now, thank you.”
The king was brushing her off calmed me even more. I shook my body out and kept my gaze ahead. We turned a corner, and a group of women scuttled to the side. All of them blushed and giggled, looking at my men and then at the ones or a certain one behind me.
Would slicing their throats open with my claws be too bad, really?
Now I had Asher reaching back, as well as Thorn, to touch me in more ways. One at the hip the other on my arm. I was sure I looked like a fool, but I didn’t care, else I would go on a killing spree.
“Is everything all right?” Cedrick asked. He was closer now; goose bumps broke over my skin. My dead skin. How was that even possible?
“Fine,” I ground out.
We turned another corner and then down the hall we paused at the double wooden doors while Rallis opened them to another room about the size of the first one we’d been in. Only this one had four large tables, two bars, and a row of long tables off to one wall where food would have probably been set in long meetings.
Rallis moved aside. We entered and went straight for the largest table smack dab in the middle of the room. My men and I spread out on the left side. I sat in the middle. Xi stood at my back with Nate, while Thorn and Asher sat to my right, then Ezra and Alex sat on my left.
Opposite me, Cedrick sat. He was right there in front of me. Right there with his long, perfect hair, his stupid, amazing eyes, and cute, lickable ears.
I could be strong. I could be.
Someone cleared their throat. I jolted a little in my seat and glared over at the man who’d made me lose my train of thought. Cedrick glanced at Asher. At least I hadn’t been the only one lost in the stare.
“Shall we start?” Asher asked.
“Of course.” Cedrick nodded.
“We came with proof of the council’s involvement in the death of your father.”
Cedrick’s hand shot up. “We already know it was the council.”
“How?” Nate demanded.
Cedrick pulled his gaze up to Nate. “It’s a thing called interrogation. The people we captured eventually talked.”
