Royally Elected

by Catherine Banks

  I clenched my teeth and said, “Anger!”

  Dad’s body tensed, and he took a deep breath before saying, “Jolie, you’re not a null. You’re an empath. You control emotions.”

  I wasn’t a null. I wasn’t human. I wasn’t anything I thought I had been. Everything was so out of control.

  “I don’t understand,” I whispered. “You banished me because I’m a null. But, now you’re saying I’m not a null?”

  He sighed. “I was a stupid man and I know there’s nothing I could do to make up for what I’ve done. We tested you extensively and you registered as a null. Perhaps your life experiences unlocked your abilities.”

  “Well, I’ve had my fair share of traumatic experiences,” I grumbled and folded my arms across my chest.

  “Why don’t you tell me about your past?” Dad suggested.

  We did have a long trip ahead of us. “Fine, but you’re getting the abridged version,” I mumbled.

  An hour later, both Dad and Brayden stared in silence at me, Brayden’s mouth agape.

  “And that was when you kidnapped me,” I said, bringing my story to a close.

  “I did not kidnap you,” Dad snapped.

  “You took me against my will. I didn’t want to leave my mates, but I knew you would hurt them to get me to comply. If you aren’t kidnapping me, then let me go back to them,” I said and met his glare.

  “You need to come home,” Dad said. “End of discussion.”

  “Why? You keep skirting the issue. Why are you bringing me home now? You show up out of the blue and take me away. You didn’t know I was an empath when you grabbed me. So, why?”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Dad snarled. “You are my daughter, heir to the siren throne. You need to be in our kingdom, not playing around in Jinla.”

  “I’m not playing around. I have a life there. I have friends. I have a job. I have mates,” I snapped back.

  “None of that matters. You are princess. You are coming home!” Dad yelled.

  “If you would just tell me what it is that’s causing you trouble, I could help you come up with a plan before we get back to Atlantis,” I said softly, trying to diffuse the tension.

  Dad stood and left the train car without another word.

  “I’m guessing you aren’t going to clue me in either?” I asked Brayden.

  Brayden went after Dad.

  I sighed and sat down. An empath? I was a fucking empath.

  How would the guys take this?

  Had I manipulated them? Had that been why they fell so fast for me? Had I manipulated myself? Was that even possible?

  I grabbed some of the food and ate in the silence.

  Should I call the guys and tell them what I’d found out? How would they react? Would they think I had been lying? Would they treat me differently?

  I put my head in my hands and sighed. What was I going to do?

  My cell phone rang, and I knew it was the guys before I took it out of my jacket.

  Putting on a smile, I answered the video call.

  “Hey,” I said.

  All four came into view, the phone set up in the center of Rhys’s kitchen table and the guys lined up in chairs, so I could see them in the phone’s field of view.

  “What’s going on?” Rhys asked, his brows furrowed.

  “Um…” I replied and bit my lip.

  I needed to tell them.

  “I really wish we weren’t apart,” I whispered and fought against a wave of sadness and loneliness. Tears sprang to my eyes and I blinked them away.

  “Jolie,” Fox whispered. “Talk to us.”

  The four of them looked amazing, wearing tank tops and sweatpants. Had they been training? Or working off their frustration from me leaving them?

  “My dad just told me I’m not a null,” I said, my breathing becoming erratic.

  Panic attack. I was having a panic attack. There was no way to stop it, so I just needed to spit out my story.

  “I’m not a null. I’m an empath. He thinks I unlocked my powers at some point after one of my traumatic life events. He asked about how our bonds were formed and I think he believes I may have unconsciously manipulated you.”

  Tears streamed down my face and I forced myself to look at them, so I could see their reactions.

  “I didn’t mean to manipulate you if I did. I swear. I didn’t know about any of this. Even my dad thought I was a null until just a few minutes ago. If I am an empath, I may have manipulated you without realizing it.”

  “Baby,” Deryn whispered.

  They didn’t look mad. They didn’t look upset.

  “Baby, you did not manipulate us into loving you. No empath is capable of making someone love them. You may have made us calm down or made us happy, but those just made us fall for you faster,” Deryn said.

  “You just said I could have made you fall faster,” I pointed out, wiping my face with one hand, while the other held the phone.

  “You didn’t make us fall for you. You just showed us who you are. You showed us how amazing you are,” Fox said.

  “We aren’t in love with you because you used your powers on us,” Nico said. “Promise.”

  “You’re sure?” I asked.

  All four nodded.

  “Have you figured anything else out?” Rhys asked.

  I shook my head.

  “You have one month,” Fox said. “We won’t be able to last longer than that.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “Martin told me.”

  The train door opened.

  “I have to go,” I whispered.

  “Love you,” the four of them said.

  I stared at my four mates, memorizing the scene to help me get through the next month, and said, “I love you, too.”

  Before I hung up the phone, I noticed them all glaring at something behind me.

  Brayden plopped down beside me and asked, “What did they want so soon?”

  “Nothing,” I whispered and closed my eyes.

  Silence descended, the only sounds coming from the train as it moved along the tracks.

  Turning slightly in my seat, I angled myself so Dad and Brayden couldn’t see my phone.

  Me: Nico, do some research on spells or charms to protect from sirens and empaths.

  Nico: Already on it.

  Me: Anyway you’d all wait to tell your dads?

  Deryn: Too late.

  Rhys: Dad said it explains a lot of things.

  Me : (

  Deryn: <3

  Me: Brayden wrote a book with info about sirens. I’m going to try to get some screenshots to you guys.

  Rhys: Who’s Brayden?

  Me: Trident Douche.

  Deryn: hehe : )

  Rhys: lol

  Fox: :0 :0 :0

  Nico: smh

  Me: Promise you’re going to stay out of trouble?

  Rhys: Where’s the fun in that?

  Deryn: We need distractions right now.

  Rhys: You’re the one who needs to promise to stay out of trouble.

  Me: I never seek out trouble.

  Fox: No, but it always finds you.

  Me: Why was Ezio in Jinla?

  Deryn: He came to talk to my dad about something

  Me: What?

  Deryn: *shrugs*

  Dad and Brayden moved to a pair of seats in the back of the train car.

  Perfect.

  I quickly snapped pictures of all the important pages in the book and some less important ones, then sent them through the group chat. I skimmed the book for anything else that seemed important.

  Royal Mating

  That looked important.

  Royals must only mate with royals of other clans. Although it is permitted to have multiple mates, it is strongly encouraged to have a single mate only. Should the heir to the throne wish to have multiple mates, all must pass The Gauntlet*. Only those who pass The Gauntlet and prove their worthiness may mate with an heir.

  *The Gauntlet is a four-e
vent tournament usually involving a race, survival challenge, quest, and loyalty test.

  Me: Guys, look…

  I sent them a picture of the page and waited for their responses.

  Nico: We’re already your mates. It doesn’t seem logical to put us through this.

  Fox: Have they mentioned it?

  Deryn: Sounds fun.

  Rhys: We should make our own if they don’t want us to do it.

  Me: SMH. They haven’t said anything, but it makes me nervous.

  Nico sent me a message directly, instead of through the group chat.

  Nico: Send each page of the book in order directly to me. I’ll read through it.

  Me: We’re almost to the ocean. Once there, the Kraken comes, and I won’t be able to contact you.

  Nico: Do it quickly then. : )

  I obeyed, snapping the pictures as fast as I could and sent them to Nico. I got to the last handwritten page and froze with my finger hovering above the picture button on my phone. It was a note from Brayden to me.

  Jolie, I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, but if I do, please don’t deny me. Please take me as your mate. Things aren’t as they seem. I’ll explain in private if we ever meet. Your father is ill and you’re our only hope. ~B

  I snapped the pic and sent to Nico with the caption: WTF?

  Nico: Stay safe, my queen. Keep your eyes and ears open.

  Me, to the group: Love you all

  What could this mean? Dad ill? What kind of illness? And, how the heck could I do anything for them?

  A minute later, Nico messaged me again.

  Nico: Kraken? What happens with the Kraken?

  Chapter 6

  The train stopped and after grabbing the bags, we filtered out of the train with the other passengers. There were a lot of vendors along the pathways, something common in port towns. The scent of sea water was incredibly strong and it brought back a surge of memories.

  I closed my eyes and let the memories wash over me.

  “Almost home,” Brayden whispered in my ear.

  “Farther than ever from home,” I countered and opened my eyes.

  He sighed and continued after Dad. I followed close behind, watching the various people walking around. I stopped at a merchant with bread and purchased two rolls.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” the merchant said.

  “Princess, you should have asked me to purchase it for you,” Brayden chastised me.

  “I’m perfectly capable of purchasing my own items and taking care of myself,” I growled at him and ate half of my roll in one bite.

  A boat with the siren royal crest sat at the docks, and I headed for it. The boat was small, since all it had to do was carry us past the next island and out to meet the Kraken.

  Three men stood at attention when Dad stepped up to the boat and he waved his hand to dismiss them. They returned to their preparations, but froze when they saw me with Brayden. Then, they all bowed to me.

  “Back to work,” Brayden ordered while glaring at them until they stopped peering at me.

  They obeyed, and Brayden helped me get onto the boat. He led me to a bench on the deck and we sat down.

  “How did your mates feel knowing you most likely manipulated them?” Brayden asked, his eyes trained in the distance.

  “I didn’t manipulate them,” I spat. “And, they all agreed that even if I had, it wasn’t my fault. Especially, since I thought I was human the whole time.”

  “What was it like?” he asked, his gaze finally meeting mine.

  “What?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

  “Being human.”

  My frown deepened. Because of the curse I had before, it seemed as if trouble had followed me at every turn. That had only changed a little since I met my mates. “Terrifying most of the time, since I was in danger so often.”

  “When we get back, I’ll help you get caught up on current affairs,” he said.

  I glanced at him and found him staring out at the ocean again. Was this his way of telling me he would answer the questions I had from reading the book?

  “Let’s go,” Dad ordered the crew.

  Before we were out of range, I sent one last, “I love you,” text to the guys, then watched the men scurrying around the boat.

  The boat moved away from the dock and out to sea. It had been so long since I last visited this area of the world. I missed the ocean.

  Out in the open waters of the ocean, I felt small and insignificant. It was a reminder that more important things lay out in the world. Seagulls called overhead, and they swooped down as I threw pieces of the leftover roll I didn’t finish. My father frowned when I giggled.

  We passed the island and people on the beaches waved at us, recognizing our seal. It was nice to see the siren’s reputation was still good amongst the people.

  Five miles away from the island, the boat came to a stop.

  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I leapt to my feet and raced to the bow, hands gripping the railing as I waited. The water before us churned and then a huge head surfaced, followed by giant tentacles and eyes. I snapped a picture with my phone, then turned it off. Even with my phone off, I still had our bonds, which relaxed me a bit.

  The Kraken looked us over, then his eye stopped on me. He shrieked and one of his tentacles shot out and wrapped around me.

  Brayden and the other men drew their weapons, but I shouted, “Stop!”

  The men stopped as did the Kraken, holding me in front of one of his eyes, dangling above the ocean.

  “He’s not going to hurt me,” I told Brayden.

  “Watch,” Dad whispered to him.

  I turned back to the Kraken and smiled. “Hello, Pookie.”

  The Kraken screeched again and pulled me to his head. I lay atop his head and pet him, his skin slick and slimy. Most found it repulsive, but it didn’t disgust me. The Kraken blew bubbles in the water and closed his eyes in contentment.

  “Pookie?” Brayden asked.

  “I let her name him,” Dad explained. “I did not think about the fact she was a young girl and that would influence her name choice.”

  “Pookie, are you going to take us to Atlantis?” I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

  Pookie screeched and thrashed his tentacles, making the boat rock.

  “Easy,” I chastised him.

  Dad cleared his throat and Pookie quickly wrapped his tentacles around Dad and Brayden, both holding their luggage in one hand.

  Pookie piled us atop his head, then bright light surrounded us, and he dove beneath the water. The light around us acted as a shield, providing us air to breathe and kept the water out.

  Down we plunged, the sea animals rushing to flee as Pookie descended. I stared up, watching the sunlight fade until all that remained was Pookie’s light. Down and down we went, the temperature dropped as we did, and I wrapped my arms around myself a moment before remembering to use my dragon powers to heat my body up.

  “Your eyes!” Brayden gasped.

  I looked at him and smiled. “My dragon mate’s powers. I can do many things a normal siren can’t.”

  “Can you shift?” Dad asked.

  I shrugged and looked away from them, watching as a tiny speck of light below us grew brighter and bigger. My ears popped. This trench was the deepest in the world and protected by Pookie.

  If the cold, lack of oxygen, and pressure of the depths didn’t kill you, Pookie would.

  Miles we traveled down until the beacon I had seen came into our line of sight. Pookie swam farther down and then into a huge cave. Lava flowed at the bottom of the cave, hardening when it got to the end of the line. I stopped using my dragon powers since it was warm enough now. Not far from here was a giant volcano and this was one of a couple offshoots for the excess lava that kept it from erupting.

  A light head snagged my attention away from the lava. A hole in the cave had a silver glow surrounding it. It was the portal to Atlantis.

  Pookie stopped and
the light moved off his head and to the cave floor. I waved to Pookie, then stepped through the portal between Dad and Brayden.

  Atlantis had been a bustling city with vibrant colors of plants, grasses, and animals. I had spent hours each day collecting flowers in every hue of the rainbow.

  The Atlantis before me now was not what I remembered. It was like they had thrown a monochrome blanket over everything. No flowers grew. The grass was gone and only dirt remained. A few animals skittered about, but at least three-fourths less than my last visit.

  I covered my mouth to hold back my gasp, and Brayden looked at me with knowing eyes. Was this what he meant? It did look sick.

  Two guards in royal uniforms, deep blue with silver swirls on the shoulder to signify rank, stepped forward and bowed.

  “Welcome back, Your Majesty,” the guard on the left said. He had three swirls, indicating his rank as Captain of the guards.

  “Thank you, Captain. Any news to report?” Dad asked and headed down the dirt path towards our castle. Even the castle looked sickly.

  The Captain glanced at me, then stood and followed just behind Dad. “None, Your Majesty.”

  “Exactly what I wanted to hear,” Dad replied.

  The second guard fell into step behind Brayden. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t pull the memory out and it was too rude to just stare at him. I was certain I knew him, though. Why wasn’t the memory there? Dad had given me my memories back.

  We stepped into the castle and I had to stop, more memories flooded my mind so quickly, that I couldn’t see the present.

  Within the memories, I saw times where I played with a young version of Brayden, as well as the guard beside me, Sam.

  “Princess?” Sam asked.

  “Jolie,” Brayden whispered and set his hand on my forearm.

  The memories faded, and I gasped for air. Had I been holding my breath?

  “I’m okay,” I whispered. “Memories overwhelmed me a moment.”

  Sam’s eyes flashed with anger as he looked at Brayden’s hand on me, then he turned away to hide it.

  “Let’s get you to your room,” Brayden said and removed his hand.

  Dad and the Captain had disappeared into the castle, likely going to Dad’s chambers.

  Trailing my fingertips along the walls, I took in my home. It was so much more depressing than it had been.