Claim Me

by Geneva Lee

  “Your Majesty.” Priscilla dipped into a mocking curtsy.

  The trouble was they were the ones who needed to remember I was the Queen.

  “Where’s Sarah?” I demanded.

  “Around.” Pepper laughed, obviously infected by whatever sudden-onset adolescence Sarah had brought back with her to London.

  I was done.

  Done with sniveling, condescending bitches. Done with people treating me like Alexander’s mistress instead of his wife. Done with strangers in my home.

  Done.

  And I was queen, which pretty much settled the matter.

  Stalking up to Pepper, I grabbed her shoulder, leaning into her face. “Where is Sarah?”

  She moved to shove me away, and Brex was next to me instantly.

  “Don’t touch.” It was a succinct threat made all the more menacing by how he towered over her.

  “She started—”

  “The Queen can do as she damn well pleases,” he informed her. “Personally, I’d love to let her kick your scrawny ass up and down this ballroom, but I have the line of succession to consider.”

  “Oh, let’s not forget, she’s pregnant.” Pepper rolled her eyes dramatically.

  “I don’t think you understand your place here,” Brex said. “That may be because you have no place here.”

  “We were invited by Sarah,” Priscilla stepped in. Maybe it was years of royal intermarriage, but she obviously had no sense of self-preservation.

  “This isn’t Sarah’s house.” Not anymore. She’d worn out her welcome.

  “And it’s yours?” Priscilla spat at me.

  Brex and I exchanged a look. How dumb could you get?

  “Yes,” he told her. “She’s the Queen.”

  “I’m a Princess.” Priscilla puffed up her chest as though this was a fact worth acknowledging.

  “And she is the Queen,” Brex repeated. “You seem to be struggling with this. Do you want me to draw a diagram?”

  I’d never wished to have a pen and paper handy so much in my life, but before I could tell him to wait here while I retrieved one, he motioned to a man in the corner.

  A moment later, four men in suits flanked us.

  “These guests need help finding the exit.”

  “We are not—” Pepper’s protest died on her lips, her gaze caught on something by the door.

  I followed her stare in time to catch Sarah sneaking out of the room, clinging to a familiar blond.

  “Son of a bitch,” Pepper said.

  For once, Pepper and I agreed on something.

  “Sarah’s more forgiving than I am,” she said.

  “Get them out of here,” Brex ordered. The lot of them stomped away, tossing dirty looks at me. I recalled how they’d treated me when we’d first met. Catty remarks and comments laced with double meanings. They’d made it clear that I didn’t belong in their circle.

  They were right. My place was well above them.

  “Should we do something about that?” Brex hitched a thumb toward the door they had just disappeared through.

  “Unless you want to help Alexander bury a body, then we need to get him out of here before the two cross paths,” I told him.

  He jerked his chin, not looking terribly concerned at the prospect of digging graves. I filed that information as far back into my gray matter as I could.

  Sarah was headed in the direction of the courtyard from the look of it. I allowed Brex to part the sea of drunken debauchery before me, wondering why on earth everyone hadn’t been kicked out yet. And where was Alexander? As soon as we reached the gallery, I gulped down fresh air.

  “Are you okay, Your Majesty?” Brex asked.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve smelled that much sweat and liquor and desperation in one place.” I rubbed my stomach.

  “Miss it?” he asked.

  “Not even a little.” I tilted my head. “My guess is the courtyard.”

  God help her if she took Jonathan back to her bedroom.

  Laughter caught my ears as soon as we opened the door. The small interior courtyard contained a colorful variety of exotic plants. It had its own gardener who specialized in each species’ particular needs. I loved to walk through it, but after tonight it would never be the same.

  Not after seeing Sarah pressed against an exterior wall and Jonathan’s pants around his ankles. Between the leafy plumage around them and the sounds they were making, I almost thought I’d stepped into the jungle.

  “Should we…” Brex began in a low voice.

  “Let them finish?” I shrugged, not bothering to afford the same courtesy. “I don’t think they care either way.”

  “Bloody hell,” Sarah yelped, pushing Jonathan off her and shoving at her skirt. He stumbled, nearly tripping over his pants as he tried to pull them up.

  “Party’s over,” I informed her.

  “Just because you’re too stodgy to do something like—”

  I held up a hand to stop her. If she thought Alexander and I hadn’t done the very same in the courtyard and every room of the house, she clearly needed to catch up on her palace gossip. “Let’s go.” I swished a finger in the air. “Collect your panties and your dignity.”

  “What is going on?” Alexander’s deep voice boomed through the quiet courtyard and everyone stilled.

  “Brilliant,” I muttered, shooting Sarah a look that told her to shut up. “I was just telling Sarah that it was time for her friends to leave.”

  I rounded on my husband and grabbed his sleeve, hoping to drag him out before he saw who Sarah was with.

  “What is wrong with everyone?” Sarah whined. “I haven’t been shagged in ten years. A girl has needs.”

  “You…what…who?” Alexander was already near the point of an aneurysm, so I continued my futile attempt to remove him from the situation. It was too late. He looked around, his eyes landing on Jonathan Thompson. “You.”

  I wasn’t Jonathan’s biggest fan, either. He’d completely screwed over Belle at university, and he’d proven to be a first-class wanker at every opportunity. But Alexander hated him and he had good reason. Jonathan had been the one to give Sarah drugs the night of the accident.

  “How dare you set foot here? And touch my sister—after what you did?” Alexander roared.

  “Help,” I called to Brex. He came and took Alexander’s other arm but paused when Alexander continued.

  “You drugged her. She nearly died. She lost ten years of her life and you come into this house and fuck her?

  Brex dropped his hold on Alexander’s arm with a look that said he was about to go get the shovels.

  “Stop this,” I demanded. “Jonathan is leaving.”

  “He is not.” Sarah planted her hands on her hips. “You two might not be friends anymore, but newsflash, I took the drugs. So it’s up to me if I want him to stay—and I do!”

  “There you are!” Edward called striding out to join and skidding to a stop.

  “Gang’s all here,” Sarah muttered, crossing her thin arms over her chest.

  “You look like a women but the second you speak—” Alexander started.

  “X!” I grabbed his chin and forced him to look to me. “I need you to leave and let us handle this.”

  His eyes burned into me, muscles ticking along his strong jaw. I didn’t know if he was more offended by the challenge to his authority or the situation.

  Before I could convince him, Jonathan stepped closer to us. He’d taken off his jacket and he was rolling up his sleeves.

  “Let him go, Clara. It’s time we dealt with this.” He flexed his wrist.

  “You need to leave.” Brex moved toward Jonathan, but Alexander shook his head.

  “The last time I kicked your ass wasn’t enough?” he said to his old friend. “Maybe you like getting knocked around.”

  “I’ve never tried it. What does your wife think of it?” Jonathan taunted.

  My blood froze and I found myself unable to move. Edward grabbed
my hand and tried to pull me toward the gallery, but I was stuck in place.

  “Oh my god, he beats you.” Sarah clapped a hand over her mouth, but instead of looking like she was horrified, it looked like she was trying not to laugh.

  “Not like that, baby girl,” Jonathan sneered. “Alexander here likes to tie girls up and whip them. That’s why Daddy sent him to Afghanistan, isn’t it?”

  “Is that true?” Sarah asked, looking at me like I was a complete stranger.

  “It’s a dirty family secret. But, hey, maybe I’m wrong. I saw that pretty thing you used to mess around with is working your security. Maybe they’ve got an arrangement.”

  Alexander’s fist cracked into Jonathan’s cheek a moment too late. I felt the crunch of bone like it was my hand making contact. The sound vibrated through me.

  Jonathan reeled backwards, no match for Alexander’s strength.

  But it didn’t matter, the damage was done.

  Brex who’d kept to the side to allow Alexander to handle the situation, now stood open-mouthed. He was putting the information together. An uncomfortable silence descended, only to be broken by Sarah’s shrieks over Jonathan’s injury.

  “Get her out of here,” I begged Edward. “Take her somewhere. Anywhere.”

  “The Tower of London?” David suggested.

  Normally, I would laugh at this but I was acutely aware of what Jonathan had done, even if he wasn’t. I didn’t care what people thought about Alexander and I’s private life. That was our business.

  Sarah didn’t resist Edward when he pulled her toward the door. The moment he stepped through it after her, a new figure emerged. Georgia assessed the scene before her, not really knowing the true damage that had been done.

  “What is this, Brex?” she demanded, strolling over to him, her eyes on Jonathan.

  Brex’s dark eyes looked from Georgia to Alexander. He didn’t speak. Instead, he reached inside his jacket and unholstered his gun. Without a word, he dropped it on the ground in front of my husband and started to leave.

  “Brex?” Georgia called after him, her voice quivering. He paused for a second then continued out the door.

  Georgia might not do love, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel it. Her eyes sought mine, full of questions. I wanted to hug her, but I was pretty sure she’d like that even less than being called my friend.

  “I’ll explain later,” I offered instead.

  She squared her shoulders and addressed Alexander. “We’ve gotten nearly everyone off the grounds. We catalogued each person as you requested. Norris is wrapping things up.”

  “Catalogued?” I repeated.

  “My sister issued a blanket invitation to half of London. I want to know who was here.” Alexander rubbed his bloody knuckles. “Now get this one out.”

  “Alexander—” Jonathan said, but Georgia grabbed his collar and hauled him inside.

  We stood alone in the courtyard. I couldn’t think of anything to say. He’d faced an old friend who’d brought demons to our door. Another friend had just walked out. What could I ever say?

  “I told him what Georgia was into,” Alexander confessed. “I warned him, but he fell for her anyway.”

  “But you never told him how you knew?” I already knew the answer to that question. I wasn’t even certain why I asked.

  “He knows now. He knows what I am.” Alexander hung his head. “Christ, it never occurred to me that people might think Georgia and me…”

  “I don’t.” That’s what mattered. “I know you. The real you.”

  “You’ve become close with Georgia,” he noted, lifting his head to regard me. “Ask her to show you her scars. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

  “You’re not going to scare me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You say you love the monster—that you aren’t afraid. You should be.”

  “So we set limits and safe words and boundaries.” I refused to follow him into this cycle of self-recrimination. “If you need to take me back to our room right now and work this out, I’ll go. I’m not afraid of you.”

  Alexander took a step away from me, shaking his head, horror-struck by that suggestion. He raised a hand. “Do you see how it’s trembling? I’m full of rage and I would love to hit something. But that will never be you. Not like that. I will never touch you while I’m angry. That’s a hard limit—for both our sakes.”

  I nodded, wondering how I could soothe the war raging inside him. The answer was so simple I’d almost missed it. Reaching out I took his trembling hand and laced it through my own.

  “I’m right here, X,” I reminded him. “We can do anything together.”

  He looked like he wanted to believe me.

  Chapter 20

  Alexander

  It was past midnight before I received the all-clear that the palace was free of guests. Clara dozed in a chair near the office fireplace, waiting for the rest of the group to meet us. There was no point in putting off the inevitable any longer. We’d tried. No one could say otherwise. But three days with Sarah was all the taste of hell-on-Earth I needed to know that another arrangement had to be made.

  Norris entered the room, drawing off his tie. “I need a raise.”

  “Consider it done,” I promised.

  I didn’t know what I’d do without him, and I hoped to never find out. As often as I bristled against his advice, I trusted his counsel and more than that I trusted the man himself. Having him by my side was as close as I would ever get to being in two places at once.

  As soon as I’d seen the scope of Sarah’s stupidity in inviting so many strangers into the Palace, I’d turned to him. Norris, as always, had a solution. The benefit of having a gated home and an entire Royal guard coupled with a more discreet private security force was that no one was able to leave without going through us. That had taken time.

  I’d thought it was time well spent until I’d found my sister shagging Jonathan bloody Thompson. And then? All hell had broken loose.

  “Scotch?” I offered Norris and he nodded. It was a sign of the calamity of the night’s events that he accepted.

  “I’m off the clock,” he said as I passed him a glass.

  Never in all the years I’d known him had he said that. I swallowed my drink quickly. “You don’t have to stay.”

  “I’m here as a friend. I…” he hesitated for a moment, “I need to be able to speak freely.”

  “And not as my advisor?” I leaned back in the chair, contemplating what that might entail. Norris always spoke freely as far as I knew. He’d told me off for being a wanker. He’d taken Clara’s side more times than I could count. If he’d been holding back…

  “You’re here as family,” Clara said sleepily.

  “You don’t pay family,” Norris reminded her gently.

  “Don’t fool yourself. We’re in the family business,” she said with a derisive snort. “We’re all paid to be a family and you are definitely our family.”

  “She’s right,” I added. “You’ve been more of a father to me than mine ever was, and you know it.”

  “Should I come back after you’re through with the circle of love?” Georgia asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  I gave Clara a sharp look, but she didn’t even blink.

  “I asked her to come,” Clara said. “This involves her now.”

  “Our past—”

  “Let’s wait for everyone,” Clara stopped me.

  Edward and David arrived last, although I couldn’t fathom why. “How long does it take to send a girl back to her room?”

  “I don’t have as much practice with that as you,” Edward said dryly.

  “And said girl was practically climbing the walls,” David said.

  Edward glared at his husband over the horn rim of his glasses.

  “What?” David held his hands up. “She was. We had to find someone to sit with her.”

  “Then she’s—” I shook my head. Of all the stupid, irresponsible t
hings to do. “I should have hit Jonathan harder.”

  “He didn’t have drugs on him,” Georgia said, quickly adding, “if it makes you feel better.”

  “It doesn’t,” Clara and I answered at the same time.

  “Maybe I should get Elizabeth,” Clara said thoughtfully, biting her lip.

  “We have a guard inside her room and outside her room and one sitting in your parlour. Elizabeth is safer than the Crown Jewels,” Edward promised her soothingly.

  “Now that’s settled,” Norris said, sipping his Scotch, “where do we begin?”

  “With the truth.” I dared a glance at Georgia, uncertain how she was going to take this part. “What Jonathan said about me, about how I met Georgia. It was—”

  “We know,” Edward said, delivering me from actually saying it.

  “You do?” I didn’t know what to make of that. “For how long?”

  “Since Dad ranted about it to Grandmother Mary every time you pissed him off, which was frequently.”

  “After I got back from Afghanistan?” I couldn’t believe he’d known for all this time.

  “Since he sent you,” Edward corrected me.

  “He talked about it in front of you? You were a kid.”

  “I was old enough to know I was gay and Dad was old enough to know it, too,” Edward said, his tone both bitter and resigned. “Most of the time he treated me like I was a potted plant—of no consequence and someone else’s problem. I overheard a lot of things.”

  “But not about Sarah?” Clara asked.

  “I guess he did,” Edward said slowly. “I didn’t understand it when he talked about taking care of her. I think he was a little more careful with that information than…”

  “My perversions?” I finished.

  “No kink shaming,” David jumped in, his mouth splitting into a grin. “Your brother’s a bit more submissive in the bedroom, but I—”

  “I’d like to be able to look at you all in the morning,” Norris interrupted with a heavy sigh, “without all the imagery.”