by River Ramsey
“Where have you been?” he hisses.
“I found King Albien,” I say, knowing there’s no time to waste. “He refuses to believe his uncle would turn on him, and he’s going downstairs to some party.”
“A party?” Christopher frowns, following me down the hall. “You know there’s like three dozen humans up here, right?”
“I know. King Albien freed them,” I say, noting his confusion. “It’s a long story. Where is Rowan?”
“He went looking for you. We thought you might’ve gone back to James, so we fanned out to search.”
“We need to find them both and get into that party,” I tell him. “If the King won’t listen to reason, we’ll just have to keep him safe ourselves.”
“And how the hell are we supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know,” I say, looking down at my corset and black tulle skirt. “But we’ll need a change of clothes.”
Chapter 28
James was less than thrilled when he found out I’d been separated from the others, but I think he’s too impressed that I actually found the King to say anything. I told them all about Albien being an omega, not that they believe me. They’ll find out soon enough.
We managed to find a change of clothes for me, Rowan and Christopher in one of the royal changing rooms. Judging from the number of clothes on that rack, I don’t think they’ll miss these anytime soon. James is already dressed for the occasion, and since the Duke never showed for their meeting, he’s free to join us.
I chose a golden ballgown with a glimmering train. It’s a struggle not to step on it, especially since I’m not used to wearing heels, but that seems to be the fashion among women in the Capital. The neckline leaves me feeling as exposed as the corset, but the gown is tasteful, at least, and when I look around the grand room, I’m relieved that I’m appropriately dressed.
“Where is Albien?” asks Rowan, squinting at the crowd of wealthy people sipping wine and mingling over hors d’oeuvres.
I look around the room, struggling to spot him in a sea of men who stand well over six feet tall. He’s slight compared to the other male shifters, and I don’t see any sign of his gilded uniform.
Finally, I spot him at a table drinking from a goblet. Is it poisoned? Maybe I’m being paranoid in thinking the General would be so bold, but now that they know I’m gone, their plans have been rushed. If they were willing to raze an entire town, I can’t imagine familial loyalty will protect the King as much as he believes it will.
If he won’t listen to me, maybe he’ll listen to my protectors. Just as I’m thinking of going over to try reasoning with him again, Christopher taps my arm and points across the room. “Look!”
There’s a waiter standing near one of the King’s guards, whispering something in his ear as they glance Albien’s way. That’s definitely suspicious. I watch as the guard passes something underneath the waiter’s tray and he takes off at a clip toward the King’s table.
“He’s got a gun!” I cry, rushing forward. My dress limits my movements, but Christopher and the others catch him in time. The waiter gives a startled cry as the three wolves pounce on him and Rowan pulls his arms behind his back.
“Got it,” James mutters, snatching the gun that was concealed beneath a large silver tray and a white cloth draped over the waiter’s arm.
A woman screams and the elites flee their tables, overturning a few in the process. King Albien is surrounded by a team of guards and Jenna emerges from the throng, brandishing a gilded firearm. She stalks toward us, her gaze settling on me.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“This man was trying to kill the King!” I cry. James offers her the gun. “And he wasn’t alone. One of your guards is with him.”
“On it,” Rowan says, passing the waiter off to Christopher and James before taking off in the direction the guard left in.
Jenna seems as perplexed as everyone else, but she calls her men over and they cuff the struggling waiter, freeing James and Christopher of their burden.
“Who are you?” Jenna demands, looking right at me.
Before I can answer, King Albien breaks free of his guards. “She tried to warn me of the attack, but I wouldn’t listen,” he says, his gaze softening as he looks down at me. “Forgive me… Danica, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I say, catching my breath. I don’t know why, but I’m relieved he’s alright for more than just the obvious reasons. We need him if we’re going to stop Ryland, but it’s more than that. I feel like I know this man. Like there’s something good in him that’s worthy of trust, and that’s something that’s more difficult for me than ever.
“I know it’s a bit late, but I think I’m finally ready to listen to you and your…” he trails off, looking curiously at my two companions. “I’m sorry, who are you again?”
Neither of them seem to know how to answer, so I take a stab at it. “They’re my, um…”
“Protectors,” says James. “She’s the one calling the shots.”
I can’t help but smile. ‘Protectors’ doesn’t quite seem like enough to describe the three men who’ve stuck by me through hell. Each one of them is so much more than that, but for the time being, it’ll have to do.
Chapter 29
An hour later, the King has invited us all into his throne room. Jenna stands at his side, ever present and ready to come to his defense. As soon as Rowan returned with a look of defeat on his face, I knew he hadn’t succeeded at catching the waiter’s co-conspirator.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he says in a somber tone. “He got away.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” King Albien says earnestly. “I’m the one who should be apologizing to all of you. If it weren’t for your insistence and quick thinking, I’d be dead right now.” His gaze turns sorrowful and he presses a hand to his heart. “My uncle has betrayed me. I was too naive to see it before, but now I know the truth.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. I know the pain he’s feeling well, and no words are enough to soothe it. “You seem like a kind soul, and no one deserves this.”
Albien looks at me strangely, his gaze traveling down to the pendant hanging around my neck as if he’s seeing it for the first time. “Where did you get that?” he asks breathlessly.
I look down, touching the locket. “I came by it recently,” I admit. “I’m not sure where it’s from, but it has a picture of me when I was a baby.”
“May I see it?”
I lift the chain over my head and offer it to him. He opens the face of the locket and puts a hand over his mouth as he stares down at the photograph. It’s the same reaction I had, a mixture of confusion and disbelief. When his eyes meet mine, I know something is wrong.
“What is it?” James asks, coming to stand beside me.
“These are my parents,” King Albien says without taking his eyes off me. “The child in this photograph is my twin sister. She died in the same plane crash that killed them.”
“That’s impossible,” I say, my pulse quickening.
The King picks open the first button on his jacket and pulls out a locket that’s identical to mine. He offers it to me and as soon as I open the locket, my breath leaves me. The picture is nearly identical to mine, only the infant they’re holding is dressed in a royal blue suit. He could easily be my twin, and when I see that matching photograph, I understand why the King looks like he’s seeing a ghost.
He is.
“I don’t understand,” I choke out. “How is this possible?”
“That’s what I’m wondering,” he murmurs, his gaze sweeping over my face in awe. “Victoria?”
He speaks the name so hopefully, as if he’s afraid to let himself wish for it to be true. It means nothing to me, but the familiarity I sensed from the moment I met him is beginning to. My thoughts are racing, and I don’t know what to feel. I was expecting the answer to my parents’ true identities to lie further up in the outlands, if anywhere, not the roy
al palace of our sworn enemies.
“Wait, I’m lost,” Rowan interrupts. “Someone wanna tell me why Dani and the King have matching baby photos?”
“They’re her parents, too, numbskull,” Christopher mutters under his breath. “They’re twins.”
“But he’s a guy and she’s a chick!” Rowan protests.
“That’s common with fraternal twins,” James says impatiently, watching the King. “Are you absolutely certain your sister was killed?”
“No,” Albien says. He still hasn’t taken his eyes off me. “No, I’m not certain of anything anymore. My uncle was the one who announced their deaths, and if you had told me a day ago that he would be capable of such treachery, I never would have believed it. Now…”
“I can’t be the princess,” I say, knowing that much for certain. “I don’t know why we look so much alike, but…”
“There’s no other explanation, Dani,” says Christopher. “As farfetched as this seems, the alternative is even more ridiculous.”
He’s right. I know he is, but still. Me? A princess? Then I remember what Rowan found out, about the mother who raised me not even being pregnant when she was supposed to be weeks away from having me. Knowing what I know now of Ryland, I wouldn’t put anything past him, but why?
“If you’re alive, then that means you were taken,” Albien says, his voice growing strained. “That means all this time, I’ve lived thinking I was the only one left, and you were out there.”
“Ryland,” James growls, his eyes darkening with rage. “He kidnapped her.”
“With my uncle’s help, I’m sure,” Albien adds.
“Why?” I ask, shaking my head. “King Albien would be the clear heir to the throne. Why would I matter to them?”
“Think about it, Dani,” says Christopher. “Your father was going to marry you off to Harquest, who’s what, fourth in line for the throne? Fifth?”
“Seventh,” King Albien says darkly, evidently on the same page as Christopher.
“All they had to do was arrange their pieces on the board and when the time was right, kill the King,” Jenna murmurs, speaking up for the first time.
James nods thoughtfully. “Then, I’m sure they’d planned to pull Dani out of their back pocket. Harquest would already have the territories and a good chunk of the Generals on his side, and being mated to the rightful Queen would silence any lingering dissent.”
Rowan grimaces. “Then that means Harquest is…”
“My uncle,” I finish for him, feeling like I’m going to vomit as soon as the words are out of my mouth.
“Well, that explains why they had to take you to the outlands,” Albien says in a tone of pure disgust. “Inbreeding has been outlawed among royalty for the last century.”
“That’s just sick,” James mutters. Even the stoic Jenna seems a bit green around the gills.
“He was willing to kill his own nephew. I don’t think there’s anything that twisted bastard wouldn’t do for power,” says Christopher. He glances up at the King. “No offense, Your Majesty.”
“None taken,” Albien says in a somber tone. “Well, we figured out the plan.”
“Now I feel like I need a shower with bleach,” I mutter, shuddering. Just when I thought Ryland couldn’t sink any lower, he finds new ways to make me despise him even more. I’m no longer willing to settle for stopping him. I will find a way to kill him, and when I do, it’s not going to be quick.
“Me, too,” Rowan chimes in. “So now that we know the master plan, what the hell do we do about it?”
“I don’t know,” Albien says, his expression softening to a smile that warms my heart even though betrayal has frozen it solid. He reaches for my hand and squeezes it tight. “What I do know is that I’ve found my sister, and that calls for a celebration.”
“Is it a good idea to make her identity known right now?” Christopher asks, frowning. “Especially with bullets already flying at the royal family.”
“I’m sure those two weren’t the only eyes Harquest had in the room tonight,” says James. “The plan Dani overheard was to overthrow King Albien, not kill him. They jumped the shark because they’re scared of us, and by now, I’m sure they know everything we know.”
“He’s right,” says Jenna. “The General kept the Princess hidden away for twenty years, hoping to use her to obtain power in his own time. Bringing her into the limelight now will take the control out of his hands and allow her to move with the full protection of the Eternus Army.”
“And us,” Rowan grunts. “Don’t forget that.”
“Yes,” Jenna says, arching an eyebrow. “The Princess and her… um. What are you three, again?”
“Guardians,” says James.
“Protectors,” Christopher says at the same time. They look at each other and Christopher mutters, “We’re still working on a name.”
“I have a suggestion, if I may,” Albien offers with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. “The traditional nomenclature would be Knights of the Royal Guard.”
“They haven’t gone through training,” Jenna protests.
“There are exceptions in the law for acts of extraordinary valor and prowess,” says the King, drawing the blade at his side. The edge looks dull, so I can tell it’s just for ceremonial use, but Rowan tenses up like he’s going to have to defend himself. Albien smiles patiently, resting the tip of the blade on the large alpha’s shoulder. “If you are willing.”
“Oh.” Rowan gawks at him. “Uh… sure.”
“Get down on your knee, dumbass,” Christopher mutters under his breath.
“Oh, right.” Rowan quickly complies as the King taps each of his shoulders with the blade.
“I dub thee Sir Rowan, the Great.”
“Heh. Neat.”
Christopher rolls his eyes as he sinks down and Albien makes his way over to him. He accepts the impromptu honor with a bit more refinement, folding his arm over his chest the way I’ve seen other Eternus soldiers do.
“I dub thee Sir Christopher, the Lionhearted,” Albien says fondly, moving on to James. He pauses, studying the hybrid carefully. I fear for a moment that James’ duality is what’s giving him pause, but instead, Albien bestows upon him the most fitting title of all. “And I dub thee Sir James, the Honorable.”
I’ve never actually seen James taken by surprise, but I can only imagine what it must feel like to be an outcast all your life only to attain one of the highest commendations possible from the King himself. My heart surges with pride as they stand and Albien turns to me, smiling.
“My dear sister, despite being isolated from your home and cut off from your true identity, you’ve chosen your court far better than I have,” he says gently.
Tears sting my eyes as I take in the sight of the family I never knew I had. I don’t care about the title, and I don’t think I’d ever feel at home in a lavish castle, but knowing I’m not alone? It fills my heart and takes away the sting of the painful journey it took to get here.
“I’m very lucky.” My voice is strained and it’s all I can do to hold the tears back. When the King discards formality and pulls me into a tight embrace, I give up trying.
“Welcome home, sister,” he whispers.
“Welcome home, Your Majesty,” Jenna says in a tone of great reverence, bringing her fist to the medal of valor over her heart as she sinks to one knee. “I swear my honor and fealty to you, Crown Princess of Eternus.”
I gasp in bewilderment when I see James, Christopher and Rowan sink to their knees once more, along with every other guard in the room.
“And I,” James says, his gaze full of love and pride as it meets mine.
“And I,” says Christopher. His expression is grave, but his lips curve up in a slight smirk I know so well. He’ll never let me hear the end of this Princess thing, but all I can do is laugh as the joy in my heart bubbles over, even though it’s probably not a very regal thing to do at my unofficial coronation.
“Me, too,” says R
owan. James elbows him and he grunts. “I mean… And I.”
Fresh tears spill down my cheeks. This moment is something I never thought possible. Not only do I have a brother—a twin—but my three best friends, each of whom I love in a completely unique way that’s impossible to fully describe, have taken an oath to stay by my side. As perilous as this journey has been, the one comfort was having them with me, and until now, I’ve feared the day when we would inevitably have to part. Now I know that day will never come. They’ll be with me, always. It feels like just enough time.
The End of Book 1.
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About the Author
River Ramsey is a queer fantasy and paranormal author living with their partner and cats. They enjoy penning tales of adventure, magical mayhem and happily ever afters!