Royally Entangled

by Catherine Banks

  “Glad we agree,” I whispered as I swallowed around the lump in my throat and set my hands on his chest, mostly to keep me balanced, but also because I really wanted to touch him.

  “I am competitive, however,” he replied and inhaled. “And you are too good to pass up.” His lips were on mine and my hands wound around his neck instantly. He lifted me up and pushed me back against the wall of the elevator. He gripped my butt as he held me, his fingers digging into my skin, but not painfully.

  I broke our kiss to kiss his neck and he moaned.

  “Not now,” he whispered and gently nipped my neck. “Though, the thought of taking you here is very tempting. Tonight, I want to enjoy our date and not lose out on it because dessert was too filling.”

  I chuckled and nipped his earlobe. “Okay.”

  He groaned and gripped my butt tighter. “If you do that again, I’ll go back on what I just said.”

  I leaned back and held up my hands in surrender. “Okay.”

  He kissed me again and then set me down and hit the button on the elevator. “I’m glad that we agree.”

  “Me, too,” I said and exhaled happily. I ran my fingers through my hair and smoothed my clothes down. “I was really worried that you guys would shut me out after you found out what happened.”

  “No, that’s not how we are.”

  “Good to know.”

  We stepped outside and were met with several members of the media with cameras on, and bulbs flashing as they took pictures. Rhys put his arm around my shoulders and steered me away from them.

  “Rhys, who is this new female? What is she doing in your apartment building? Is she part of your clan?”

  “Has the Dragon Clan made a decision about the war?”

  “Where was the artifact last seen?”

  He didn’t respond, and gently propelled me forward until we were away from the building, and across the street.

  “My apologies about that. They’re vicious at times,” Rhys said with a soft sigh.

  “Who are you?” I asked softly. “You seem to be someone important, but-”

  “No one important,” he replied. “They’re just trying to get information out of us, but it won’t work.”

  “You guys seem important,” I commented as I looked back at the media who were now scowling at us.

  He smiled. “Did you just say we are important to you?”

  I scoffed, but smiled at him. “I hardly know you.” It was strange, though. I did feel close to them. Was I that desperate for affection that I fell for the first guys to give me attention? Was I the crazy stalker chick? Oh no! I didn’t want to be the crazy stalker chick.

  He waved down a taxi and moved close to me on the back seat. His scent was a mixture of fire and something that I couldn’t place, but knew it was a masculine smell. “I’d like to remedy that,” he whispered to me.

  “Remedy what?” I asked, sidetracked by his delicious scent and body heat.

  “Not knowing each other.”

  “Sounds great to me,” I said and looked up into his beautiful eyes. “Are you always warm or do you create extra heat when you want to?”

  “I run warmer than a human, but I can create more heat if I want to,” he replied.

  The taxi pulled over and we climbed out onto the sidewalk. Rhys paid the driver as I stared at the restaurant we were headed into. Simone’s was not just nice, but swanky. It was a restaurant joked only politicians and celebrities went into because no one else could afford it.

  “You okay?” Rhys asked and set his hand on my lower back.

  “You lied. You are someone important,” I said. “Or at least famous.”

  “Come, our table is waiting,” he replied and ushered me forward, completely ignoring what I had said. We stepped inside and the staff immediately led us to our table and brought out champagne.

  Rhys smiled at me and said, “Order whatever you’d like.”

  The restaurant was somehow the perfect temperature. Most of the places I went to were either too hot or too cold, but they seemed to know the exact temperature appropriate. There were far less tables in this restaurant than the ones I frequented, which gave us more privacy to talk.

  “Are you part of the mafia?” I asked him.

  He smirked. “No.”

  “An actor?”

  “No.”

  “Model?”

  “Not currently, though I did model for a brief time when I was younger for extra money,” he admitted.

  “A member of the Summit?” I asked since I knew many of the clans had representatives who went to the Summit to meet and discuss issues with the other clans.

  “I do not have a seat on the Summit,” he replied.

  “But you are affiliated with it somehow?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not a King?”

  “No.”

  I tapped my chin as I tried to think about who he could possibly be that would allow him this much money and the eye of the media.

  “Have you decided on what you want to order?” he asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

  “I’m debating between the steak that costs twice my monthly income or the chicken pasta that costs more than my rent,” I replied with a relaxed and teasing smile.

  He smiled back, completely at ease and relaxed as well. “I recommend the steak, medium rare.”

  I sipped the champagne, and my eyes widened at the delicious taste. “This is wonderful,” I told him and took a bigger drink.

  The waiter who came over was old, but his skin was unblemished and smooth. He also had sharp pointed teeth that came to his bottom lip. Vampire. “Are you ready to order?” he asked with a slight accent.

  “My usual, Vlad,” Rhys replied.

  “Medium rare steak,” I ordered.

  “Mashed potatoes?” Vlad asked.

  “Please,” I replied with a nod.

  “Very well,” he said and bowed before leaving us to eat the bread I had not even seen him set on the table.

  I took a piece and buttered it. “So, what do you do for work?” I asked Rhys.

  “You asked me a ton of questions. I believe, it is my turn.”

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  “What do you do for work?”

  “I write for a gaming company.”

  “What do you write?”

  “I write the storylines for games. I’ve got one that I’m working on now, which I think is going to be pretty awesome.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you like it?”

  He was so focused on me, it was a bit overpowering, but also exciting. There was the potential for danger with him, but also for him to protect me from danger. The latter was something I desperately needed.

  “I love it,” I replied with a wide smile. “Not only do I love it, it was a big raise for me to move here and take the job.”

  “So, that’s why you moved to Jinla?”

  I nodded.

  “What do you do when you aren’t working?”

  “Usually I play video games.”

  “Really?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

  “Why is that hard to believe?” I asked him a bit defensively.

  “I’ve never met a gorgeous woman who played video games.”

  “We exist,” I assured him, silently pleased he had called me gorgeous.

  “Clearly,” he replied with a smirk. “What are your favorite types of games?”

  “The kind you play,” I said and chuckled. “I play a little bit of everything.”

  “What are you playing currently?”

  “Ghost 2.”

  “Do you play with a clan?”

  “Yes,” I said, shocked he knew what that was.

  “Double standard,” he whispered with a smirk.

  “What?”

  “You were shocked that someone as hot as me would know about clans.”

  He caught me.

  “Possibly,” I admitted.

&
nbsp; “We have our own clan,” he explained. “Deryn will be sad to learn that you already have a clan.”

  “He knows, actually. I can still play with you guys, but I’ve been with this clan since the first beta came out. So, I don’t have any plans to leave them,” I explained.

  I chewed on the bread and closed my eyes at the perfect texture and flavor. How did they make bread so perfectly?

  “I take it the bread is good?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “Amazing,” I replied and took another bite.

  “What character do you main?” he asked.

  “DPS.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded. “And I’m guessing you’re a tank?”

  He blinked twice and then asked, “How’d you guess that?”

  I smirked at him and buttered another piece of bread. “You seem like someone who would prefer a tank.”

  “Can you guess what Nico is?” he asked softly with a smirk.

  “Obviously the DPS,” I said with a chuckle. “He would be the one who wants to use magic.”

  “And what about Deryn?”

  “That’s a bit harder to guess. He seems like he would be good at all of the classes and would enjoy them all.”

  “True.”

  “If you’re the tank and Nico is the DPS, then Fox is the healer and Deryn would be your additional DPS,” I guessed.

  He clapped softly. “Impressive.”

  “If I were to play with you guys, it would be beneficial if I was an additional DPS player,” I replied.

  Our food came out and we ate without much discussion. The food was almost worthy of the price tag and deserved to be savored. Once we finished, we didn’t linger and left the restaurant, headed back to the apartment building.

  “Thank you, for tonight,” he told me and kissed my cheek. “I enjoyed learning more about you.”

  “I enjoyed tonight too,” I replied and smiled happily. I was normally alone or with just one or two friends, but I had promised myself when I came here that I would be more outgoing and make more friends. So far, it was serving me well.

  “Next time I get to learn more about you,” I said adamantly.

  “Deal,” he agreed.

  We waited for the elevator and I realized how tired I was. I leaned against the wall beside the elevator opening and Rhys played with some of my hair, twisting it around his finger gently and letting it fall away. The elevator opened and Deryn stepped out. His eyes widened as he took us in.

  “Were you out together?” he asked.

  “Yes, we were on a date,” Rhys replied.

  “What!” Deryn yelled.

  “I told you that I wouldn’t let you steal her away from me,” Rhys told Deryn. “Besides, all of us are single, so there’s nothing wrong with it.”

  “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. I just can’t believe you took her out so soon,” Deryn explained.

  “We had already set this date up a few days ago,” I whispered, staring intently at the floor.

  “Always one step ahead, aren’t you?” Deryn grumbled.

  “Let’s get you to bed,” Rhys said to me and ushered me inside of the elevator.

  I put my face in my hands and sighed. What was I going to do about these guys? While I said that I didn’t see anything wrong with it, part of me did feel bad. I would never forgive myself if I ended up ruining their friendship.

  “Jolie,” Rhys said loudly.

  I jerked my head up and asked, “What?”

  “It’s your floor,” he noted and waved at the open elevator doors.

  “Oh, thanks,” I said and headed towards the hallway.

  He followed me to my door and kissed me goodnight. “Goodnight, my beautiful princess.”

  “Goodnight, Prince.”

  His left eye twitched. Holy monster’s teats! No way!

  “You’re a Prince!” I screamed.

  “I…yes.”

  My hand flew to my mouth as I held in my gasp. A Prince? He was a Prince? What had I fallen into?

  “Say something,” he begged.

  “I’m just in shock,” I explained and looked at him again. I really needed to pay attention better to the media. I would have known that as soon as I met him if I had been watching news stories or reading up on the happenings of Jinla.

  “Please don’t let this change anything,” he whispered, his eyes downcast and fists clenched at his sides.

  “Why me? You could have any girl that you want. You could have ten or twenty girls if you wanted. I’m no one. I’m nothing special. I’m just a socially anxious gamer.”

  “You are special. You are kind and beautiful. You are easy to be around. I’ve never met a human woman – any woman – who was so easy to be around. I’m so relaxed and calm with you. It’s nice compared to my normally anxious life.”

  He was anxious? I supposed he would have a lot of duties as Prince.

  “Don’t worry,” I told him and gripped one of his fists between both of my hands. “Knowing you are a Prince doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  He used my hands to jerk me forward and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. “Jolie,” he whispered and sighed loudly.

  “Eh?!” Nico yelled.

  I jerked away from Rhys and found Nico walking down the hallway towards us.

  “Nico,” I whispered in shock.

  “You told her you’re a Prince? Why?” he demanded and stood before Rhys with a scowl.

  “I didn’t tell her that I am a Prince. She guessed that I am,” he explained.

  “You still admitted it though.”

  “I’m not going to lie to her about it. If she watches the news, she’ll find out on her own.”

  “It’s not fair. You’ve been out twice, while the rest of us…”

  “It has nothing to do with fairness,” Rhys snapped.

  “Guys!” I yelled angrily.

  They both turned to look at me with partially opened mouths.

  I clenched my fists at my side and through clenched teeth said, “You are not allowed to fight about me.”

  “What?” Nico asked.

  “You are friends. I’m a random chick…”

  “You’re not a…” Rhys began.

  “I am!” I snapped. “I am a random chick and I refuse to become an issue between you friends. If that’s going to be the case, I remove myself before there are any further issues.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I spun around, opened my door, and then slammed it closed behind me.

  Chapter 4

  I had spent my day off of work drinking and playing games in a rage.

  “I think you should probably stop for the night,” our clan leader said to me after I cursed for a few minutes straight when we lost the match.

  I groaned. I couldn’t even play video games right. I was ruining everything.

  “Fine. See you guys later.” I shut down my console and tossed my headset to the other couch. Playing longer would only upset me more, so I knew he was right, but it still made me mad.

  The four males had been trying to contact me, but I had ignored them all, not returning any of their texts or calls. I had screwed up by continuing to see them after I found out that they were friends. I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I wasn’t going to cause issues between friends. I wasn’t one of those girls.

  I raised my bottle to my lips, but it was empty, not even a spare drop in it. “Dammit!” I growled and stood up. I needed more alcohol. After searching for a few minutes, I finally found my keys and cards, and then headed out of the apartment towards the nearest spirits store. I liked the place. The owner was a sweet old human woman with grey streaks through her hair that reminded me of lightning.

  The sidewalk lurched a bit as I walked, seeming to randomly roll beneath my feet and make me unstable.

  Or, I could have been drunk. Most likely I was drunk.

  On the way to the store, I had to go by the park that I had met Fox in. I looked at it with a mixture of h
appiness and sadness. They were all so sweet. I had really enjoyed the time I had spent with them and could have seen myself becoming good friends with them

  While looking at the park, I saw a huge group gathered, split into four factions, or so it appeared. At the center stood Rhys, Deryn, Fox, and Nico, each standing behind males sitting in chairs. Who brought big wood chairs to the park? What the heck was going on?

  “What are they doing?” I asked myself out loud and squatted into the bushes to creep closer. They were still a bit away, but I could hear what they were saying better now. There were so many beings gathered and spread out among the trees. There had to be at least fifty, possibly more since some of them seemed to blur together and then multiply. Who were they all? I had to be extra quiet so that no one spotted me.

  “It’s been twenty years!” one of the men in the middle yelled. “It’s been long enough! You’ve had long enough to return it to us!”

  “What do you expect us to do?” another asked, this one standing near Fox. He had silver eyes and was definitely an elf once I focused hard enough on his features.

  “I say we take over. Screw these pathetic humans. Let’s kill them until we find our missing-”

  “We are not killing the humans,” Rhys snapped.

  Hearing him defend my kind was a relief, but I did not like where the rest of them were headed with this discussion.

  “Why not? They’re pathetic! They don’t deserve to live beside us,” someone else said.

  “Kill them!” another said.

  My heart hammered against my chest as many began to agree.

  One of the older gentlemen, who was seated in a chair at the center, raised his hand, and everyone quieted. “Raise your hand if you agree with killing the humans.”

  A few started to raise their hands, and I stumbled forward, tripping over the bush I had been hiding behind. Everyone turned, and the four men from my apartment all started to move towards me.

  Crap. Thank you, drunken klutziness.

  One of the people nearest made a grab for me. I tried to get away from him, but there were others and they were faster, grabbing my arms and stopping me. I squealed in fear and tried to break free, but their grips were too tight.

  “Let her go,” Rhys ordered them.

  One of them released me, but the other two held on.