Royally Entangled

by Catherine Banks

  I stepped back from him, putting a hand on his chest so that he would stay still as I admired him.

  “I’m so lucky,” I whispered, finally meeting his gaze.

  “That’s my line,” he replied, swooped me up, and dropped me onto the bed, ravaging me and making me scream his name countless times.

  “Rhys,” I whispered after we were done and cuddling in bed.

  “Hm?”

  “About the mate thing…” I wasn’t really sure how to ask what I wanted to ask.

  “The decision is up to you,” he whispered and kissed the top of my head. “I would be honored to have you become my mate. Nothing would make me happier.”

  I jerked my head up and looked at him. “You want me to be your mate?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “What did you talk to your dad about then?”

  “The fact that I won’t take anyone but you as my mate. Even if you don’t want to become my mate, I won’t take one. I won’t allow my attention to be divided from you. You are my queen, my love, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “What do we have to do, to become mates?”

  “I mark you with a bite and some magic, and we have glorious sex, and then our bond should snap into place.”

  “But, when I die, you’ll feel it so much more,” I reminded him.

  “You’re not dying.”

  “I will die before you. I have the lifespan of a human,” I said.

  “Not once you become my mate,” he argued. “You’ll have the same lifespan as I do after we are mated.”

  That definitely changed things. If I could live as long as them, then most of my worry was gone.

  “Don’t answer today,” he said. “Think about it during the week and then decide.”

  I nodded in agreement and then we took our shower.

  “You’ve been scowling all day,” Nico said and tapped my nose. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  We were sitting on his bed, having just finished an amazing love making session.

  “Do you want me to become your mate?” I asked outright. Nico was so blunt all of the time, I figured it was best to be blunt with him as well.

  “Yes,” he replied instantly and turned all the way so he was facing me completely. “I would be the happiest mage in the world, if you became my mate.”

  “What if I became everyone’s mate? Would that bother you?” I hadn’t asked Rhys about it, but planned to do so soon.

  “I don’t care if you become mates with the other three as well,” he said honestly. “As long as I get moments alone with you, like today, then I’m fine.”

  “Swear?” I asked, surprised he would be so fine with it.

  He nodded. “You are what I want.”

  “How does one become a mate for a mage?”

  “A spell, of course,” he replied with a smirk.

  “Of course,” I giggled. I lost my smile and said, “Can I have the week to think about it?”

  “You can take as much time as you want to decide,” he replied and kissed me lightly. “I’ll be here.”

  “You’re too good for me,” I whispered and kissed him.

  “What happened to your mother?” he asked.

  “I don’t really know,” I admitted. “She died when I was a baby, but my family refuses to tell me how she died. Dad had really loved her and her death took a big toll on him. I think that was part of why he became a vampire. I think her death broke the last bit of humanity he had and he truly became evil.”

  “I wish I could go back in time and save you from your awful childhood,” he told me and rested his hand on my cheek.

  I smiled and said, “I appreciate the sentiment. However, changing my past, might mean that I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t change anything, as long as it meant I got to be with you.”

  “Ditto,” he replied and kissed me roughly, laying over me and pressing our naked chests together.

  “Nico,” I whispered.

  “Hm?” he asked between kisses on my neck.

  “You’re squishing me.”

  He chuckled and leaned up on his arms, taking his weight off me. “Sorry.”

  “When do I get to officially meet your dad?” I asked him. “I haven’t gotten to really meet him or speak to him.”

  “Whenever you want to,” he said. “Though, he’s not the warmest guy. You’ll like my mom better. She has been asking to meet you.”

  “Then, why haven’t we?”

  Was he embarrassed by me? Did he not want to introduce me to them until we had decided about being mates?

  “We’ve been a bit busy,” he chuckled. “Plus, I wanted to get your powers under control before we went to meet with them.”

  “Oh.”

  I supposed that made sense. It wouldn’t look good to meet his parents and turn into a wolf or dragon suddenly.

  “Then, we should get back to work on my powers,” I suggested and climbed out of bed.

  Deryn surprised me by taking me to the pack on his day, straight to the house where Tamara and Madison were waiting to leap on me for hugs.

  I hugged the girls and Sharla, but was pulled away by a giant arm, attached to an equally giant alpha.

  He hugged me tightly and said, “I’m happy to see you’re safe.”

  “I am safe,” I agreed.

  One of the great things about alphas, is that they can make you feel very safe and loved. Dan was incredibly good at that.

  He pushed me back to look at me and asked, “Do you need anything?”

  “No, I just came to visit with the pack,” I said even though Deryn hadn’t told me we were coming here.

  “Well, most of the pack are at the sports complex right now. They’re finishing up a tournament they had started about a week ago,” Dan told us. “Why don’t you take her and I’ll meet you over there?”

  Deryn nodded his head and opened the front door for me. “Come on, you’re going to love it.”

  The sports complex turned out to be a legit complex with a full-sized baseball diamond, soccer field, and a few other things that I wasn’t sure what sport they were used for.

  There were several wolves on the field, playing what looked like baseball, but they weren’t using bats. They were just using their hands to hit the ball.

  To the right of the field, was a set of stands with a ton of spectators.

  “Are they all werewolves?” I asked Deryn softly as we approached.

  He nodded. “Yes. The pack loves these types of games and come to watch them, even if they live away from here.”

  That was a lot of predators in one place. Deryn took us to the stands, and we sat next to two identical looking guys with long beards and clothes that reminded me of lumberjacks.

  “Stan. Clark. I’d like you to meet Jolie,” Deryn introduced us. “Jolie, this is Stan and Clark.”

  “Hi,” I said and waved.

  “Hello, Jolie,” they greeted me in unison.

  “The twins here are two of our top fighters,” Deryn told me. “If I’m ever incapacitated, you just run to one of them and they’ll keep you safe.”

  “If you’re incapacitated, most of us would most likely be dead,” Stan, or was it Clark, joked.

  “Good to know,” I said and watched the game.

  “Is that a human?” someone in the stands asked.

  “What’s a human doing here?” another asked.

  Deryn sat up straight and looked around at all of the stands. Everyone tensed up, people’s backs in front of us were barely moving as they breathed.

  “Jolie is my friend,” Deryn said. “And if anyone has a problem with that-”

  “They can take it up with me,” Dan finished.

  For such a large man, he was sure quiet when he moved. He stood beside me and all eyes were fixed on him, even the game on the field had stopped.

  “Jolie is an unofficial member of the pack,” Dan told them.

  “Dad,” Deryn said in shock.
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  Several members gasped and a few started whispering to each other.

  “Despite being human, she stood between an ogre and two wolf pups, saving their lives. She has earned her place as an unofficial pack member.” He turned to me and smiled. “Hopefully, you’ll become an official member soon.”

  What did that mean?

  “Continue the game,” Dan ordered them and sat next to me.

  “Dan, I…” I didn’t know what to say.

  He smiled at me and said, “You don’t have to say anything, Jolie.”

  The game didn’t last much longer, but it was exciting and fun to watch. Deryn took me back to the apartment and I asked, “What do you have to do to become an official pack member?”

  “You would have to mate with someone in the pack,” he replied.

  “Do you want me to become your mate?”

  He laughed. “I thought I had made that clear. I one hundred percent want you to be my mate.”

  “Even if I’m mates with the other three?”

  “Yes.”

  So far, it seemed that they all wanted me.

  “Would we have to wait until after we announced our other bond to become mates?” I asked.

  “Either we wait until after, or we mate right before so that we can reveal you as our mate and our queen.”

  “I’m still not used to that title,” I admitted to him.

  He chuckled and pulled me to lay on top of him on the couch. “You’ll get used to it, eventually.”

  “If you could have one thing for Christmas, what would you want?” I asked. It was a random thought I had been thinking lately.

  “You, with just a red bow on,” he said with a smirk.

  I laughed and kissed him. “Besides that.”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it since Christmas is still a few months away,” he admitted.

  “I’m glad I finally got to go back to work,” I told him. The company had found another building to work out of and I had started back yesterday. “I’m going to need to save up money to buy you four presents.”

  “You don’t have to get us anything,” he told me. “As long as we have you, we’ll be happy.”

  “I appreciate that,” I said.

  I had to get them something. I knew they were going to get me something and I didn’t want to feel like an ass for not having a present in return. Plus, I loved giving presents to people. I loved seeing their reactions to the presents.

  “What do you want?” he asked me.

  “You, nude and on my bed,” I replied with a smirk.

  “You can have that right now,” he replied and kissed me fiercely.

  Fox was the last one I had to talk to about the mating. Despite him being the sweetest, and quietest, I was most worried about what his answer would be. He had his spurts of seriousness that always threw me off.

  We sat in a quiet café, eating breakfast before I had to go to work. He was sipping some tea while watching me eat my omelet.

  “You’ve been wanting to ask me a question for a while,” he commented. “Are you going to?”

  “How’d you know?” I asked him and set my fork down.

  “I just did,” he said with a shrug.

  We were alone, outside of the café and there were very few people walking down the sidewalks who might walk by us, so I didn’t have to lower my voice.

  “Do you want me to become your mate?”

  “Duh,” he said and rolled his eyes.

  “I’m being serious, Fox.”

  “Me too,” he replied. “I only want you, Jolie. Even if that means sharing you with my best friends, I want you. I want you to be my queen, my mate, and my best friend.”

  “What do elves do to become mates?” I asked him.

  “I perform a spell that binds us together for eternity,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Oh, only for eternity?” I asked with a smirk.

  He laughed and held one of my hands on top of the table. “One lifetime isn’t enough for me to spend with you. I need at least five or more, but would prefer to be with you for eternity.”

  “You’re so good at flirting,” I whispered, a blush covering my cheeks and possibly my entire face, and squeezed his hand.

  “Just speaking the truth.”

  “I love you.”

  He leaned forward and rubbed his nose on mine. “I love you, too.”

  We didn’t generally say it in public, but sometimes I just felt it too much not to say it to them.

  “Ready to go to work?” he asked.

  “I wish I didn’t have to work today,” I told him with a pout.

  “You could quit and we could go play in the park together,” he tempted while waggling his eyebrows.

  I laughed and shook my head. “No, you naughty elf. I have to work to get money.”

  “We have enough money for you,” he said.

  “No, I have to earn it myself.”

  “Alright, but let it be known that I offered.”

  “The offer is appreciated, but I wouldn’t feel right not doing something to earn money,” I explained.

  “Well, I could pay you for-”

  I smacked him before he could finish his sentence. “Rude!”

  He laughed and pulled me against him, making me tilt my head back to look up at him. “When will you decide about becoming my mate?” he asked me softly. His thumbs were beneath my shirt, rubbing against the skin just above my pants. If I let him continue much longer, I wouldn’t make it into work.

  “Soon,” I promised.

  He bent his head and brushed his lips across mine. “I look forward to your reply.”

  There he was again, serious Foxfire.

  “Pick me up after work?” I requested.

  “As my queen orders,” he said and bowed to me before walking away.

  I watched his lovely backside walk away from me with the stupidest smile on my face.

  “Who is that?” someone nearby on the sidewalk asked.

  One lucky bitch. That’s who I was.

  Chapter 13

  An entire month went by with no attacks or incidents. The guys were just as vigilant as ever in their guarding duties, saying they didn’t want to fall into a false sense of security because that was when the enemy would attack.

  They were likely right.

  “There’s a meeting today,” Rhys informed me as soon as I opened my door to them. I thought they were just coming over for dinner, but their serious expressions said otherwise.

  “Oh? With who?” My heart raced, and my nerves were already on edge.

  “Everyone,” he replied. “All four clans.”

  “Why?” I asked. “What’s the meeting about?”

  “Officially signing a peace treaty,” Fox replied.

  “You have to sign one? You can’t just not be at war with each other anymore?” I asked. It seemed a bit ridiculous to me.

  “It’s in our rules,” Nico explained. “We sign a declaration of war and we have to sign a peace treaty when it’s over.”

  “Okay. So, I need to stay in my apartment until you get back?” I guessed.

  “No, we want you to come with us,” Rhys explained.

  “But, all of your clans will be there. We aren’t sharing our relationship yet.”

  “You’ll be attending as our friend, and the one who ended the war,” Deryn said.

  “You’re all tense,” I noted and it was true. Despite us being at my apartment and them all sitting around, they were rigid and stiff. Worried about something.

  “We think someone might try to attack you while you’re there,” Deryn said.

  “You’ll be there to protect me, right? So, we shouldn’t worry about it. Plus, if they did attack me in front of everyone, it would be a death sentence for them,” I replied.

  “You want to go?” Nico asked.

  “Duh. I keep trying to get you guys to take me around your clans. I want to get to know your worlds better and learn more about you a
nd where you come from.”

  “One more thing before you completely agree to come,” Rhys said.

  “It’s a formal event. So, you would need to wear a dress,” Nico said since Rhys seemed nervous about it.

  “I don’t have a formal dress,” I reminded them. They had all seen my closet and all of the clothes that I owned, which weren’t many.

  Fox held out a bag that I hadn’t seen him holding with a wide smile on his face. “I got you one.”

  “You bought me a dress?” I asked as I looked inside. The dress was a dark blue, that would go well with my skin color and hair.

  “Yes.”

  “You know how I feel about you buying-”

  “You can repay me by letting me remove it later tonight,” he said with a wink.

  Tilting back my head, I laughed, and shook my head at him. “Incorrigible.”

  “You love me.”

  “I do,” I agreed. “Fine, give me an hour to get ready.”

  They nodded and headed towards the door, but Fox ran back and set a box on my coffee table. “Those are your shoes! Love you!”

  Before I could say anything, all four of them were gone and I was alone in my apartment.

  “Brat!” I called, since I knew he could hear me.

  I showered and took the time to curl my hair. Then, I actually did my makeup for once. It took me thirty minutes, but I knew it would be worth it once the guys saw me.

  The dress lay on my bed where I had set it after pulling it out of the bag and gasping at its beauty. Fox had exquisite taste and the designer tag on the dress told me just how expensive it really was.

  The dress fit me perfectly, hugging my curves and highlighting all of the areas that looked good being round. It was tight enough that I didn’t need to wear a bra, and that I had to remove my underwear so there wouldn’t be a line in the dress.

  Since I never went to things like this, I didn’t have jewelry to wear, but I didn’t think they would mind.

  The shoes fit perfectly as well, which made me wonder if Fox had gone snooping through my clothes and shoes to find sizes, or if he was just great at guessing.

  “Jolie!” Rhys called from my living room.

  “Coming!” I called back.

  I did one more check in the full-length mirror and smiled happily at the woman I saw there. Who would have thought that I would find four perfect males who would fawn over me and meet every wish and desire that I had?