Royally Elected
Her Royal Harem, Book Three
Catherine Banks
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
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Chapter 1
“Fly or die!” Emrys roared.
Three of my four guards lay unconscious on the ground, blood pooled beneath them. They were alive, but barely.
Nico panted heavily, cuts all over his body, and his magic fizzling. Soon, he would fall too.
Emrys and Nico battled the army of vampires and dhampir before us, but there were too many.
“I can’t,” I cried, my hands shaking and my knees weak. My fear of dying at the hands of the enemy was equal to that of flying in my dragon form.
“If you don’t, they’ll all die!” Emrys, King of the Dragons, yelled at me. His black hair waved in the wind and specks of blood marred its beauty.
Dozens of dead dhampirs littered the field, and piles of ashes from dead vampires crushed underfoot. Among them were also the bodies of my friends, some dead, and some gravely wounded. On one side of the field Dan, King and Alpha of the Werewolves, battled against six dhampirs while Johann, King of the Mages, battled six more behind him.
Chaos. Death and destruction surrounded me.
“Fly!” Emrys roared, his eyes flashing emerald before he shifted, he jumped into the fray, distracting the enemies to give me a chance to flee.
A dhampir stabbed Nico in the stomach and Nico coughed up blood.
“No!” I screamed, tears streaming down my face.
“Jolie!” Rhys yelled.
I sat upright and blinked the dream away. My cheeks were wet with tears and my hands shook.
Rhys pulled me into a hug and stroked my hair. “I’m here,” he whispered. “I’m safe and unhurt.”
More arms wrapped around me from behind.
“It was just a dream,” Fox whispered and I felt his magic wrap around me, a cocoon of warmth and happiness. It couldn’t penetrate the fear and distress I felt.
“I need out,” I whispered in a strangled voice.
They immediately released me and slid across the bed to give me space. My feet hit the floor and I wrapped my arms around myself.
Deryn walked into the room in his boxers. He looked amazing, but I wasn’t in the mood to admire all the muscles on display. He tried to embrace me, but I dodged his hands and rushed to the bathroom.
I turned the shower on and sat on the floor of the tub, letting the warm water hit me.
For the past two weeks, I’d been having the same dream. Every time I woke up in tears. The guys tried to assure me it was just a dream, just my mind’s way of processing all the drama that had unfolded since meeting the Four Princes of Jinla.
I wasn't so sure. I couldn't fly yet, despite my many lessons with Emrys. Flying scared me. What if I shifted mid-flight? My shifts were unpredictable at times. Plus, the dream just felt too real. I worried it was a premonition.
“Jolie,” Nico called.
“No,” I replied, knowing he would want to come in.
“You closed our bonds,” he said. “Please, release them.”
Unconsciously, my mind shut down the bonds between me and my four guards when I experienced extreme emotional situations. They hated when I did it because it reminded them of the time our bonds had been severed by Justina.
I exhaled and released the clamps from each of their bonds. Their worry, pain, and love rushed to me. I gasped and struggled to ground myself for several moments. No matter how many times it happened, I was never prepared for the onslaught of their emotions.
“Thank you,” Nico called through the door, then he walked away.
After washing and brushing my teeth, I returned to my room. When I had first moved in, I had a queen-sized bed and a dresser. Now, a custom double king bed took up half of the room and my three-drawer dresser had been replaced by a huge dresser with nine drawers.
Rhys sat alone on my bed, his hair much longer than when I had met him. The side swept bangs reached just below his left eyebrow. He wore a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his chest. My eyes caught on the crystal imbedded in his cheek, but I looked at his chest instead.
“Are you going to tell us the full dream yet?” he asked, a scowl pulling his eyebrows together.
I wasn’t ready to tell them that the four of them were defeated in the dream. They all assumed something had happened by the way I cried and clung to them the first few times.
Turning, I dug through the dresser for clothes without replying.
He sighed and left the room, a cloud of worry and anger surrounded him and flowed down our bond. He quickly shut down the bond, which made me stumble and slide to my knees on the carpet.
That did hurt!
It took me a moment to compose myself, stand and find my clothes. Once I finished getting dressed and ready, I walked out of my apartment, down the stairs, and out to the waiting black SUV. Overhead, the bright blue sky felt too cheerful for my dark mood.
Deryn and Martin stopped talking when I climbed into the front passenger seat and Deryn looked out his window in the back, giving me the cold shoulder.
I checked our bond and it was open. So, why was he mad?
“Hello, beautiful,” Martin said before putting the car in drive.
“Morning,” I replied and looked out my own window.
The drive to the pack was tense and silent. I jumped out before Martin put the SUV in park and marched to the house. Deryn didn't follow.
Dan opened the door before I made it to the house. He smiled wide and said, “There's my girl!” He took two steps to close the distance and pulled me into a tight hug.
He made me feel loved and safe, just like an alpha should.
“Hi, Dan,” I whispered.
He pushed me out to arm's length and scowled. “What's wrong?” Without waiting for me to answer, he looked behind me. “Where's my son?”
I shrugged. “In the car still, probably.”
“Are you two fighting?” he asked.
I sighed. “I don't know. He's giving me the silent treatment and I didn't do anything. Well, that I can think of.”
“Did you seal your mating bond yet?” Dan asked softly.
“No,” I admitted. “But, we just haven't had time. I
've been working a lot and he's been at a lot of meetings with you.”
“Have you sealed it with any of them?”
I blushed and looked at my feet. “No.”
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“No!” I snapped and looked up to meet his eyes. “Not at all.” Not that I could anyway. We were technically mates now, but each clan had different ways of sealing the bond. I hadn’t sealed the bond with any of them to fully become their mate.
“Do they know that?” Dan asked, a knowing look in his eyes.
“I, uh…they should,” I said and sighed, looking back down. “I guess I haven't really been talking much to them lately.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“It's a dream I keep having.”
“The same one?”
“Same exact one.”
“And they die?”
I met his eyes again. “What?”
He smirked. “He told me you were having a recurring dream and you weren't telling them the full story.”
“What if it's a premonition?” I asked and gulped.
“It could be.”
I groaned. “Dan, that's not reassuring.”
He draped his arms around my shoulders and steered me towards the gymnasium. “You need to tell your mates what you see. They need to know so that they can prepare for it. Just in case it is a premonition.”
I hated talking about it. My anxiety spiked, and I always cried.
“Fine,” I whispered, resigned to do as he said. If it was a premonition, they could prepare better by knowing what happened in the dream.
He pushed open the door, and the sounds of the basketball game inside blasted out to greet us. Many pack members sat in the stands, watching the other pack members playing basketball. Dan led me to the stands, pulling me down to the bench beside him. A few teenagers scooted closer to Dan, talking to him about their schooling.
He was so loved by his pack, it made me smile to see him interacting with the younger werewolves.
Martin and Deryn joined the game and began to play basketball with their pack mates. They moved fast across the court. Human sports didn't entertain me, but when Others played them, it became something else. Something super intense.
“Auntie!” Martin's twin daughters, Tamara & Madison, yelled and rushed up the stands to hug me.
I hugged them back and kissed their heads. “Hello, nieces.”
Sharla came and over and sat next to me, picking up Madison to take her spot. “Hey,” she said in greeting.
I hugged her with one arm. “Hey.”
“When did you get here?” Sharla asked.
“Just a couple of minutes ago,” I answered.
A bell sounded, ending the quarter. The guys went to the tables on the sidelines and drank water from the cooler there. Deryn glanced in my direction, then looked away.
I sighed loud and dropped my head.
“What's wrong?” Sharla asked.
“Nothing I want to talk about,” I told her and leaned my shoulder against hers.
“I'm here if you want to talk,” she whispered.
I nodded but said nothing. I wouldn't spread my relationship issues around.
“I thought I smelled something delicious,” a deep male voice said.
Sharla moved to sit in front of me, pulling the girls down with her, giving the newcomer the place at my side.
I leapt up and threw my arms around Thor, the giant werewolf picked me up as he hugged me. “Thor!” I screeched.
He squeezed me and kissed my cheek. “Jo, I've missed you.”
He set me on my feet but kept his hands on my waist. “I've missed you too,” I told him with a wide smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm here on a mission for a couple months,” Thor explained.
“And I'm just now finding out?” I asked with a frown.
He chuckled and pulled me into another hug. “I just got here, Jo. I hadn't had time to tell you.”
“You could have texted me,” I reminded him.
“Thor,” Deryn called.
Thor turned, draping his arm around my shoulders. “Yeah?”
“Why don't you come play with us?” Deryn asked, his eyes glued to the hand on my shoulder.
“No, thanks,” Thor said and sat, pulling me against his side as he did.
Deryn's eyes shifted and his fists clenched.
“So, you gave him a mating crystal, but haven't sealed it yet?” Thor asked in a whisper in my ear. “Why not?”
I blushed and turned away. “None of your business.”
“Thor,” Deryn growled. “Stop pushing me.”
Thor sighed and pulled his arm away. “You're no fun.”
I stood, grabbed Thor's hand, and led him down the stands. “Come on, I need to talk to you.”
Deryn growled but didn't follow.
I let the door slam shut behind us, then exhaled and leaned my forehead against Thor's arm. “Damn him,” I whispered.
“What's up, Jo? Why is he acting crazy again?” Thor asked.
“I'm not one hundred percent sure, but it's probably a couple things lumped together,” I said softly.
“Did you really need to talk to me?” he asked.
I shook my head and started walking towards the back of the pack's territory. “No. I just needed to get out of there. Sorry for dragging you with me.”
“Don't apologize. If you need me, I'm here. For anything,” he said and waggled his eyebrows.
I laughed and punched his arm. “Knock it off.”
He laughed and draped his arm around my shoulders again. “So, what's new? What's happened since I last saw you two months ago?”
Two months? Had it really been that long?
“Not much. I've been really busy with work and the guys have been really busy with their clans.”
“So, not much alone time?” he asked.
“No,” I admitted. “It's partially their fault. Ever since that night, they haven't wanted to be apart for more than a few hours.”
“Jo, they lost you. They lost their bond with you, felt it sever. You almost died afterwards and there was nothing they could do about it. It's not something you can just get over.”
I knew that.
“It wasn't a picnic for me either,” I muttered.
He squeezed my shoulders. “Just give them a break. And mate with them!”
I cringed. “I know.”
Thor hugged me and rubbed my back. “It’ll be okay, Jo. I’m here, so you can call on me if you need me.”
I returned his hug, then pulled back, feeling Deryn’s anger. “He’s behind me, isn’t he?”
Thor smirked. “A hundred yards and closing.”
“I’ll text you later, okay?” I asked.
He nodded, kissed my cheek, then walked off.
Deryn’s anger decreased as he stopped by me. “What did you two talk about?” he asked.
I turned and arched an eyebrow. “Now you’re talking to me?”
He stepped forward and rested his head on top of mine but said nothing.
“If my dreams are premonitions, I don’t know what to do. If it comes to pass…” I couldn’t finish that sentence.
He slid his hands up my arms and whispered, “Baby, you’ve had nightmares since we met you. Why are these different?”
“They just feel different. They feel real. They don’t feel like normal nightmares.”
“When we get home, will you please tell us the full dream?”
I gripped his shirt and pulled myself closer to him. “Yes.”
He wrapped me up and held me in silence for several minutes. “I love you, baby. I don’t like it when you’re upset and hold shit in instead of talking to us.”
“Can you please release our bond fully?” I asked softly.
“What?” he asked, then I felt it open and sagged into him. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized that I had done that.”
I nodded and stepped back, rubbing my heart.
There was still one bond not open.
“Who else?” Deryn asked and placed his warm hand on my sternum.
“Rhys,” I whispered. “He’s mad at me.”
“Let’s head back. It’s lunch time,” he said, changing the subject rather quickly.
We locked fingers and walked to the house. Being able to touch them in public was nice. It took the edge off the pain when one was closed off to me.
“I’ll be right in. Save me a seat,” Deryn said, letting go of my hand.
I kissed his cheek and walked inside, shutting the door, but stayed by it to eavesdrop.
“Hey, asshole,” Deryn said on the phone to whoever he called. “You’re hurting her.” There was a pause then he growled, “You closed your bond, idiot.”
Rhys released the bond and I felt his worry and apology. I staggered forward and caught myself against the wall while my knees wobbled. His emotions were always so much stronger than the others.
Deryn walked in and rushed to my side. “Jolie?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I whispered. “Rhys opened our bond and it caught me off guard.”
He helped me up and wiped a tear away from my cheek with his thumb. “We’re all still getting used to the bonds. They aren’t the same as our warrior bonds.”
“I know,” I whispered. “Then we’ll be adding our full mating bonds on top of that.”
“So, you still plan to mate with us?” he asked.
I reached up and touched the crystal embedded under his eye. “Yes. We’ve all been busy and haven’t had alone time with the right circumstances to seal them.”
He nodded. “I know. It’s still nice to hear it.”
“I’m sorry. I should have made it a priority—”
He silenced me with a kiss and smiled. “It’s alright. We know we will be your mates eventually.”
I touched the stone again. “Yeah, but people already think—”
“Good,” he said adamantly. “Soon we will get yours finished.”
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