Royally Elected

by Catherine Banks

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I—”

  The elf hugged me and stroked my hair. “Don’t worry. We will figure out a plan.”

  I melted against him, his body warm and his embrace…loving.

  Another body wrapped around me from behind and without looking, I knew it was the wolf.

  Every instinct told me to stay, but my brain forced me to jump away from them.

  “No,” I whispered, my body shaking with need to touch them. “I don’t know you. You can’t hold me or touch me in such a manner.”

  “Does it feel like you don’t know us?” the dragon asked. He reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away, but I stayed still. He set his hand against my cheek and I leaned into it. “We are all connected,” he whispered, then bent and brushed a feather light kiss across my lips.

  Desire speared through me. My hands wrapped around the base of his neck and pulled him closer. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me again, this time hard and fierce, his tongue sweeping across mine.

  He tasted like…home.

  I jerked away and held a hand out, warding him off. “No! No. We aren’t supposed to do anything like that until you win the Gauntlet.” Backing up, I hit the lever and the wall opened.

  “Don’t go,” the wolf begged, his eyes pleading and filled with sorrow.

  “I’m sorry,” I gasped, hot tears splashing down my cheeks. I stepped back into the passageway and hit the button, closing the wall before they could get to me. I ran, my hand over my mouth to hold in the sobs. Once back in my room, with the wall closed tight, I collapsed on my bed and cried.

  Kissing the dragon had felt right, familiar. It didn’t feel like it was my first kiss, but my hundredth with him.

  Were they right? Were they my mates? Or was this some type of ploy to trick me into trusting them?

  They hadn’t seemed to be acting. Their reactions had been too real, too pained to be faked.

  If that was true, what did that mean? Was someone else manipulating me?

  They said it was Brayden, but I refused to believe that.

  I shook my head back and forth hard.

  No, it couldn’t be Brayden. He would never do something like that to me.

  Would he?

  He had been acting strange and had been so adamant about me not spending time with the four princes. Was he trying to keep us apart so I wouldn’t discover that I was connected to them?

  After changing into pajamas, I lay beneath my covers and touched my lips. The kiss had definitely been enjoyable.

  Brayden stopped by later that night, but I ignored his knocking. The door unlocked, and I tensed. Since when did he have a key to my room?

  He bent over me and kissed my cheek. “Sleep well, Jolie. Soon, we will be mates. And, those princes will be gone for good.”

  Gone?

  Brayden pulled my blanket up higher and I snuggled down into them, keeping my eyes closed, feigning sleep. He stayed a bit longer, then finally left. He was going to hurt them. I had to stop him.

  At lunch, the princes joined Brayden and I again. They didn’t act any different than they had been, thankfully, so Brayden was still left in the dark.

  “Any plans today?” I asked Brayden as I ate a piece of fruit.

  “I have some business with the Elders to attend to,” he said.

  “Would it be alright if I stayed behind?” I asked. “It’s so boring.”

  He eyed the princes, but they were all very interested in their food at the moment.

  “Very well. You may stay, but I need you to stay in your room with guards outside your doors and you not to let anyone inside. Understood?” Brayden said.

  “Awfully pushy for a guard to his princess,” one of them muttered, but I couldn’t tell which one.

  “I understand and agree,” I said to Brayden, acting like I hadn’t heard the prince. “Thank you. I want to finish that book I started yesterday.”

  “Are you finished eating?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “I will escort you to your room then,” he said and held out his hand.

  I let him help me stand out of my chair, then slid my arm through his with a smile I hoped was warm. “Always the gentleman,” I said and tugged him towards the door. “Let’s go, so you can get to your meeting. I know you’ll be there for hours, since any meeting with the Elders takes at least three.”

  Brayden sighed. “I fear this one might take four or five.”

  “Anything I should know?” I asked him, stepping out of the room and into the hallway without looking back at the princes, despite the burning urge to do so.

  “No, it’s nothing important. They just like to discuss things for hours at a time, no matter how trivial,” Brayden said.

  Brayden stationed two guards outside my room and waited until I closed and locked my door before leaving.

  I waited five more minutes before slipping out of my room and into the secret passageway. My nerves were fried by the time I reached the elf prince’s room, my hands shaking slightly.

  “Rhys, calm down,” the elf said. “It’s hard for all of us to see her touch him.”

  “It’s all an act,” the wolf said. “Didn’t you see her flinch when touching him?”

  “It was super subtle, but she did,” the mage said.

  I knocked twice on the wall, then activated the switch and smiled at them. The dragon was looking out the patio doors and the other three sat around a table in the center of the room. Things were thrown around, like someone had a tantrum.

  “Hi,” I said nervously.

  “We weren’t sure you’d show,” the mage said.

  After closing the secret door, I faced them and said, “I don’t believe you yet, about us being mates, but you’re in danger. I don’t know what he is planning, but Brayden intends to hurt or kill you.”

  The elf pulled out a chair at the table and waved me forward. I sat, and he kissed my cheek before taking his own seat.

  “We know,” the dragon said, still looking out the doors. “We are prepared for his attack.”

  “I want to stop him, but I don’t know how. He keeps hiding me away from the others and won’t even let me talk to the Elders without him. There’s no reason for that, except if he is hiding things from me.”

  “We appreciate you wanting to help, but we want you to just stay safe,” the elf said. “We wouldn’t have let you come here like this, except it’s taking a toll on us not to have physical contact with you.”

  Their eyes were bloodshot, which was abnormal for Others.

  I stood, walked to the elf, and slowly set my hand on his cheek.

  His eyelids fluttered closed and he exhaled a shaky breath. I reached over with my other hand to touch the mage’s neck, since he was the next closest.

  He set his hand atop mine and sighed with a smile on his face, then closed his eyes.

  “Come on,” I coaxed the wolf and dragon who were staring at me. “I only have two hands, but you can come touch me. In appropriate places.”

  They didn’t hesitate, both walking to me and putting a hand on each of my arms.

  Joy and love surrounded my heart and I felt our connection.

  “We really are mates,” I whispered in shock. How were the bonds blocked? Why would Brayden do that? Why would he make me forget my mates?

  “Yes, my love. We are,” the wolf whispered in my ear.

  I leaned back against the wolf and dragon and let their love surround and fill me. We had to stop Brayden. No matter what.

  “You should return to your room,” the dragon whispered against my hair.

  “Five more minutes,” I whispered back.

  The elf pressed his hand over mine on his cheek and with all four touching my skin, I felt happy and content for the first time in weeks.

  What was I going to do?

  “I don’t want you to leave,” the mage whispered, “but we can’t risk him finding out you know. The last two times you broke part of his spell, he made
it worse, to the point that you didn’t even know us.”

  “What?” I asked in disbelief.

  “It’s too much to explain right now,” the mage said. “Just, trust us. We’re working on a plan and we know that he is likely to attack us or send people after us. We aren’t weak and we work together, so none of us will be caught unaware or alone.” He stood from his chair and the others retreated a step back, so only the mage was touching me or in my line of sight. “Please, Jolie, stay safe. We can protect you, but not while you’re with him, away from us. Would you consider letting me stay in your room with you?”

  “He’ll see you when he comes in the morning,” I said, swallowing roughly.

  “I can use an invisibility spell,” the mage explained.

  I shook my head and chewed on my lip. “I didn’t want to tell you, but…he has a key to my room. I don’t know when he had one made or how he got it, but last night when I didn’t answer him because I was pretending to sleep, he unlocked my door and came in.”

  All of them tensed. I felt the tension in the room like a blanket pulled over my head.

  “Did he touch you?” the dragon asked quietly.

  I didn’t like the way he spoke. I didn’t like this quiet side of him. “No. He kissed my forehead, but he didn’t touch me in appropriately.”

  “If he tries, or if you feel that you’re in danger with him, scream and I’ll come,” the mage said.

  “We’ll all come with him,” the wolf promised. “If you’re in trouble, the four of us will come protect you.”

  “I wish the Gauntlet was here already, so we could just get this shit over with,” I grumbled and leaned my forehead against the mage’s chest.

  He slid his fingers into my hair and gripped the back of my head. “Me too, love. Me too.”

  The other three joined us again, all touching me where they could, and we stood like that for another couple of minutes.

  “I need to get back,” I whispered.

  “Do you want me to teleport you back?” the mage asked.

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  “Wait,” the wolf said. He leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Goodnight, Jolie.”

  “Night,” I whispered.

  The elf and dragon gave me kisses as well, all of them feather light and sweet. It drove me crazy.

  The mage linked our fingers together and then teleported us into my room. I tensed, waiting for Brayden to jump out and catch us, but he didn’t. Everything was quiet.

  “Thank you,” I whispered to the mage. “Thank you for caring for me.”

  He kissed me and leaned his forehead against mine, our noses barely touching and whispered, “I love you, more than anything else in the world. I lost you once and I won’t lose you again. Stay safe, my queen.” He kissed me again, then disappeared.

  What did he mean that he had lost me once?

  I ate dinner alone, mulling over everything, then sat in silence in my room until I was exhausted and ready to sleep.

  I went to bed and my dreams were filled with the princes, my mates, and when I woke, I knew they were not dreams, but memories.

  Chapter 10

  “Welcome!” the announcer yelled. “This is the first Gauntlet in over thirty years!”

  The crowd cheered, and I shifted nervously on my throne. Dad sat beside me on his throne, a huge smile on his face.

  The arena was located on the outskirts of Atlantis and rose more than two hundred feet high on the outside. The inner walls were over eighty feet high. It was oval shaped, with a raised platform on the southern side. Dad and my thrones sat on the raised platform, giving us the ability to see the entire arena easily. Plus, it separated us from the citizens.

  The attendee seats were filled, which wasn’t surprising since not much happened in Atlantis. This was the most interesting thing to happen in decades.

  The four outsiders stood in the center of the arena, side by side, with Brayden a bit away from them. Brayden had his trident in one hand, the base resting on the sandy arena floor.

  “Who do you think will win?” Dad asked.

  “The four newcomers,” I answered honestly.

  Dad looked over at me. “Them? You don’t think Brayden will win?”

  “I hope not,” I whispered.

  Dad’s eyes widened, but I put my finger to my lips and shook my head. This was not the place to discuss this.

  “The first event is a race,” the announcer said. “The race will begin here, go to the fountain in Shelnam, and then return to the stadium.” The announcer showed the participants and attendees a bird’s eye view of the path.

  The mage raised his hand and asked, “Is magic permitted?”

  “I’m getting there,” the announcer grumbled. “The rules for the race are as follows: no killing and no involving anyone not part of the race.”

  The mage smiled and cracked his knuckles.

  My other three mates stretched and jogged in place to warm up. Brayden’s trident shrank down to pen size and he put it in his pocket.

  Well, now we knew where he kept it. I never knew it shrank like that.

  “Get ready,” the announcer called.

  The wolf shifted into his warrior form and stood ready at the line. The dragon let wings out of his back and stood between the wolf and mage. The elf’s body glowed when he took his place.

  Brayden’s eyes widened as he looked at them, and I saw worry for the first time. He hadn’t been able to compare himself to anyone aside from other Atlantis inhabitants. He had no idea what these four princes were capable of.

  “On your marks!”

  They all stood at attention, except the mage who was examining his fingernails.

  “Get set!”

  Their bodies tensed. The entire arena was silent as the audience sat in rapt attention.

  “Go!”

  A horn blew and all took off without the mage. He looked up at me, winked, then snapped his fingers. One moment he was in the arena, the next he was at the fountain in Shelnam, then with one more snap, he stood back in the arena, just a step before the finish line.

  Teleportation!

  I tore my eyes away from him to find Brayden just making it to Shelnam, a rather impressive time by Atlantis comparisons. The others, however, were already running back into the arena. He was no match for them in speed, it seemed. The four friends crossed the finish line side by side, so that they were all first place and Brayden came in last. Brayden panted and a scowled at the four smiling princes.

  “The four princes win with a tie,” the announcer said, disbelief coloring his tone.

  I restrained from cheering, despite the urge to do so.

  “Next is a battle,” the announcer said, coming back to his usual character. “Weapons and magic are permitted. No killing. If you kill your opponent, you’re disqualified. Winner will be by knockout, yield, or incapacitation. I have the right to stop the battle if I think the person is incapable of protecting themselves.”

  Brayden pulled out his trident and the crowd cheered. The elf and wolf drew swords from seemingly thin air, while the dragon shifted into warrior form, and the mage made a staff appear from the center of one palm.

  “Ready?” the announcer asked.

  The five males raised their arms in acknowledgement.

  “Begin!”

  Brayden raised his trident and pointed it at the four standing across from him. They didn’t move. He smiled victoriously and walked towards them with his trident still raised.

  “It appears Brayden has frozen them!” the announcer yelled as the crowd cheered loudly.

  Brayden moved closer and still the four didn’t move.

  “No,” I whispered. This couldn’t be it. They couldn’t lose so easily!

  The mage tilted his head to look at me and he smiled.

  Brayden moved to stab the mage, who was still looking at me, but his trident hit an invisible wall.

  The mage turned to face Brayden and said, “You caught me
off guard with that once. I’m not stupid enough to fall for it again.”

  The wolf and dragon raced forward together, attacking Brayden simultaneously. They moved around each other with no sounds and yet never bumped into each other. They ducked when one swung, or jumped when needed, with no verbal communication. Had they known each other a long time and just knew how the other fought? Or did they have some type of mental communication?

  Brayden tried to freeze them with his trident’s power, but the mage was protecting them. He fought back, but he couldn’t defeat two of them. His eyes flicked to me and suddenly my legs were moving, carrying me away from the throne I had been sitting on. I walked to the edge of the raised platform, over two hundred feet above the arena floor.

  The elf looked up and his eyes widened when he saw me. “Rhys, switch!” he yelled.

  The dragon, Rhys, spun and raced back, while the elf ran past him to attack Brayden.

  I stepped forward and fell.

  People screamed.

  I screamed.

  Rhys leapt into the sky with newly sprouted wings and caught me. “I got you, baby.”

  I clutched him and gasped for air. “He…he tried to kill me!”

  “He knew we’d be distracted and want to protect you,” Rhys said and set me back before my throne. “He just didn’t know it wouldn’t help him.”

  I sat down and Dad reached over to squeeze my arm.

  Rhys bowed to me and flew back down to the fight, his entire body rigid with anger. He landed behind Brayden and shifted into a huge dragon. He roared, and fire spewed from his mouth, covering the entire arena, including his friends.

  People screamed again.

  Had he killed the other three? Had he murdered his friends just to kill Brayden?

  The fire disappeared, and my three mates stood, unscathed, bathed in a silver light. The mage must have protected them.

  Brayden lay on the ground, water surrounding him in a protective spell all sirens knew. The left side of his face was burnt as were his clothes.

  Rhys reverted back to his human form and said, “Next time you try to hurt my mate, I’ll swallow you whole.”

  The water evaporated in a wisp and Brayden moaned.