Royally Elected

by Catherine Banks

  “He’s trying to free me from them,” I sobbed.

  Leona set her hand on my head and whispered, “If that were true, why isn’t he here?”

  There was logic to her words.

  “Let me help you,” Leona whispered.

  I looked up into my friend’s eyes and asked, “Who can I believe?”

  She smiled and asked, “Have I ever let you down?”

  No. No she hadn’t.

  She bent down and whispered in my ear, “Fuck you, Douchebag. She’s not yours and never will be. Run and hide, because once we find you, you won’t survive.”

  Kill her!

  No. I wouldn’t kill Leona.

  Leona began singing again, her words sliding into my skull and slithering around my brain. It should have felt wrong, but it felt nice. Her powers wrapped around a piece of something in my mind and her voice rose. The louder she sang, the tighter it wrapped, until it snapped the foreign piece and my mind became its own once again.

  Free. I was finally free of Brayden.

  I lay on the grass, letting my brain re-acclimate to what was real, what was truth. Brayden had used his powers on me from far away. He had been able to convince me that my mates were manipulating me and needed to die. I had hurt them. I had almost killed one of my mates!

  “Nico!” I screamed, jumped up, and ran towards him.

  Johann stepped between us and snarled, “I'm going to kill you.”

  Nico lifted his hand and knocked his dad out of my way. “Try it and I'll kill you,” Nico threatened Johann.

  I didn’t deserve to be defended by him. I rushed to his side, tears streaming down my face, and reached out to touch his cheeks. “I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry, Nico. I almost killed you. I was going to kill you. Please tell me you're alright. Please don't die on me.”

  “He's going to be fine,” Katar said and knelt behind Nico. “Kara is on her way and she's going to fix him up.”

  I turned to Deryn and cringed at his clawed-up arm. “I'm so sorry. I know saying it doesn't help or change anything, but I really am sorry. I can't believe I did all this. I can't believe I hurt you so badly.”

  Deryn pulled me into his chest with one arm around me and whispered, “You gave us a really big scare. I wasn't sure if we would be able to stop you.”

  “I'm sorry,” I whispered into his chest and sobbed.

  “We know,” Rhys whispered behind me. “We can feel you again with our bonds.”

  “How was he able to tamper with our bonds?” I asked, not moving from Deryn's hold.

  “He didn't touch the bonds, just blocked them,” Johann said with a deep frown.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Rhys.

  He nodded.

  “Fox?”

  He nodded too.

  “Are you alright?” Leona asked me.

  I stepped out of Deryn's embrace to hug Leona. “Thank you. You saved me.”

  “You saved us all,” Nico wheezed.

  “Stop talking,” I ordered him. His mouth snapped shut and my hands flew to my face. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to order you. You can talk, just please don't. I don't want you hurting any more than you already are.”

  “Calm down,” Nico whispered and smirked at me. “I'm not dead.”

  “Jojo, are you alright?” Leona asked again.

  I nodded. “I'm fine. You destroyed whatever that was in my head. Now, I'm free of Brayden.”

  “I really am going to kill him,” Deryn said.

  “Get in line,” Nico grunted.

  “Will he be able to do this again?” Dan asked.

  I turned and fresh tears appeared in my eyes. I dropped to my knees and bowed to them. “Please forgive me.”

  “Stop it,” Dan ordered me. “You didn't do anything wrong. You were being controlled by that jerk.” Dan pulled me up and hugged me.

  “You really did save us,” Rhys said to Leona. “Thank you.”

  “You've definitely improved in your fighting,” Emrys said and patted my back. “I'm very impressed.”

  I chuckled and wiped at my tear stained face. “Thanks.”

  “Alright, who am I healing?” Kara asked as she walked into the park.

  “Nico first,” Johann said.

  Kara patted my cheek as she walked by and knelt in front of Nico. “Did you piss off an elf?” she asked him with a smirk.

  “No, just my mate,” Nico said and chuckled, then started coughing and wheezing.

  “Let's get you patched up,” Kara said.

  “Will you be able to heal him fully?” I asked her.

  She smiled. “Do not worry, Daughter, he will be fully healed and just in need of rest.”

  “How do we prevent this from happening again?” Johann asked Leona.

  “I'm going to teach her how to protect herself,” Leona answered.

  “Can you teach us how to protect ourselves?” Dan asked. “I don't want that asshole messing with us either.”

  Leona nodded. “Yes.”

  “When did you learn those songs?” I asked softly.

  “A few years ago. I'll teach you some,” Leona promised.

  “I don't think her learning new songs is a good idea,” Johann grumbled.

  “It's better for her to learn all of our songs and abilities,” Leona argued.

  “I disagree,” Johann argued back.

  “Good thing you don't get a say,” Rhys growled.

  “We should all have a say. A siren, especially an empath, is dangerous. Look at what she did today, even untrained. Think about what she will be able to do once she is trained!” Johann yelled.

  “Dad, shut the fuck up!” Nico snapped. “It's better if she is trained. Just like it's better for a mage to be trained.”

  “If you weren't injured, I'd kick your ass,” Johann said with a scowl.

  “Try me,” Nico threatened. “I've been wanting to kick your ass for months.”

  “Boys,” Kara chastised. “I'm not going to heal you just so you can fight each other.”

  “Your son has had a very bad day,” Katar reminded Johann. “Today is not the best day to test his patience.”

  Johann glared at me once more, then teleported away.

  “How did you know to come here?” I asked Dan.

  “We felt our sons freaking out and rushed to them, assuming something was happening to you,” Emrys said.

  “There, all healed,” Kara said and stood.

  Nico stood up and I took a tentative step towards him. He pulled me into a tight hug and rubbed my back. “I’m fine, Jolie.”

  I clutched his shirt and sniffled. “I’m sorry.”

  “Stop,” he ordered me.

  I obeyed, leaning into him and letting him hold me.

  “So, where am I staying? Not that this park isn’t beautiful, but I’d prefer to have a house to sleep in,” Leona said.

  “Let’s go get some food,” Deryn suggested.

  “Come to our house and I’ll cook you some food. And, I’ll whip up a special potion for Nico,” Kara offered.

  “Sounds great,” I agreed.

  Nico offered to teleport us, but Kara refused, stating he needed to rest. So, we waited for drivers to pick us up and take us.

  “How did you find us?” I asked Leona.

  “You started singing before a barrier was put up. So, I went in the direction the song had come from. It led me here,” she explained.

  “If we’d known you were coming today, we would have had someone meet you at the station,” Deryn said.

  Leona shrugged her shoulders. “I like exploring places and don’t get enough exercise normally.”

  “Where is Leona staying?” I asked Nico, whose arms I hadn’t left. “I would offer for you to stay with me in my apartment, but I don’t have a spare room.”

  “She is going to stay in Deryn’s spare room,” Nico explained.

  “Speaking of houses,” Dan said. “Are you going to stay in those apartments now that you’re mated? Or are you going to buy a sing
le house?”

  I had been wondering that as well, but kept forgetting to bring it up.

  “What do you want to do?” Nico asked me, peering at me sideways.

  “It would be nice to have a single house for all of us to be in together,” I said. “But, with individual rooms still.”

  “Where would we buy or build it?” Deryn asked.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted.

  “We could buy some land in a neutral area,” Fox suggested.

  “What about a beach home?” I asked. “I know the sirens own some land not too far from Jinla along the beach.”

  “We could have several homes,” Fox said. “I have one home and—”

  “Where would our main home be?” Rhys asked, interrupting Fox.

  “Actually,” Dan said, getting our attention. “I already bought you guys some property.”

  “What?” we all asked at the same time.

  He rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. “I was going to give it to you as an anniversary present. It’s right outside Jinla, in neutral territory.”

  “How much land?” Deryn asked.

  “Fifty acres,” Dan answered.

  “Fifty!” I gasped. “Why so much?”

  “Well, if you do have kids, they’re going to need room to run around and play,” Dan said.

  “And it gives us lots of space to build a karting track!” Deryn yelled.

  “Real life karting?” I gasped. “Sign me up!”

  “I’ll pull up some maps and pictures while we are eating,” Dan said with a happy smile.

  I hugged him and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best father-in-law ever.”

  “I heard that!” Katar and Emrys yelled.

  I chuckled and the guys laughed too.

  “What would you like to eat?” Kara asked.

  “Fudge!” I yelled.

  Everyone laughed.

  “You can’t eat fudge for a meal,” Fox scolded me.

  “Why not?” I pouted.

  “How about I make a surprise meal?” Kara offered.

  “That would be best,” Rhys said.

  Our drivers arrived and we all traveled to the elf’s territory where Kara cooked a huge banquet. Everyone ate and laughed and spent time together.

  We had to find our enemies soon and kill them. But, at least we had each other. Leona fit in perfectly and it was like she had always been part of our group. She teased the guys more than I did, and it was nice to have another girl around.

  Life was hard, but with friends at my side, I knew I could get through any situation.

  Epilogue

  Nico and I stepped into Deryn’s apartment to find Leona and Deryn locked in an intense karting battle. I’d introduced Leona to video games and she had become as obsessed as me.

  Nico wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me back against him. I listened to his steady heartbeat and it relaxed me.

  After I’d almost killed him, I had spent a few days attached to his hip. Thankfully, the others hadn’t been bothered by it, understanding my need to be with him. I still apologized when I thought about it, but he always reassured me he didn’t blame me. I had been under mind control after all.

  The game ended with Deryn winning by throwing a shell at Leona right at the finish line. Deryn cheered.

  Leona groaned. “I’ll get you one day,” she promised.

  “Time to go,” I said, drawing their attention to me.

  Leona jogged to me and pulled me from Nico’s grip to hug me. “Hey.”

  I hugged her back and smiled. “Hey.”

  She punched Nico’s shoulder as she walked by him, and out the door. The guys had been a little worried about another girl living with us, but like me, Leona had grown up surrounded by males and quickly became just another “guy” in the group.

  Plus, she was one of my best friends and respected that they were my mates. They would never stray from me, and she would never try to make them. Besides, they weren’t the one she had her eye on.

  Once outside the building, we all smiled at Thor who waited by the SUV for us. Instead of returning to his previous job, he’d opted to stay as our driver and bodyguard. Martin had accepted a less dangerous job within the pack, at my urging. Thor said he stayed because he wanted to ensure I was as protected as possible, since both Brayden and Justina were on the loose.

  “Hey, Thor,” Leona said in a husky tone, her chest puffed up a bit more than normal and her shirt dipped down, exposing more of her cleavage than it already had been.

  His eyes dipped for a brief moment, then he met her gaze. “Hello, Leona.”

  “Just ask her out already,” Nico whispered as we climbed into the SUV.

  Thor growled softly but made no comment.

  We were finally going to see our new house. Rhys and the others had explored the land Dan had purchased for us, and picked out the place our house would be built. Then, Rhys had forbidden us from returning. He drew up the designs and plans for the house and wanted to surprise us all once it was done being built.

  “What if it’s just a big penis?” Leona asked me.

  I snorted. “Maybe if Deryn had drawn it.”

  Deryn pouted. “Rude.”

  “Where’s Foxfire?” Thor asked.

  “He’s meeting us there. He had something to take care of with the elves,” I answered.

  Deryn and Nico sat on either side of me, each of their legs touching mine. Deryn draped his arm behind me. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m excited. I hate moving but moving into our forever home is worth it. Plus, it will be nice to be in our own house, away from the media.”

  “Oh, shit! Speaking of media,” Thor said. He blindly grabbed for a remote in the center console, then hit a couple buttons. A TV screen flipped down from the roof of the SUV. The screen turned on, showing Dad and Sam standing before a podium with a dozen or so microphones strapped to it, and cameras flashing from the room before them.

  “Greetings, I am King Dalton of the Sirens. I come before you today with several declarations. First, yes, it is true that Jolie, Princess of the Four Clans of Jinla, is my daughter and Princess of the Sirens. She has given up her title as heir due to her already heavy responsibilities with the other four clans. She has a set of wonderful mates, and I am very proud of the woman she has become and the things she has, and will, accomplish.” He set his hand on Sam’s shoulder and smiled. “Sam is our new heir. He is devoted to the Sirens and is one of Jolie’s most trusted friends.”

  The media began yammering, but Dad held up his hand and they quieted.

  “Sam and I will be rejoining the Summit next year and apologize for our inactivity the past two decades. We will no longer turn a blind eye to the darkness that is spreading. It is time for all races to work together and bring peace and prosperity to all corners of the world.”

  “King Dalton,” a reporter called out. “Is Jolie still banished from Atlantis and no longer princess?”

  Dad smiled, his eyes full of love and joy. “My daughter is no longer banished. She and her mates are welcome to visit us at any time. And, she is, and always will be, our princess.”

  “He’s going to make me cry,” I sniffled.

  Deryn squeezed my shoulders and Nico patted my leg.

  “Why was she banished? Did she break your laws?” another reporter asked.

  “Sometimes, we do things as parents, thinking it will be for the best of our kids. Then, we realize we were wrong and must ask for forgiveness. My daughter has forgiven me, and I will do all I can to ensure all Sirens are protected and given the best opportunity to excel in the future.”

  “That’s all the time we have,” Sam said, stepping forward. “Thank you.”

  Thor hit the button and the TV flipped back up. I leaned my head back, looking at the roof of the SUV. It was insane to think about how different my life had been a year ago. So much had happened. So much had changed.

  We tur
ned down a road that had recently been paved, but were stopped by Rhys standing in the center of the road.

  We climbed out, and he took my hand in his. “Are you ready, my love?” he asked, then kissed my cheek.

  I nodded, then we all continued down the road on foot. Foxfire jumped out of the tree line next to us in his fox form. He shifted into his human form, kissed my cheek, and feel into step beside me.

  Leona and Thor walked behind us, their arms so close that they no doubt brushed occasionally.

  The trees opened and I gaped at the monstrosity before us.

  It had four floors, what looked like a helipad on the top, but was most likely a place for dragons to land and take off, two massive wood and iron doors, and over forty windows just on the front. It had wood and rock on the outside, making it look like a cottage. A giant cottage.

  “It’s so big and beautiful,” I said, my free hand going to my chest.

  “I’ve heard that a time or two,” Rhys said with a smirk.

  I smacked his arm, then looked up at him. “It really is magnificent. I love it.”

  He kissed me and said, “I’m glad you like it. Come on, check out the interior.”

  “I like it, too,” Fox said.

  Rhys chuckled. “What about you two?” he asked Deryn and Nico.

  “We’re reserving our judgment until we see what it’s got inside,” Deryn replied and Nico nodded in agreement.

  The inside was made to look like a cottage as well, with thick, dark wood beams along the ceilings. The first floor had a huge living room, a game room with enough TVs for six people to have their own consoles, and an area with a huge TV for group games, a room with a pool table and foosball table was beside that room, and then a theater with reclining leather seats and projector. There were also a few guest bedrooms.

  The second floor had all guest bedrooms. The third floor held rooms for each of us, including Leona and two extras, and a room on one side of the house made to fit a bed all five of us could sleep in comfortably or even just relax in. The bathroom was enormous, more of a public bath than a bathroom.

  “What’s on the fourth floor?” I asked while still admiring the bath. He’d even had a spa built in.

  Rhys led me upstairs, pushed open a set of double doors, and I gaped.