Malicious King: A Paranormal Royal Romance (Territorial Mates Book 6)

by Mary E. Twomey

  “I’ll be right there,” I say to them.

  Des frowns. “We should get going. It’s starting soon.”

  “Two minutes,” I tell him, which I know isn’t what he wants to hear, but he’s too much a gentleman to pester me further.

  “As you wish it, Great-grandmum.”

  I gasp, scandalized, as Lilya belts out a laugh we all need to hear. Ronin is his great-grandfather, sure, but tha doesn’t make me…

  I all but push him out the door and then press my back against it, taking the time I need to simply breathe.

  It’s not cold feet tha solders my soles to the floor, but it’s something like it. I want to be with Ronin, obviously, but not like this. This isn’t me.

  As I glance down at the layers of satin, I know this isn’t right. I can’t protect my mate in this nonsense, and we’re about to stand before the territory in the same manner in which the queen was shot at not a month ago. I took an arrow for her then, but could I dart as fast in front of Ronin in this dress if an arrow flew at him?

  I shake my head and reach around to pull at my stays, finally getting them off. The heavy satin falls to the floor, my heels come off, and I quickly slide on the guard uniform I wore when I was in Neutral Territory last week. The black pants stretch well enough for me to scale walls, and are so tight to my skin tha I can see every curve magnified. The beige shirt is just as flexible, with buttons and a collar to make it look more official. The shirt doesn’t tuck in, and stops exactly at my waistline, giving me a far better range of motion in my punches than the black suit I used to wear while guarding Lilya in Drexdenberg ever could.

  My auburn curls are half-up and half-down, pinned by pearl clips tha give me the touch of femininity to go with the athletic look the uniform grants me. Finally I feel like I could fight anyone, climb anything and protect my mate to the best of my ability.

  My combat boots aren’t exactly the heels I’m supposed to wear, but at least I cleaned them yesterday, so they’re not caked in mud.

  When I step into the hallway, Des throws his head back. “Ronin had that red dress specially made for you.”

  I lift my chin, strapping my thigh holster with my dagger on my right leg so everyone can see how well my mate is protected. “Then I’ll wear it for him alone. His safety is more important than looking pretty.”

  When Des makes to protest again, I start walking down the hallway in the direction we’re supposed to be moving.

  Now I’m strutting. “I am who I am, Des. No use pretending I’m a vampire. Best be the shifter they hate, protecting the man they adore. I don’t want to be the bonny lass who seduced their leader; I want to be the woman shielding him. They’ll never love me, but this way, they have the option of respecting my role in safeguarding their treasure.”

  Lilya and Des follow behind me with no further arguments, whispering between themselves as they go over talking points for their speech.

  I keep my head up and shoulders back, but on the inside, my animal is roaring. I’ve been away from my mate for too long. It’s a grand discipline to keep my tensed thighs from running down the hallway like a maniac.

  I tell myself tha Ronin’s fine. No one’s going to try to harm him.

  The lie tastes like vomit, but I swallow it down, hoping beyond hope tha I’m mad, and not completely and totally right.

  Chapter Two

  Coming Clean with Drexdenberg

  Adeline

  Though I’m trying to hold onto my confidence, when we reach the room tha leads to the balcony, I’m certain I’ve lost my hold on whatever was keeping my chin from dipping and my eyes from darting toward the shadows.

  Benny takes a look at me and sighs, knowing me well enough to understand how unlikely it was tha I would ever end up in front of the people in the red dress. “You ready for this, sis?”

  I offer up a brave smile tha I hope doesn’t look like I’ve got terror lurking in my bones. “Of course.”

  It’s when I see Ronin, leafing through his notes near the door tha my façade falls away. Before I know it, I’m running toward him, my chin quivering and all semblance of keeping my cool lost.

  Lalita is sobbing. Like, actually bursts into big crocodile tears because she’s been so desperate for the balm tha is her mate’s presence.

  “Adeline!” Ronin says my name as if he’s been waiting to feel the sound of me on his lips.

  He drops his notes without a second thought and opens his arms to me, welcoming my body to crash into his. The noise he makes when we’re engulfed in each other is a cry tha sounds like a man who’s been given a brief reprieve from torture.

  “That was too long,” he chides us both. Perhaps he’s scolding the world itself for designing such a flawed system wherein I have to train my animal to be apart from him for whole hours at a time. Though he’s not a shifter, he’s just as ravenous for me as Lalita and I are for him.

  We’re supposed to be readying to present ourselves to the territory, but the kiss takes over before either of us can stop ourselves. It’s desperate and messy, and probably too forceful, but neither of us are willing to slow down for decorum or breath.

  “Are ye alright?” I ask between kisses, my hands roving over his body to check for signs of any misdeeds aimed at my mate. “I’ve been going mad, thinking all sorts of ways someone might want to hurt ye. Tell me, Ronin. Are ye well?”

  “No!” he exclaims, tangling his fingers in my waves so he can kiss his way down my neck. “I don’t want this much space between us. Please, Addy. No more. We can work on training Lalita to calm down another time. Too much is changing. It’s better when we can puzzle through it all together.”

  My back is pressed to the wall while he works my neck in a way tha makes my whole body sing for him. I should care tha I’m making an arse of myself in front of the four shifter soldiers, two vampire soldiers, Benny and the royals, but Lalita is so happy, I have no plans on shushing her any time soon.

  “I couldn’t wear the dress,” I confess. “Lalita’s not happy if she can’t protect ye, and tha gown was too restrictive. I need ye safe more than I need to be trussed up to look like someone I’m not. Are ye angry?”

  “Oh, so angry,” he teases, his grip on my hip hardening while his thumb traces slow circles to show me how at home he is with my body. “Can I see you in it later?”

  “I’ll wear it for ye,” I tell him, and then suck on his lower lip. “Only ye.”

  A low growl starts in his throat tha I can somehow feel vibrating my thighs.

  Benny clears his throat. “It’s time,” he warns us. “You might want to get a grip on yourselves before you go out there.” Then he shrugs. “Or just go out on the balcony and do exactly that. Start making out in front of the territory. That’s pretty much the gist of your speech.”

  Benny’s the only one who can break us out of our haze, but it still takes half a minute of checking each other for errant bumps and maladies tha may have happened while we were apart.

  My animal will calm down. She will. Not today, granted, but at some point.

  Ronin fixes my hair from its ravishing while I straighten his lavender bowtie and run my hands over his light gray pinstriped suit, sneaking in kisses quiet enough tha they won’t vex Benny. “Are you ready for this?”

  “Not even a little. Let’s do it.”

  He taps underneath my chin, lifting my posture so my shoulders automatically fall back. “You are my queen. Never forget that.”

  My heart pounds as Benny opens the double doors, ushering in the roars of too many crowds.

  Then he moves back to stand near me, murmuring all the things my poor boss obsesses about tha finally, he’s comfortable sharing with me.

  “Three dozen vampires left in our army. That’s not enough.”

  I posture next to him. “I’d rather have a few trustworthy soldiers than a whole battalion of men fighting for different things, or fighting for the wrong thing. What’s left are the vampires who showed up to work because th
ey believe in protecting Drexdenberg from danger. They aren’t wearing a uniform to further a personal vendetta against another race.”

  He nods once, but I can tell his mind is still racing.

  One of the soldiers on the balcony is too far from Ronin to be of much help, so Benny stalks up to rectify the situation.

  Ronin steps out to cheers. He doesn’t bother waving because he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t care if the people like him. They respect him, and tha’s all he requires of the masses. He greets them with a heartfelt thanks for breaking up their nights for his announcement.

  “I haven’t given you enough credit, Drexdenberg. I thought you would do nothing but rebel against the uniting of the territories, but so many of you have spoken out against the senseless hate. There are whole factions of you welcoming our first wave of shifters into your homes, spending your time making them feel like our home is theirs, and rebuking anyone who would come up against your new countrymen.”

  It’s a lie, and I’ll not apologize for it. I helped him construct the farce. I want the hatred to be out of fashion, and acceptance to be viewed as the thing lots of people are doing, even though there are, in reality, probably only a handful of vampires who don’t want to see the shifters deported. Never mind tha we’re legal citizens of Drexdenberg now; they want us gone.

  Ronin delivers the fib with finesse, convincing the territory tha they’re amazing for creating a safe place for shifters. “Some might have said the vampires can’t progress with the pace of the world. They’ve grumbled that we would always be stuck in our ways, but we’ve shown the world that we are pioneers of innovation.”

  The confused clapping turns determined now. Whether or not they are on board with shifters being here, they now want to be the best territory ever. If tha means making Drexdenberg safe for shifters, they’ll do tha thing.

  Or at least claim they’re doing it.

  “Such is my confidence that we are in a new reign of peace that I’ve decided vampires should lead the way once again. Since we’re allies with the fae and the shifters, we’ve no need for a militia. Our army has officially been disbanded.” He waits for the confused head-tilts, holding onto the balcony’s edge before he continues. “There is no one to fight because we are marching into an age of harmony your fearless queen has constructed. Attempting to keep our land safe from enemy hands is a fool’s journey that never ends. But turning your enemies into allies is the move of the wise visionary who can see past the end of his own nose. My kin are nothing if they are not wise.”

  “I should be delivering this part,” Lilya says to Des. They’re standing a little in front of me, waiting for their turn to step out onto the balcony and add their show of support to this new direction. “It’s not right for us to put this on Ronin.”

  “They trust him,” Des counters. “You know that we don’t have the trust capital built up to suggest something so radical.”

  “Because I’m a tricky fae,” she grouses, and I feel her pain. Fae are known for being liars and always up to something, so it makes sense for Ronin to handle all the major moves forward. They’ll hate the push less if it comes from him.

  Plus, I mean, he’s devastatingly sexy.

  “It’s about what’s best for the territory,” I remind her, leaning forward. “Everyone in this castle knows it’s a group decision every time something like this happens. If it’ll sound sweeter coming from Ronin, pride isn’t worth the gamble of this going poorly.”

  Her mouth pulls to the side. “Oh, fine. But it’s demeaning. As if I’m not qualified to address my own people.” Sadness shades her eyes. “After all this time, they still don’t see me as theirs.”

  Des curls an arm around her waist and kisses her temple. “You belong here. You’re married to a natural citizen of Drexdenberg. You’ve pledged your allegiance to peace. Your address is in vampire territory—one of them, anyway. They will understand when they’re ready.”

  I sincerely hope he’s right.

  Though, I’ve never been one to have loads of friends, so the fact tha I’m about to anger the entire territory by seducing their beloved monarch isn’t going to gain or lose me any popularity points. There’s nothing to lose when you’re scraping the bottom. And there’s nothing to gain if your best efforts will never change a person’s view of ye.

  Ronin’s speech swells at just the right moments as Des and Lilya step out into the moonlight. The torches on either end of the balcony are lit, making them look like they’re aglow with the light of new ideas and good breeding.

  Des waves to the people because, while Ronin’s the monarch they respect and fear, Des is the cad they adore. He’s the puppy who can go off and marry a fae, and somehow they still find it in their hearts to say, “Well, tha’s Destino.”

  Lilya is the fae whore who tricked the hapless playboy into monogamy. She doesn’t bother waving, but holds her shoulders back to politely demand tha they deal with her presence, because she’s not going anywhere. Though I know her internal battle is fierce, on the outside she is poised and seemingly unaffected. She is too busy advancing the queendom to be bothered by the piddly opinions of small minds.

  I admire her so very much.

  Jays, Ronin. Step back from the balcony. Tha’s dangerous.

  Destino seconds everything Ronin said, and then adds the next bit. “I trust our new allies so much that I am going to entrust my greatest treasure to their care.” Destino’s arm never leaves Lilya. “You’ve seen a shifter take an arrow for your queen. They are loyal and fierce in their protection of hope. We are not just preaching unity; the castle is living it. This week, shifters have come in to guard the throne, and soon, we will add fae guards to the household as well. We know you will show them kindness and respect, because they are leaving their homes to come here. They believe in the vampires so much that they are willing to pack up and live in this new land to help keep it safe for you.”

  Salem trots in, his shoulders tense, as they usually are. “Well, no one’s taken a shot at my wife yet, so the speech is going better than I thought it would.”

  I nod, crossing my arms. “Aye. It’ll be a bumpy road, but at least the road will be traveled.”

  He mirrors my body language, speaking to me as he stares at Lilya’s back. “How’s Lalita?”

  I swallow hard. “It’s an adjustment. She’s dealing.”

  Salem nods once. Everyone keeps giving me advice on what to do about Lalita, but Salem’s the only one who truly understands the torment it is. “How long did ye separate tonight?”

  “An hour? Two?” I reply, the words hollow in my chest. “Every minute past fifteen was too many. Kept getting these awful images of him being thrown down by random assailants. Insane worries tha felt too real to be ignored.” I wave off what I assume he’s going to say. “I know, I know. It’ll get easier.”

  Salem keeps his eyes on Lilya. “No, it won’t. I’m a year in, and my heart stops every time she trips.”

  “Grand,” I drone. “Ronin’s not going to tolerate me being as clingy as Lalita needs. I’m going to drive him away by holding him too close.”

  At this, Salem turns to me, narrowing his eyes. “Ye really think tha? Ye think mating doesn’t change them, too? Lily gets anxious if I’m gone too long, even though she’s got Des and Alex. Granted, her fretting isn’t near as bad as my wolf’s, but it’s there. She’s my mate every bit as much as I am hers. Same goes for Ronin, too.”

  “Ye think so?”

  Salem scoffs. “Ronin’s a cold sadist. Only when he’s around ye does he turn into a person.”

  I cast him a dubious look. “If tha’s supposed to be helpful, it’s not.”

  Salem snorts once where a chuckle should have gone. “My point is tha Ronin’s nearly as mad for ye as Lalita is for him. He’s the most composed man I know, always keeping his thoughts to himself. But since ye came around, he couldn’t calm himself down if he tried. He’s not afraid of your crazy.”

  Clouds, I pray tha’s t
rue.

  Lilya’s voice distracts us from our exchange. “I know many of you tried to stop the criminal who shot an arrow at me during our last address.” Though we know this is an outright lie, she sells it as if the entire queendom is rooting for her happiness, and not her demise. “But only one person actually could. My guard took an arrow for me, risking her life to keep mine safe. She is Drexdenberg, even though she was born a shifter. She’s become one of my closest friends during the time she’s been guarding me. It’s been clear from the start that she would become part of our family.”

  The sugary sentiment is meant to sound like a throwaway smile, but it’s actually a well-orchestrated segue into what I know is going to go over poorly.

  Salem stands at attention, though he has no need to do so. He’s doing it to remind me to represent our people with pride, not apologize for existing.

  I’m supposed to move forward now, but my feet aren’t working properly.

  “Go on,” Salem urges as Lilya continues with her speech about how grand I am—this nameless shifter in the shadows who did one redeemable thing in their eyes.

  I shoot Salem a look of sheer panic, letting my façade down only for him. My terror leaps onto his face because in tha moment, I’m sure he can sense the depths of all tha could go wrong, and all tha’s being placed on my shoulders.

  This wasn’t supposed to be my fight.

  “S’alright, wee kitten. You’ve got your brother right behind ye.”

  I nod once. “Benny’s right there. Aye.”

  “Not Benny. Jays.” He rolls his eyes. “I was talking about me. We’re the same. I’ve got your back, so get on out there.”

  I don’t know how to respond to him saying something so sweet, so he pops me between the shoulders, and finally my feet carry me forward.

  I step out onto the balcony to halfhearted claps. I can tell they’re offered up just to look polite, to respect my saving of the queen they would rather be without.