There are too many people. I’ve been on this balcony before, but it hasn’t felt like this. I’m the focus now, instead of being the nameless gargoyle in the background.
I prefer the background.
I don’t need to speak; I only need to stand. Yet somehow, this seems the hardest thing to do. They don’t want to hear my accent. They don’t want to see me this close to their royals, being lauded in public.
Yet because I’m finally near my mate, half my worries in life fade away. Lalita doesn’t exactly go to sleep in my belly, but her tail curls around her body. It’s unnatural to be separated from Ronin. At last, I’m close enough to keep him safe.
From the recesses of my mind, a calm begins to blanket the remainder of my anxiety. Even if the vampires don’t want me here, I’m starting to understand tha this is exactly where I’m meant to be. Though I couldn’t have foreseen this path my life has taken, the world can’t keep going on like this, where shifters are seen as second-class citizens, if they’re seen as citizens at all.
Heidi lives here now. I won’t let my sweet six-year-old daughter apologize for being who she is. She is part of me, and we have much to be proud of.
When Ronin starts to speak, my shoulders roll back and my chin lifts, not in anger, but with pure pride. I am Heidi’s aunt and mum. I’m Maisie’s sister. With loads of help, I’m able to control what’s left of the lebnest monster.
I belong wherever I put myself, which is right here, beside my mate and my friends.
I should probably be paying attention to where Ronin’s at in his speech.
“Love cannot be controlled or contained. When it finds you, it aims you in the direction of your destiny, and your only choice is whether or not to pick up your feet. The day I met Adeline was the day my feet started moving.”
Ronin glides closer to me, foregoing the space between us so the vampires can see what I know they won’t believe.
When his arm coils around my waist, hisses of astonishment and probably revulsion ripple out over the lantern-lit field. “Perhaps it’s strange for you all to see me like this.” Then he tap-dances around the whole issue of me being a shifter, because he’s just tha smooth. “I’ve never moved a woman into my castle, nor have I declared publicly anything that resembles monogamy. But if you knew Adeline, you’d understand just how rare a gift she is to the world. Any man would be foolish to keep himself from such a treasure.”
We’ve rehearsed this so many times, so it’s no surprise when Salem stalks up to stand between myself and Lilya, his bulky presence filling the balcony and making the five of us look nothing short of formidable.
The Prince of Jacoba’s brogue breaks out across the sea of shock. “Adeline fought in the shifter army under my command, she’s guarded my wife, and now she’s going to help me train up the very first Army of Unity in Drexdenberg.”
He loathes these public address kind of things. Back in Jacoba, it was always Queen Butcher or his older brother, Prince Justice, who spoke while he stood off to the side, reminding people to be cool.
Still, Salem presses on. “When I kissed Lilya, my animal knew he’d found his home. The change was irreversible. Even my eye turned from gray to the fae blue, because your queen became part of me.”
Ronin picks up the next bit, and I brace myself for the fallout. “When Adeline and I finally gave in to fate’s calling, her animal mated with me. I stand before you today to show you just how whole and complete I am, mated with a shifter woman. While I know you’re still getting used to me spending my time devoted to anything that isn’t Drexdenberg, this is where my heart rests, with this exquisite creature.”
There’s not a sound in the field. Even the smallest babe knows this isn’t the time to make a fuss.
Lilya steps forward with an unaffected smile. “To celebrate the Army of Unity and King Ronin’s new direction in life, we’ve arranged for a celebration tonight. Go out and spread peace as much as you can. You’ll all get the chance to meet Ronin’s mate and welcome her to the Drexdenberg family soon enough.”
The fiddles start playing a lively ditty, and the contrast makes me laugh. Maybe I’ve gone mad, but the stunned looks on the faces in the crowd when paired against a dancing dirge is too funny to keep to myself.
Des, Salem and Lilya go back into the castle, but Ronin turns his body toward me, and speaks as if we’re the only two people in the world. “What’s so funny?”
I cover my mouth, but I can’t stop the giggle. “They hate us. I mean, really hate us.”
He shoots me a wry grin as his head tilts to the side. “What?”
“They’re all… And we’re…” I shake my head through my laughter. “Did ye see their faces?” I try to do an impression of the petrified horror, but I’m giggling too much to make it last more than a couple seconds.
Ronin’s chest vibrates with mirth, no doubt unsure if I’ve gone mad. The inches of space between us is too much, so he remedies the problem by bringing me in so our stomachs are pressed together. My arm curves around his neck as we smile together.
“I like this very much,” he comments, kissing my forehead. “I love seeing you smile. I prefer it to the green tinge you’ve had ever since we mentioned you’d have to be out here with us.”
“They hate us,” I say again, unable to see it as anything but funny.
Ronin gazes at me as if I’m the best thing in his life. “And I love you.”
Then he kisses me, not worrying about the territory—what they’ll think or what they’ll say. I don’t know how he’s found a way to relax me through this whole ordeal, but his kiss erases the crowd while the fiddles play, celebrating our love.
Or the musicians are celebrating the fact tha they’re being paid to play for the party. Either way, I’ll take it.
This may not be what Drexdenberg was hoping for, but our love is exactly the sort of madness they need.
One day, they’ll understand tha.
Or, more likely, they’ll slaughter us for stepping a toe out of line.
Chapter Three
Prime Night for a Fight
Ronin
Social engagements aren’t my favorite thing, but they’re part of the job, so I’ve learned not to groan about them unduly. It’s too dangerous for us to be milling about, shaking hands with whomever we come across, so the thrones on the dais of the castle are a necessity I’ve learned to accept.
It’s strange to see our soldiers in the uniform of Neutral Territory. They don’t wear our standard suits anymore, but upon Adeline’s request, they’re all wearing the black pants and untuckable beige fitted shirts, with weapons clearly displayed on thigh holsters, hip holsters and the like.
“The former uniform for the guards was far more dapper than it is now,” I mutter, though I know that’s not the important thing.
Thousands are lining up to have their chance to greet us, or more likely, to say their piece and let their disgruntlement be known.
Adeline’s occupying the throne by my side, and I can tell she’s spooked at the grandiose nature of the thing. “Dapper is grand for a ball, but when ye want to stay alive, flexibility and agility are the things to focus on. Plus, with their weapons clearly displayed, it’s a subtle reminder to stop a fight before it starts. This would be a prime night for a fight, but look—nothing.”
I hold her hand, resting our entwined fingers atop the armrests. “That’s all well and good, darling, but dapper keeps me entertained.”
Adeline snorts, which makes me smile because I know I’ve finally succeeded in distracting her from her nerves. “I could ask Benny to juggle his knives for ye. Maybe do a tap dance?”
“Could you? That would solve a great deal for me.” I run my thumb over hers, noting the anxiety plain in her eyes as she drinks in the length of the receiving line. “Are you alright, love? Rethinking things yet?”
It’s an off-the-cuff statement, meant to sound flippant, but my breath hitches until she rolls her eyes. “Aye. Tha’s exactly it. I
’m ready to up and throw away the only good thing to come out of this hoopla.”
The fiddles play far enough away that the people in the line are entertained and distracted from their pockets of resentful conversations. Hopefully by the time they get to us, most of the steam will be diffused.
Benny gives me a nod, letting me know it’s about to start, and then instructs one of the vampires to start patting people down—the last step before they’re permitted near us.
At some point, Benny’s going to have to start deferring to Destino, since my great-grandson is now the rightful ruling king. However, Destino doesn’t seem to take affront, instead coming to me with gratitude for handling more than either of us were expecting me to still have to do.
The first hundred or so pass without incident, no doubt feeling the weight of impatience baring down on them from the people waiting in line still. The next few hundred allow themselves to speak in veiled shades of disapproval, though not going so far as to be outright defiant.
“What an interesting choice for a partner,” and “you didn’t have to take up with a shifter to get us to follow you. We were already on board,” grind at me, though I know it could be far worse.
What bothers me is how little Adeline lets her true feelings be known. I realize part of ruling is keeping your emotions to yourself, but she’s shrouding even me from her reactions to the well-aimed verbal slaps. She’s forcing bravery to compose her features, just as I am, but I loathe the look of such control on her. I like her wild and free to be whomever she wishes at any given moment.
This isn’t freedom. Not for the one person who deserves it most.
It’s then I realize I’ve fitted her with a different kind of shackle. I may have taken her out of the dungeon and plucked her from poverty, but she’s still not free. In fact, her prison of composure is now on display for people to judge and measure.
I untie my bowtie and loosen my collar, never letting go of her hand.
“Are ye alright?” she asks as the heads keep bowing to the five of us as they move along and then head to the field to dance for the fiddles.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her without parsing my words. “This isn’t the life I was hoping to grant you. I pictured rolling in the sheets and laughing over dinners. You’re less you than I’ve seen you in days, and it’s my fault. I asked you to be here, to do this.” I purse my lips through a nod I give to a farmer, and then to a miner. “You’re giving up parts of your smile to be by my side. That’s not how it should be.”
It’s the first time she’s looked at me in half an hour. Pure confusion radiates off her curled upper lip. “Ronin, I would wade through a sea of fire to be with ye, and this is hardly tha kind of torture. Ye don’t need to worry about my happiness. I’m in charge of finding tha, and I have.”
She’s so mature, I sometimes don’t know what to do with myself when she says wise things like that.
“I’ve never been more sure that we belong together,” I tell her. “I just wish I could give you more than this.” I motion to the guarded looks we collect as people bow with too many suspicions lurking in their eyes.
“Then give me time with ye when the sun rises,” she says, a placid smile finally curving her lips as she nods to the people in line. They are angling their bodies away from her so they don’t have to bow to a shifter. “Time with your smile or time with your sadness. Either one, I’ll take.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
Her laughter is unexpected, but it’s the best sound in the world. “I’ll remember ye said tha when we’re out with Heidi tomorrow. She wants to play jax with the other shifter children who’ve migrated over.”
“I shall dust off my jax throwing skills, get down on my knees with your daughter and play until she’s collected everything she likes.”
She’s got that look to her, even though she’s focused on the people. I’m getting good at reading her nuances. She wants to be in my arms, probably in private, cuddled and close. She wants her nose buried in the crook of my neck because she loves my cologne almost as much as she loves taunting me with the lust that rises whenever she’s near.
I’m so in my own head, picturing our time alone, that I don’t realize Mia’s in front of me until her scowl speaks. “You don’t have to degrade yourself with her to get some satisfaction,” she chides me. “I would have given you anything you desired.”
Of course, the woman I casually dated is brash enough to say such scandals loud enough for Adeline to hear.
“Enough, Mia. You’ve stolen much from me, but not once did you think to steal my affections.”
She’s good at being haughty, her black locks brushing over her shoulder in a huff. “You can’t steal something that doesn’t exist. Come find me when you tire of causing a scandal and want something that sets your toes curling.”
Lilya leans forward on my other side to give Mia a piece of her mind, but it’s Adeline who surprises me by speaking up. “Benny, can ye see tha this one is kept away from the castle? She’s stolen from the king in the past, and I’ll not tolerate it happening again.”
Benny acts quickly, casting Adeline a look of solidarity. “Right away, your majesty.”
Adeline was unfazed by Mia’s digs, but blushes at Benny’s formal address. He doesn’t have to call her that, since we’re not married, but he does it to set a precedent for the soldiers and the people to model.
Mia shouts her indignation as Benny grabs her arm and marches her fifty feet away from us, laying down the rules of how she will now behave, and how far she must be from Adeline and myself at all times.
“Masterfully handled,” I say to Adeline.
Her jaw is stiff and her eyes on the line. “Aye. Tell tha to Lalita. She’s demanding bloodshed.”
“Does she need a break?” I glance toward the line that only seems to be growing, even though we’ve been at this for a while.
“She will learn to behave.”
The line moves for hours, broken up only by Lilya’s snarky comments in my ear, or Adeline’s slight movements. I’m so attuned to my mate that I’m itching to fetch the things I know she needs.
A chill brushes her face and dares give her a shiver, so I send a servant for her black hooded cloak.
Yes, of course I saw to acquiring her a new one, after the first I gave her was burned to ash when she was saving my life.
Her stomach rumbles, and I have to remind myself not to be rude to the staff when I ask them to bring her a plate of food. I mean, honestly. Can’t they see she’s not eaten recently? Shifters need to eat three full meals a day, unlike vampires who can eat half-portions and be fine, so long as we have blood. And Adeline’s athletic. She’s been helping Benny train the soldiers, so she should be eating more than a normal shifter’s share.
I need to have a word with the staff. They’re used to tending to my needs and Destino’s. They’ve learned to see to Lilya, as well, but this new development should already be planned for.
“Your smile looks like you’re being choked,” Adeline says quietly to me as the next family comes to stand before us. My jaw relaxes because they bow to all of us, not edging Adeline out of the show of respect.
“There are too many people slighting you. My blood pressure can’t handle much more of this.”
She feigns a swoon. “Please always seduce me with sexy talk of your blood pressure.” She grins, and waves off my mood. “It’s fine. This is far better than I thought it was going to be. No one’s taken a shot at any of us yet. Let them say what they like. Part of leading is listening, aye?”
I squirm in my seat and refashion my bowtie. “This mating bond wasn’t supposed to make me this aware of every little thing. How do you shifters live with this kind of strain? I’m about to make a scene if the next person doesn’t treat you as my bride.”
She hisses while Lilya covers over her laughter. “You’re not supposed to talk like tha. Ye know it’s too much too soon. We’ve only just mated barely two weeks ago.”
“You say that like I haven’t already bought a ring.”
Adeline’s gasp announces how scandalized the whole thing makes her.
It’s my turn to laugh. “Is it really so shocking? I’ve already proposed before.”
“One crazy leap at a time, Ronin. Honestly.” She shakes her head, and finally, it’s me who’s made her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink.
Teasing her relaxes me, so I tolerate the next few slights with a mild dose of grace.
But when the next chap comes down the row, all decorum leaves me.
Chapter Four
Possessive Animals
Ronin
Long dark hair is tied back so I get a full view of none other than Dovid bowing to Adeline. “Your majesty, you’re lovely as ever. And might I say how well the throne suits you.”
Adeline grins, her veil of distance down. “Good to see ye, Dovid. Are ye well?”
“Could anyone be sad on a night like this? Drexdenberg has the best army in the world, and little use for it, other than to clean up its own rubbish.” Then he leans in and lowers his voice.
My hackles raise at the sight. I’m not the one with the animal, but a possessive snarl rises in my chest.
Dovid’s voice is light and unaffected by my seething. “I should like to speak to you about how I can be helpful to the cause of unification.” His eyes do what they can to beguile her. “Anything you need, I’m at your disposal.”
I hear the innuendo, even if Adeline’s too innocent to decipher it.
My heartrate spikes, and I grip the arm rests of my throne so I don’t launch myself out of my seat and pummel him to the ground. My fangs are bared, my toes balled up in my shoes.
His voice is quieter now as he leans forward to speak to Adeline. “There’s been much talk, though I’m sure you’re not surprised by that. It’s concerning, though. We need a code word for when I’ve something important to tell you that regards your safety.”
Malicious King: A Paranormal Royal Romance (Territorial Mates Book 6) Page 3