Destino looks glad for the topic transition. “Ah, that’s where I could use your help, actually. Salem stumbled upon a most important discovery. When I fell ill, he tried everything. Even if we hadn’t married the same woman, we would still be like brothers. When one of us is down, the other two are ready with help.” He smooths a wrinkle from his shirt. “And when no help is available, we get creative.”
Adeline meets his eyes. “Aye. Salem showed me his trick yesterday, and clearly it’s working. But he and I can’t sustain the entire territory. We need more willing shifters.”
Destino touches his nose and then points at her. “Indeed. It’s the ‘willing’ part I’m worried about. The border coming down hasn’t been the smoothest process. The shifters who’ve migrated over haven’t been treated well. If anything, the vampires are indebted to the shifters. We’ve no right to ask this favor.”
“But you’ve got no other choice.”
“Vampires drink filtered fae blood, but in a pinch, an animal’s blood will do.” Destino’s hands tuck themselves into his pockets. “And we’re in more than a pinch. More like a chokehold.”
Adeline purses her lips. “There’s no telling how long it’ll take for the fae to get the sickness out of their systems to even be able to donate again. We need help now.” Then she turns her chin to stare at me. “What?”
It’s only then I realize I’ve been looking only at her for probably longer than could be considered polite. “You said ‘we’. You didn’t say that the vampires needed help. You consider yourself one of us.”
Her neck shrinks for a second, but then she lengthens, her chest puffing and her chin lifting with pride. “My address is in Drexdenberg. When something goes after my neighbors, it comes for me, as well. I don’t care if too many of them would rather see me deported. I belong wherever I put myself, and I’ve put myself here.” She levels her gaze at Destino. “How can I help?”
If I thought I loved her before, it’s nothing to the utter devotion that rises in my bones in this moment, watching her claim, independent of her relationship with me, that my homeland is hers. And like it or not, she’s going to go out on whatever limb necessary to protect it.
“Marry me,” I say aloud without meaning to.
Benny and Destino both whip their heads in my direction. “What?”
Adeline laughs through her nose, as if I’m being ridiculous. “I already said I would. First let’s make sure ye have enough blood to live through the ceremony, then we can set a date. Fair?”
“You accepted? You’re actually going to marry him?” Destino’s tone holds so much flabbergast that I can’t tell if the news hits him as good or dreadful. “I thought Ronin was delusional from his fever when he said as much.”
It’s not until Adeline nods sheepishly that Destino opens his arms wide and stalks toward her, his shoes heavy on the hardwood floor. His wide grin says it all. “Brilliant! How I’ve hoped for this day.”
Adeline’s eyes bug as she scrambles to figure out the mechanics of a hug. She awkwardly pats his back, though it’s clear she wishes she wasn’t so scantily clad. “Tha’s good to hear, Destino. Cheers.”
Destino pulls back so he can look at Adeline, but doesn’t release her, his hands cupping her shoulders as a wide grin splits his face. “I’ve always wanted a great-grandmum! And a bloody sexy one, too.”
Horror washes over Adeline, paling her naturally tanned complexion. “What? Destino, shut your gob! Ye can’t call me tha!”
Destino’s laughter is a most welcome sound, even more than Adeline owning up to our union with witnesses. After all our territory has been through, laughter is a medicine I didn’t think to order, but needed all the same.
“But that’s what you are. The matron of the family. We haven’t had a respectable one of those…” Destino pauses to look up at the ceiling, “maybe ever.”
I want to stand beside her, to shield her from the teasing, but the moment I put weight on my legs, I topple to the floor, which I guess is also a way to divert attention from Adeline’s chagrin.
“Ronin!” All three of them rush to my clumsy form, but Adeline’s the first to lift me off the floor and set me on the side of the bed. “Ye need more blood.”
Destino meets her eyes, and it’s then I can see the purple bags beneath. “That’s where you come in. If you and Salem can speak to Jacoba and implore them to help us during this famine, I would be most grateful.” Once I’m situated on the bed, Destino touches Adeline’s forearm. “Please, Mum. Your family is hungry.”
A protectiveness so fierce, I can’t look away, beams from Adeline as she straightens. “Whatever ye need, I’ll see to it.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Jacoba Royals
Adeline
There’s been precious little plan presented for this whole thing, yet somehow here I am. It was basically Destino pleading for my help to implore the shifters to donate their animals’ blood, me agreeing, and Salem and me taking off with Fiora and the remaining vampire healers to do what we could to solve this problem.
Now I’m pacing behind the platform on the prairie where all the formal addresses are given. It’s all I can do not to duck and run, so I can escape what I’m about to do.
If I’m supposed to get the shifters to like me enough to follow me in this cause, I don’t know how to go about tha. They didn’t care about me when I lived here. I was Sir Muttrend’s bastard daughter. No one of importance.
And now I’m important for reasons tha are nothing short of controversial. I’m going to be wed to a vampire. I’m mated to the retired vampire king.
“I’m not sure I’m the right person for this,” I warn Salem as we wait for the masses to assemble on the prairie before the mansion. “I’m supposed to be on the grass, not on the stage.”
The platform is where I first saw Salem declare his loyalty and love for Lilya. It’s where I’ve seen Prince Justice give every single public address. It’s where I watched Queen Butcher give her first greeting to the people after her long coma tha took her away from us for too many years.
I don’t belong on this stage. At best, I could guard the people on it, but nothing more important than tha.
Salem isn’t one for pep talks. “It’s either ye help me talk to the people, or the vampires all starve. Those are your choices, wee kitten.”
I want to shove him, but I confine my frustration to pacing back and forth behind the stage. I’m hidden from view, but not from the ability to hear just how many people are congregating on the prairie. The throngs will wonder what I’m doing up there, and I’ll be just as perplexed as them.
Luckily, I have a few more minutes to hide, safely concealed behind the platform tha’s taller than I am.
When Prince Justice joins us, I gasp and fall to all fours, burying my forehead in the grass.
He’s every bit as incredible as I remember. Justice is only slightly less bulky than Salem’s behemoth form, and without Salem’s gray. He looks princely, yet also like he could tear the head of a lion if the need arose.
Prince Justice’s hand on the back of my head is weighty and most welcome. If I have respect for Salem, I have tha same deference for his elder brother, the man who will one day inherit the throne of Jacoba. He ruled while Queen Butcher was gone from us, and never was there a moment where the people strayed from his kind yet firm hand.
“I told ye before, there’s no bowing when it comes to family. Salem made it clear, and Destino affirmed it in the letter he sent over with ye, tha ye are my sister, not my subject.”
“Aye,” Salem confirms. “S’alright, Addy. Justice farts, just like the rest of us.”
Prince Justice guffaws at the brotherly jab, but doesn’t deny it.
I shake my head, keeping it where it belongs. “I am not disrespectful to the throne, no matter whom I marry.”
Prince Justice sighs. “I guess it’ll take time for ye to see yourself as the families do. I can be patient. But next time, no bowing.” When I
say nothing, he continues. “Are ye ready for this, lass?”
Any answer is frozen in my throat. Of course I’m not ready, but I would never dare let down the throne of my homeland. But I also don’t have the gall to lie to Prince Justice.
The rustle of fabric hits my ears before Queen Butcher’s low cadence peaks my anxiety. “You’ll be grand, Adeline. And we’ll be behind ye the entire time. Up ye get, lass.”
I obey, but my legs are more rubbery than ever, though I know she meant to infuse me with courage. I’m a mouse amid giants.
Salem touches under my chin, his expression fierce and on the verge of angry with me. “If your mate is starving, fear needs to melt away. This is what is required to feed your mate, so we’ll do it. No hesitations. No apologies. Our people may not understand the value of vampires, but they understand mating.” He nods once. “They will fight for ye in this.”
Queen Butcher chuckles, then covers her mouth with a look of apology directed at me. “I’m sorry. It’s just so odd how life works sometimes, aye? Ronin mated with a shifter. He was always more progressive than most, but still, I didn’t see this coming. Makes me wonder what the future holds for the rest of us.” She shakes her head, still smiling. “Married. Never thought I’d see the day Ronin said the word ‘marriage’, much less proposed it. Whatever magic ye fear ye don’t hold, trust me, ye have it in buckets. If ye can get Ronin to follow ye down the aisle, the whole of Jacoba will be easy to charm.”
Tell tha to the vomit churning in my stomach.
I bow my head to her in gratitude.
“Shall we, Son?” Queen Butcher says to Prince Justice.
“Sure. Just one thing.”
Then Prince Justice does something so strange, I can’t see fit to react until it’s already over. He gathers me up in a burly hug, then makes a fart noise with his mouth (thank the clouds it was his mouth), and says, “Welcome to the family. I always wanted a sister. You’re far less hairy than Salem, and prettier than his surly mug.”
Then he releases me with a grin, leaving me completely flabbergasted.
Prince Justice of Drexdenberg just hugged me and farted in my ear. Called me his sister.
I marvel up at Salem. “Is this real?”
Salem sighs heavily. “You’re stuck with me, but ye can kick him out any time ye like.”
The family’s utter acceptance of me still doesn’t inspire the confidence I need when Salem nudges me toward the steps after Queen Butcher and Prince Justice take the stage.
I grip the railing as I wait for our cue, my heart pounding in my ears.
My guard’s uniform fits me like a glove. I check my weapons again, though I can’t imagine I’d need them.
I’m in my homeland. I’m safe here.
After the obligatory greeting of the people, Queen Butcher takes the lead. I can picture them as they always are, with her shoulders back and her eldest son at her side, his smile gentle and handsome enough to capture everyone’s attention.
“Lowering our borders had the potential to usher in all sorts of cruelty, but I’m proud to say tha Jacoba does not waste its time on petty differences. Shifters are leaders among the territories, because we were the ones brave enough to send over a hundred of our own into Drexdenberg, forging new friendships perhaps others could not foresee.”
She’s so tall. So regal. I look like a runt by comparison.
Queen Butcher is magnificent as she speaks to her people without stuttering, without apologizing, without missteps sprinkled throughout.
“But we saw it. We knew tha if we want the world to be better for our children, we would have to be better. Better than our upbringing. Better than anyone expects themselves to be.”
Prince Justice takes over. “It was with tha in mind tha we sent over some of our best into Drexdenberg, knowing they would represent us with pride. We vowed to stand behind them as they took this giant leap forward for all shifters.”
My heart swells at the sweet declaration. My arms tremble as I grip the railing.
“If ye pee yourself, they’ll notice,” Salem says over my shoulder.
Now, I believe he’s my brother. No one would say something so stupid just to make me laugh.
I chuckle, but don’t lose my hold on the railing, my head still hidden from view of the public.
Queen Butcher continues. “Adeline Muttrend went over with her sister and her daughter. It is no wonder tha she caught the eye of King Ronin, for the women of Jacoba cannot be overlooked. Her animal mated with King Ronin, and they are to be wed in the spring.”
Here it comes.
The ripples of astonishment mingled with sentiments tha sound like “yikes” break out over the prairie, but Queen Butcher holds firm to her command of the gobsmacked audience. “I bring this to ye today because her mate is in danger. The blood supply was tainted, so Drexdenberg had to throw out every drop of sustenance. There is a plan for recovery, but the time it will take to cleanse the problem is longer than they will live to see come about. It was with this crisis in mind tha my son, Prince Salem, acted out of the loyalty every shifter feels when someone’s mate is in danger.”
“Go on up, ye wee chicken,” Salem whispers, nudging me up the steps. “I mean, wee kitten.”
I missed my cue, but Queen Butcher is patient as my legs move like they’re on puppet’s strings, clumsy but doing what they need to do so I can perform.
Prince Salem is no more eloquent than I am, but he doesn’t shy away from the attention, as I wish I could do.
Salem moves downstage and speaks with authority to the masses. “Vampires drink the blood of the fae once it’s been filtered, but they can also drink from animals. Well, the fae have fallen ill. They’ll recover, but their blood isn’t drinkable while they recover.”
What a nice way to say the fae king is a diabolical piece of shite.
“So I went out on a limb and did what I could to find blood for the Kings of Drexdenberg. I changed into my wolf, sliced open a cut on my arm, and bled into a cup. When the kings drank it, they were filled.”
The gasps are loud, and almost sound like they come at the same time from each of the citizens.
I’m supposed to speak, but my silence can’t be helped. My tongue won’t unstick itself from the roof of my mouth.
Salem picks up the slack where I fall short. “Drexdenberg has already lost ten percent of its population from the famine tha’s struck them. We know what it is to be thirsty. I have not forgotten the drought tha tested our wills. Even through tha, we didn’t lose even close to ten percent of our people. Drexdenberg needs protecting, and I can think of no one better suited for the job than a shifter.”
Salem looks out over the crowd, scanning every face as if he means to stare into the souls of each shifter. “If we can help, then I know Jacoba will step up.”
When I still don’t speak, Prince Justice puts his arm around my shoulders, as if we’re family. Even though he just met me twenty minutes ago.
As if I’m important and belong up here.
He’s giving me a voice, and I’m choking.
Prince Justice holds me with his half-embrace, his smile drawing eyes away from me. “This is my dear friend, Adeline. It’s no wonder she caught the eye of King Ronin. She’s fought in our army, and gave her family name honor.”
It’s then tha I feel sensation in my fingers once more. The numbness of shock melts away when I allow Prince Justice’s declaration to sink into my chest, redefining all I thought I could never be.
My da is not honorable. Never has been. But Prince Justice is right; I’m taking my family name tha’s shrouded in too many secrets and manipulations, and I’m making it mean something new.
“I’m just as surprised as ye all are tha King Ronin fancies me,” I blurt out.
Suddenly I wish I’d remained silent. A grimace tightens my gut.
But when Prince Justice squeezes my shoulder amid the sniggers coming from the crowd, I push forward. “But as ye know, ye can’t control wh
o your animal finds. When Ronin took ill from this famine, it took everything inside of me to leave him and come here to ye, begging ye to help save my mate. Begging all of ye to consider giving of your animal’s blood over the next month to help save the vampires from extinction.”
Tha’s supposed to be the end of my speech, but more pours out of me.
Shut your stupid gob! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
“We were in a drought for too many years. Jacoba was in no position to help anybody. Now, because the fae helped us by filling our wells a year ago, we are able to come to the aid of others.”
They know this already. Salem said as much, because I choked and didn’t speak up for myself.
For my mate.
My fist tightens and thumps across my chest, resting over my breast. “I feel pride in who I am when I can save the day. When Ronin was on the brink of death, Prince Salem didn’t look to someone else to save him; he stepped up and found a way to rescue a king. There’s something special about the people of Jacoba. We don’t look to the left or right when the world falls apart. We dig deep and find a way to make the world a better place.”
I can’t believe they’re applauding. I can’t believe I haven’t said something stupid yet.
I look out onto the sea of tanned faces amid animal snouts and wagging tails.
“So tha’s why I’m here. I’m asking ye to be the solution to a problem no one but ye is strong enough to solve.” I swallow hard. “I’m asking ye to save a territory. To help me save my mate.”
Prince Justice brings me into a half-embrace, firming my posture with the wide spread of his hand on my shoulder.
He is vastly different in demeanor than Salem, especially when he kisses the top of my head. “Our sister has spoken. Her mate is in need. Who will give? Who has the spirit of Jacoba in their hearts this month? Whose animal is ready to defend a territory from extinction?”
Malicious King: A Paranormal Royal Romance (Territorial Mates Book 6) Page 12