“Magdeena?”
The Queen of Jacoba gives a slow clap that draws a growl from between my teeth. Perhaps I’m more shifter than vampire these days.
Magdeena Butcher lets loose a quiet laugh. “Excellent. I thought I would never again see ye so compromised, Ronin, but it seems one last view from afar was needed. Yes, I daresay I can let ye go now. Farewell, old flame.”
“We’ll wait in the hallway. They need you downstairs, Ronin.” Benny’s voice has the weight of disapproval to it, as if I’m some randy teenager being caught out after curfew.
The laughter in Magdeena’s voice as she exits is drown out by the silent dread that creeps over Adeline and jumps onto me.
Bollocks.
Chapter Nineteen
Old Flames and New
Ronin
“Old flame? Ronin, what is she talking about?” Adeline’s eyes are wide, her raw emotions beaming out and tugging on my heart.
Everything in me sinks as I mentally kick myself. “We’ve not had a chance to discuss that yet.”
I kiss her frown and then fish around on the mattress for her shirt. Her face is crimson as I help her thread her arms through, then search the floor for her pants.
How did they end up way over there?
Adeline finishes dressing in record time, staring mutely at me with too much focus as I take my time reassembling my suit.
“It was ages ago. Before you were born,” I explain, and then wince. Things like that only point out the age difference between us, which isn’t something I want her fixated on moments after I nearly had her naked.
I run my hand through my hair to sort the strands. “King Butcher had just died, and I went over to offer some comfort. The territories might loathe each other, but the royals have been through much together. When we’re not being petty, we’re something like friends.”
I slide on my trousers and set about reassembling the rest of my outfit, collecting the pieces of my suit that have been scattered all about the room.
She isn’t speaking. Why isn’t she speaking?
The unpolished truth rolls out of me, with panic not far behind. “It was one night. One drunken, foolish night in which she was grieving, and I didn’t cut myself off after three scotches. Magdeena shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Ye should have said something. I don’t need a comprehensive list of every lass who’s measured the length of your manhood, but the queen of Jacoba? Tha’s something I should have been told. Preferably before she saw me in my knickers.”
This has the potential to be a fight, which I can’t stomach. Not after all we’ve been through. Not after I just had her spread out on the bed, mewling for me.
I slide on my chartreuse suit jacket and then clasp my hands before me. “You’re absolutely right. I should have. Long before today. Before you went with Salem to compel the shifters to help out Drexdenberg. Somewhere between ‘I love you’ and ‘will you marry me,’ I should have said something. It meant so little, and it was so long ago; I didn’t think to mention it.”
Adeline studies her clasped hands. “I suppose tha was more thorough an apology than most lasses get.”
“Not until I say it formally: I do apologize, Mrs. Karamathian.”
I don’t dare smirk at the cuteness of working in what I hope will become her married name.
Shock slaps more color into her cheeks as she startles, stepping back as if I’ve just told her something she didn’t know was coming. “I… Tha’s weird.”
I give her a slight bow. “An apology from a king? I certainly hope not.”
“Not tha. The thing ye said. Mrs. Karamathian? Will tha be my name?”
“If you wish it. I could always take your name. King Ronin Muttrend.”
Addy blanches, and finally my smirk comes out to play. “No. I don’t want to be tied to my da. Adeline Karamathian.”
The second she owns up to it, a shiver runs through us both. It’s possibility crackling in the air now—the promise that something better might just be waiting for us.
It’s hard to believe, after all we’ve been through thus far.
Our world has spun so quickly; it’s hard to remember all the small smiles we should have taken the time to celebrate along the way.
This one, we don’t miss, musing at the look of trepidation curving the corners of our mouths.
I proffer my elbow to her. “Will you escort me down to the hearing, Mrs. Karamathian?”
Instead of taking my arm, she picks up my bowtie, which was tossed over the lampshade. She loops it around the nape of my neck and takes her time fastening it.
She’s gone back to not looking at me.
“I love that you know how to tie this.”
“I’ve watched ye do it a million times.” She leans up and pecks my lips. It’s as much an “I forgive you for not mentioning you slept with Magdeena” as I’m going to get, so I take it.
Her thigh holster is still resting on the bed, so I move over to snatch it up.
If she can fasten my bowtie, then I get to buckle her holster over her delicious thigh.
“I was going to get tha.”
“May I?” I ask, blinking as innocently as I can manage.
At her nod, I drop to my knees before her, loving the way her legs spread for me.
Such trust. Such luscious trust.
I loop the belt around her thigh, tracing the length of her inseam with my nose.
It’s the little kisses I sew into her skin that bring back the shiver I hope never leaves her. Fifty years from now, I hope I’m the man who makes my mate shiver with need.
I grip the backs of her thighs so I can bury my face where she most wants it.
When her fingers thread through my hair, it’s all I can do to remind myself we must remain clothed. We’re supposed to be… somewhere.
I can feel the ring I gave her skipping over my scalp. How I love the gawdy nature of the thing. Too many diamonds. Too much white gold. She lived with less for so very long; it’s not in my nature to permit a life of less for someone I love.
And how I do love this woman.
“Ronin.” The coo of my name on her lips gives me permission to bite and kiss and rub as hard as I know she needs.
Her breath is ragged. The scandal of me on my knees is fueling me to grip the backs of her thighs more firmly, massaging and tracing my thumbs to where my mouth is drawn.
A hard knock on the door tests my patience, especially when Addy jumps out of reach. “We’re coming!” Her voice is squeaky, and she shakes her hands and her head, though I know there’s no dance that can shake the sensations completely.
I rise, my hands fusing to her hips as I marry her heat to mine. How I love being connected to her.
My whisper in her ear coaxes goosebumps to break out all over her neck. “Picture me exactly like that. I want to know your thighs are clenching for me.”
The kiss she answers with is forceful and exactly what I want. I love when she takes without apology.
She releases me when a fae guard calls to us from the hallway.
I take her hand and loop it around the crook of my elbow. “Shall we, Mrs. Karamathian?”
Again, with the blush. I bloody love it.
She opens the door and nods to the guard, keeping her voice quiet as we walk. “Are ye certain they’re going to vote on the side of King Fairbucks being executed?”
I nod once, wishing our post-makeout chatter was slightly less gruesome. “I am.”
“Ye should have a backup plan, in case you’re unpleasantly surprised.”
My brows furrow as my shoes click along the ivorum floor. “The backup plan would already be decided. Fairbucks will go to jail if he’s not given the death sentence.”
“But which jail? It seems if he’s shunted in the same prison as General Klein, tha might have some serious consequences, so not Jacoba’s prison. And the fae prison would be problematic, too. Alexavier shouldn’t have to look at his da after all he’s done.
He betrayed Alexavier by doing this, by trying to kill Destino.”
“I didn’t even think that far ahead. I assumed there was one of two choices, and that was it. Dead or alive. But you’re right. If we can’t see him hanged, we should see him locked in our prison in Drexdenberg.”
“Prison?” Adeline questions. “I think ye mean dungeon. He doesn’t deserve the posh accommodations your proper citizens get. He’s a foreigner, and the foreigners are thrown in the dungeon.” Her gaze ices over, and my heart stutters.
My hand covers hers, which is still wrapped around my arm. “I had that closed down, after seeing the way you were treated. All subjects are put in the prison now, no matter their race. But perhaps I could make an exception and reopen the dungeon for Fairbucks.”
Adeline looks up at me, suddenly seeming far younger than her years. Vulnerability shines through, and I wonder what I’ve said that could bring about such a swing of emotion.
“Ye closed down the dungeon for me?”
“I couldn’t bear it. Just the thought of you in there makes me shudder still. I will tear down anything that grieves you.” Though I know Benny’s tapping his foot, waiting for us, I take the time to trace the curve of her cheek. “I will always be a better man because of you, and Drexdenberg will thrive because we love each other so well.”
I love that she has to lean up on her toes to kiss me, her arms looping around my neck because she knows I’ll always let her keep me close.
Her lips brush mine, and I know that no matter what life throws at us, we will never be tempted to let go of the good thing we’ve found in each other.
Epilogue
Sweet
Adeline
For all the harrowing situations I’ve put myself in, Heidi tripping and scraping her knee on the way to the sweets shop makes my pulse jump. “Baby! Are ye okay? Oh, let me look at ye.”
One big tear slides down her cheek as she hiccups a few syllables. “Ow! I was just… And then I…”
Benny trots along beside me and scoops her up in his arms. “That’s it. Back to the castle with you. I’ve seen this kind of injury before. No blood? Just as I suspected. We’ll have to chop it.”
“Chop it?” she hiccups through her sadness.
“The whole leg. Off it goes.”
“No! No! I need my leg!”
“Off with the leg!”
Heidi kicks through her smile tha only Benny can draw out when she’s on the verge of a breakdown. He’s just got tha gift.
“Let’s see what Mammy Maisie thinks. Should we get out the saw?” Benny zooms Heidi toward Maiseline, who offers a snigger behind her compassionate smile.
Her fingers feather over Heidi’s curls. “Do ye think ye can walk on it, lamb?”
I try not to grin at the bashful look Maisie gives Benny, and the eager smile he’s always got at the ready for her. They are so precious, but still too shy around each other. Benny’s afraid to take advantage, moving in on her when her memory’s still not back. And Maisie’s nervous to involve herself with a vampire she’s still only just getting to know.
Though, if there’s a single lad out there better than Benny, I don’t know him.
Ronin tuts. “I was promised a trip to the sweets shop. I was told I would get to sample as many flavors of sugar beans as they have. Don’t tell me I’ll have to eat Heidi’s share, too.”
I love how naturally Ronin teases her. The smile on his face is just about the best sight in the world.
“No! My leg doesn’t hurt at all! Benny, don’t let Ronin-Da eat my sugar beans!”
I love tha she made up her own name for Ronin.
“Never!” Benny jostles Heidi until she’s riding on his shoulders. He starts jogging ahead, leading the way with a trail of giggles spilling out behind them.
There’s nothing better than the sound of Heidi claiming Ronin as her own. I’ve come to learn he’s been utterly wasted without a daughter. His superior personality pairs well with Heidi’s flare for independence.
When Ronin insisted Heidi be given a dainty crown to display her obvious wealth and status, she didn’t bat an eye. She didn’t inherit any of my hesitance for the finer things. It’s like she knew she was destined for more than the world originally offered her. Instead of throwing a fit when the world didn’t comply with her ideals for her own future, she simply waited it out, knowing her crown would soon come.
“I love how well the two of ye dote on Heidi. There’s no one more deserving of goodness than her.”
Ronin and I don’t hurry, even as Maisie trots ahead to catch up with Heidi and Benny. Though Maiseline hasn’t made any sort of move or acknowledgment of Benny’s obvious crush, she’s never far from his side. It’s like he calms her nerves or something, centers her when the world turns to chaos.
I know the feeling well.
Ronin’s arm around my hips keeps me tucked into his side as we walk through the lantern-lit street, nodding to a few civilians who bow when they see us strolling by.
I guess Drexdenberg is a place for midnight strolls now. I’m not harassed because I’m on the arm of the king, but I know there’s much work still to be done. Every shifter should feel safe here.
The fact tha our animal blood bailed them out of the famine a few months ago helped raise our status in the eyes of the people, but I don’t trust the peace. I still take note of the sidelong glances, and the shopkeepers who pretend not to see me when I come into a store. They don’t shoo me out with a broom anymore, but bigotry needs time to be completely bred out of people. I’m learning it doesn’t fade simply because there’s little reason to hold on to the old ideals.
I’m betting on the next generation, since mine seems to be a bit of a wash.
If magic is what ye make of it, the same could be said about a second chance. This is the second chance the vampires have been given to treat the shifters with respect.
We’ll see if they make good on all our optimism demands of them.
Ronin’s pace slows, and he holds tight to my hand so I match his stride. “Let the others run ahead. A day with the family often means no time with just you. I fear I’ve become selfish, but there’s no cure for it.”
I snigger at his grand words. “What an evil villain ye are. Romantic strolls? What next, breakfast in bed?”
His lips find the crook of my neck. “Sorry, all I heard was ‘blah, blah, blah bed.’”
“You’re incorrigible.”
Ronin brings the back of my hand to his lips. I love how close he needs to be. He and Lalita are a perfect match. She purrs for him now, every time he’s near enough to touch.
“Family day today. Breakfast in bed tomorrow. Wedding in a month. That sounds like the perfect life. Enjoy your naked finger. Soon enough, it’ll be clothed in gold.”
I cast him a dubious look. “Ye know very well I can’t wear an engagement ring out and about as large as the one ye gave me. I can wear it around the castle, but not when I’m keeping ye safe. I’m your guard, Ronin. What if I punched someone and the diamonds fell off?”
“I’ll have to make sure it’s fastened on with more than just paste,” he drones, narrowing his eyes at my logic.
The cicadas are loud tonight, singing their praises of the high-grass field to our right.
Ronin stops walking and cups his hands around my shoulders, fixing me with a stalwart gaze tha I know means a serious talk is coming. “Tell me why you won’t wear my ring.”
I don’t want to tell him the truth. He won’t understand, or worse, he will understand. “I dunno. The guard stuff. Isn’t tha a good enough reason?”
Ronin’s mouth firms, and I know I’ve said the wrong thing. Jays, he can see straight through me.
“I deserve more than that, Addy.”
He’s right, but tha doesn’t erase the fact tha I’m a big, yellow chicken. My lips purse as I chew on my response.
There’s no way to make this sound prettier, though it’s not for lack of trying. He’s been holding in his w
ords about me not wearing his engagement ring since we got back from Faveda, but I know they’ve been building.
Kudos to him for voicing his frustration so calmly.
“It’s too fancy!” I blurt out without any of the finesse I hope I’ll one day have.
I cover my face with my hands.
“What?”
It’s so much worse tha his tone is loaded with understanding, or the want to understand. He should be cross with me for rejecting what’s clearly a gift tha represents him. It’s grand because he is grand.
But I’m not.
“The ring is spectacular for someone who understands this sort of life. I’m still just learning what it is to have food in the cupboards. When the housekeeper does my laundry, I have to remind myself tha no one’s stolen my clothes.”
I’m saying it all wrong. I can tell by the widening of his eyes tha I should’ve just kept quiet.
But apparently, there’s more. “I’ve been robbed three times in Drexdenberg, Ronin. The one silver lining is tha there was never anything of value to steal. If someone takes my ring? I would never be able to replace it. If ye have nothing to lose, no one can take anything from ye.”
Before I know what’s happening, I’m caught up in Ronin’s embrace. My body folds into his so seamlessly, so perfectly. He’s lean and toned where I’m curvy. I’m strong where he’s delicate. I love everything about him, including the fact tha he knows when I need to be held, oftentimes before I can voice the request.
“I thought it was because you didn’t like the reminder of being tied to me. I thought it was your way of having one foot in my world and the other foot out the door. Darling, I understand now. Forgive me. I made the ring about me, when it should always have been about us.” He kisses my cheek. “I will fix this.”
His apology makes me feel tha much worse. When he accepts my shortcomings, all it does is make me want to erase them all, so I can manifest whatever magnificence he sees in me.
“I’m sorry I’m making a big deal about this. I’ll get there.”
Ronin holds me tighter. “No. I don’t want you to ‘get there’ if that’s not who you are. I want us to be together, for me to acclimate to your life, not just you into mine.” He kisses the top of my head, despite the fact tha people can see us. “No diamonds on the ring. Would that help?”
Malicious King: A Paranormal Royal Romance (Territorial Mates Book 6) Page 14