Royally Exposed

by Catherine Banks

  “Fine. I’m going to shower,” I grumbled and then spun around and said, “and none of you can join me!”

  They laughed behind me until I started the water. They were probably still laughing, but the water drowned them out. There was more dirt on me than I realized. I had to wash my hair three times to get it clean. After changing and putting on a bit of makeup, I was finally ready to go and came out to discover all of them gone.

  “Hello?” I called. They didn’t usually leave me alone without telling me where they were going or where I could find one of them.

  I grabbed my ID card and bank card, then peeked my head out into the hallway, but they weren’t there either. None of them answered their phones or returned my texts. I sat in my apartment for five minutes, fretting, then finally decided to go search their apartments. We’d recently given each other copies of our apartment keys, so we could get into all of the apartments if there was an emergency. Fox’s apartment was empty. So were Nico and Deryn’s. I went to the first floor and knocked on Rhys’s apartment.

  “Hello?” I called.

  “Looking for us?” Rhys asked behind me.

  I spun around and my jaw dropped open. The four of them wore tailored-to-fit tuxedos. They also all had half face masks on.

  “What?”

  “You’re a bit underdressed,” Deryn commented.

  “We took care of that though,” Rhys assured me. “In my bedroom, you’ll find your gown. Hurry, or we’ll be late and all the food will be gone.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked, still drooling over their appearances.

  “To a masquerade ball, obviously,” Nico chuckled.

  “But-”

  “No more talking. Go!” Rhys ordered me.

  I obeyed, hurrying into the apartment and to Rhys’s bedroom where a gorgeous emerald dress hung on the back of the door. It fit perfectly, reminding me of the dress Fox had purchased for me. I slipped on the matching shoes and picked up the mask on his dresser. My mask only covered my eyes, but had gorgeous swirls with diamonds accenting the corners. I tied it on and admired myself in the mirror. I looked amazing. Like a real princess.

  I hesitated just a second before walking out of Rhys’s apartment and doing a slow twirl for the guys, who all looked appropriately pleased.

  “You look perfect,” Rhys said and kissed the back of my hand.

  “You look like a goddess,” Deryn said and bowed to me.

  “Come on,” Nico urged us. “Our ride is here.”

  Nico took my hand and placed it on his arm, escorting me outside to a long, black limousine.

  “A limo?” I gasped. “I’ve never ridden in one before.”

  “Oh?” he asked. “Well, next time I’ll have to make sure it’s just you and me, so I can show you the real fun to be had inside of a limo.”

  “If only we didn’t have plans tonight,” Deryn teased me, “we could show you a good time now.”

  “Ah, but then the dress would be ruined,” Rhys sighed. “So, we must restrain ourselves.”

  “You guys don’t share, remember?” I told them with an eyeroll.

  “We might if you were the only one being pleasured,” Nico whispered into my ear.

  I shivered and felt my cheeks warm. Oh. My. Goddess. Did he? They had! They never discussed doing sexual things together. I wasn’t really into guy on guy action, but the thought of more than one of them touching me at the same time was a huge turn on. I clenched my legs together tightly as I sat inside of the limo, trying to keep my hormones at bay. I took a deep breath, and grew serious.

  “Should I be prepared for an attack at this dance?” I asked them softly.

  Nico patted my arm. “No. This time, you do not need to be worried about anyone attempting to hurt you.”

  “That’s what we said last time,” Fox muttered. “Then she got stabbed.”

  “You’ll only be dancing with the four of us,” Rhys said. “So, no one will get close enough to hurt you.”

  I nodded, feeling the tension slip away. Once focused on the task at hand, excitement began building in my stomach.

  “I’ve never been to a masquerade ball!” I told them and tried not to bounce in my seat.

  “They’re a lot of fun,” Deryn assured me. “Lots of eating and then lots of dancing.”

  “We go to this one every year,” Nico said. “It’s a fundraiser for one of the orphanages.”

  “Oh, that’s nice,” I said, wondering why I didn’t know they donated and did events like this.

  We arrived at the Galleria, a huge building used for events that cost thousands of dollars to attend. I shuddered, thinking how much money they had paid for all of us to go. Rhys stepped out first, standing on a red carpet with media on each side, cameras flashing as they snapped pictures. Deryn got out next, then Fox, and I realized they were forming the diamond of protection, as I lovingly named it. Their formation shielding me from potential attacks and kept me hidden within their towering heights.

  “Ready, beautiful?” Nico asked and kissed my cheek.

  “Is my mask on right?” I asked and checked the bow I had tied and the bobby pins I had used to secure it.

  “Everything about you is perfect,” he whispered. “Now, get out before I tear that dress off of you.”

  “That’s not exactly motivation for me to leave,” I muttered, but climbed out with the help of Deryn’s hand.

  Nico climbed out last, taking the rear position of protection. They didn’t always take the same spots in the diamond, except Rhys who always took the front. The other three took different positions depending on the situation.

  “Move,” Nico whispered.

  The guys moved as one, walking down the carpet with a wide smile on each of their faces, turning to the cameras to let them take their pictures. Surrounded by my guards, no one could get a clear picture of me. Someone with wings tried to fly up to get a picture, but Nico discreetly used his powers to knock the person down before they could click their camera.

  At the door, a man in a tuxedo and a full-face mask held out his hand. The guys set tickets in his hand, Rhys handing him two tickets, one for me. The man bowed and stepped to the side to let us enter.

  The Galleria looked like a ballroom in a movie and intricately decorated for the masquerade ball. Thick, dark drapes hung around the room. A giant chandelier hung over the ballroom. On one side of the room, there was an orchestra playing soft music. The rest of the room was dominated by tables of people snacking on hors d'oeuvres.

  We went to one of the empty tables and Rhys pulled out a chair for me. “My Queen,” he whispered.

  “Thank you,” I told him, then opened my napkin and put it in my lap.

  Rhys sat on my left, Fox on my right, Deryn to Fox’s right, and Nico sat across from me, on Rhys’s left.

  “Did you guys ro-sham-bo for seats?” I asked with a teasing smirk.

  “No,” Fox answered, avoiding my eyes while picking up his napkin.

  “Arm wrestling,” Rhys said with a grin.

  I looked at Fox next to me. “You beat Deryn?”

  Fox scowled at me. “I am an elf.”

  “I still say he cheated,” Deryn grumbled.

  “I beat you twice, with both hands,” Fox replied with a happy smile.

  “Fox, I think you just upped your hot points,” I told him.

  “My what?” he asked with a tilted head and a frown that made his brows furrow slightly in the middle.

  “You know the number given based on how hot you are. Women do it a lot. Sometimes it’s like a game and we give points to random guys we see walk by us.”

  “Women do that too?” Fox asked with a laugh. “I thought only men did it.”

  “What’s my score?” Rhys asked.

  “I can’t tell you that,” I said and scoffed.

  “You’re a perfect ten,” Fox told me, picked up my hand, and kissed my knuckles.

  “Only a ten?” I asked and stuck out my lower lip in a pout.


  “Oh, that’s a good pout,” Nico commented. “Judges?”

  “Seven,” Deryn said. “I’ve seen her give much better pouts.”

  “Eight, but only because she’s doing that glistening eye thing even through the mask,” Rhys said.

  “Ten is the highest you can go,” Fox said.

  “Women give men bonus points,” I informed them. “Tattoos add two points. Well, good tattoos. Sometimes tattoos can be worth negative points, but that’s very rare.”

  “I had no idea that you liked tattoos,” Nico said. He had one beautiful tattoo on his chest and one on his shoulder. I constantly ran my fingers over them when he was shirtless, so I was surprised that he hadn’t put two and two together.

  I nodded.

  “What else gives you bonus points?” Deryn asked.

  “Accents. Super deep voices. Unique eye colors. Being an alpha, but not overbearing. Basically, an alpha who submits in the bedroom on occasion and isn’t one of those super assholes. Doing heroic things, like saving kids or me. Those veins that stick out on your arms when you’re muscular. Dimples. Being a kind person in general. Slaying my enemies.”

  “So, we’re like, what? Twenties?” Deryn asked with a smirk. “Since we possess most of those traits?”

  “I can’t reveal your scores,” I told them, “but I can tell you that you all have several bonus points.”

  “Looks like I need to get a tattoo,” Rhys said and winked at me.

  “Mm,” I purred at him. “Yes, please.”

  The four guys laughed at me, which I found annoying since I was being serious.

  “Every girl is different in how they assign bonus points. For example, tattoos are a plus two, while slaying my enemies is a plus four. Dimples are a plus one. It’s all about preference,” I explained.

  “Good evening, princes,” a tall, stork looking man, said as he stopped between Fox and Nico.

  “Evening,” they returned the greeting.

  “Dinner will be served in just a few minutes. Would you like something to drink?” he asked us.

  “Champagne,” Rhys ordered, gesturing the number four with his hand. “Bring us a few bottles.”

  “Of course, sir. Anything else?” he asked.

  “Princess?” Rhys asked me.

  “I’ll have the champagne with you,” I replied.

  The waiter nodded and disappeared in a hurry.

  “Let me fill your water,” Fox said, took my glass, and filled it with water from the pitcher on the table.

  “Thank you,” I replied and sipped from the glass.

  “Boys,” a distinctly feminine voice crooned. “I was hoping you would be here.”

  Resisting the urge to spin around and glare at whoever she was, I took another drink from my water glass. Then, I almost spit it out when all four of the guys, my guards, rose and walked to her to kiss her on the cheek, just below her mask. They each laid a hand on her arm as they leaned to kiss her cheek, and I felt my anger boiling within me. Who the fuck was she? She had on a bright red dress with lace on the ends of her sleeves and down her cleavage. Her lips were perfectly plump, perfectly shaped, and her lipstick was applied perfectly. I hated her. Okay, that was wrong of me to think, but I was feeling very territorial.

  “See you on the dance floor,” she told them with a smirk in my direction before she sauntered away.

  The guys sat down and I returned to drinking my water, trying to pretend I didn’t care to know who she was.

  Rhys leaned close to me, his breath tickling my neck. “You realize, that even if you learn to control your expressions, it doesn’t matter since we can feel your emotions?”

  Shit. I’d forgotten.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied in an even tone that impressed me.

  “Oh?” he asked and straightened. “Then I guess I won’t tell you who she is, if you don’t care.”

  “Not in the slightest.”

  Of course I cared! Tell me, you bastard!

  “Your champagne, sirs and madam,” the waiter said as he pushed a cart towards our table. It had four buckets of ice with four champagne bottles inside of them. He opened the first bottle, filled our glasses, and then set the four buckets in the center of the table.

  “A toast,” Fox announced and raised his glass.

  We raised our glasses as well.

  “To friends, now and forever.”

  “To the clan!” I said and clinked glasses with Fox and then the others.

  “The clan!” the four said and clinked glasses before drinking the champagne.

  Nico refilled the glasses and our food came out on real silver platters with silver lids. It was magical, everything I had dreamed princesses did.

  A team of servers set a plate down before each of us with the waiter overseeing. Once they were finished, the waiter nodded and they disappeared in the crowd.

  “Enjoy,” the waiter said and then scurried away after the servers.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered, wiping the drool from my mouth as I looked over my plate. “This is amazing.”

  “We thought you would enjoy it,” Rhys said and began eating.

  Steak cooked to a perfect medium rare, rosemary potatoes, and asparagus with mushrooms sat in perfect proportions on my plate. I had never been one for taking pictures of my food, but at that moment, I wanted to take a picture to document how beautiful the plate was presented. The food tasted even better than it looked. None of us spoke until we were finished ravaging our food like it was the first we’d eaten in days.

  “That was phenomenal,” I told them and wiped my mouth with my napkin.

  “Their chef is world renowned, so I hoped it would be amazing,” Fox said.

  As if he had been watching us, immediately the waiter brought out dessert, crème brûlée. I had never had it before, but after taking one bite, I vowed to have it again very soon.

  “Once you have finished your meals, please make your way to the sides of the room so that we may clear the tables to prepare for the dances,” someone announced from behind us.

  Fox pulled out my chair and held a hand out to me. I gratefully accepted his hand and assistance standing up. We walked to the side and the guys surrounded me.

  People were looking at us and whispering to each other. How could they tell who the guys were with their masks on? I could tell who they were, but I contributed that to being intimately involved with them.

  I leaned against the wall with Fox on my left, Nico on my right, and Rhys and Deryn in front of me, but thankfully facing me.

  “Who gets the first dance?” Deryn asked.

  “We could arm wrestle and find out,” Fox taunted him.

  “Ro-sham-bo,” Rhys said before Deryn could say whatever retort was on the tip of his tongue.

  They faced each other, fists held between them.

  “Ro-sham-bo,” they said in unison, raising and lowering their fists with each word and then on the last one, they make a sign. The signs are either rock, paper, or scissors.

  Rhys slapped his flat hand, paper, over Fox’s closed fist, rock.

  Deryn hit his closed fist, rock, over Nico’s two extended fingers, scissors.

  Deryn and Rhys turned to each other, closed fists in the center between them.

  “Ro. Sham. Bo,” they said again, enunciating each word while moving their hands.

  They both left their hands in closed fists, rock, so they had to do it again. The same result occurred again. The third time, Deryn switched to an open hand laying parallel to the floor, paper. Rhys hadn’t changed, so Deryn won.

  “Ha!” Deryn shouted victoriously.

  “We all get to dance with her still,” Rhys reminded him.

  “Yeah, but I get the first dance with her at her first masquerade ball,” he reminded them.

  “No bragging. That’s poor sportsmanship,” I chastised him.

  “Gentlemen,” a deep male voice said in greeting behind Deryn. His voice was one of those that I would h
ave given extra points towards his hot score for.

  Deryn stepped to the side, so I could see the newcomer. I knew instantly who he was, Fox’s brother. The pointed ears were a big giveaway.

  He smiled when he saw me, picked my hand up, and kissed my knuckles. “Princess,” he said in greeting.

  “Prince Silverowl. It’s nice to see you again,” I replied.

  “You look stunning,” he said, eyeing me in silence for several long moments.

  So did he.

  “What do you want, little bro?” Fox asked through a tight-lipped smile.

  “I came hoping to get a dance with the Princess,” he said while staring at me.

  “Her card is-” Fox began, but I interrupted him.

  “I’d love a dance, Silver, but my first must go to Deryn.”

  “I would never presume to take the first dance,” he said with a smirk. “I look forward to seeing you on the dancefloor.” He bowed and walked away.

  “Jolie,” Fox grumbled, pouting. “Why did you agree to that?”

  “I have to get along with your families. Dancing one dance with your brother is hardly any inconvenience.”

  “You can’t add him to our harem,” Fox said adamantly.

  I gaped at him. “What? I didn’t…harem?”

  Our arrangement was a harem, I supposed, but reversed since it was many men with one woman. That did not make me feel any better though. It made me feel like a terrible person.

  “I didn’t mean it as a bad thing,” Fox whispered and pulled me into a hug.

  I let him hug me, but his power wasn’t working on me for some reason, so I still felt sad.

  “None of us are here against our will, right?” Nico asked.

  Fox released me so I could turn around to face him. “I’m fine,” I lied and waved my hand at him. “Just emotional lately.” I really was extra sensitive lately.

  The orchestra was set up again and the dance floor was cleared. Right when the music started, a giant hand took mine and spun me out onto the floor.

  I gasped in shock and looked up the massive body to the mask. “Dan!” I yelled. “You scared me.”

  “Hey! I get the first dance!” Deryn growled.

  Dan set my hand on his shoulder and held my other hand. “Not tonight, junior!” Dan told him and joined the rest of the dancers seamlessly. After a short while, I finally noticed Dan’s eyes studying me intensely. “What’s wrong?” he asked as we continued dancing.