“No, it wasn’t,” I agreed and sniffled.
He kissed each of my eyes, then my cheeks, neck, and my forehead. “I’m sorry.” He sat up, pulling me with him, and hugged me tightly. “I’m sorry.”
We sat like that for several minutes and then, I realized the train was heading toward the ocean.
“Does it turn ahead?” I asked, scanning the coast for the direction the train would turn.
“No,” Deryn replied, but didn’t elaborate.
Before I could ask where it went, I got my answer. We plunged straight into the sea, a shield of magic around us, keeping the water, as well as the creatures, away from the train.
I gasped and clung to him. More people filed into the car, stepping around us carefully as I took it all in, my mouth agape.
“You’re beautiful,” Deryn whispered. “I’m lucky to have you.”
Chapter 6
The rest of the train ride was, thankfully, uneventful. We arrived at a land of swaying green grass and a huge castle, the largest I had ever seen.
A bus took us and two dozen other train riders to the castle. I sat between Deryn and Rhys, but kept standing up to lean over the top of the seat in front of me to talk to Dan.
“How old is it?” I asked him.
“One thousand years at least,” he answered. “Over five hundred rooms, a huge ballroom, a courtroom, and three pools.”
“I’m going to get lost,” I whispered and Dan laughed.
Rhys pulled me down in to my seat. “You won’t get lost because you will have a guard with you at all times.”
“Is there indoor plumbing?” I asked softly.
All of them, including Dan and Thor who were sitting in front of me, laughed.
“Yes,” Rhys promised.
“I’m hungry,” I complained.
“There will be a huge feast when we arrive. We actually will only have time to change and then head to the throne room to eat,” Dan told us.
“I have to wear a dress, don’t I?” I asked with a resigned sigh.
“Yes, but don’t worry, the dresses will all be in styles you like,” Fox said behind me.
“That’s reassuring,” I whispered.
“Who is guarding her while you are in meetings?” Thor asked.
“Me,” Martin answered. “That’s why I’m here.”
“If you need me, just howl,” Thor told him. “I know she’s quite a handful.”
“Rude,” I growled at him, but couldn’t deny he was right.
Deryn squeezed the hand he was holding, having grabbed it at some point, though I wasn’t certain when.
“Is there anything I should know before we get there?” I asked Dan.
“Yes,” he nodded, “but I don’t have the time to teach you everything right now. Just be on your most polite behavior and bow to everyone to be on the safe side.”
“Right, being overly respectful is better than being disrespectful, even if I’m ignorant to who is actually important or not,” I agreed.
“Right,” Dan said.
“My clan kept our relationship a secret, so we are basically at square one. You’re just our friend and here at Dan’s invitation as Princess of the Four Clans. They will probably want to talk to you or at least say something to you, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Rhys told me.
“So, no holding hands or anything?” I asked softly, feeling a bit of pressure in the center of my chest knowing I wouldn’t be able to be affectionate with them in public.
Deryn squeezed my hand. “No, we won’t be able to hold hands once we are there,” he whispered.
“We should have had a cuddle puddle on the train before we departed,” I mumbled.
“We can do that once we are in the rooms,” Nico offered.
“Are we all staying near each other?” I asked, hopefully.
They all nodded.
“We wanted to make sure that you were safe, and that you wouldn’t get yourself into trouble,” Nico explained.
“I never get myself into trouble,” I grumbled. “It finds me.”
“One last thing,” Dan whispered.
I leaned forward, so I could hear him through the crack in the seats.
“If anyone gives you trouble or threatens you, you tell one of us immediately. There will be a lot of things going on politically, and if they can find a way to use you for their own agendas, they will take it. They will make up a ton of lies about you, if it furthers their cause. So, let us know if anyone says anything that you think is weird or might have been a threat. It most likely will be one.”
“Super positive pep talk there, Dad,” I teased.
“Dad?” he whispered.
“Oh, uh, I just meant…you know the pep talk…it’s like when a dad-”
“I like the sound of that,” he said and turned his head to look over the seat at Deryn. “Someday, I would like that to be official.”
“Don’t look at me,” he mumbled. “That’s her decision. You know how I feel about it.”
“Hm, yes. It’s giving me one less chip to bargain with at the table,” Dan said. He looked at Rhys. “Did you say the same to your father?”
“What?” Rhys asked, not having been paying attention to us.
“About not taking a mate for political purposes?” Dan said cryptically, so no one would know that we were actually talking about them not wanting anyone, but me, as a mate.
“Yes,” Rhys said with a nod. “Father knows that is my feeling as well. He said that once he saw us together, at the Den, that he knew he wouldn’t be able to separate us anyway, even if she never takes me for a mate.”
“Hm, well, Daughter, I think you and I need to have a talk soon,” Dan told me.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” I grumbled. “Dad-talks never went well for me. They usually ended with me being thrown into a closet.”
“Dad won’t throw you into a closet,” Deryn promised me. “And if he did, I would just rip the door off for you again anyway.”
“My hero,” I whispered and batted my eyelashes at him dramatically.
“You should call me that more often,” he whispered and kissed my cheek.
“And you said I have a big ego,” Thor scoffed.
“You do. You refer to yourself as a god, Tim,” Deryn growled.
“Don’t call me that,” Thor growled back.
“Boys,” Dan chastised them. “No growling at each other. We’re on the same side, remember?”
“No, we’re not,” Thor argued. “We both love her and both want her.”
“You can’t have her,” Rhys growled at him.
“That’s her decision,” Thor whispered.
“Thor, knock it off,” I growled at him. “If you want to spend any time with me, you have to drop the façade of trying to win me.”
“I still love you,” he whispered.
“As a pack mate,” I reminded him. “You don’t know me anymore. I’m much different than I was at eighteen.”
“Pack mate?” Dan asked. “You were part of the pack Jolie grew up with?”
Thor nodded. “Yes.”
“Did you really let her go on hunts with you?” Dan asked.
Thor nodded. “She would ride on Martin’s back, or mine, and we would chase after animals. Normally, if we had her on our back, we would hunt rabbits instead of the deer that the rest of the pack was hunting. Sometimes, we set her down and joined in, but normally we were content to chase rabbits.”
“And none of your pack tried to harm her during the hunts?” Dan asked.
Thor shook his head. “Of course not! She’s pack.”
“But she wasn’t marked,” Dan pointed out.
“She didn’t need to be. We all knew her scent. She played with us and went to school with us. You have to remember that our town had only about six hundred people in the total population. Everyone knew everyone.”
“Most of the town was the pack,” I explained. “There were very few people living there who
weren’t pack.”
“Your family being one of them,” Dan added.
I nodded.
“I’m surprised your dad stayed in that town, with him becoming a vampire and all,” he commented.
“Me too,” I said honestly. I still wasn’t sure why he had stayed when he knew the werewolves would be able to tell he was a vampire. It didn’t really make sense, but then again, my dad hadn’t made much sense to me, ever.
“Jo, what was the name of that girl that you punched?” Thor asked.
“Jolie punched someone?” Deryn asked, shocked.
“Anna Smith. She was talking bad about Others, werewolves especially, and none of them could do anything, but since I was human, like her, I could. So, I walked up to her and punched her right in her raised nose. She cried like a baby.”
“Didn’t you get in trouble?” Thor asked.
I nodded. “Alpha made me stay away from the pack for a week.”
“He made you stay away? Why?” Dan asked.
“Because he knew that I hated being away from them. I grew up like a shifter, craving affection and touch. Being away for a week meant I didn’t get any touch, since my mom was dead and my dad was psychotic.”
“That’s a really harsh punishment,” Rhys said with a frown.
“He was trying to teach her not to fight people, like we are always taught,” Martin explained. “Plus, I snuck over after a few days to ensure she didn’t go crazy.”
“That’s why you’re so affectionate,” Dan whispered. “You’re basically a werewolf who can’t shift.”
“I guess so,” I whispered.
“Would you have gone crazy?” Rhys asked.
I nodded and looked at Deryn. “I told you that I wouldn’t be able to go back to being alone again.”
He pulled me into a tight hug and said, “You won’t ever be alone, Jolie.”
“No, you won’t,” Thor promised.
The castle was larger than a few college campuses I had been to. Sticking to my spot in the center of my guards, we walked down the hallway to our rooms. My room was in the center of theirs, giving me added protection. In the closet was a month’s worth of dresses in various colors and styles. I opted for a silver dress with a snug bodice, but flowing skirt.
Someone knocked on my door.
“Just a minute!” I called as I put on all of the jewelry the guys had given me.
“You look stunning,” Deryn said from behind me.
I spun around, my heart pounding in my chest. “Mage’s mana! You scared me!”
His smile let me know that he didn’t feel bad at all. “Are you ready?”
Now that I wasn’t hyperventilating, I looked at him. He had black slacks, a white button up shirt, and black tie and jacket.
“You look hot,” I said, stepping forward and resting my hands on his chest.
“Stop looking at me like that or we won’t make it to the feast,” he whispered and kissed me.
“We could have our own feast here,” I tempted.
“You need to eat,” Deryn said. “I can hear your stomach growling.”
“Sounds like she’s thirsty,” Fox said with a wink as he, Rhys, and Nico walked in.
“You present me with a gift and then get mad when I want to unwrap it. It’s not fair,” I fake pouted.
“You can unwrap all four of us later,” Nico promised. “First, we need to get some food.”
“Wait,” I ordered them. “Before we go and I can’t touch you all.” I grabbed Deryn, since he was closest and pulled him into a deep kiss, and did the same with all of the others.
“Maybe we could be late,” Nico rumbled and pulled me back for another kiss.
I pushed him away with a wide smile, glad that I still had that effect on them. “No. No. We need food, remember?” I said to Nico as I walked away.
Rhys opened the door, preventing us from continuing the teasing, and we all filed out. The guys took their positions around me and walked down the hallway confidently, making turns, and arriving without asking for directions.
“How many times have you been here?” I asked.
“Every year since we were five,” Fox answered.
“Well, I’m glad you guys know your way around. I’d be completely lost right now other—”
“Jo?” a male voice asked.
I stopped and turned toward the speaker. It was actually two of them, both dragons with identical faces and smiles.
“Declan and Kylan!” I called happily, stepping out of the protection of my guards to hug the twins. “You guys haven’t changed at all.”
Declan kissed my cheek. “You look gorgeous, like always.”
Kylan nodded and kissed my other cheek. “I’m so happy to see you. We were just talking about you the other day.”
“Good things, I hope,” I said with a smile, squeezing their hands, each holding one of mine.
“Of course,” Declan assured me.
“Declan. Kylan. Nice to see you both,” Rhys greeted them.
They bowed to Rhys, but hadn’t let go of my hand. “Prince,” they said in unison.
Kylan turned back to me. “Are you going to the feast? You should sit with us.”
“Sorry guys, but I’m sitting with my friends already,” I said and indicated my group.
“Well you have to visit with us and catch up,” Declan begged.
“I will definitely try,” I promised, unsure how Rhys would react to their proposal.
They kissed my cheeks again and headed off.
“You sure you’re not a witch?” Nico asked.
“What? Why?”
“They never touch anyone, unless it is to hurt them,” Rhys told me.
“What? That’s crazy! They’re super sweet and really affectionate.”
The guys exchanged glances and then we headed back down the hallway. I hated their shared glances, since I couldn’t figure out what they were communicating.
The ballroom was ginormous. It reminded me of a warehouse due to its size, but surprisingly, it was warm and inviting. Currently, it was filled with tables and people milling about, talking to each other.
As soon as the guys entered, a group of females rushed over to fawn all over them. More than a few snuck touches in, and some gave brazen offers to visit their rooms later.
“Jolie?” a soft voice asked behind me.
I turned and smiled up at Tobias. “Hey!”
He pulled me forward and rubbed his cheek along mine. “It is you.”
He looked and smelled the same. Light stubble on his cheeks, deep brown eyes, and dark brown hair accented his medium-brown skin. Tobias had been the first male I had slept with after Martin. It had taken me a while to take that step and he had been a patient hunter and gentleman the whole time. I had started to fall for him and when I realized that, I had broken it off and left.
“You look great,” I offered and kissed his cheek.
“Tonight, I need to talk to you privately,” he said urgently.
“About what?” I asked.
“Tobias, good to see you,” Deryn greeted him stiffly.
Tobias tensed and bowed slightly. “Prince Deryn.”
“Jolie, do you know-” Tobias started, but Deryn draped his arm across my shoulders.
“Jolie and I are friends,” Deryn said, his eyes sparking with gold.
Tobias nodded then looked at me. “Promise?”
I nodded. “Promise.”
He left and Deryn pulled away from me before he asked, “What did you promise him?”
“To come talk to him tonight,” I answered, not wanting to keep anything from him.
“About what?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
Something was up, though. He had seemed nervous, almost scared. Tobias was never scared. And why talk to me? Why not Dan or Deryn?
“Come on, let’s go sit down,” he said, starting to reach for me, but dropped his hand and instead waved in the direction of the guys. They had escaped
the herd of females and now sat at a table with three open seats. Deryn sat beside Rhys, quickly whispering to him, and I sat between the empty chair and Martin.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered and rubbed his cheek along mine.
“Thanks,” I whispered, rubbing his cheek back for comfort.
Someone slid into the seat next to me and I turned, expecting to find Dan or Thor, but instead found Ezio.
He was one of the most handsome males I had ever seen, even more attractive than my guards. Copper hair, sapphire eyes, and a smile that had me clenching my thighs together to hide my arousal, was coupled with the body of a god.
He waited for me to stop ogling him and leaned his face forward, waiting.
I met him, sliding my cheek along his silky soft skin and practically purred at his cologne-like scent. “Ezio,” I whispered.
He pressed our foreheads together and whispered, “Jolie, my love. I’ve missed you.”
Deryn and someone else growled, but neither of us moved.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered and pulled back, not clarifying if I was apologizing to my guards or Ezio for prior transgressions. Honestly, it was a bit of both.
Ezio looked at the four scowling faces of the princes. “What’s wrong?” he asked them.
Ignoring them, I pushed up Ezio’s tuxedo jacket sleeve, so I could see the small scar on his wrist. I flinched at the sight of it, hoping it would have disappeared by now.
Ezio took the hand on his wrist and raised it to kiss my knuckles. “Leave the past in the past, love. I am perfectly fine and healthy.”
“A story you didn’t share?” Deryn asked me.
“No, I try very hard not to recall that night,” I admitted while staring into Ezio’s eyes. “The night I almost lost you.”
“That’s an exaggeration,” he said with a smirk.
“Hardly,” I countered and looked away from him, the image of the blood-soaked ground coming to my mind.
“Care to share?” Deryn asked.
“No, this is a private event between us,” Ezio told him, turning to give him a glare before looking back at me. “Why aren’t you mated yet?”
“I’m working on it,” I said, trying really hard not to glance at my guards.
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