Royally Exposed

by Catherine Banks

  “We’ll be getting a tree when I get back, it’s a family tradition. Then, Sharla will cook a huge meal, which we will eat while the children open their presents,” Martin said. “What about you, Thor?”

  “I’ll be going home this year. I haven’t seen my parents in a couple of years,” Thor answered. “What about you, Ezio?”

  He was changing the topic so we could move on. I loved them, so much.

  “Your meals,” the waiter said as he, and a few others, brought out trays with plates of food on them.

  Deryn set me back in my seat and Rhys and Fox returned to their seats as well.

  “Thanks,” I whispered.

  “Anytime,” Nico whispered back and kissed me lightly on the lips.

  I didn’t even know what Deryn had ordered for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find sushi rolls.

  “Sushi!” I exclaimed.

  “You weren’t paying attention when I ordered?” Deryn asked me with a smile.

  I shook my head. “No, but this is wonderful. It’s been a long time since I last had sushi.”

  “Didn’t we just have sushi like a week or two ago?” Nico asked.

  “Yeah, a long time ago,” I said, picking up the chopsticks they had provided and quickly ate a piece of the first roll. Crab mix, avocado, and cucumber inside. Fresh salmon, avocado smear, masago, two types of sauce, and green onions on the top. It was my favorite type of roll. “So good,” I moaned. The other roll had barbecued eel on the top with a dark sauce. I grabbed a piece of it next and popped it into my mouth. “Paradise,” I said.

  After finishing my sushi rolls, I returned to sipping on my strawberry daiquiri and looking at the males around me. They were all smiling and talking to each other like old friends. Something that, just a few days earlier, had seemed impossible. Now, the strongest of the races were friends instead of rivals. Was this what they meant about me being an alpha? This was definitely what the kings meant when they questioned whether I was a witch.

  A smile spread across my mouth as I surveyed my unintentional work. Maybe my life and death situations were meant to provide something good. They provided an opportunity for males who usually fought to get along. To find a common goal.

  “Time to spar!” Fox exclaimed.

  Chapter 11

  “Go Rhys! Go Ezio!” I cheered from the stands of the coliseum. The coliseum was completely empty, save for my entourage and myself.

  “You can’t root for both of them,” Fox chastised me.

  “Yes, I can.”

  “Who are you going to fight?” Thor asked Fox.

  Fox shrugged. “Whoever wants to challenge me.”

  “What’s your favorite weapon?” Thor asked him.

  “Swords, but I do love playing with throwing axes,” Fox said.

  “Throwing axes sound fun,” I said.

  “No,” Fox said immediately. “You will somehow end up injured if you participate.”

  “I’m not a klutz,” I growled.

  Rhys and Ezio were dancing around on the balls of their feet, fists raised in front of their faces. They looked like boxers. They exchanged a few tentative hits from each other and then, they were moving so fast, that I could not track their movements. Their arms moved so fast, that they were just a blur to me.

  “Who’s winning?” I asked Fox. “I can’t see their punches.”

  “It’s pretty evenly matched right now,” Fox said. “Rhys may be testing him to see what his style is or trying to find any breaks in his defense.”

  “Ezio’s defense is pretty damn solid,” Thor commented.

  “Jojo,” Declan called in a sing-song voice.

  “What’s up Declan?” I asked without turning towards him.

  “Nothing, just wanted to come sit by you,” he said and plopped down onto the seat next to me. “Who do you think will win?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” I admitted.

  “You’re supposed to say Rhys,” Fox mumbled.

  “I would, but you forget that I’ve seen Ezio in full attack mode. With one hand, he destroyed a dozen ogres. I’m not saying Rhys couldn’t do that too. I just haven’t seen him in a fight like that.” And hopefully, I never would. I didn’t fancy the idea of my guards getting hurt.

  “She’s so honest,” Declan chuckled.

  “Who are you going to fight?” I asked Declan. I still couldn’t see their movements, but it looked like they were starting to use kicks as well, since their bodies would drop lower sometimes.

  “Deryn,” Declan said. “I’ve wanted to spar with him for a long time, but never had an opportunity.”

  “Me?” Deryn asked. “Really?”

  Declan nodded.

  “Well, no matter who any of you fight, I know they are going to be good fights. I’m honestly surprised that you’ve never sparred with each other before,” I said.

  “They are going to have to call a draw,” Fox whispered. “They’re just too evenly matched. This could go on for days.”

  “You think they’ll call a draw?” I asked. They were both so damn stubborn, I couldn’t imagine them calling a draw.

  “Yes. This isn’t a typical fight. If this was part of the tournament, neither would back down, fighting until they passed out or were too injured to protect themselves,” Deryn answered.

  “Declan,” I said quickly, spinning to look at him. “I almost forgot!” I reached down into my bag and grabbed one of the packages. “Here,” I said with a smile. “Merry Christmas.”

  “For me?” Declan asked, his eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. “This is a gift for me?”

  I nodded.

  “Do I open it now? Or wait until Christmas?” he asked.

  “It’s up to you,” I said with a smile and kissed his cheek. “I don’t care either way.”

  “I’m going to wait,” he said with a nod of finality. “That way, I will think of you on Christmas and have a piece of you with me.”

  I had zero idea what to say to that. It warmed me and I found tears in my eyes. “You’re so sweet,” I finally whispered and hugged him.

  “Draw!” Rhys and Ezio called at the same time.

  Both were drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, but I didn’t see any blood.

  “Next,” Rhys called and hopped up into the stands.

  “Deryn?” Declan asked.

  Deryn nodded. “Sure.”

  Declan set his gift next to me. “I’ll get it after my match. I don’t want to lose it or have it smooshed if it’s in my pocket.”

  “Okay,” I said with a nod. “I’ll keep it safe until you return.”

  Rhys plopped down in front of me and leaned back, so his upper back leaned against my legs. “Hey, beautiful,” he said with a wide smile.

  “Hello, handsome. Did you have fun?” I asked, giving him a light kiss on his lips, having to lean around him to do so.

  “Yes, I did,” Rhys answered. “I’m glad we got to do this.”

  “Me too,” Ezio said from behind me,

  I tipped my head back to look at him. “You had fun too?”

  “Yes,” he said with a nod. “It has been a long time since I’ve been matched so well with someone in a fight. I miss matches like this.”

  “Well, you shouldn’t have gotten so strong,” I teased.

  He chuckled, but didn’t say anything.

  “Their fight is starting,” Rhys said, getting my attention. He sat forward, his arms on his legs as he focused intently on the fighters.

  “Who do you think will win?” I asked Fox.

  “Deryn,” he said immediately.

  “I don’t know,” Rhys said. “Declan is pretty quick.”

  “Yes, but so is Deryn when he’s focused. I think he might let some of his true skill shine,” Fox said.

  “Deryn is a bit lazy,” Rhys chuckled. “Maybe Jolie will finally get to see some of his true skills.”

  Deryn and Declan faced each other and then bowed. Once they straightened, all humor left their faces as they
focused, but I was glad to see that there wasn’t any hostility.

  Honestly, seeing them getting along so well despite knowing I’d been with the others, made me really happy. They were all incredibly dominant, each definitely alpha material. Maybe that was what I saw in them. Maybe I was drawn to the dominant males because I knew they would be the most able to protect me.

  Deryn darted left and I was blown away by how fast he moved. I knew he could move quickly, he was a werewolf after all, but I had never seen him move that fast before.

  “You weren’t joking,” I whispered to Rhys and Fox.

  “I didn’t know he was that fast,” Ezio said.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t want to fight him,” I told Ezio.

  “I was worried he might hold some animosity towards me. I figured Rhys was the better option. Plus, I always wanted to fight him,” Ezio explained.

  “Seems that all of you wanted to fight each other,” I chuckled.

  Deryn was suddenly still and Declan was on his back in the arena.

  I stood up in shock, worried that he had hurt Declan.

  Declan laughed and then leapt to his feet. “Nice job,” Declan told Deryn and shook hands with him. “I didn’t even see that hit coming.”

  “What happened?” I asked as I sat down again. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea for me to watch them. My heart was pounding hard.

  “Deryn broke his defense and landed a hit right to his jaw,” Rhys told me. “That was a really nice punch.”

  “Thank you,” Deryn said, sitting next to Fox again. He took his shirt off and wiped the sweat from his forehead. My eyes were glued to him, admiring his exposed muscular body.

  “Hey,” Fox snapped, putting himself in my line of sight. “Stop drooling.”

  “I’m allowed to look and admire my guards,” I said and folded my arms across my chest.

  “Who’s next?” Deryn asked.

  “Me,” Fox said. “Who wants to challenge me?”

  “Me,” Zelphar said and leapt into the arena.

  “Alright.” Fox smiled happily as he joined Zelphar in the arena.

  “Who will win this one?” Ezio asked, grinning.

  “Fox,” Deryn and Rhys answered at the same time.

  “He’s pretty amazing in battle,” I whispered, leaning my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands. I had gotten to watch him battle enemies in the park and at the party when my father and his minions had attacked.

  “Oh, so Fox is your favorite?” Ezio asked.

  “What?” Deryn asked, turning his eyes toward me.

  “She couldn’t pick a winner from any of the other fights and didn’t praise any of you. Yet, she swoons over Fox,” Ezio said.

  Fox removed his shirt and looked up at me. “See, plenty of muscles to look at here.”

  Fox was the most muscular, shorter than the others, but buffer. Somehow though, his bulk didn’t hinder his movements and he was very lithe. I supposed, that could be due to his being an elf.

  “I’m not going to be able to see anything, am I?” I asked Deryn.

  “You mean because they’re moving too fast?” he asked me.

  I nodded.

  “Most likely,” Deryn said.

  “Shouldn’t she be able to tap into your powers to see better?” Ezio asked.

  “We’ve tried it before and it didn’t work. You might try now, since you’re officially our queen,” Rhys suggested.

  “Okay.” It was worth a shot. I closed my eyes and focused on our bonds, being sure not to touch Fox’s, since he would need all of his focus on the fight. I opened my eyes and everything was brighter, clearer, and I could see so many things I had missed before. I could see a single gray hair on Declan’s head. They started fighting and I was finally able to watch it.

  Fox was fast, his fists punching and blocking as Declan returned his aggression. There wasn’t one on defense while the other was on offense. They were both being offensive and defensive at the same time. The movements were so fast, I supposed that was probably the easiest thing for them. If you were on defense too much, you might get backed into a corner.

  “Shit,” Ezio whispered. “I’ve never seen an elf fight before. That’s insane.”

  “Declan’s holding his own,” Rhys commented.

  “Not much longer,” I whispered. I could see it, the small faltering movements Declan made. I was certain Fox saw them as well.

  “She’s right,” Deryn whispered in shock. “Wow.”

  Declan held up his hand and Fox stopped, mid-punch. “I give,” Declan said. “I can’t keep up with your speed.”

  Fox bowed to him and they headed up to us again. I released the connections, letting my normal eyesight return. Everything seemed so dull and bland now.

  “I’m hungry,” I announced. “Can we get some food?”

  “You’re always hungry,” Martin chuckled.

  “We need to get a bigger refrigerator for all the food she eats now,” Deryn said and draped his arm around my shoulders. “Maybe a deep freezer.”

  “As if you four don’t eat a ton too,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

  “We should get a deep freezer,” Rhys agreed. “We could store a ton of frozen meats for cooking meals.”

  “So you can stop eating so much fast food and takeout?” I guessed. Honestly, it surprised me how much our interactions revolved around food. It seemed strange to humans how much Others ate.

  “I love pizza,” Deryn complained. “I don’t want to eat healthy all the time.”

  “I never said all the time,” Rhys countered. “I’m still going to eat pizza.”

  “As long as the pizza guy doesn’t kidnap me again,” I said and laughed at the memory. Now that I was able to laugh at it.

  “What?” Ezio asked. “A pizza guy kidnapped you?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Then a dragoness took me from him and delivered me to my father.”

  Ezio reached out and took my hand in his. “Did he hurt you again?”

  I squeezed his hand and smiled. He remembered! I’d told him about my father when we were dating. “He’s dead now. The guys killed him. So, I don’t have to worry about him any longer.”

  No, now I just had to worry about his ex-lover and my ex-friend, Justina. Would she try to come after me again? Would she want to hurt me once she found out that I was their queen once more and their mate? I was betting so. If I was her, I might.

  “You’re scowling now,” Deryn whispered.

  “Thinking about Justina,” I whispered.

  “We’ll keep you protected,” Deryn promised.

  “Is it wrong that I feel bad for her? I mean, she tortured me and tried to kill me, but she’s trying to deal with her sorrow.”

  “You’re too nice,” Ezio chastised me. “She tortured you and severed your connections with the princes. What if it had been permanent? What if she had severed them and there was no way to get them back?”

  He was right…I knew. And, had that been the case, I would still feel numb and hollow, which would probably be driving me insane. Yet, we had been friends. She didn’t stop being my friend because she hated me. She stopped because my lovers killed her lover. It was an age-old story that happened again and again.

  “We’ll kill her if we see her. You know that, right?” Deryn asked.

  “I know.” I sighed. “I know.”

  “I have some errands to take care of,” Ezio said as he stood.

  “Wait!” I ordered him. Reaching deep down into my bag, I grabbed his present and handed it to him. Then, I handed Kylan, Thor, Martin, Yukio, and Zelphar theirs as well.

  “You got us all presents?” Yukio asked.

  “Yes. I wanted to get you something to thank you.”

  “Thank us for what?” Ezio asked.

  “Being part of my life, protecting me when you had to, loving me, and helping me this week,” I said. “You’re all part of me, even if we aren’t a couple any longer. I still cherish your friendships.”

  �
��Friend-zoned!” Thor gasped and clutched at his heart. “No!”

  I smacked his arm and he smiled at me. “Knock it off.”

  “Thank you,” Thor said and kissed my cheek. “I appreciate it. It means a lot to me that you would think of me and buy a gift.”

  “I’m going to wait to open mine, like Declan,” Yukio told me. “Can I call you after I open it, to thank you?”

  “Of course, you can,” I said and hugged him.

  Yukio looked over my head and asked, “Prince?”

  “You are all welcome to contact Jolie,” Fox said. “Just remember that she’s ours and everything will be fine.”

  “And that we’ll kill you if you touch her inappropriately,” Rhys said with a bright and warm smile.

  The death threat and smile were in such contrast, that I found myself unable to say anything.

  “Understood,” all of my exes said.

  “Hugs,” I ordered them.

  Each took a turn giving me a hug and Ezio and Declan gave me kisses on the cheek.

  “She’s like an omega,” Deryn said. “She’s so calm and happy to see everyone, that we are all relaxed. She’s the reason so many dominates were able to get along just now.”

  “I thought you said I was an alpha?” I asked, feeling confused.

  “You’re a human alpha, but somehow you’ve turned yourself into a wolf omega. So much time in the werewolf pack gave you the ability to have the dual personalities,” Deryn explained.

  I supposed what he said made sense. I still didn’t see myself as an alpha personality as a human, but they would be the better judges on that anyway. Maybe I would ask Dan what he thought.

  I realized that I hadn’t spoken to Nico much that afternoon. I turned and held my arms out to him. He wrapped me up in a warm hug and then slung one arm beneath my knees to pick me up.

  “Hello,” Nico said with a smile. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing. Just wanted some Nico time,” I told him and leaned my face into his neck. “Mm, you smell good. Like cologne.”

  “No cologne on,” he told me.

  “I know. It’s just your scent. I love it.”

  “What did you buy from that mage merchant?” he asked me softly.

  “I’m not telling you,” I said quickly, jerking my head back to look at him.