“Tell us this is a joke,” demands Genesis.
I look around and everybody is just staring at each other and at me. They’re starting to freak me out.
I look back at Caspian, waiting for him to tell us that it’s a joke.
A horrible joke. He just sits there in silence. I bend down, pull a shoe off my foot and chuck it at his head. My customize Old Skool Vans sours through the air and hits his forehead before it lands on the floor with a thud.
“Owww!!! What’s that for?” he yells, rubbing his forehead.
“The joke is not funny.” I glare at him.
“It’s not funny because it’s not a joke!” Caspian exclaims.
“Throwing a shoe at your King’s head isn’t funny either.”
No no no no no…this has got to be a joke. King Alexandros can’t do that, can he? I’m still in a denial. Of course, he can.
He’s a freaking king!
“I’m afraid it’s not a joke, Malyshka,” says Darius, stepping closer to me. He takes both my hands in his.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I tell him. I’m feeling lightheaded and a bit dizzy.
He pulls me to the nearest sofa, lifts me up to sit on his lap and presses my face to his shoulder. I breathe in his amazing scent
while he rubs my shoulders and back soothingly. “Breath, Malyshka,” he tells me while I feel him breathing in my scent and realize his need to calm himself too.
“What are we going to do now?” I hear Serena’s voice asking.
Her question is met with momentary silence before my mate raises his head up to look at Caspian and firmly says, “You have to talk to King Alexandros.”
“Da. Yes, you’re going to ask him to give you more time,” says Constantine to Caspian.
“I agree.” Lazarus nods his head.
“He agreed to give me three years before we went to California months ago. I don’t know what prompted him to do this, but yes, that’s the best course of action,” states Caspian sitting up straight. “My father can be stubborn once he made up his mind. If all else fails, I shall abdicate the crown. That’s all the leverage I have against him at this moment. Constantine, if that happens, it shall fall on your shoulders, brother.”
I stare at them with round eyes. There’s a possibility of the heir apparent giving up his throne now. Despite his craziness, I know Caspian doesn’t take this very lightly. There’s a lot at stake. If I wasn’t sitting in Darius’s protective arms, I would have hyperventilated at this point.
If Constantine is crowned king, Genesis will be his queen. A roll that I know my free-spirited friend isn’t too willing to take.
I quickly glance at my best friend to see a look of horror briefly flashes on her face. She quickly masked it with a slight smile when Constantine takes her hand in his.
They gaze into each other’s eyes for a while before she nods her head and he turns to look at his cousin, Caspian. “We have your back, brother. Do what you have to do.”
“Beany, we’ll go face the king together. Let’s go,” says Caspian.
“Wait…what happened to you?” he asks, noticing my
appearance for the first time. Then he does a double take on Genesis. “Red? You too? What have you two been up to?”
“Tunnel happened,” answers Genesis, scowling. “Penny’s idea of fun involves tunnel plus crazy giant mutated killer spiders.”
Gawd, my friend is such a drama queen. They’re not mutated! I jump up from my mate’s lap and tells them, “Focus, people!” I turn to Caspian and says, “Okay, let’s go.”
“Maybe you should clean up before you go see King
Alexandros?” suggests Serena.
“Yeah, you two look like dirty giant spiderweb dusters. Very disgusting,” agrees Caspian. “I didn’t know you’re this kinky, Beany.” he shakes his head. “Sorry, I can’t be seen with you like this.”
“Disgusting? Can’t be seen…??? Why
you..I’m…urghh..kinky…what? What???…darn it!” I sputtered in indignation. I’m going to kick his royal balls!
Darius wraps his arms around my middle before I can move.
He pulls me to him until my back hits his chest and my feet are off the ground before I start flinging my arms and feet towards the smug looking Caspian.
Darius carries me down the hall towards Caspian’s bedchamber as I keep struggling to be free. “Kinky? I’ll show you… Argghh!
You!!! I…darn it! I’m…I’m..I’m gonna kick your nuts so bad one day! You and your mate better start looking into adoption!”
Hah! I manage to come up with two complete sentences!
Hah!!!
I hear Constantine chuckling closely behind us. He and Genesis are walking down the hall with us to their bedchamber. “We left you two alone just for three hours, now look at you,” says Constantine, ruffling Genesis’s hair. He pulls his hand back and stares at the cobweb that stuck to his fingers in
amusement. His mate just scowls at him in annoyance.
Before we parted ways to clean up, I catch Genesis’s hand in mine and pull her aside. “Can you two give us a minute?” I ask Darius and Constantine. The two men walk on and I hear Constantine saying, “Don’t get into any more trouble, girls.
Please.”
What’s up with not trusting us? We both scowl at his parting back.
As soon as they’re gone, I turn to Genesis. “I’m sorry it happens this way, Genesis. It’s my fault. If Caspian abdicated…”
“Penny, it’s not your fault. You know I’d do anything for you.
Who knows, the king might agree to give Caspian more time,”
she says. “Besides, being a queen isn’t the worst thing that could happen to a girl, is it?” She smiles and wiggles her eyebrows.
No, it isn’t, but I know Genesis would hate it. Millions of other women might be dreaming of becoming a queen. My friend sees it as responsibility instead of power, restrictions instead of privileges. She wants her freedom and eats the cake too. She has no desire to change the world.
She’s just like her father, Aaron Fairchild who joined his mate’s pack even though he was next in line to be the alpha of his pack. He left his younger brother to take the position, much to his father’s aggravation.
“Oh, by the way, you’re not off the hook. If I were to become the queen, you’ll be my right-hand woman along with Serena.”
She flips her cobweb ridden hair sassily before she sashays to her room.
“Oh boy, I can see how this whole monarchy is going to crumble,” I yell at her parting back. “Gone! Poof! Taken down by three crazy women.”
I hear her laughter echoes down the massive grand hallway as she disappears behind closed doors of their bedchamber.
I find my mate waiting in our bedroom. As soon as I walk in, he draws me to him for a gentle yet passionate kiss. We stay in each other’s arms for a while before I have to go and wash up.
Our brief stolen moment.
I wash my body and shampoo my hair properly to get rid of the soot and the cobwebs. I dry my hair and choose a tight cream colored short knitted dress and pair it with thigh-high black boots. I add a red scarf around my neck for color and a black leather jacket on top of that. I think I’m ready to face King Alexandros.
Darius is sitting on our bed with his elbows on his thighs. He looks up when I come out of the walk-in closet. he’s changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He was in his black army uniform before. His hair gleams in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. His glacier blue eyes intense, taking in my appearance from head to toe. He’s so beautiful he takes my breath away.
“I feel like I’m getting ready to go to war,” I tell him.
“You’re beautiful. You look like you’re about to walk down the runway, Malyshka,” he remarks as he gets up.
“If all else fails, I’m going to grab you and we’ll disappear together,” he says.
“Will you, really?” I ask him.
He brushes a finger down my face gently, as if he can’t stop himself. He doesn’t make any attempt to touch me other than that.
“I’m sorry I hit you with my shoe,” I whisper Caspian just before we enter the King’s office.
“You’re just scared that I might throw you in the dungeon when I become King,” he whispers back, taking my hand in his.
“Though I could’ve thrown you in the dungeon right now if I so wished.”
“Maybe,” I reply. “But you know I’ll come back and haunt you for the rest of your long life if I were to die down there.”
Caspian places his hand on the doorknob and twists it as soon as I nod my head.
The dress is exquisite. The most beautiful creation I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a sleeveless, A-line dress with a sheer see-through mesh bodice. Golden floral appliques carefully hand-stitched and conveniently placed to cover important parts of my body that needs to be covered…which apparently not much.
The top to the waist at the back is completely bare save for the sheer mesh and the buttons. The skirt is made of light peach-colored tulle that reaches the ground and forms a train at the back. The fold of the tulle is soft and exquisite. More golden appliques are stitched down the front of the gown. The dress is quite risqué. It will definitely draw attention. It makes me wonder what the queen’s motive behind this. I wonder what my mate will think of it.
I have five maids helping me today. One of the women helps me do up the tiny buttons at the back.
My hair is being pulled up into an elaborate, elegant updo. A beautiful gold headpiece encrusted with diamonds is weaved into my hair to look like I was wearing a tiara.
Earlier on I was given a box. A gift, said the lady who brought it over. Inside were a necklace, a pair of hoop earrings, and a bracelet that match the headpiece.
One of the maids is putting them on me now. They are
beautiful and must have cost a fortune. I’ve never felt more like a fraud.
Our meeting with King Alexandros earlier didn’t go very well.
Queen Sophia was in the office with us. I felt like they were just waiting for us. They both refused to budge on our request for more time before we’re announced, king and queen. When Caspian announced that he wanted to abdicate the crown, the queen declared that they would call for Rule of Seven. This is an ancient set of rules. It’s mostly barbaric but is still in practice by some werewolf packs and apparently, by the king and queen to threaten their prince.
At first, the two of us just stared at King Alexandros and Queen Sophia as if they just lost their minds. The Rule of Seven would call for the strongest werewolf or lycan to be the next king.
There will be fights to the death. It sounded simple enough, but it’s not. If Rule of Seven was announced, there will be chaos and deaths. There will be fights among the packs. There will be war.
“Persephone, I would expect you to be advising your mate to do the right thing. I expect you to be telling the man you love to do what’s good for him.” Those were the Queen’s parting words to me.
I gaze at myself in the mirror unbelievingly. I look good. As beautiful as the dress is, it smells trouble. I wish it wasn’t as
revealing. I wish I could wear a different dress. The queen has put me in a very difficult situation.
My concern is confirmed when I enter the drawing room where Genesis, Constantine, Serena, Lazarus, and Caspian are waiting. They all look stunning.
Their eyes widen when they see me. Caspian’s jaw tightens and his eyes grow a few degrees colder.
“My mother is playing with fire,” he says as he links my arm through his. He is dressed in a tuxedo. The vest inside his jacket is silky gold material to match my dress, the same with his tie. His golden hair is impeccably smoothed back from his face. “Your mate is going to have a fit when he sees you.”
“You’re like a sister and I feel like covering you up with my jacket,” growls Constantine, followed by an agreement noise by Lazarus.
I can only pray that my mate has miraculously grown an ironclad self-control over his possessiveness and the patience of a saint for tonight.
