Chapter 33
~ Queen Blake ~
S hade and I exit the portal and step out into the forest near Seral City, and the familiar smells of the demon realm wash over me. Trees surround me on both sides, and violet and gold flowers are scattered across the ground, creating a clear path.
Up ahead, my mates stand where the flowers end. They’re near the edge of a cliff, and they grin at my shocked expression. Violet flowers are pinned to their breast pockets, and to one side, one of Dad’s oldest advisors stands patiently, his robes flapping in the breeze. Birds fill the trees, perched on the branches and on the ground, and they caw as they watch me with beady eyes.
“I—” My words fail me, and two crows fly toward me, dropping a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. I catch it, and the birds fly off, joining the others.
Behind me, Queen Nerelia steps through the portal followed by King Andal.
“You knew about this?” I ask.
King Andal grins, and Queen Nerelia gives me a soft smile. “I can keep the portal open if you want a quick escape?”
Shade scowls at her. “Don’t be silly.” She links her arm in mine and starts walking me down the flower path.
Music starts up from somewhere in the trees, and I turn my head, surprised to find a trio of angels there singing a sweet tune. Luna and Noah stand not far from them, grinning stupidly at me.
My heart races, and I face forward, blinking dumbly at my guys.
“I told you I didn’t need this,” I tell my mates. Marriage is a tradition we learned from the humans. For demons, bonding means more, but some still choose to get married and celebrate their union. My mates had asked me about whether it was something I wanted, but honestly, I’d never thought about it much. We had so many other things to worry about.
“If you don’t wish to go through with it, we don’t have to,” Prince Callan tells me.
“We only wish to make you happy, gorgeous,” Nate adds.
“It was Shade’s idea,” Alaric chimes in.
I hold my friend tighter. “Thank you,” I whisper to her.
Her eyes sparkle. “I might not remember hardly anything from my past, but I do remember the juiciest bits from a few romance novels. I always thought I must have remembered them from the human who kept me when I was a crow, but now I’m starting to think I must have been a book whore in another life. In any case, the wedding was always one of my favorite parts.”
Sadness fills me when I stare at my friend. “Whatever had happened to you, whoever cursed you…I’m going to make them hurt.”
She smiles. “Stop. Today isn’t about me.” She gestures with her head to the five males who are patiently waiting. “Enjoy this. I swear, I might have suggested it, but they’ve been acting like nervous boys since.”
I laugh, my heart thudding ridiculously loud in my ears as we walk the rest of the way to them. When we’re an arms-length from the guys, Shade lets go of my arm and stands to the side where Queen Nerelia and King Andal are now watching.
The guys all step up, and they stare at me with such emotion in their eyes that my throat bobs. Dante takes one hand while Nate holds the other, and the demon advisor steps forward.
“Skip to the last part,” Nate tells him, winking at me.
“Yes, your highness,” the advisor says. He clears his throat exaggeratedly. “Do you Queen Blake of Seral, the demon realm, take these five males to be your lawfully wedded husbands for the remainder of your days?”
I hesitate for only a second. Only a second to let me believe this is happening. To remind me that these are my mates, and we’re bound for eternity. “Yes,” I say, the word almost a whisper.
The advisor nods, and he turns to my guys. “And do you, the kings of Seral, Dante, Alaric, Nate, Callan, and Mason, take Queen Blake to be your lawfully wedded wife for the remainder of your days?”
“Fuck, you know we do,” Nate shouts, and I laugh.
The others glare at the shifter.
“What? I just said what we were all thinkin’.”
Mason shakes his head, and my mates all smile at me. “We do,” the others say in unison, and Dante pulls me into his arms, planting a kiss on my lips. I breathe in his scent as he holds me possessively.
“All right, demon, my turn,” Nate says, and Dante grins as he releases me, and Nate takes his place.
The shifter growls as he claims my mouth, and his lips are warm against mine.
Callan is next, and he holds me tight, pressing me right up against him. “You, Blake, are the air I breathe,” he tells me, and the wind picks up around us, teasing my hair. When the archangel kisses me, his golden wings flare out, mimicking my black wings, and I melt against him.
It feels like an eternity until Callan releases me, and Mason steps close. “For so long, I was lost in the dark, my mate. You’ve brought light into my life, and I’ll never let that light go out,” he tells me. His kiss is gentle. A promise. Of the life we’re going to have.
And then there’s Alaric. The assassin is adjusting his tie awkwardly when I peer his way. Immediately, he drops his hands and steps toward me.
“Are you all right there?” I ask him.
He grabs me, his hands possessively going around my back. “I have you, Enchantress. I’m much more than all right.” His kiss is punishing in the best way, and my heart is so full I wonder if it might burst.
Cheering and clapping sounds around us. The birds in the trees caw, some of them taking flight, circling overhead, and the music starts up again.
Dante takes my hand, holding me to him, and we stare out over the cliff to where Seral City is spread before us.
Shade steps up as well, along with Queen Nerelia, and King Andal. Luna and Noah move up on my other side.
“Did you ever think we’d be here?” I ask Shade as my fingers interlace with Dante’s.
“What? Standing at your wedding in human form? Or are you talking about the fact that the Perstalians are rebuilding their lives, and the witches have a future for the first time in a long while?”
My lips curve up.
“No,” Shade says. “I don’t think any of us imagined this.”
“But we couldn’t hope for more,” Dante says, his tail wrapping around my leg, as my other mates press in closer.
“Here’s to a brighter future,” Queen Nerelia adds softly.
“As long as I have you all,” I say, squeezing Shade’s arm. “We’ll face whatever comes our way.”
A flicker of uncertainty touches Shade’s eyes, but she smiles. “Bring it on.”
Thank you so much for reading Tortured Royals!