Chapter 51
Fifty-One
A good little slut protects her king.
Whatever the cost.
- Arienna
One by one, Evangeline sneaks the hostages inside a secret room of the castle and freezes them with her magic so they can’t move or scream. There aren’t any guards outside it so as not to draw attention.
“Not even Richard knows of this place,” she says as she shows me in, “and you better not tell him or anyone else.” The room is a decent size, but it’s very sparsely furnished.
A bed sits pressed up against a bare wall, and a tall wardrobe stands at the other.
“This is one of my safe houses,” she says as she drags Petre’s second –a light-skinned woman with blue hair– in by her ankle.
“Won’t they know where it is?” I ask as I gesture first at her newest kidnappee, then at the others already standing like statues in the room. Their eyes track us, and I smile politely at them as I wave. “Hi.”
“Nah,” Evangeline says. “Their senses are very heavily dulled. They can see light and dark but nothing else until I release them.”
“Oh. Cool.” I walk up to one. “Can they still hear?”
“Yep, but it’s like they’re listening to you talking under water. They won’t be able to make out the words.”
“Oh.” I turn to face her. “Well, thank you for helping me with all this. Richard says you have no friends. Do you want to be my friend?”
She laughs. “Richard is an idiot. I have loads of friends.” She taps her temple. “They’re all in here.”
“Oh! You know telepaths! That’s awesome. I’ve always wanted to talk to a telepath, but we don’t have phones in Brownston.”
She shakes her head. “We do not like her,” she mutters.
I cock my head to the side. But before I can ask her what she meant, she heads for the door. “Lock up behind me. I’ve got other shit to do.”
She’s gone in the blink of an eye, and I’m not sure if she’s just that fast or if she used her magic.
Shrugging, I grab the arm of our latest hostage and haul her upright.
We have to leave them standing so their blood doesn’t pool in places it’s not supposed to.
I’m not even sure what that means, but Evangeline was very strict about it.
Finished, I look at the woman standing frozen before me.
I frown as my gaze sweeps across the rest of them.
Maybe I should leave them all with vibrators…
They might be stuck here for days with nothing to do.
At the very least, it might make this whole ordeal less traumatising for them if they get constant Os.
Smiling wide, I head for the door. Once out in the hall, I place the key in the lock and turn it. The door vanishes. I pull the key free, pocket it, and head for the balcony, where Richard is waiting for me.
But as I turn the second corner of the hallway, I stop dead in my tracks. Standing in front of me is a giant yondu.
Its black furry head nearly brushes the high ceiling as it stands on its back legs and stares at me.
Orange spots cover it everywhere but its belly, which is a gorgeous solid green.
Its bushy tail flicks behind it in agitation, and I hold a hand out for it to smell.
Even though we’re a few paces apart, they have a fantastic nose.
They’re also highly intelligent even though no one realises it.
The stories actually say they are reincarnated brownies, but I don’t know if that’s true.
“Hey, pretty lady,” I say as I advance slowly, making sure not to show my teeth.
Although we’re outside of yondu mating season, it doesn’t take much to make these creatures horny.
And if she thinks I’m trying to mate with her, I’ll then have to go through with it, or else, she’ll die from an overdose of hormones.
Although I’ve been getting stronger under Echo’s tutelage, thrusting a stick the size of a yondu’s penis into her for hours on end would absolutely kill my arms.
Not only was a male’s dick almost as long as their entire body, but it was also thick. Like, thicker than my head.
The yondu drops down on all fours, but it doesn’t seem to want to attack. If anything, it looks stressed out and like it needs help. Beaming with my lips pressed tightly together, I coo, “Well, aren’t you just a pretty little thing? I bet you get all the boys.”
It mewls in agreement, its whiskers twitching. As it takes a step towards me, I stop, letting it meet me on its own terms.
“Awww.” I say as it continues towards me. “You’re such a cutie.” It bumps its giant head into my outstretched hand, and I scratch it gently. “What are you doing in the castle, hmm?” Although they don’t have issues climbing trees, they spend most of their lives on the forest floor.
It looks at me as if it can actually understand my words, then purrs. It nudges my hand, then moves to walk past me. After it takes a few steps, it looks over its shoulder.
“You want me to follow you?” I ask. I quickly look down the hall to make sure Richard isn’t here. Although he was given strict instructions to stay on the balcony, I know he worries for me. But the hall is empty, and my heart expands with how much he trusts me.
“Okay,” I say as I turn to follow the yondu. “But only for a little while, okay? My king is waiting for me.”
With a soft meow, she picks up speed. I jog to keep up with her. She stops in the middle of a hallway and turns to look at me, her bright-yellow eyes pleading.
I look up and down the hall, trying to figure out what she’s saying. “I’m sorry, girl,” I finally admit. “I don’t know what you want.”
She moves towards me and nudges my thigh with her wet nose. I stumble back from the force of it, but she didn’t mean to hit me so hard, I’m sure. She just doesn’t know her size.
“I’m sorry –” I start to say again, but then my eyes widen as I recognise where we are. Pulling the key to the magic room out of my pocket, I say, “You want in?”
She cocks her head to the side.
Of course! That must be where she’s living. There’s no way a giant yondu could have a home anywhere else in the castle without someone knowing.
Opening the door, I smile at her. “Apologies for invading your home, but it’s just for a little while, I promise. I hope that’s okay?”
She looks at the dozen women we’ve left in the room. Then back at me. Then back at the women.
“Arienna?” Richard’s voice echoes down the hall, and my eyes widen.
Shoving the giant yondu inside, I pray that it listens and doesn’t fight me. It hesitates for a second, then bounds in, glad to be home. Which is great because there’s no way I could’ve actually moved it on my own.
Quickly pulling the door shut, I lock it, then run in the direction of my king’s voice. “You’re not supposed to be down here!” I say as soon as I reach him. Grabbing his arm, I start tugging him back towards the balcony.
“It’s been a long time –” he says, resisting me.
“But everything’s done now!” I say cheerfully. “Come on. Let’s go have some sex!”
Picking me up in his arms, he flies me up to our rooms. I laugh as I kiss him. His tongue dances with mine. And as his cock enters me, I just know everything is going to be fine.
Three days later, Evangeline informs the Court she won’t be marrying Richard.
Within an hour, he’s summoned to stand trial.
My nerves are fried. My fingers are twitching, but I’m not twisting them together.
I’m staying still, regal, my chin up, my back straight as I walk with him, Jace, Nicholas, and Fabia into the courtroom.
Unlike in the rest of the castle, there aren’t any luxurious carvings or features in here.
It’s just plain wood with a high ceiling.
Two rows of pews lead up to a single stand.
A long table arches along the back wall.
Seated at it are the twelve Court members, Tanya’s position now filled by her daughter Josie.
My king walks to the stand, a look of boredom in his eyes. His relaxed stance makes it easier for me to breathe as I take a seat in the first row of pews. The others sit beside me.
Petre leans forwards in her high-backed chair, her long dark nails resting on the table. “King Morningstar,” she says, “you are being charged with breaking the deal you made to marry Evangeline Sinclair. Do you deny this?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes narrow. “There were thirteen witnesses to that deal.” Her gaze flicks to me. “Lying to the Court is an act of treason.”
“So is blackmailing the ruler of Raza,” he says.
“No one blackmailed you into that,” Coo retorts. “You made it freely.”
“One of you convinced Tanya Silverston to attack me and my wife at the revealing of the vote. She took a vow of silence, thinking you would join her in staging a coup.”
“Baseless allegations –”
“Evangeline Sinclair refused to marry me,” Richard cuts in sharply, “because she wants to track that bitch down.” His eyes go to Petre. “And we all know what she’s like when she thinks she’s been issued a challenge.”
Many of the Dragons shift uneasily, their eyes darting to each other. Only a few, of which Petre is one, look at ease.
“Be that as it may,” Evangeline’s mother says, “that does not erase the deal you made.”
“A deal isn’t honoured by the gods if it’s coerced. I have not been struck dead nor cursed.” He spreads his arms out. “Yet, I told Evangeline I would not marry her days ago. The fact that I am here and in good health is evidence enough.”
The hatred in the air is deafening, and I know they will not listen.
“The head of FI-9,” he continues, “does not acknowledge a deal has been made.”
“Evangeline Sinclair,” Petre spits, “does not hold power over the Court despite how much she might wish it.”
“But I do,” I say as I stand, locking my knees straight so they can’t see my nerves.
“Even when you were married to him,” Coo sneers, “you were never queen.”
I lift my chin. “I am Raza’s queen. I’m just not crowned. Richard and I have remarried, and after my coronation, the first thing I’ll do is charge you with treason if you lie about Richard having made a deal to marry Evangeline.”