Family is Who You Chose
“Where are we going?” I laughed as Jade appeared at my side, glaring at Cole’s hand wrapped around mine.
Cole looked over his shoulder at me with a smirk. “What if I said I wanted some time with you to myself? You’ve been gone for four days. I’ve missed you, little mouse.”
“You shouldn’t be dragging her around while she’s injured,” Jade growled.
This information caused Cole to stop so suddenly that I crashed into his back, letting out a yelp.
“What did you just say?” Cole snapped.
“You’re not a very good mercenary if you couldn’t spot the injury she has. Aren’t we trained to spot weaknesses?” Jade taunted, crossing his arms with a cocked brow.
Cole held me at arm’s length and truly looked at me. “Fuck!” Before I knew what was happening, I was scooped up into his arms, and he stormed off deeper into the cave. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“With all the excitement, I didn’t have a chance,” I reasoned, not liking he was making this my fault.
I’d almost been killed by the very people who were celebrating outside, not to mention everything else that happened in the past forty-eight hours.
Cole just grunted as he continued on his mission. To what end, I wasn’t sure.
The inside of the mountain fortress was unlike anything I could have imagined.
Just past the entrance, it opened up to a massive cavern with zigzag walkways up to cutouts in the stone.
Soft lights flickered in most of them, leading me to believe they were rooms for those hiding out.
Fabric curtains blocked you from being able to see in, but the warm glow still showed, along with the torches placed along the walkway.
I peered up to see how far the path went, and I couldn’t track it, getting lost in the darkness above.
We turned off the main path and took one that branched off to the left, separating this area from those used by the other clansmen.
Jade grabbed a torch, and Cole paused to let him go ahead of us, lighting our way as we went until we came to a round opening with thick wooden doors sealing the entrance.
“We need your necklace to open the royal rooms,” Cole informed me as he set me down.
I’d all but forgotten the necklace Ballard gave me upon my coronation.
Grasping it, I saw it was a sword with a dragon wrapped around it, but the bottom of the sword was the teeth of a key instead of a point.
Walking up to the wooden doors, I inserted the key, and after a little wiggling, I managed to get the lock to turn.
Jade pushed open the heavy doors and entered first, lighting the lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
The room was large but sparse, with only a bed, a simple table and chairs, and a copper tub taking up space.
Once all the lanterns were lit, the room had a cozy feel, even though we were trapped inside a mountain.
“Take a seat. I’m going to get some supplies and let the healer know you need to be looked at,” Cole instructed before he headed back out of the room.
“You really shouldn’t let him talk to you like that,” Jade commented from where he leaned against the wall of my room. “You are the queen, and he is your man to command, not the other way around.”
I tilted my head slightly as I examined Jade. His rich caramel-colored skin seemed to shine in the lamplight, making his black, dreaded-hair darker with the shadows. The combination caused his bright green eyes to pop as he looked everywhere but at me.
“Why is it that you have such a hard time with him controlling me?” I asked, having this nagging feeling that this was more of an issue for him than me.
Jade flinched at the question, but he finally met my gaze. “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to have people feel like they can control you, writing off your wishes as unimportant.”
Just as I was going to ask him something else, Abbott, Dayson, and Becka burst into the room with the others of my guard joining them in a more controlled manner.
“Cassarah, why didn’t you tell us you were hurt?” Becka cried, rushing to my side. “Seriously, this isn’t like it was back home. You don’t need to suffer in silence.”
“What does that mean?” Dayson growled, his large body puffing up with anger. “Who would dare hurt the queen? Tell me, and I will make sure they breathe their last breath!”
Becka got to her feet, blocking the big man from me, hands on her hips. “You better watch yourself there, Reaper. Not every situation is that simple. Right now, we need to deal with the situation at hand. Cassarah is hurt, and she needs to be taken care of. Understood?”
I couldn’t help but smile at seeing Becka scolding someone other than me for a change.
That was my best friend, fierce as the red hair on her head and loyal to those she chose.
Thankfully, I was among those people. I would hate to see what happened when she truly took her temper out on someone now that I knew how she was trained.
“Apologies, Your Majesty. Young Becka speaks reason. I will have to work on my temper so I do not dishonor you again,” Dayson acknowledged as he took a deep breath, reining in his anger.
Feeling the need to smooth out the tension in the air, I made to stand, but a heavy hand fell on my shoulder. Looking up, I found Abbott had moved to stand next to me.
“Please, just until it’s been looked at. I would hate for it to get worse,” Abbott pleaded with a tender look in his gray-blue eyes.
Nodding, I settled on the bed in a more comfortable spot. “Look, everyone, a lot has happened, and there are even more pressing issues we have to deal with. Before I can get into everything, I need something to eat and some sleep. In the morning, we will go over everything.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” a familiar female voice interjected. Everyone parted, so I could see Alto, the palace healer of all people, standing in my room. “It’s good to see you again, Your Majesty, although I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“How? I don’t understand?” I stuttered, feeling completely blindsided.
Alto grinned at me as she set her supplies on the bed next to me. Cole held a bowl of steaming water, and May was beside him with a tray of food. None of them seemed surprised to see her here, telling me I didn’t need to worry about her being an enemy.
“You see, I was the insider keeping tabs on everything happening within the castle, but I had to leave as things got worse with Lord Everett. I wasn’t as useful in my post either since no one was able to leave the castle grounds without an escort to make sure the mobs of angry villagers didn’t attack us,” Alto shared as she had me lie back, propped up by some pillows on the bed before she cut away my bandage and the leather of my pants up to my knee.
When Alto saw the state my leg was in, her eyes shot up wide with shock. “How have you been able to even walk on this, let alone act like nothing’s wrong? My Queen, this injury is quite severe!”
Nervously, I licked my lips, stalling for the best answer to give here.
I knew everyone in this room would eventually find out about my past, but I wasn’t sure this was the best way to break the news.
“Can we please leave that answer for another time? Let’s just say that pain is not unfamiliar to me, and I’ve learned how to manage it. ”
All the men behind Alto stiffened at my words, but thankfully, no one pressed the matter further.
“Very well, Your Majesty, I will do as you ask. Let me know if any of this becomes too much to bear, and I can give you something to manage the pain,” Alto said, gently squeezing my good leg before she started working on my wound.
Whatever she used to clean the wound burned like fire, causing me to let out a hiss as she worked.
I reached out, grabbing the blankets and keeping my eyes shut tight so I could focus on shutting off the pain.
I was out of practice, but old habits die hard, and I managed the only way I knew how.
Then, someone slowly untangled my death grip and wrapped their fingers through mine as they spoke softly and soothingly.
“You are not in this room but far away in the sky on your dragon’s back. Imagine the world below you, unable to touch you as you soar through the sky, leaving all this pain behind. Up there, you are safe and protected. No harm can come to you while your dragon carries you.”
The longer he spoke, the more I could picture what he was portraying to me, and the pain faded away with the wind in my face.
I felt nimble fingers combing through my hair as I relaxed further, feeling as if I truly was disconnected from my body.
Soon, I let myself drift into the feeling and fell into a peaceful sleep.
When I awoke, I stretched out, feeling more rested than I’d ever felt in my life until the stab of pain shot through my leg, reminding me where and who I was.
Slowly, I sat up and looked around the room only lit with two lanterns—enough to see by but not too disruptive.
On the table in the center of the room was a tray of food they must have left behind when I passed out.
Carefully, I shifted my legs off the bed, making sure not to hit the injured one, but instead of my feet hitting the floor, they landed on what felt like a body.
Quickly, I snatched my feet back up, causing me to groan at the throbbing that started afterward.
Why did this hurt so much now when it hadn’t before?
Peering over the side of the bed, I found Izel, of all people, blinking up at me with his dark gaze. Neither of us said anything at first. He just sat up and turned to look at me with his legs crossed and body relaxed.
“How are you feeling, Your Majesty?” he asked, his soothing voice calming me from my shock.
“Cassarah, please,” I responded automatically. “I understand everyone else has to show respect, but I feel like my personal guard in the privacy of my rooms can talk to me like I’m still a person.”
Izel seemed to take a moment to observe me before he spoke. “When we are in private, I will do as you ask, but I will address you as your title deserves in all other situations.”
“What did you do to me last night?” I asked, remembering bits and pieces of what he’d been telling me.
“Forgive me if I overstepped my role as your guardian, Cassarah. You see, my Birthright allows me to open people up to suggestions. I have to be touching them for it to work, but I convinced you that you were not in pain but safe and far from the situation. Once you were calm and the pain was gone, I thought it was best to have you rest. There was no need for you to experience that pain when there was another option.”
“Thank you. It’s the first time anyone has intervened like that.
As I said, pain is not new to me, and I can manage it, but it doesn’t mean I want to.
I’ve lived life on my own for the most part, given no other option but to endure whatever was decided for me.
The kindness you’ve shown when you don’t even know me means more than you know,” I explained, unsure if he understood what I was saying.
“It is my honor to serve and protect you however I can, Cassarah. If you allow me, I’ll help you to the table so you can eat. I assume that’s where you were headed before you discovered my presence,” Izel said, rising to his feet.
I smiled, nodding my head. “As grateful as I am for the rest, my stomach is now protesting my neglect with food so close.”
He scooped me up and carried me to the table, kicking out the seat before he set me down. “Is this a new thing that everyone will be doing? I promise just because I’m now queen doesn’t mean I can’t walk.”
Izel sat across from me with a smirk pulling at his lips. “Alto made it known that you are not to put any pressure on your leg for at least a week while it heals. If you would like to change that, you’ll have to argue with her. I warn you, though, she isn’t one to be dissuaded.”
“So you’re telling me I have to be carried everywhere for the next week? We have a war to get ready for. What kind of message does that send?” I questioned, feeling like all the work I’d done to gain their respect was washing away before my eyes.
“A good leader knows when to lean on others as well as support those around them. It is not a weakness to need help, Cassarah,” Izel scolded me.
I sighed, letting my head fall into my hands. “I’ll be nothing but a burden to you guys.”
“I doubt that. There’s not one among us male guardians who isn’t at least a little pleased to have you in their arms…”
My head shot up to meet his gaze and saw the interest that shone in them. “All of them?”
“All of them.”