Chapter 13 #2
“Let them fight it out for who can fight her next week,” Avior offered. “New terms and top five can take her on at once for a bigger pot.” He gave me a subtle wink knowing I could take five off the street easily.
He was the most honorable criminal out there. Seriously, he was.
But it worked and that meant I was done. There was too much drama over how things had gone down and Myriam had to run interference for me while I tried to slip away.
Which meant no fun food and Eloise was not happy about that.
And what was the one thing that could make it better?
Bumping into Thorn Blount of all people.
“Excuse me,” he muttered and stepped back.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
He did a double take and then studied me. “Have we met?”
Oh fuck. Just… Oh fuck.
“No, but everyone knows you,” I quickly replied trying not to chuckle awkwardly or anything that would make this worse.
Not that I didn’t know there was a way to make it worse. Well, get caught of course.
He frowned. “I rarely get recognized. On the contrary, people rarely believe nor care—”
“Yeah, okay, fine, sorry,” I mumbled and tried to brush past him, growling when he grabbed my arm and turned me to face him.
He instantly let me go and held up his hands. “Are you from Starhaven? Is that—” He flinched when someone shouted my stage name behind him. “Let’s get you out of here. Idiots are not happy that they have a gambling addiction and are idiots.”
Truer words were never spoken.
He was taller, so it helped, and we managed to slip out a door by the bar that most probably wouldn’t have thought I’d go through. He stayed with me though. “Are you from Starhaven?” He snickered when I shot him a look that there was no way I’d answer that. “Fair.”
“Have a nice night.”
“I did. I made some nice bank betting on you,” he chuckled.
That made me slow down and shoot him a look. “You bet on me?”
He nodded. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not the only female fighter I’ve seen that’s impressive.
A fighter is a fighter no matter their sex and you’re a fighter.
I saw it the moment your dragon looked bored.
” He cleared his throat when I kept walking.
“You’re okay with that agent though, right? Avior? I heard he’s honorable. Sounds…”
Oh, thank fuck he didn’t see Myriam. That could have been a disaster and something we needed to think about.
Of course some of the prospects might go out to have fun while in the capital.
I mean I wouldn’t have thought underground fighting rings or gambling, but…
Apparently I was as na?ve as Velle said.
“I’m as safe as illegal anything is. He’s smart and a smart man doesn’t fuck me over. Now, good night.”
“Best of luck to you, Mystic Frost.” He let me go then but then called after me a few moments later.
Against my better judgment, I glanced over my shoulder and what he said next shocked me.
“I’m sorry for whatever happened that pushed you into this.
Really. Life shouldn’t fuck us over this bad that we’re left with shit options. I hope it gets better.”
He turned and walked away before I could reply and that was good because I had no idea what I would even have said. Like… What did someone say to that?
I wasn’t sure, but I was pissed. He didn’t get to be the good guy after what he did to me as Sagan. Or was this how he treated women who he didn’t have to bow down to?
Yeah, that thought did not make me happy and I’d worked myself into quite the tizzy by the time I was back at the castle.
I blinked and realized I wasn’t heading to my room but Joris’s, and while what he needed confused me at times, I was very, very glad I’d given in to my desires. In to what my dragons had wanted.
In to what I’d wanted as a queen and woman.
I was confused when he promised that he’d handle everything as he gave me a kiss at dawn before sneaking out of my room before anyone caught us.
I had no idea what that was, but I trusted him.
I probably shouldn’t after I’d trusted Thorn—or maybe even Onyx, but I was healing from that—but Joris was different.
He was… Different.
And I didn’t mean because he was submissive.
It also felt weird to refer to him as that because he really wasn’t. He was bold enough to tell me what he wanted and step up, so he just wasn’t dominant and a dipshit male.
Wasn’t that what we wanted more of as women?
I was in meetings all morning with Treena and Darren that involved different Alphas and issues. I received several updates on the police situation in the capital, and while it was progress, it mostly annoyed me that any of it was needed.
Really annoyed me—not just me from the way Darren kept rubbing his temples, so I was grateful the staff kept bringing us fresh tea and everything herbal to help. Honestly, with the level of stress we were under, we probably should have different healers on staff just for that.
One would think the queen would have the best healers at her disposal, right?
No, they quit. They didn’t want to work for an outsider after serving a king and elders.
My life really was a clusterfuck of crazy like that.
Fucking assholes.
“What do you mean she’s all over the news and social media?” Alpha Vex snarled on the call, glancing at someone off camera. “What did that stupid bitch do now?”
“Who are you talking about?” Darren chuffed.
He did a double take and winced. “I apologize. Not the queen. Of course not.” But then he adjusted his neck and ground his jaw. “I have to ask though about a video leaked to the media involving the queen and—”
“Be very careful what you ask next, Alpha,” I warned in a cold tone. “There’s not much goodwill left between us after what’s happened. Onyx and the help he’s giving the royal family is about the only reason—be careful. I’ve been in meetings all morning.”
Darren snorted and glanced at his watch. “It’s not even morning anymore and I’m starving. Lunch is two hours late so we didn’t hold others up. The first was at six-thirty because you’re too nice and like to keep on schedule even with this police chief madness.”
“I understand,” Vex said but then chuffed, listening to someone off camera. “But it involves the queen. A video of her speaking with Elira.”
I sighed and tossed my pen down, not having to fake being annoyed. “Oh, this should be good.”
“So you don’t know about the video, Your Majesty?” he asked me.
“Alpha, I know of lots you don’t and you—I don’t answer to you and I have tons of security recordings of us. I don’t leak things though, so stop dancing around and spit it out before you annoy me more than I already am with you and your son.”
Treena and Darren both looked at me with equal parts that they were impressed and like they’d never seen me before.
Fair, but like… I was beyond overwhelmed. Beyond overloaded so enough already.
“I apologize,” he grumbled when the other Alphas on the call snickered or chuckled.
Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of him doing this with others on. Seriously, nice fucking ally I had.
It was hard to keep my mask of calm in place as he told me that the video of Elira’s and my interaction that Benson recorded in the castle hallway was leaked. The one where she admitted she had a sexual relationship with the high priest.
“I knew of the video,” I confirmed for everyone on the call. “It was not leaked by me. That is not how I wanted to handle the situation with the high priest. No, I will not tell you who recorded it. I know it was passed around the castle in defense of me and that—you don’t need to know more.”
“People were upset a conwoman fooled so many and painted Sagan in a bad light for so long,” Darren defended but then snorted. “I wanted to leak it, but she thought she came off petty in the video.”
“I wasn’t exactly very royal or—I get chastised enough,” I drawled.
“Who?” a different Alpha asked someone off camera and nodded. “It was Joris Visser. He just released a statement that it was him and he found out about it after getting to know some of the castle staff and learning the truth.”
I felt the proverbial knife in my back like it was an actual and physical wound. “This meeting is over. We handled what we needed to anyways. Have a nice weekend.”
I ended the call while the others wished me well, but Vex noticeably still wanted to talk. Yeah, well… Fuck off. I didn’t care that his son was stuck with Elira after they got caught fucking—cheating on me and now this made her look bad.
Oh no, boo fucking hoo.
“Give him a chance,” Treena whispered, on her phone and obviously already trying to find out what was going on. Her eyes went wide. “Bold. Wow, I’m swooning for you.”
“Can you fucking tell me?” I snapped and then apologized when she gave me a hurt look. I knew she was stressed too, but the teasing from her lately about my love interests had annoyed me.
She, Myriam, and Velle had all laid into me last night about how Prince Olwen had always liked me and I was the only idiot who hadn’t known it. That the very attractive prince would have dated and mated me in a heartbeat if I’d ever shown interest.
And they’d gone a bit too far. Fine, I was clueless, but… No one liked to be mocked or told they were that stupid.
A bit from Treena who was my best friend was fine. Myriam and I were now friends, so okay. Velle and I hated each other and I understood that she was actually trying to be friendly with me, but I was drowning and didn’t need teasing.
I needed support and understanding.
She shared her screen to the one we’d been looking at for the meeting and I simply blinked as I read. I swallowed loudly and really hoped this was what it seemed like and not what I’d first felt.
Could one of them really be on my side like this instead of ready to hurt me?
The statement was clear and simple. Joris was very active at the temples in Wildcairn and even around Thovudin. He was known as being devout to the gods and the example of how Alpha families needed to give time to and work with the temples.
So, he was beyond distressed when the high priest had blatantly lied the day before that he was involved in anything to do with my possible mating.
Joris had been at the meeting and the high priest had nothing to do with it.
He had heard the high priest had treated me like a child but brushed it off as sometimes things like that happened with our elders.
He now regretted that. He now understood it wasn’t simply the man had known me as a child or the high priest had tried to guide me when I was experiencing something traumatic, but the high priest had lost his way.
That the high priest had fallen out with the gods and chosen this fake, self-proclaimed adopted daughter of the royal family conwoman over the queen.
My mouth fell open as he completely laid out the truth of Elira, giving his own testimony of how petty and childish he found her over the years.
How he’d seen her jealousy and she basically shit all over the goodwill and care my parents had given her.
Her lies from the original story that I’d pushed her she’d spread to many after all to try and take my place and it was grossly obvious.
And if anyone still doubted it, they were a fool given she immediately fixated on seducing my lover even when I had been trying to dump him for a while before my parents’ death because of his affairs.
He said the king had proof, and with my agreement had tried to end the relationship, but Kole had refused and, Joris believed, threatened me.
“Did he threaten you with anything?” Darren checked when we got to that part.
“No, he’s lying and taking a huge risk,” I answered.
“He’s showing he’s on the team and wow,” Treena whispered. “Seriously, how good are you in bed?”
“Uncle here,” Darren sighed, giving her an annoyed look.
I seconded that.
Really, Treena?
I forgave it when I saw she was tired too and we focused back on the statement.
Joris gave some of the other priests a way out and thought that they might be trying to mitigate the high priest’s madness but was starting to doubt that when a few had contacted him to pressure him to speak with me about forgiving elders and allowing them to return to their positions.
So basically, get on my team fast or get run over by this.
He’d hoped that this idea of the priests counseling prospective mating candidates was to protect me given the Alphas and their families held a lot of power and sway.
That was difficult for me and it worried him.
No matter what I did, people tore into me even when I did something so basic as flying around my home.
No one gave me an ounce of compassion or consideration until he saw how the castle staff worried for me and showed him the video, so he knew I wasn’t what people said.
They wanted me happy and loved and worried that what the media and others said to slander me would influence the first mating candidate, so someone quietly showed him.
And while it was meant to be quiet, as a man of deep faith he couldn’t keep it to himself. So while he hoped I forgave him and the person who showed him, he was also sure this was the right move. The whole point in getting to know single men from the different families was to find a potential mate.
That meant someone who would stand at my side and be my partner, not just someone who wanted the title and luxuries of being a prince. It meant someone who would fight for me and be the mate I needed not selfish or greedy like other men in my life had been.
“Oh dayumn,” I chuckled when I read that part, clearing my throat when Darren gave me a shocked look. Treena just snorted and nodded.
There were more and more details, but basically he was leading the charge to get the high priest tossed out.
He wanted a righteous leader for our temples and sanity to return to Thovudin instead of the madness that had been leaking into all areas since my father had died.
And he hoped others supported him and joined him in the movement.
“Yeah, he’s definitely getting laid again,” I muttered as I read the end.
Darren choked on his drink, but honestly… It was true and Treena and I had needed the laugh.