Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The dress I wore had a corset that pushed up my cleavage nicely, tightened my waist to display my curves and make them more dramatic, and was easy enough to move in that I knew I could fight well in it if necessary.
From the way things had gone since we’d arrived here, I was certain I’d have to fight in it.
The guys were dressed in fancy suits and had their hair styled perfectly. If we didn’t have to go to a ceremony in my honor, I would have spent the entire day in bed with the sexy foursome.
“Stop ogling us,” Preston teased.
“No,” I replied immediately. “Scout, take pictures from every angle.”
Gage smiled and pulled me flush against his front as he dipped his head to whisper in my ear, “Do you like what you see, mate?”
“You whisper in my ear with that growl again and we aren’t going to make it to the ceremony,” I said as I gripped the front of his suit jacket.
Preston smacked my butt.
“Hey!” I shouted as I turned to look at him.
“Behave,” he ordered me.
“Yes, sir,” I purred.
His eyes narrowed and I saw his erection twitch in his pants. I wasn’t the only one affected by the new attire. The woman who had styled my hair and applied my makeup was a magician; I was sure of it.
“Time to go,” Wayne said as he finished doing whatever it was he’d been doing on his tablet. “We’ll take the eastern route to avoid the attendees. The security team has already confirmed the path is clear.”
“So, when you say this is a public ceremony, do you mean it’s going to be broadcast, or that it’s in the open somewhere?” I accepted Preston’s hand and stepped closer to him when he slid my hand to the inside of his elbow.
Gage pulled open the door and took point as we headed into the hallway and out of the castle to begin our walk. Zeke had suggested flying, but that would ruin our hair.
“Both,” Zeke answered. “The ceremony will be performed in the city square and will be broadcast to the entire planet.”
“Were the Games—”
“Yes,” Zeke answered before I finished asking my question.
Great, so everyone had seen what happened to me and would see the Vicky debacle today. I really hoped I was making the right decision. The last thing I wanted was to be constantly on edge because people thought I was weak.
We walked for what felt like an hour down so many alleyways in the city that I was completely turned around before finally making it to the city square.
In the middle of the square was a platform where the High King and Queen sat in wooden thrones with Vicky on her knees at the bottom of the steps before them with her hands bound in front of her.
A huge crowd was gathered all around the platform and I could see drones filming everything.
“Deep breath,” Preston whispered as his expressionless mask slid on. “We’ll be right next to the platform, nearest you, and will protect you if anything happens.”
I nodded, ascended the steps past Vicky without looking at her, and stopped just before the thrones the High King and Queen sat on.
“Congratulations to Princess Xoe for winning the Games,” High King Alaric said, his voice carrying throughout the area by some type of amplification device. “You showed exemplary skill.” He waited a moment for the applause to stop. “Present the princess with her prize,” he ordered.
Two guards approached with a small chest. They opened the lid to reveal shiny, glittering credits. Normally, I would have been ecstatic to receive it, but now that I was here, I knew that money wasn’t an issue for me.
“How will you punish this female for her treachery during the Games?” High Queen Seraphyne asked.
“Thank you for your congratulations,” I replied and dipped my head to them.
Raising my head and turning to face Vicky, I said, “During the Games, we lost four of our precious Dragonkin females. This loss was unwarranted and devastating. I do not wish to lose another female, despite the severity of her crime. Therefore, I request that you allow for her to be banished from the planet, never allowed to return. I also request that the prize money I received be distributed evenly between the orphanages.”
Many gasped and began murmuring to each other in surprise.
“A compassionate heart is the sign of a good ruler,” High Queen Seraphyne said. The crowd silenced as soon as she began to speak. “Your empathy and desire to help our population will not be forgotten.”
“As you desire, Princess, the prize money will be distributed to the orphanages and this female shall be banished off-planet, never allowed to return again,” High King Alaric announced.
I turned to face Vicky, who knelt in front of me with her hands clasped in her lap.
“Any last words or thanks to the princess who is allowing you to live?” High King Alaric asked her.
She looked up at me, a huge smile on her face, and said, “You’re too kindhearted. It will be your downfall.”
My brows rose at her audacity, but as she leapt up, her hands extended towards my throat, I realized my error.
I’d assumed she was bound, that the guards had properly secured her, but the ropes fell away as she moved. Someone had helped her fake being tied up.
I knocked her hand away, but my second mistake was assuming she was trying to choke me.
Her hand wrapped around the locket hanging from my neck, the locket with the power inside to bind the princes and the one who opened it together. The one I had put off activating because of the permanent magical connection it created and had partially forgotten about since arriving here.
She smiled devilishly as she turned towards the four princes who had leapt onto the stage when she’d moved towards me.
“No!” I screamed, realizing that she was going to open the locket, to bind the princes to herself.
Preston’s eyes widened as he realized her intent as well, but we were all too close and yet unable to stop it.
Her nail dug into the locket and she pried it open before I could stop her.
A blinding light exploded from the locket and an explosion of power hit all of us, knocking us all off of our feet.
My fear caused my blood to pound in my ears and I couldn’t hear anything over it.
Rolling up to my knees, I choked down a breath and turned towards the princes.
All four of the princes had fallen to their knees with their heads bowed.
No. No! I couldn’t lose them like this. I couldn’t lose these four to this female.
“You should have used it before you made it back to the planet,” she said with a snarl. “Now, you’ll be the one bowing at my feet.”
I pulled my dagger from my ankle and moved to stab her, but Zeke’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist and stopping me.
Tears welled in my eyes as I realized that I’d really lost them. They were bound to her and protecting her now. My chest swelled with pressure and I felt like I might pass out from the overwhelming sensation.
It was over. I had lost the princes. I had lost my mates.
“Zeke,” I gasped, trying not to let the tears fall. The dagger fell from my hand, clattering to the platform.
Vicky snatched up the dagger and turned to stab me, but Scout suddenly flew out, expanded, and electrocuted her. Vicky fell to the ground, unconscious.
“Stand down, Scout,” Wayne ordered her as he got shakily to his feet.
Gage and Preston got to their feet as well, none of them raised their eyes or turned in my direction.
Scout beeped in confusion.
“Wayne,” I whispered. “Gage.”
Vicky groaned as she regained consciousness.
“What was that? What happened?” High King Alaric asked.
“Preston,” I whispered and reached out towards him.
An alarm blared and a deep male voice said, “Incoming intruders!”
Looking up, my eyes widened. The Exostalons had sent a warship and it hovered over the planet. What were they thinking? Why were they here?
“Status report?” High King Alaric demanded.
“They’ve demanded we give Princess Xoe to them or they’ll destroy our planet,” King Torvek answered.
All eyes turned to me.
“Have the Exostalons been following you this entire time?” King Torvek asked me.
I nodded. “Yes. We killed their king and prince and they pardoned our crimes, but it seems some of the Exostalons aren’t accepting that. That ship has a weapon with the capability of blowing this planet up; they did it to Caltyrela.”
“So, we destroy them first,” King Torvek said and looked at High King Alaric.
After a moment, he nodded. “Destroy them.”
A group of soldiers shifted into their dragon forms and flew up into the air, headed towards the warship.
Suddenly, two dozen Exostalons teleported to the open area just to the right of the platform.
Immediately, all chaos broke lose as everyone moved to protect the High King and Queen, fight off the invaders, and flee for safety.
Vicky hid behind Zeke and Wayne with her hands clutched in their shirts.
Intense jealousy surged through me, but now wasn’t the time to deal with my broken heart or the fact that she’d stolen them from me.
An Exostalon charged at High Queen Seraphyne and I intercepted them, grabbing them and flipping them onto their back before stabbing my dagger into their throat.
Scout shot several of them as I kept the High Queen safe while the soldiers snapped out of their surprise and came to do their jobs.
With her safe behind a wall of Dragonkin soldiers, I ran forward to attack the Exostalon forces head on.
While it might not be my fault they were here, it was because of me, so I felt obligated to take care of them as quickly as possible.
Gage and I fought next to each other, our movements flowing together and around each other seamlessly. Not once did he look at me, though. Not once did he even acknowledge my existence except to pull me out of the way of a blade or to punch someone behind me.
The pressure in my chest continued to build and the ringing in my ears was so loud that I couldn’t hear any of the fighting.
This could be the last time I fought with them. The last time I spent with them.
An Exostalon snuck behind me and tried to slash my Achilles tendon on my right leg. Unfortunately for them, that was my fake leg.
Laughing, I backhanded them and dropped down to straddle their stomach while I pummeled their face.
Someone slammed into my side, knocking me off of them, and searing pain sliced through my chest.
Looking down, I stared in disbelief at the blood seeping through my dress and the sight of the huge gash cut across my sternum.
Scout killed my attacker and hovered in front of me, but I couldn’t hear her or anything else.
My vision swam and I fell backwards.
Just before I hit the ground, warm arms caught me and I looked up into the concerned eyes of Zeke.
“I love you,” I whispered as I set my hand on his cheek, leaving behind a bloody handprint. “I’m sorry I never said it before.”
His mouth moved as he scowled down at me, but I couldn’t hear him.
Maybe this was for the best. Maybe it was better they ended up with a Dragonkin female, even one as vile as Vicky. At least she had shown she would do anything to keep them.
“Scout, return.”
Scout’s red eye flared bright and then she shrank to her tiny disc size and returned to my ear.
Wayne pressed something against my chest while his mouth moved, but the darkness continued to press in.
My eyes closed and I felt the pressure in my chest building to a bursting point. Was I going to explode?