Chapter Fifteen
Vil
“They’re going to do something at the Presentation Ball. I can feel it.”
Cruce and Ferra exchanged looks across the conference room table.
“The Nine, you mean,” Cruce said, directing his gaze back to me.
“Yeah.”
“Why?” Ferra asked.
“The word hasn’t gotten out yet? I figured you’d have heard.”
“No, they were still in council when you asked me to come here.”
“Interesting,” I muttered. “I must have thrown them a bigger curveball than I thought.”
“What did you tell them?” she wanted to know.
“The Nine is against you?” Cruce asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “They told me not to go to Earth. That my princess must be of dragon blood. That a human would not be allowed to sit on the throne of the Iron Clan. That they would oppose me.”
“And you opposed them,” Cruce said with a chuckle.
“I left that meeting and went straight to Earth,” I confirmed with a wry smile. “But the important thing is I did find her. Now she’s here, and we’re having the Presentation Ball.”
“Right. And we know they’re going to do something. How?”
“Because I had a meeting with them a few hours ago. They told me to take her back, and I sort of threatened them.”
Ferra spat out the water she’d been sipping on. “You what?”
“I said if they touch a hair on her head, I will destroy them,” I said bluntly. “And I will.”
“Ah, nothing like a little intimidation,” Cruce remarked nonchalantly. “A perfect way to set your sights on conflict.”
“Precisely. And I will if they harm her. Make no mistake of it.”
“That’s an aggressive ploy,” Ferra said. “I don’t know if it would be the first step they would take.”
“So they threatened not to confirm you,” Cruce said. “Wouldn’t that make the most sense to be the avenue they would take? To refuse to announce you as prince?”
I sat in my chair and leaned over the table, drumming my fingers. “Maybe. But it just feels too … weak.”
“I agree,” Ferra said. “They’ll try something else. Adamantine was pissed when you left. He raged for hours at everyone.”
A smile crossed my face, but I quickly shoved it aside. There would be time to gloat later—I hoped.
“You think the ball is going to be a trap,” Cruce said.
“Yes. The question is how? What will they do?”
“They won’t move on you openly,” Cruce said.
Ferra and I both concurred, but that still left the question unanswered. What were they up to?
“Would they go as far as trying to strip you of your title in public?” Cruce mused.
“That would be suicide on their part,” Ferra said immediately, shaking her head.
“No way, they know better than that. They have a lot of power, but to actively move against the presumed heir? Even Adamantine isn’t that arrogant.
Not yet, at least. They’d have to lay the groundwork for an upswelling of support before they tried that. ”
“Perhaps,” I said. “But they could also be so caught up in their attempts to gain more power that they might. Cruce, I want you to round up support and make sure we have a good amount of loyalists there tonight. I know they won’t want to, but this time I require it.”
“I can do that,” he said.
The Presentation Ball was not by any means a mandatory event and was usually only attended by the hangers-on and those looking to be seen and heard in the interest of their own power.
However, that night, it would be different.
I was going to ensure I had plenty of people there who would have my back.
After all, the usual elements to attend would be those who supported the Nine. I didn’t want to be outnumbered, regardless of whether the Nine intended violence or not. Sometimes as the prince, I had to think politically, and it was one of those times.
“What are you going to do?” Ferra wanted to know.
“Me? I’m going to do what’s expected of me.” I grinned at my friends. “I’m going to go to the ball, and I’m going to dance with my mate and show her a good time like only dragons can do.”
Cruce frowned. “What if they try something?”
I leveled my gaze at him. “Then I will do what’s required of me to protect my mate. I warned them what would happen. I am a man of my word, and they will learn that.”
Neither Cruce nor Ferra looked overly happy at the prospect of violence, but I didn’t care.
I was fairly positive Adamantine would try something political before he resulted to violence.
Something to make me look bad instead of outright getting rid of me.
The support for that wasn’t there, and we both knew it. He had work to do first.
“What if they deny the pairing?” Ferra suggested. “Simply say they can’t support it. There is considerable distrust of humans. They can play on that. It’s something Adamantine would do.”
It was just like him, in fact, and she was right. Prejudice against humans was nothing new. It existed and was fairly well spread. Though if I weren’t the prince, there likely wouldn’t be a huge outcry if I claimed a human as my mate.
But I was the prince. And there would be an outcry.
“She’s right,” Cruce said. “How do you want us to handle that?”
“We get the word out,” I said, nodding slowly.
“Start spreading the stories of Tor and Ember. If the princes of Fire and Storm have found their mates among the humans, mates who have passed the Test and been ordained by the God-King, then there’s nothing to say I can’t either.
I’ll legitimize her claim to the throne next to me. Draw direct comparison.”
“So would taking her to do the Test,” Ferra said.
“She’s not ready,” I replied sharply, killing that idea for the moment. “We will, but when it’s time.”
“Is there anything else?”
I considered and shook my head. “No. Round up our supporters, and get the stories circulating about how I found my mate just as Torrent and Ember did. Draw those comparisons. We’ll create legitimacy. Good?”
I got nods, then rose. “Excellent. Then it’s time for me to go get ready.”
My desire to see what Vanessa would look like was growing by the minute, and I could barely contain my glee at the prospect of setting eyes on her. She was already stunning, but I knew the trio of women helping set her up would leave me stunned.
And I couldn’t wait.