Chapter 7
Sagan
The last thing I wanted to do was get up and face the “guests” at breakfast—especially when I couldn’t seem to focus on much besides how my body felt after amazing sex.
Amazing sex I didn’t remember.
Only that it was amazing.
No, I didn’t understand how that worked either. Awesome.
The first vulture descended the moment I walked into the ballroom.
An elder slipped me a message from Hardin demanding I remove the castle ban on him.
I also received a lecture from that elder.
I let him ramble while I fixed my coffee before gesturing to the guards at the door I’d barely stepped through.
“Please remove the elder from my home and let Benson know there will apparently be a list of those banned for not behaving appropriately,” I told them.
I met the gaze of the pissed-off elder with one of my own.
“Being allowed to stay in the royal family’s castle is a luxury the elders are afforded, not a right.
You are not lord and master here. I suggest you remember that going forward. ”
“Your parents never—”
“You did not seriously bring up her deceased parents the morning after they were entombed, did you, Elder?” Treena asked as she moved next to me, not hiding the disgust in her tone. “I wonder how King Rhys would have handled such disrespect and blatant manipulation?”
“Not well,” a deep voice said from somewhere off to my right, sounding a bit too amused.
“About as well as he would deal with a guest from a foreign nation interjecting herself into dragon business,” another male voice drawled.
That one I focused on, meeting his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
“And you think it’s any better to promote yourself to be the keeper of how guests behave in my castle?
Especially my advisor? The heir of the Bodach throne?
Apologize to Princess Treena this instance or there will be consequences you will not like. ”
Shock and then a bit of anger flashed in the man’s eyes before he dipped his head to me. “I apologize, Your Highness. I was ignorant to who she was and her being your ally. I heard it as judgment that your house wasn’t in order.”
No, no, he didn’t, but it wasn’t a bad save and one that wouldn’t be worth trying to argue.
He gave a full bow to Treena. “I apologize, Princess. Thank you for being a friend to our future queen. I shouldn’t have spoken without knowing the full situation.”
“Apology accepted,” Treena chuckled darkly.
“You were simply trying to have your future queen’s back as well.
Good on you for that when apparently the vultures will descend within hours of her worst hell becoming reality.
” She looked at me. “Isn’t there a rule of mourning where no one can be horrid to you at least? ”
No, no, there was not. While I appreciated her support, she was going to make every enemy if she kept jumping in as she was, and that was dangerous for her.
Dangerous for her future since she would be queen ruler of Bodach one day.
Three more elders were given a time-out before breakfast was over and I was so on edge that I was ready to explode. And that was before I overheard Kole bragging about the perks of the castle and how he needed to speak to a few people about his accommodations.
Several Alphas were more subtle, but they made it clear that they didn’t want to come all the way back to the castle to have the needed meeting… And they didn’t feel it was a meeting that should be held over video given what had happened.
Fools.
Absolute fucking fools. They thought they were getting something out of this besides pissing me off when they were kids playing checkers.
With someone who was aces at chess and playing multiple games of it at the same time.
I didn’t say much and let them walk right into what I wanted them to say… That the elders overstepped by trying to pressure me into mating.
Even if it was mostly because they had someone better for me to mate. Their relative would be a much better fit and blah, blah, blah. But never to force it and that was so far over the line that they agreed the elders needed to be checked.
I was at my limit with all of it, and when someone else tried to grab me, I sidestepped them with barely a civil dismissal.
His eyes flickered lighter than his normal deep blue and I had a flash of last night.
I turned back, but he was already walking away and Treena realized she needed to get me out of there.
“What is going on with you?” she hissed at me when we were alone outside. She sighed when I snorted. “Yes, of course, but you were…”
Better yesterday.
I let out a shaky breath. “You called it about the vultures not even giving me a fucking day,” I admitted as I headed for the back garden.
I nodded to her detail as they materialized from nowhere but then turned to her.
“I think we need a run and we need rules about what they’ll overhear.
I know there’s much they’ll report to your father, and that’s fair, but… ”
Her eyes flashed shock. “Something happened.” She waited until I nodded. “With Kole. I saw him missing.”
“It’s going to be a mess,” I chuckled darkly. “And I think I’m more annoyed I have to deal with it than…”
She grabbed my hands when I was hesitant.
“I know you are worried and should have every reason not to trust any of this. I know these are the worst moments of your life, but I beg you to have this faith in me. I promise you that my family and I will not abuse it. We are all in on your reign and being the best allies. All in.”
I searched her eyes and swore under my breath. “Bodach has more problems than we knew—than Father knew, and you need this alliance way more than you or your father let on.”
A man to my left cleared his throat and dipped his head to me. “I am not only an elite guard, Your Highness, I am the right hand of your Benson. I am Davian, and the moment you ascended to role of queen, you were to be informed. None of this was meant to be hidden.”
“Yes, we need you,” Treena admitted. “Things have taken a turn and we—our family is in trouble.” She sniffled and blinked back tears. “I’m sorry to take advantage of your tragedy, but Father used the excuse to get me out of range just in case.”
Cold fear shot through me and I turned to Davian to see the truth in his eyes.
I swore a bit more than I should have but then scrubbed the back of my neck and squared off with him.
“If they have a hint of a coup, you tell your king to get here.” I nodded when they all froze.
“Or I will send them the location—Darren can tell them where to go.”
“You will take too much of a hit—” he started to argue.
“I don’t care,” I chuffed. “An alliance isn’t shit if not kept and he took a risk to help me now. I won’t—you’re—this is personal.” I pointed to Treena. “I love her. Yes, flee here and we will protect the royal family. Mine will.”
He dropped to one knee and lowered his head to me, the others following after him.
“Thank you, Your Highness. You have no idea what this means to our people. The royal family is—there is no better family to rule. King Taryn isn’t a perfect man, but he is one who acknowledges that and works to fix his faults. ”
“Exactly what my father said and why he wanted peace with him,” I muttered and then sighed. “Okay, so let’s deal with my mess and crazy coming up—make it through that and then we can try—yeah, piles of everything.”
“Yes, just those few things, and whatever you’re so upset about has to be a doozy,” Treena worried.
We quickly changed to work out and then I told her about what happened… Only to realize I’d lost her and was running with two of her guards only.
In wolf form.
Fuck.
“Sorry,” I grumbled.
Oh, and then I got a lecture from Benson on why I didn’t have my own guards.
“Forgive me, but our princess didn’t need to order us to shadow her and adjust to what she needed,” Davian interjected.
“And I’ve never chastised my princess or any member of the royal family as you are.
Especially not in front of others. You do understand your role, yes?
” He glanced at me then. “This is the best you have to keep you safe, Your Highness?”
“He’s completely right,” I said firmly before Benson or any of the other guards could get upset. I met Benson’s gaze and wasn’t even angry, not hiding my disappointment. “You’re acting like the elders. I get I’m not who you wanted to take over, but…” I shook my head and turned back to my run.
“Pull your head out of your ass. They were your king and queen, but they were her fucking parents,” Treena snapped at him before hurrying after me.
“Where did I lose you?” I asked. “I need to do some sprints if you’re not going to shift.”
“I have a feeling you’re going to need me to be able to talk,” she muttered, not hiding her worry.
She wasn’t wrong.
I nodded and sprinted off, shocking the dragon guards who were now with me. I flipped around when I got too far away and came back to Treena.
“Radio everyone we have a shifted dragon guard on the princess’s detail while she trains to—” one of them said.
“No,” I snarled as Treena and Davian echoed me.
I continued while the guard blinked at me.
“Why don’t you just announce I’m way more powerful and better trained than anyone knows?
While they’re all so busy underestimating me and—this was kept a secret for a reason.
Please stop making decisions for me. Especially when they’re the wrong ones. ”
He opened his mouth but then closed it before bowing deeply. “I apologize, Your Highness. We did do this for your father. We couldn’t keep up with him either when he was upset.”
I flinched and felt small. “I apologize. I didn’t know that.” I cleared my throat. “Sorry.”