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His Royal Mate 14
“Come,” Halo said to me, outstretching her arm. “Let’s do this together.”I took her hand, and we walked into the spring. The water was warm from the stifling heat and humidity around us. Sulfur, tinged with an aroma of death, permeated the air, but the soft liquid swirling around us had a calming effect. We continued to submerge ourselves until we were waist-deep in the water.“I will start with an incantation,” Sire said, moving to the edge of the water.I held onto Halo’s hand when Sire started chanting in a low, melodic cadence.“Oh, heart and soul of the people whose bodies are now part of your earth, bring forth their spirits, commence their rebirth. From the ashes you fell to the sprouts you will spring, raise up Onyx Rah greater than our imagining.”Over and over again, Sire said the same thing until his words petered away and he entered a meditative trance. When he did, the denseness in the stifling air dissipated, and a cool breeze danced on my skin. I didn’t let go of Halo’
His Royal Mate 15
We walked towards the castle in the distance, surprised to see that it had been structurally restored. It still needed reinforcements, embellishments, and furnishings, but like the rest of Onyx Rah, the bones were there. I took Lex’s hand, feeling a rush of energy surge through me.Just then, a spike of adrenaline jolted both of us. Something was wrong.“Something’s here,” I said, my hair standing on end and my wolf awakened.“Behind us,” Halo agreed as she whipped around to see what had come out of the shadows.There, surrounding us from all sides, were Crypt Claw soldiers. They materialized together, two deep in two rows, with their weapons raised. I half-expected to find Polonius among them, though I didn’t see him. Lex and I took position in front of Halo and Sire, getting ready to fight. I was struck with worry that we would never have peace, but our people deserved to return home. So, I was ready to shed some blood.I was prepared to use magic to protect us, but once the soldier
His Royal Mate 16
Aria and I once again prepared ourselves for battle. Despite what Harlance had said about there being a protection spell on the kingdom, none of us were sure exactly how it worked or what our threats might look like. Had Polonius already gotten Amadeus to perform magic strong enough to break an ancient protection spell?“Prince Lex,” a voice from over the gates boomed. “Prince Lex of Navarrah City. We have brought your reinforcements.”With a flash of relief, I recognized that female voice. While it had been many years since I’d heard that loud and gruff tone, it couldn’t be mistaken. She was one of the only women in our military. While women were not allowed in the Royal Guards, they could join the military that patrolled our kingdom.“Wait,” I said, holding my hand up. “I know that voice. It’s the troops from Navarrah City.”I didn’t know how to rely on magic, and probably never would. But I always could count on my troops.As I turned to inform Harlance’s ghost, I realized that he
His Royal Mate 17
“That’s amazing!” Aria exclaimed, her voice jubilant.I, too, was happy at the prospect of Tobran uniting to defeat Polonius, but when had Cheyenne gained so much power? It wasn’t like he was Fallon, my father’s beta. He was my father’s younger son and third in line to the throne after me and Amadeus.His increased influence was likely due to the fact that I was with Aria and so many of my duties had been relegated to him in my absence. Amadeus had been captured, and at my father’s behest, I’d needed to stay with Aria to protect her. It was a task I’d lay down my life for.I tried to calm myself, reminding myself that Cheyenne was certainly the next logical choice to assist my father in not only protecting Navarrah City, but helping to build up the guard in Onyx Rah. Also, my little brother wasn’t like Fallon—he wouldn’t ever murder me to sit on the throne. He was a hard-working soldier and my father’s loyal son. He’d do anything for Navarrah City, and for that, I was grateful that we
His Royal Mate 18
“And Navarrah City will certainly help with financial support. As you can see, my father has already sent over troops,” I assured Aria.“Perhaps we can let those troops into the city,” Aria said. “I know there is magic keeping anyone who isn’t a Midnight Moon Pack member out, but Lex and Sire Vanoire are here, so obviously the magic can make concessions.”“What do you think?” I asked Sire.“Aria and Halo would have to make the allowances,” he explained. “I believe that the magic shielding Onyx Rah will listen to them.”“Let’s try it,” Halo said as we made our way to where the soldiers from Navarrah City were camped out.As we approached the troops, each soldier stood and saluted in a grand gesture of respect for Aria and Halo. Spread out in a sea of uniforms, the three hundred troops Navarrah City had sent looked very impressive.“Greetings,” Aria started. “Welcome to Onyx Rah. While it isn’t much yet, I appreciate your commitment to protecting us and our vision of what the kingdom wi
His Royal Mate 19
In an orderly fashion, they filed out of the city center through the arteries of the kingdom to watch over the farthermost places.“Let’s help them out a little, shall we?” Halo said to me with a beaming smile.“Sure,” I agreed, but I wasn’t exactly certain what I was agreeing to.“Let’s give them food and water, at least.” Halo rolled up her sleeves and prepared to disperse her magic.I did the same, envisioning abundant food and drink filling up their knapsacks as they made their way through the city. As the last of the soldiers filed out, I noticed that their bags had become heavier, and by the looks on their faces, they were very happy with the provisions. Bindi and the thirty or so soldiers she had with her all smiled as they noticed their packs getting heavier.“Looks like that worked,” I said to Halo as we watched the troops fan out across the kingdom.“Thank you, ladies!” Bindi said giddily. “Now we will enter the palace and secure it before you all enter. Give us a little tim
His Royal Mate 20
“Looks like we’re home,” Lex teased.“You look like home,” I said, turning to him and wrapping my arms around his middle.“That’s because I am,” he said, clearly not giving the implications of his words much thought.I knocked my head against his chest. “I can’t use magic for everything. I’m going to have to get Midnight Moon Pack descendants here. I hope they don’t mind helping us.”I bit my lip, thinking of the lives I would be asking them to lead. I was once a servant. I already knew what it was like to feel less than others.“I know what you’re thinking,” Lex said, stroking my hair. “But remember, these people will not be indentured to work for you. They’ll be ancestors coming home, becoming part of the tapestry of their restored kingdom. And they will not be servants. They’ll be paid, have private living quarters, and will come and go from work as any other citizen might, just like you suggested in Navarrah City. Now is the time to make that dream a reality.”“You’re right,” I co
His Royal Mate 21
“He will do worse things than stand at the gates of the kingdom if I don’t go, Bindi,” I told her, dreading what lay ahead of us.“He has no right to you,” Lex growled, red-faced with anger.“He thinks I’m his property,” I told Lex. “But I will speak with him.”I knew there was no avoiding Polonius. If I refused to speak with him that day, he would have probably attempted something more dangerous in the future. We had to pretend we were willing to negotiate.“Aria,” Lex cautioned.“You know we can’t ignore this.”“I don’t like it,” Lex said with a scowl.“Neither do I,” Bindi said. “What do you want me to do?” She looked at me.“Take us to him,” I commanded. “Keep those crossbows handy, though,” I added with a smile.“You know I don’t like this, my queen,” Bindi grumbled.“We’re both going to have to get used to doing things we don’t like,” I said before we marched to the gates of the city, heavily guarded.It didn’t take long to walk to the border between our kingdom and Brahman’s Pe
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