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His Royal Mate 66
As I stood there wondering again if I should warn Aria that Sire was manipulating her for his own benefit, a soldier attacked me and took me to the ground.“Ha! Always be on your guard, you said,” the triumphant recruit crowed as he pinned me in a death hold.“That you should,” I said, defeated. “Nice work.”The soldier let me up, and I realized that Aria was taking too much of my focus. If I weren’t careful, the next person to pin me to the ground might actually kill me.Chapter 22AriaLex and I were in the forest again. We had taken to waking up early and shifting into our wolves for a run before our day began. It felt good to get out and exercise, with all the stress of running and establishing the kingdom. I usually didn’t see Lex during the day, so this was one of the rare times when we could be alone together unless we were in bed. Lately, we had been too tired to do anything more than just sleep in each other's embrace.We had just finished our run, and I was excited to get th
His Royal Mate 67
At that point, the only people who knew I was betrothed to Polonius were the leaders of Tobran. Sire’s greatest concern was that a citizen of Onyx Rah would see Lex and me together and start rumors that would get back to Polonius.“No,” I replied. “I hope we kill him before they ever know what I did to protect Tobran from war.” I hated the idea that the people I was coming to know and love would be subjected to a tyrant if I had to actually marry Polonius.“This reminds me of when we were in Brahman’s Peak and I was disguised as a mage scholar,” Lex said, laughing as he reminisced. “It was so hard for me not to touch you and be with you then, too.”“Lucian,” I said dreamily. “Oh, how I remember Lucian, the mage scholar. It was so hard to look at you once I knew who you were. Lucian was a scrawny and studious-looking man, but boy, did I want him to do wicked things to me.” I laughed again, and it felt amazing just to enjoy our memories. “We’ve had to hide our love so many times already
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“Peace,” he answered. “It is the same plan we shall share with every kingdom we visit. These are peace accords, and my goal is a benevolent coexistence.” He sat up in his chair, his long hair tied back. He’d donned a white silk shirt tucked into black leather pants, yet was still wearing teeth and bones around his neck. Polonius looked every bit a warlord, despite his grooming.“And what price are you demanding for this peace?” I tried to breathe through my anger. “How am I a part of it?”“As long as you learn to love me, Aria, I will allow their kingdoms to thrive as they have without threat of Crypt Claw invasion or discontinuation of their crimson pitaya trade. We know that with Onyx Rah, my access to the fruit will increase and topple power in my favor. As long as you remain a loyal and dutiful wife, I shall not wage war against any territory in Tobran.” He sat back in his chair calmly, as if he hadn’t just detonated me.“Why do you need me to be a wife to you when all you want ar
His Royal Mate 69
He should have been next to me, guiding my steps, but we were not to be seen together. And so, he was practically shouting at me across the wide distance between us.“I hate to distress you further, sir, but do you mind shifting for me please?” I hated asking the distressed man, but I had to know if the protection spell on the gates was still working and if these attackers were targeting Midnight Moon Pack members.“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said as he shifted into a bleeding black wolf.“Thank you, sir. Guards, please take this man to the infirmary near the barracks. Also, see if you can’t have soldiers locate his wife and daughter.”Once again, I felt a wave of nausea. This time, at the thought that someone was attacking my people.“I want those soldiers captured,” I vowed. “If they are Crypt Claw, then Polonius will need to answer for them. If they are not, they’ll die.”I took one last look at Lex, and he was shaking his head again as if he was trying to tell me I was making a big mi
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“And what of the crimson pitaya shipment I’ve requested?” Polonius's face changed as if he knew anything I’d say about that topic would be a lie.“The fields are far from ready for planting.” I told him honestly. “You must know it takes more than a few days to raise an entire crop. It will be months, Polonius. I considered using magic to disguise peaches we received from Angeline Falls as crimson pitaya, but feared your wrath when you discovered the deception.”More honesty. I needed time. The longer I could keep him from collecting the pitaya harvest, the greater our chances were of defeating him. So, I told him this small truth I thought might inflate his ego.“So your magic is strong enough to morph objects. Good to know,” he said, still remaining calm.“Please hold your soldiers back from people traveling on the road.” I went straight to pleading, needing my people to stay safe. I wasn’t going to be manipulated by him.A wide grin slid over Polonius’s teeth. “Every traveler will b
His Royal Mate 71
“My grandfather killed him the day my father tried to murder him,” he said. “The warlord Zonas simply wouldn’t die, but Harvin, my father, did. My father wanted to rule, but Zonas was still too powerful. I was ten when my father was set upon a funeral pyre, but I don’t have many fond memories of him.”“So when Zonas died, you became the next warlord?” I didn’t really care, but it was better than sitting in awkward silence.“After my grandfather died, I had to fight every Crypt Claw warrior over a year's time until they fell on their knees and swore fealty. The fights were to the death or total submission, and many times, I’d been brought back from the brink by healers. Still, I fought them all. Many died, preferring the grave to defeat.”Polonius did not sound as prideful about winning those fights as I’d expected.“How old were you?” I was growing more curious as his mood grew more somber.“Seventeen,” he said quietly.“So, if you’d had a friend…”“I would have had to defeat him or k
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Polonius had not said much to me in the car. I was happy he hadn’t taunted me after the meeting where my allies had signed in support of marital incarceration. He’d left me to my thoughts.As soon as we entered the house, Polonius stopped to address me. “I'm sure you're tired and would like to freshen up. I will meet you for dinner this evening.” With that, he followed two of his guards down the hallway.I stood there with Leonore and three of my Royal Guardsmen, unsure of where to go when a housekeeper dressed in a crisp dark blue uniform approached us.“If you come this way, Your Majesty, I’ll show you to your room,” she said.We followed the housekeeper to an elegant residential suite. It had a large canopied bed teeming with cream-colored lace and satin. There was a roaring fire in the hearth surrounded by deep blue velvet couches and a long, low table.“I will be stationed outside until this evening, Your Majesty,” Leonore said, and I left my Royal Guards to retreat to my room, w
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“I’m leaving early in the morning. Your guards will escort you back to Onyx Rah, and within a day’s time, I will bring you to Angeline Falls to meet with Queen Nadine and Bastien Salt. Get some rest now. You look weary.” With that, he walked away, and I could finally breathe again.Not wanting to stay in the Obsidian Valley a moment longer than I had to, I undressed, packed, and had a motor car bring myself and my guards back to Onyx Rah that very night. I rushed to Lex, sleeping in our bed, and crawled beside him, curling up to his warmth, missing the simplicity of our love. It was almost morning, but I didn’t care.“You’re back.” He turned into me and draped his arms around my body. I had tossed off the dress, but I still wore the necklace. Lex saw it immediately. “Fuck him,” he spat.“Just motivation to kill him, Lex. Nothing more,” I said evenly, pacifying his anger.He kissed me, and we made love into the wee hours of the morning.Lex left not long after to train the troops, as w
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