All Chapters of His Royal Mate: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

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

“They are fair to all but Queen Aria,” Queen Nadine said with a look of sadness.I wanted to speak as little as possible at these meetings so as not to give anything away. I bowed to Queen Nadine and smiled, but it was an empty expression, one that didn’t meet my eyes.“I hope you will allow Polonius and I an opportunity to vacation here on occasion,” I said to the queen. “Perhaps I may seek respite for a few days when needed.” I turned my head to Polonius. “I’m sure that will not worry my betrothed or threaten your terms.” I widened my smile in confidence.“We don’t allow any kind of violence here,” Bastien warned.“Oh, I know,” Polonius nearly growled. “If my wife needs rest, especially after the grueling feats of labor and childbirth, I don’t see any harm in her seeking respite in Angeline Falls for a few days. I will consider that customary, but should she get lost or go missing, well, that will be more revolutionary and in line with a betrayal of our peace accord.” Polonius glare

Just before Lex signed the peace accord, he looked at me and smiled the most vicious, brutal smile. One Polonius did not miss. And I knew from that moment forward, there was no way Polonius would ever survive.When we were done signing the documents, Polonius gathered the papers and handed them to his guard before standing and taking my hand.“Thank you, gentlemen,” he said “I look forward to welcoming you to our wedding and Aria’s coronation. I believe her father has finally found a way to magically enhance Onyx Rah’s pitaya crops, so I plan to have you as guests of Brahman’s Peak for a small ceremony in the coming days. It’s been a pleasure.” With that, Polonius dragged me out of the room and down the hall.“Where are you taking me? The meetings are over.” I tried to halt him, but I didn't have the strength.Polonius pulled me into a small salon and closed the door while still holding my hand. “Giving you what I should have a long time ago.” He pressed me up against the wall, making

“Well, he did say he was always in this for himself,” Aria commented. “Now that we know he isn’t a liar, let’s get stronger, do better, and get to the place where we don’t need him anymore.”I felt good and vindicated that Aria and Halo had also come to the realization that they’d be better off without Sire. It was something I’d been feeling, but had dared not say.Aria and I returned to our room and undressed for bed. We were both exhausted after an emotionally draining day and the ordeal we’d suffered in Navarrah City where Polonius had threatened to kill everyone if Aria ever came back to the city without him. We showered together to conserve the warm water that had started pumping up from the lava-warmed hot spring. Once clean, we dried off and tucked ourselves into bed. As soon as we were lying between the soft linen sheets, I began to massage Aria’s neck and shoulders.“How are you?” I asked, rubbing the rock-hard tension out of her muscles. “I’m not asking the queen of Onyx Rah

“Oh, I can’t reveal my wolf,” Halo said in a panic. “I’m not allowed. My siblings have always said not to.”“She’s right,” I said to them as I walked up from the castle. “Wolf mages are not safe, especially around Polonius. Halo needs to keep her wolf hidden until she’s much stronger both in magic and in muscle.” I flashed Halo a sweet smile so she knew I appreciated her efforts to train.Halo laughed. “Exactly.”“This is why I’ve told the troops that Sire Vanoire is the only royal mage in the kingdom. That sounds solid,” Bindi said, and she continued to work with Halo as I joined Lex’s training.Halo and I worked all morning before meeting citizens in the receiving room. The crowds were still coming in strong, but their numbers were dropping off a bit, which gave us some time to catch up and take a breather. We still saw about a hundred people a day, but I was happy that many of those who had joined our kingdom were building houses on their land and setting up farms, shops, and busin