My King (Two Prince's Book 1) (14 page)

Well, I had been embarrassed and uncomfortable but thanks to Riley I’m now a whole lot more so. I know he was only trying to help me out, but unfortunately it had the opposite effect. By pointing out the fact that I’m human, unaccustomed to their ways, and already embarrassed about something they seemed completely comfortable with, he’s separated me from them as a whole. And I was already the freak on the outside. Him pointing it out didn’t make it any better for me.

“If you do not mind, my Prince, I would very much like to hear it from her.” His arm sweeps out to the side of his small, compact body, and he gestures to the room at large. “As I’m sure would everyone else in the room.”

Murmurs of agreement ring out all around me.

Wonderful.

I would have gladly stayed behind with Caleb if I had known what lay ahead for me.

But I was here now and I had to do something about this situation before it gets even more out of control.

“Shayne,” I tell the small man in an attempt to break the mood.

“Excuse me?” his bushy eyebrows raise half way up his forehead in what appears to be confusion.

“You don’t have to do this, Shayne. We’ll find Ian and get you out of here.”

Looking at Riley I can tell he sincerely means this. But his sincerity doesn’t change the fact that he was wrong. I did have to do this. Ian and Riley had risked everything and put it all on the line to come here, to put things to rights and lead their people. Ian wanted me here with him. Enough for him to permanently mark me. If these people accepted him as their King and he stayed here to rule them than I needed them to accept me as well because I want to be where Ian is going to be. Simple as that.

So I would do what I have to do, even if it did make me extremely uncomfortable. Being able to be stay with Ian would be worth a little discomfort. Ian was worth everything.

Stepping around Collette and shouldering Brooks aside, I step forward with my hand outstretched. “Shayne. It’s my name. And who might you be?”

His bushy eyebrows stay up in the middle of his forehead as he studies my outstretched hand.

Oh dear.

Perhaps I’ve done something wrong here.

I’m surprised when I’m about to pull my hand back and an overlarge, calloused hand takes hold of mine. He doesn’t shake it like I expect him to, but instead squeezes gently, turns my hand over, and lowers his lips towards the top of my hand.

My eyes bug out in shock and I gasp when his lips gently caress the top of my hand.

In this moment, the entire room stills and I can actually feel the air hum with energy. Freaking electric energy.

Soft, muddy, brown eyes bore into me.

“I am Neelan, and I am most pleased to meet you.”

Neelan. What an interesting name.

Slightly weirded out about his kiss, but very pleased with him offering me his name, I’m still left curious. What in the heck is he?

Shifters. Vampires. Fairies. I’ve met them and this man clearly does not fit into any of those categories.

Could I be as bold as this man standing before me?

Dare I ask?

He didn’t seem to mind asking me personal questions in front of a room full of people so why was I hesitating to do the same?

Fuck it.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And it’s not like these people don’t already think I’m a freak so what do I really have to lose?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Neelan. What, um, exactly are you? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Please, please, don’t mind my asking, or the fact I was extremely rude because I asked in the first place. Please, don’t make me out to look like even more of a jackass.

To my extreme relief, instead of showing offense at my intrusive question he grins at me.

“You’re human?” He asks, not answering my question.

“Yes, of course.” I immediately reply.

“Yet, you have uncontrolled telepathy,” he murmurs. “Intriguing.”

This conversation was way worse than the original one. I most certainly did not need him to bring up the fact that I have some type of telepathy in front of these people again. I didn’t want him drawing more attention to it.

Up until a few days ago I kept my secret, well,
secret
. I told Ian about it, of course, but that didn’t mean I’d opened up about the subject because I haven’t. All my life I had been taught that hearing the thoughts of others made me evil. That it was
wrong
.

And a part of me, a small part, had always believed it to be true because I’ve never had someone to tell me it wasn’t.

I couldn’t just let those feelings go in the blink of an eye. It had been beaten into me for years that it was unnatural. That I was unnatural. A few days of Ian telling me different wasn’t going to change my mind. It’d probably take years of intense therapy to swing that miracle.

“Can’t you see,” Riley growls stepping up beside me, “that your questions are making her uncomfortable?”

He really was doing me no favors here. I did not want to come off as some timid, scared, girl who needs her hand held every step of the way because that is not who I am. I’ve always been on my own with no one to fall back on, no one to step in and protect me. Now that I have that I really don’t want to need it.

And, more importantly, where in the hell was Ian?

“Why ever would you be uncomfortable?” Neelan asks sounding genuinely curious. “These are your people and this is where you belong. Many of the people amongst you, right here in this very room, hold within them the gift of telepathy among many other gifts. There is no shame in this, it is a gift. Hmm… I wonder, are you sure both of your parents are human?”

No. No. No.

Out of all the things he could have asked and he had to pick the subject of my parentage.

My stomach rolls and I’m instantly nauseous.

Sick. I’m going to be sick right here in this beautiful room filled with supernatural creatures. How humiliating would that be? I would never be able to live something like that down.

Please, please, don’t get sick in here.

“I need fresh air,” I wheeze out.

My stomach rolls again violently, threatening to climb up my throat and spew out my mouth.

“I can help you to feel better, if you wish.” The pastel haired fairy steps forward with concern in her eyes and her hand out, stretched towards me.

She had helped with my migraine and the voices has since, thankfully quieted down. But this is different. This was me making myself sick by thinking of having to explain to this entire room how I was conceived.

Call me a coward, I don’t care, but no freaking way am I going to stand here and announce to a room full of strangers that my mother was raped and I’m the result of said rape. And, then it gets better. She left me at the hospital and disappeared.

Yay.

Yeah, I don’t think so.

So I needed to exit. Pronto.

Right, fresh air.

“Riley,” I mutter, ignoring the sweet fairy, “please, I need to get out of here and get some air. I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Sick?” Neelan questions. “Are you with child?”

That does it. I gag. I can’t help it.

Oh my god.

“She must have her ceremony as soon as possible if she is with child. The sooner the better.” Someone whispers.

Oh god.

Ceremony?

They think I’m a pregnant freak and they want to perform some kind of ceremony on me? Figures.

I have the worst luck.

“Please,” I beg Riley.

“I will take you, my Queen,” Neelan steps forward and offers.

Fuck, what have I really got to lose at this point?

Stepping forward, I take hold of his hand. Not bothering to check whether or not the others choose to follow I walk through the now parted crowd hand in hand with Neelan.

“I’m not pregnant,” I confide in him.

For some reason I find it’s important for me to tell him this. I certainly don’t want him to think I’m some loose floozy without a working brain who isn’t smart enough to use contraceptives.

Then it hits me. Did Ian use a condom?

Oh my god, I don’t think he did.

I did not need this on top of everything else. For all I know he had used one and everything was peachy and worrying would be pointless.

“Dwarf,” Neelan mutters dragging my attention away from my horrible thoughts.

“What?”

“You asked what I am. I am a Dwarf.”

My eyes grow round inside my head and I completely forget about feeling sick to my stomach.

“A Dwarf?” I breathe in wonderment. “How
cool
.”

The grin on his face slides off as horror fills his eyes and his face pales.

“Get back to the throne room,” he screams at me and, roughly, shoves me behind him.

Stumbling, I fall to my knees on the hard marble floor. Sharp pain shoots up my thighs and an angry hiss escapes my lips.

“My Queen, ru-” Neelan’s words are cut off with a thump and his wet, in draw of air can be heard.

Panicked, I scramble to my feet and try to run like he told me to. I don’t make it far. I barely gain my feet when an arm snakes around my middle and I am lifted off my feet entirely.

Struggling to break away I open my mouth to scream. Before I can get any sound out a rough, sweaty, hand covers my mouth.

Something cold and hard smacks into my temple. My head explodes in pain and my vision goes hazy.

As I’m dragged away, the last think I see before I black out is Neelan. The Dwarf lay sprawled on the marble floor with a shiny silver sword sticking out of the center of his chest.

Then everything fades to black.

Ian

Something’s wrong. I can feel it. In my head. In my chest.
Everywhere
. Shayne. Something’s happened to Shayne. That has to be it.

Stepping into the throne room I scan the crowd looking for my mate. She’s nowhere to be seen.

Son of a bitch. Where in the fuck is she?

I left Brooks with her to keep her safe. Then when my Uncle disappeared I sent Riley back to keep an eye on her. They would not be so stupid as to allow her out of their eyesight. Not when, as far as we knew, the place could be crawling with traitors, people who support my Uncle’s claim to the throne. Or worse, people who wish to challenge me for mine.

“Help. We need help over here.”

The blood pumping through my veins turns to ice. Everything around me seems to freeze as if time stands still. My beast inside roars to be let out, to locate our mate and make sure she’s safe.

I had to get myself under control, my beast under control, before I completely lose it, shift into animal form, and go into a rage. A rage that would do nothing to help Shayne.

Shayne. Just thinking her name causes my chest to ache.

Maybe this has nothing to do with her. Perhaps she became overwhelmed and left the packed room for some fresh air.

Only one way to find out. Making my way across the room through the throng of people I finally reach the exit.

The sight that greets me is not what I expected to see. Collette, Riley, and Brooks stand amongst Fairies and Dwarfs around a figure on the floor with a bleeding hole in his chest. Two Fairies kneel over him with their hands pressed to the Dwarfs chest, around his wound. Pastel light glows from their palms.

“What is going on here?” I demand to know in a sharp voice that echoes throughout the hallway.

My brother turns to look at me with pain filled eyes.

I know.

I fucking know.

Something has happened to Shayne. My beautiful, sweet, innocent, mate.

Where is she?

Brother.
Riley voice creeps into my head.

Where is she?
Is my silent demand.

His answer is not one I ever wanted to hear and pains me to hear.

Gone. She’s gone.

“Where?” I bark out loud this time, hoping for someone, anyone, to give me an answer. They don’t need me to explain who I am talking about, they all know.

“We do not know, Ian.” Brooks speaks in a quiet voice filled with raw emotion. “We are waiting for Neelan to be healed. Shayne had just stepped out here in to the hallway with the Dwarf for some fresh air and a much needed break from the people in the throne room. She was only out here for a minute before we came to get her and found Neelan with a sword in his chest.”

His pale, tight, features, tell me just how upset he is about this, about not having escorted my mate out here.

He should never have let her out of his sight. Neither Brooks nor my brother should have allowed this to happen. They had one job only. To keep her safe and they failed me.

Shayne. Not only did they fail me but I’ve failed Shayne. Fucking her and marking her made her mine until my last, dying breath left my lungs.

Mine to love. Mine to cherish. Mine to
protect
.

And already I’ve failed her.

We should have never returned to this place. Why had I brought her to this place? Why had I returned to this place? She was worth more to me than my people ever could be. I had no desire to rule without my mate at my side.

Cold despair cripples me, wrapping my heart in an iron fist, squeezing so tightly I almost fall to my knees.

Goddamn Riley for talking me into coming back to this horrid place. If Shayne is harmed in any way I’ll never forgive him.

Admittedly, I know my brother is not to blame here, but it is easier to place the blame on someone other than myself. And I have only myself to blame. She should have never been out of my eyesight once we set foot in this place.

What are you doing?
My beast questions me.
We need to find her. Do not give up hope. Do not play the blame game. Go out and find her and bring her home. Stop sniveling, you’re wasting time.

“Roland,” the injured Dwarf lets out a painful gasp. “Roland has taken her. You must find her. Quickly.”

His words bring me out of my self-pitying stupor and I race to the Dwarf’s side. Shoving a Fairy roughly aside, I drop to my knees beside the Dwarf. Taking ahold of his hand I lean in, close to his face.

“What happened?” I ask in a gruff voice, unable to control my emotions.

A small voice inside my head whispers that I am weak, my people will see this and not wish for me to rule as King. They will see me as unfit and weak. They will challenge not only my place but me as well.

I shove the thoughts to the far recesses of my mind. I cannot focus on this right now. My sole focus must be entirely on finding Shayne.

“Roland and his guards came out of nowhere, my true King. I tried to get her to run, but there was…” the Dwarf’s voice trails off. Wet sounding coughs wrack his small, compact body. Blood leaks out past his lips. He blinks once. Twice.

Open, empty, brown eyes stare up at me.

The Dwarf is dead, and my Uncle, who murdered my father in cold blood, has my mate.

A roar, primal, more animal than human, rips out of me.