Authors: Candace Blevins
Vincent screamed in unimaginable pain, as if he’d just discovered everyone he loved had died while he was simultaneously electrocuted.
Mabel smirked at Vincent and then inclined her head to my father. “Your loss of faith has allowed me to finally sever his blood bond to the Eagles. Nothing else I’ve done tonight managed it. The Eagles will need to choose another King in this realm. While I have no control over the human realm, with him in my custody he won’t be able to effectively lead. I will not trade him away, though I might accept a suitable offer to grant you a few days access to him in my dungeon.”
Aaron wrapped his arms around me and said, “Raul, please expect me to come calling in the next couple of days. I hope for a warm welcome, but will handle whatever kind of greeting you choose to give.”
Aaron
Raul’s eyes were cold as he contemplated me. When he finally spoke, his words were as chilled as his gaze. “I trusted you.”
“I don’t believe I broke your trust, old friend. I believe I took care of your daughter in a way you could not. You were trying to protect her, and I helped her find a way to live.”
His cold stare didn’t abate, so I added, “With all due respect, Raul, I took care of her when you were still too blinded by worry and grief to do right by her.”
I’d managed to piss him off, but at least he understood what I was trying to say.
Raul opened his mouth to speak but the Winter Queen spoke first, the warning in her voice frosted with a coat of ice. “Whether we view you in later years as a beloved former King who stepped down to allow someone better suited to take over, or as a disgraced and deposed former King, will depend much on the next words out of your mouth, Raul, so I suggest you consider them carefully. Also, remember this is your future son-in-law. I know you loved your wife and my best friend, but you
know
I haven’t approved of the choices you made for your daughter.” Her voice thawed a little as she implored, “She’s finally happy, Raul. Look at her. I mean,
really
look at her. She’s blossomed in these past weeks. She’s only beginning to come into her power, and it’s Aaron who has encouraged and supported her, not you. You should be thanking him instead of hating him.”
Raul looked at Sophia for several long moments, glanced at me, and then focused on Mabel. “Maybe,” he admitted, “but I’m not there yet.”
Sophia
As promised, a meeting was arranged with Ember the following day. I went with Jonathan and six other guards to New Orleans via Faerie, and Jonathan rented a car. Ember stepped onto the front porch of the mansion when we pulled into the driveway, and we took her out to eat.
Ember was grateful I’d freed her, as two of the men she’d been required to service had been cruel, but overall she was happy here and would like to stay, now that she had a choice. Jonathan checked to be sure she wasn’t under anyone’s influence, and she proved not to be. We drove her back, hugged her, and let her go.
It took less than an hour to negotiate the contract with Able, and I was home in time for dinner with yet another animal group officially on my side.
A few days later I met Aaron’s friend, Kirsten. I didn’t want to like her, but she brought bridal magazines and a wedding planner scrapbook, and she’d found a place about thirty minutes outside of Chattanooga on the banks of the Tennessee river, with a huge outdoor pavilion that reminded me of old-world Greek architecture. It was perfect, and my eyes teared up as I imagined getting married to Aaron in this beautiful spot.
“I know you’ll probably want to take Madeline with you to shop for dresses,” she said, talking at least three hundred words a minute, “but I’d love to come, too, if you need another eye. I’m so happy to finally meet you, Aaron’s been terribly protective of you, keeping you hidden away.”
Flabbergasted, I asked, “You know Madeline?”
“Yes. Long story but I took shelter at Bran’s house a few days and became friends with some of his…people.”
I liked her all the more for not calling them his flock, and I smiled and said, “I’d love for you to come with us to look for wedding dresses. I know you’re important to Aaron and I hope we can be friends.”
Two hours later, Aaron came home as Kirsten was about to leave, and I found I could watch them hug without it bothering me.
Aaron walked Kirsten next door to Abbott’s house and returned within a few moments. Without saying anything he picked me up, twirled me around, danced me around the house to the Billy Idol music I’d been listening to, and told me, “I went to visit your father this morning.”
Shocked, I stopped dancing even though he kept moving.
“You should’ve told me!”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” he said, serious now, and no longer dancing. “You were nervous enough about meeting Kirsten, I didn’t have it in me to add to it. I knew I’d be fine, Soph.”
I shook my head but stopped arguing. We’d discuss his ‘saving’ me later, for now I wanted to know what happened with my father.
“You’re dancing so I assume it’s good?”
“Yes. I told him we’re looking to get married in the next three to five weeks, it will happen in Chattanooga, and you would very much like him to give you away. He feels the crowning should be in South Carolina, and he may have a point.”
“Explain.”
He nodded. “If you have the wedding and crowning in one ceremony you can’t invite the humans who’ve entered your life on the fringes. I want you to have as many varied friends as possible, which means inviting them to your wedding.”
“Okay, but we could have the crowning ceremony here a few hours later, after everyone leaves the reception.”
“Your father’s power base is in South Carolina. You and I both know you’re going to spend a lot of time there in the coming months as you straighten things out. Having your coronation close by removes their excuse not to show up and give their respects.”
“Okay then,” I agreed. “Two ceremonies on two days.”
“A late afternoon wedding and a noon coronation. Preferably less than eighteen hours apart.” I nodded in agreement and he told me, “Your father wants to remain operating manager of the brothel, and said he’d split the profits with you fifty/fifty. I told him you’re in talks with the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club for them to manage it for you, but I didn’t tell him the split.”
I shook my head. “I’ll let him act as manager over one of the tourist resorts, but not the brothel. Those girls deserve better than he’ll give them.”
“He thinks he’s keeping the resorts. Says they are his as Raul, and not as the Swan King.”
“Nope, my grandfather passed them down when he ceded the crown. I might consider letting him keep one if he doesn’t want me to hire him to do a job, but it’ll just be to keep the peace so maybe we can find a way back to a relationship.”
Aaron kissed my forehead. “I’m glad I had a chance to talk to him man-to-man, Soph. Hold your ground and keep reminding him you love him. It’ll all work out.”
I looked at him a few seconds and said, “There’s something else.”
He nodded and sat down.
“I promised you I’d wait to tell my Dragon brothers how to change a Swan into a Dragon, but news has reached Myrddin and he’s on his way to Chattanooga.”
I sat, facing him, and ruffled my eyebrows. “I don’t want to have to fight your Dragon brothers to protect my people.”
“Soph, I’m your king. They’re my people, too.”
“Yeah, both races are yours, which could lead to split loyalties, which means I need to protect them.”
“You don’t trust me?”
I put my face in my hands and said nothing. Aaron waited me out, and three or four long minutes later, I said, “If you’re pulled between satisfying your friend after centuries of no female Dragons, or taking advantage of a young Swanling? I’m not sure I’d do the honorable thing, Aaron — not for a good friend after so long. If I’m not sure of my own actions, how can I be sure of yours?”
“Because I’m the Swan king in Faerie, and will soon be in this realm, and you have to know it isn’t something I take lightly. Yes, I would like for Myrddin to meet some Swans and give them the opportunity to be the second Dragon female, but no one will be turned against their will, or with undue coercion, Soph. You have my word, and I’ll be sure you get Myrddin’s when he arrives. I would also like permission to
change
any Swans into Dragons who may wish to do so – whether they be male or female. Someone else can bring about the change to swan, I will merely poke a claw into them as they’re
changing
.”
I shook my head. “Maybe it’s selfish, but I want to be the only one you’ve
changed
.”
“Okay, Soph. Okay.” He hesitated a few seconds and asked, “How about if you
change
them? We can both be present, but it can be your claw that does the deed, and then we can both fly with them.”
“Yeah, maybe. I mean, I’ll want to talk to them, make sure I know their reasons, but… yeah. I’m going to ask you to keep it to less than ten percent of the total swans. I can easily see the Swans dying out as a species if everyone wants to be a Dragon. We’ll need to come up with some kind of blood oath, so no one except you and I can
change
people.”
“And if someone wants to
change
their lover?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Aaron
“You have to be kidding me!” Myrddin thundered, and I was glad we were having this conversation at my office, away from Sophia.
“She’s Queen to my king, and insists on being the only one to turn Swans into Dragons.”
“So, you aren’t going to tell me the secret?”
“I’m truly sorry, brother. My hands are tied.”
“After all this time, if you should die now, the secret would die with you.”
“No. I’ve made arrangements for the secret to come to you should she and I both die before we can
change
enough to make a difference. She’s going to hold it to less than ten percent of the Swan population, which I think is generous. I’d expected something like two percent.”
“When do I get to meet your mate?”
“When I’m sure you won’t go throwing your weight and temper around and frightening her. She might be a tiny little thing, but she has an iron spine, and the repercussions for thinking you can force her to your will are… never good. I barely managed to undo the damage done the one time I tried it.”
His brow wrinkled. “She hurt you?”
I shook my head. “I hurt
us
when I broke her trust. Believe me when I say she has resources and she isn’t afraid to use them. I taught her to play chess as a small child, I shouldn’t have been surprised.”
Myrddin’s laugh let me know he’d go along with Sophia being in charge of who was
changed
, and he said, “I’m glad you found someone who won’t just lie down and let you roll over them, old friend. Does my heart good to see the love you have in your eyes for her. Do we know for sure she’ll have a Dragon’s long life?”
“Swans are pretty long lived, but only time will tell if she’ll have a Dragon’s lifespan.” I didn’t want to consider the subject of Sophia’s lifespan until I knew more, so I changed the subject. “Nathan is standing as my best man, but I hope you’ll stand with me, too? On the other side of him?”
“Of course, Aaron. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I stood and motioned him out of my office. “Wonderful! Sophia’s at Abbott’s billiard club, he’s given her an office to work out of for the time being. Let’s pick her up and take her to dinner, shall we?”
Sophia
The morning of my wedding dawned with clear blue skies and a stiff wind. I could control the weather to an extent in Faerie, but not here.
Security would be tight, and with nearly seven hundred guests I figured Jonathan needed a substantial salary once I finally had enough of an income to pay him. My father had put him back on his payroll, so it wasn’t as if Jonathan were working for free, but as head of my security he’d need a lot more.
Aaron spent the night at Abbott’s, so it was just Jonathan and me when I awakened. Madeline and Kirsten would be here soon, and a few of my cousins would arrive later. Even Ember was coming, and I was looking forward to seeing her and spending time with her. She was my favorite cousin by far, and I wished she lived closer.
The day was a whirlwind, and I was thrilled Titania showed up long enough to give me my ‘something new’, the most beautiful earrings I’d ever seen. I thanked her profusely, a luxury I didn’t have in Faery, and then she made her way back to her world before anyone realized she was gone.
“I still can’t believe you don’t get a honeymoon,” Madeline said as she polished my toenails. “I mean, I know you have a lot to do to settle in as Queen, but you could take a few
days
!”
“Aaron says I have six months to get the biggest affairs settled, and then we’re going on a three month honeymoon. We’ll be reachable via phone after the first couple of weeks, but he wants me all to himself for a little while.”
In actuality, I was going to give him Dragon babies as soon as we could get away for a few months. He figures I’ll have to stay in dragon form two weeks straight while we have lots of dragon sex and the eggs form inside me. Once I’ve laid the eggs, one of us will have to sit on them all the time, but we can take turns, so the other can
change
to human and handle things via satellite phone or video chat. He tells me he owns an island in the middle of the ocean, out of bounds for Faerie, and it’s perfect for protecting our eggs and then raising our babies long enough we can
change
them to human and bring them home.
I was under no illusions the next six months would be easy, but with my father’s support, things weren’t going to be the battle they could’ve been. He wasn’t happy about my freeing the slaves and reorganizing the life he’d built, but he was dealing with it.
Jonathan rode in the back of the limo with us when it was time to go to the wedding venue, and when cars surrounded our vehicle on the way down the mountain, I looked to him and smiled.
We’d purposefully let our plans be known, including the fact Aaron and I would be apart all day. We figured if anyone planned to ambush us, this would be the time — one last ditch effort to keep me away from my beloved.
Cyrano had disappeared before my father could seek revenge for the way he’d treated me, and while Aaron hadn’t approved of my plan at first, I’d convinced him I’d rather Cyrano try something on the way to the wedding, instead of during the ceremony.
We had people situated along our route, but most of them had been in this section of road — the spot I’d have picked if I was going to ambush someone. My smile grew bigger as I heard members of the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club roar to our rescue, but I waited in the limo with Jonathan until he got the all clear. I stepped out to see Duke holding Cyrano, Nathan holding Boris, and various other good guys holding six more bad guys. Brain handed his person off to someone and walked towards me, but I ran to him and jumped towards him for a hug. My arms went around his neck and his went around my waist, and I told him, “Thanks for coming. You and Duke will be at the wedding later, right?”
Duke answered from several feet away, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Sophia.”
“Your Highness!” Jonathan said from behind me. “How are you so…
acquainted
with these men?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I told him, my arms still around Brain. “They’re my friends and I’ll always treat them as such.”
“And this is just another reason you’ll never make it as Queen,” Cyrano growled. “Consorting with ruffians… lone wolves! Hugging them! No one will ever respect you!”
Brain let go of me, but I kept one arm around him as I turned to face Cyrano. “Respect me or fear me, I don’t care which. Surely you’ve heard the former Eagle King’s fate? And the whipping I gave the Owl King? You might be better served to go to your knees and beg for mercy in my presence.”
“That was in Faerie, you wouldn’t dare treat someone like that in this realm!”
I smiled and looked to Boris, then back to Cyrano as I spoke to one of Aaron’s men. “Kenneth, Cyrano and Boris should be restrained within their cell, something they can’t get out of even if they manage to turn to swan, which shouldn’t happen without a woman, but let’s be extra careful. Also, I don’t want them to be comfortable while they await sentencing. The rest can go into a cell without being restrained, but make sure they have a guard on them. I’ll want all seven transported to the crowning ceremony tomorrow. I’ll wait until I’m officially Queen to hand out their sentences.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Kenneth said with a grin.
Duke handed Cyrano off to two of the Drake Security guys, watched them get started securing him for transport, and came to me for a hug. “Good to see you, Your Highness, and for the record, I’ve heard about your adventures in Faerie, and if I’d tried to kidnap you and was now captured by your people? I’d be quaking in my boots. You’ve done well for yourself, Sophia.”