Shifter Royals 3: The Crown Read online

  “It’ll be something, all right.” I glanced at my bed, which only an hour ago, had been warmed by King Rhys’s big body. Giuliana had made it neatly, and there was no evidence that the werewolf had slept over. I longed to crawl back in bed with him, to have the hours reverse themselves…

  In the light of day, the facts were harsh. Despite everything that was going on—the vampire attack, the rebel activity, King Black’s nebulous and possibly dangerous position toward the werewolves—only one thing threatened to undo me. The contest. It was still a very real possibility that I would be sent home by the end of the week. I glanced at the neatly made bed again, vowing to keep my head on straight. There wasn’t much I could do about my heart—it officially belonged to someone else.

  Joely, Dae, and I waited in the formal salon for His Highness to join us. The camera crew was set up around the room, already filming. “Ugh, my palms are sweating.” Joely wiped her hands on her skirt. “You’d think I’d be used to all this by now, but my nerves are shot. There’s been too much excitement.”

  Dae nodded. “I agree. I don’t want the contest to end, but at the same time, I sort of can’t wait for it to be over. The suspense is killing me!”

  I blew out a deep breath. “These past few weeks have flown. I can’t believe there’re only three of us left. Speaking of that, has anyone heard from Thalia?” Thalia Atkins was one of the original five contestants and a good friend of ours. I didn’t bother asking about Maya Briones, the other eliminated contestant. I’d heard from her recently; she was most assuredly on my bad list.

  “No mail can get through because of the lockdown,” Joely reminded me. “I miss Thalia a lot. Not to be mean, but I can’t exactly say the same thing about Maya.”

  Dae wrinkled her nose. “Me either.”

  “I hope Thalia is well.” I decided to leave it at that.

  Maya Briones was another matter. She was inadvertently responsible for King Rhys’s recent bloody encounter with the vampires. She’d sent a vampire messenger to sneak into the Realm and tell me lies. When Rhys had gone out to search for the intruder, he’d been attacked by the other group of vampires.

  Rhys had promised to punish Maya for sending the vampire girl to trick me. At first, I’d been wary, but as more time passed, the better the idea seemed. Maya needed justice. She’d sent the vampire to the Realm specifically to get me to believe that Rhys was under orders to choose me as the winner of the competition. She’d gone so far as to say that he didn’t have feelings for me at all. Maya had disguised the message as being from my dear friend Shaye, knowing that it was more likely that I would believe the message from a friend. Maya held a grudge toward me. She hoped that ultimately, I would leave the contest, leaving one of the other girls as victor. Maya’s lies and meddling behavior weren’t crimes punishable by law, but they were wrong, nonetheless. At some point, people needed to be held accountable for their actions.

  Not that I was one-hundred-percent innocent. I was hiding things from my fellow contestants, and I’d allowed Rhys to sleep in my bed, which was expressly forbidden by the contest rules. If Mira found out about it, I would be cut from the show and banished from the Realm. So call me a hypocrite. I wasn’t perfect, but some crimes were worse than others… I hoped.

  Rhys strode in, wearing a tight-fitting black tunic and tall, shiny black boots. His long hair was pulled back into a sleek bun. After one look at his broad shoulders and massive chest, I didn’t care if I was a hypocrite—I loved the wolf. It was that simple. I glanced at Joely and Dae. They were both staring at the king with worshipful expressions on their faces. They love him, too.

  It was that simple, and it was also that complicated.

  Rhys smiled at us. “Good morning, ladies.” There was no trace of the wounds that had covered his neck, and he looked fully rested and rejuvenated, which was remarkable considering how injured he’d been. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

  “Thank you,” we said in unison.

  He favored us with another smile. “It’s my pleasure to make a few announcements.”

  Mira nodded at him from her place on the sidelines, and he continued.

  “First of all, we’ve begun work on the children’s center. I’m so impressed by what my men have already completed. Mira shared that the three of you will visit the site later, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Lady Raine”—he sought out Joely then grinned at her—“congratulations once again on winning the Contestant’s Challenge. Seeing your vision realized has warmed my heart. I cannot wait for the day that my heirs, and the heirs of my men, are happily playing and learning in the center. Thank you again.” He bowed his head, and Joely’s eyes sparkled.

  “Now that the Contestant’s Challenge is complete and the ball and revelry have ended, we’ve more work to do in the contest. Our last round of the competition consists of the overnight dates portion.” He cleared his throat. “Please join me in being both excited and mortified at the prospect of such a thing being filmed.”

  We laughed, but an awkward silence followed. Rhys’s expression turned serious. “I would like to state for the record that these dates were organized by the producers. I agreed to them on one condition: that none of the contestants feel pressured to spend the night with me. Please know that if you choose to, your virtue is of the utmost importance to me. You do not need to be afraid that any advantage will be taken. I intend to be a perfect gentleman.”

  Dae and Joely sighed in relief, but I caught the flash of a frown on Mira’s expression. Rhys must’ve seen it, too, because he chuckled and said, “As much of a gentleman as you want me to be, of course.”

  I resisted the urge to fan myself. My virtue was intact, and I planned to keep it that way until my wedding night. Still, the idea of being alone with the king in a luxury suite…

  “Any questions?” the king asked, interrupting my reverie.

  The three of us shook our heads. What on earth could we say?

  “Without further ado, I will announce the order of the final dates. I picked your names out of a hat, ladies. This was a random selection. The first date will be Lady Layne. The next, Lady Phillips. Lady Raine will have the final date. Mira”—he turned to the vampire hostess—“do you have anything to add to this?”

  “Yes, thank you.” She smoothed her pantsuit and joined him at the front of the room. “As I’ve shared with the contestants, every minute of these overnight dates will be filmed. The audience will be able to share each moment with the king and his date. I can’t wait for you to see the luxury suite we’ve prepared—I’ve never seen anything so romantic in my life. Now, everyone can be dismissed. Lady Layne, your date with the king is in two days. Make sure you get plenty of rest before that.” To my horror, she winked at me. “That’s it, ladies. Dismissed!”

  In a flash of hot-pink satin, Mira took Rhys by the elbow and led him from the room. Dae, Joely, and I were left staring at each other.

  “Get plenty of rest, will you?” Joely asked me. Her cheeks blazed. “You know that Mira is talking out of both sides of her mouth. On the one hand, no need to do anything we’re uncomfortable with. On the other, rest up. Hmph.” She shook her head. “It’s a mixed message if I ever heard one.”

  I shrugged. “Everything Mira does, she does for the ratings. She wants the audience to tune in—that’s all she wants. So she’s making it sound as though there’s a chance something might happen between one of us and the king.” “She’s not pressing us, not as I see it. She’s just trying to put a little scandal on the show.”

  “Well, it’s working. I’m scandalized,” Joely said.

  Dae nodded. “I’m right behind you.”

  “I should think things might get a lot more…heated…before the end of the show.” I smiled at my friends. “We’ll most likely need liquid courage in order to survive. Does a team meeting tonight that involves wine sound like a good idea?”

  Joely nodded with vigor. “Yes.”

  “Absolutely,” Dae agreed.
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  “We should make it a recurring event for the rest of our time here.” I smiled at my friends. “We don’t have long.”

  Another thing I was worried about? Saying goodbye to them. Both Joely and Dae had become true friends of mine.

  The contest suddenly seemed much harder. I wanted it to be over, but whatever the outcome, it seemed I had a lot to lose.

  Calm, Cool And Collected

  Rhys was waiting in the hall when I went to fetch Elsa.

  “Why are you lurking out here?” I asked.

  He came closer, a glimmer in his eyes. “I’m not lurking, my lady.”

  “I beg to differ. You’re dawdling in the shadows outside my door. What can I do for you, Your Highness?”

  “I have many ideas, so many.” He leaned up against the wall and gave me a lazy smile. “For starters, would you like to invite me in again?”

  “Shh.” I looked around, making sure no one was near. “Don’t say such things. You’re going to get me disqualified!”

  “Aw, I’m only teasing.” His grin widened. “Unless you fancy a nap, of course. A plus-one nap.”

  My cheeks burned, and fire lit my belly, but I forced myself to frown at him. “You don’t mean a nap. You mean a snog-fest. And no, I certainly don’t fancy any such thing.”

  “You’re a lying liar, and I can tell.” The smug tone in his voice got my hackles up. He reached for my gown and tugged me closer. “You want me in your bed, my lady. You enjoyed it just as much as I did.”

  I didn’t want to admit to the physical pull I felt toward him or the fact that he was one-hundred-percent correct. “Even if I did,” I said in a halted voice, “it doesn’t matter. We have enough trouble at the moment. I don’t think asking for more is the next best move.”

  He tugged me closer still, and the familiar heat unfurled between us. “I’m not worried about any trouble. I’m worried that your mouth looks lonely without mine next to it. It’s been too long.”

  “It’s been two hours.”

  “Two hours too long.” He inched his face closer to mine. “Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you, and I’ll listen, my lady. Your wish is my command.”

  I wanted nothing more in all the world than to press my lips against his and run my hands down his powerful chest. But if I continued to give in to my urges, I could be cut from the contest. Then I might never see the werewolf king again. “W-We can’t.”

  “You know, this whole being sensible thing is bullocks.” He sighed and released me. “And although I don’t enjoy the fact that you’re often right, I have come to rely on it.”

  “Ha!” That cheered me, even as the warmth between us was replaced by a chill as he retreated. “I promise to remind you of this, again and again.”

  Rhys chuckled. “That I have no doubt of. I’ll see you later, my lady. I will wait to hold you in my arms and properly kiss you until the cameras are around, when we have zero privacy, which seems a damn shame. I don’t know how much longer I can keep my hands off of you.” He eyed the abandoned hallway. “We could make good use of this stone floor as far as I’m concerned.”

  I swallowed hard as he turned and swept back down the stairs. I had no answer for that.

  My dapper werewolf bodyguard, Roger, accompanied Elsa and I on our visit through the forest to the North. He stayed a few lengths behind, listening to every twig crack and leaf rustle. Both the Realm and the North were on high alert because of the recent vampire attacks and anticipated threats from the rebels. Roger had been assigned to protect me. Most of the time, he was so silent, I forgot he was even there.

  A quick visit to the Northern castle was all I had time for, which I tried to explain to Elsa. “You may see Beast and play with him for a little while, but we have to be back at the palace before dark. I have to work.”

  She growled as she zipped through the trees.

  “Now, now, mind your manners. Don’t talk to your mother like that!”

  She growled again.

  I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips. “Elsa Layne, you come and see Mommy this instant.”

  The football-sized gray tuft of fur whizzed back toward me and stopped. She panted, her tongue lolling out.

  “I know you’re upset about being separated from Beast, but you must understand—Blake is his mother, and she’s missed him terribly.”

  Elsa blinked twice, which I took as a sign of disapproval.

  “I need you to be on your best behavior at the castle. Promise me.” She whined, and I sighed. “Go on, then. But please be a good girl. No fussing.”

  I followed as she shot forward through the trees. I hadn’t seen my friends, Lady Eve and Princess Blake, since my attempt to keep King Black away from Rhys while he healed. We had a lot to catch up on, but I wouldn’t be able to share all my fears with them.

  The thing was, I’d already told them about my visit from the vampire girl. They knew about her. King Black did not. The true order of events was this: the vampire girl lured me out to the grounds and lied to me. I told Eve and Blake about it. The next night, Rhys went out to look for the girl, but he was attacked by a group of foreign vampires who escaped and left him in the woods. The vampire girl was taken prisoner, and Rhys told King Black she was the one responsible for his attack.

  As far as I knew, Eve and Blake hadn’t breathed a word about the vampire to anyone. The last time I’d spoken freely to my friends had been at the ball after the Contestant’s Challenge. I’d told them everything about the night the vampire girl had lured me out onto the grounds, telling me she was Shaye’s messenger and filling my head with lies. I’d confessed to both Eve and Blake that I was worried she’d told me the truth—that Rhys didn’t love me but that he would choose me as queen because that was what King Black wanted.

  So Eve and Blake already knew that a stray vampire had infiltrated the grounds of the Realm. I hoped they would believe that the messenger had been the same vampire to attack Rhys because that was the story we’d told King Black.

  I didn’t want to hide anything from my friends, but our circumstances were complicated. Blake was married to Prince Austin Black, ruler of the North, son of King Black. I couldn’t tell her that Rhys was worried that her father-in-law was stirring up trouble with the rebels. I also couldn’t tell her that Rhys feared King Black may have enlisted vampires to attack him.

  What if Rhys was wrong? What if he was right?

  I stopped in my tracks, considering. I didn’t hide things from my friends, but Rhys had sworn me to secrecy. I made a silent vow that I would keep his secret until I no longer felt like it was safe. Sunlight was the best disinfectant. If King Black was rotten to the point of turning on the werewolves, who’d always been loyal to him, the truth was the only thing that could shine a light onto that decay.

  But I didn’t know what the truth was, not yet.

  I reached the edge of the forest, and the majestic Northern castle rose before me. Elsa waited for me at the stairs, and I went and scooped her up. Roger was close on our heels. I didn’t even have a chance to knock before Eve threw the door open.

  She stalked out in her leather tunic, with her arms crossed against her chest. Her aqua eyes blazed with supernatural intensity. Eve had chin-length white-blond curls and the face of an angel, but that face was scowling at me. “It’s about time you showed up!” she roared.

  “Um… Hi, Eve. Sorry it’s taken me a little while to visit.”

  “A little while? We’ve been worried sick. A vampire attack on the Realm’s grounds? I’ve told Austin I’m going out there, and if there are others, I’m going to show them what it feels like for a vampire to enjoy a nice stake—”

  “Whoa, okay.” I hustled past her into the castle. “Where’s Blake? We need to talk, and Elsa can’t wait another minute to see Beast.”

  At the mention of his name, the brown gnome whizzed into the grand foyer. He shook with excitement when he reached us. Elsa immediately rolled out of my arms, and the two of them sped off together,
obviously thrilled to be reunited. Their chatter, singsong gibberish, echoed off the castle walls. They acted as if they’d been separated for months rather than days.

  Eve huffed. “See? You should’ve come sooner. Beast has been beside himself without his friend. Come, let’s find Blake. Roger, would you like to visit the kitchen? I promise you, Lady Tamara will be safe with me. We’ll send word when she’s ready to leave.”

  Roger swiftly excused himself, and Eve led me down the hall. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

  I looked around, making sure no one could overhear us. “It isn’t as if I haven’t wanted to come, but things have been a bit…hectic.”

  Eve dragged me into the library and closed the door behind us. “If ‘a bit hectic’ means that the werewolf king was mortally wounded by a vampire—and they’re keeping her prisoner without publicly staking her—well, I have an opinion or two about that.” She paced the room. “Is it the same girl who called you out to the grounds? The one who said she had a message from Shaye?”

  I didn’t answer her. I only shrugged.

  “It doesn’t make sense that there would be more than one of them running about, but I have questions. King Black didn’t tell us much, of course. He’s never very forthcoming. But from what I’ve pieced together, a newly turned vampire is the one who attacked Rhys. Is it the same girl who called to you or not?”

  I stood frozen in place. Coming for a visit had been a dumb idea. I cursed Elsa and her nonstop whining.

  Eve narrowed her blazing eyes. “Answer me, Tamara. This is a matter of national security. The king may be clueless about the connection, but that doesn’t mean I intend to be. Is the vampire who gave you the message the same one who attacked Rhys?”

  “Y-Yes.” No. It was a pack of vampires, and we think King Black might have something to do with it.

  “Go on, then.” Eve put her hands on her hips. “Tell me everything.”