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Before I knew what was happening, I was lifted off my feet and brought into a tight bear-hug. “We’re family. We don’t shake hands. And it’s me who is honored to meet you. My boy is so happy, and it’s all because of you.” He set me down on my feet after a moment, cupping my head in such a caring and fatherly way as he grinned widely and his eyes darted across my face. “Smart, powerful, and gorgeous. What a formidable combination. I knew your father, and he was a good, kind leader. I am terribly sorry for your loss and wish you’d had the chance to meet him. But, I am confident his daughter will rule this realm even better than Donovar ever could.”

Fresh tears pricked the back of my eyes and I swallowed past a tight throat. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

He released my head and pulled me in for another hug. “Oh, darlin’. Remember what I said on the phone. You call me Ryden, or Ry, or Dad, or Gramps. Whatever you want. But none of this formal bullshit, okay? We’re family.”

“How about ‘Old Bugger’?” Zandren asked with a laugh as he slapped his father on the shoulder and wrapped an arm around my waist, beaming as his gaze bounced between his father and me.

King Ryden guffawed. “If the Queen of the Realm wants to call me Old Bugger, then she can.”

Now I was grinning so wide my cheeks hurt. “How about we start with Ryden? And you must call me Omaera. We are family. No need for such formal titles.”

I wasn’t sure Ryden’s smile could get any wider, but it did. Then he abruptly clapped his hands together and rubbed them diabolically. “Let’s get to work, shall we? We’ve got much to plan, and even more to discuss.” He looped an arm over my shoulder and steered me away from his son. “But first, I need to know, what do you think about the name Ryden Junior for a cub, hmm?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Omaera

It was nearly one o’clock, and I was a jittery mess, pacing the cave.

We received updates from Leno and Groy constantly, and each time it was the same. No sign of vampires, mages, or demons—oh my!

“Is Howar the type to not come as an act of defiance? Like a passive aggressive temper tantrum sort of thing?” I asked, directing my question to Drak. “Or would he just bomb the cave with us in here and call it a day?”

Drak shook his head thoughtfully. “He’s more likely to not come as an act of defiance than bomb the place. But I honestly don’t think he’ll do either. He wants to meet you. His curiosity will trump his irritation over you suddenly changing the meeting location.”

“He will also reluctantly respect your power move of shifting the meeting place to somewhere ofyourchoosing, then of his,” Ryden added.

Maxar’s phone buzzed, and we all froze.

My mage nodded. “Two choppers just touched down.”

I pulled in a deep breath through my nose.

Showtime.

It took no time at all for Howar and Anysa to arrive and the big door to the cave to lift, revealing the last two leaders of this magical realm I only learned ofless than a month ago.

Howar looked just as I figured he would. A lot like Drak. Dark hair, blue eyes, narrow face, paler than average skin, and sharp, chiseled features—particularly his jaw and cheekbones. He had a very straight nose, that I would say was just a touch too long. He was still very handsome though.

The problem was, he knew it. King Howar carried himself with a level of arrogance that I found immediately off-putting—or maybe that was all the other shitty things I knew about him already that tainted my view of the Vampire King.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when it came to Queen Anysa, however. All the vampires I’d come across so far had dark hair and dark eyes—whether blue or otherwise. But mages seemed a lot more varied in their colorings. Maxar and his mother had red hair, his father had brown hair, Melissima was fair-skinned with white-blonde hair, Monjol Fiddleman was Black, and my own Aunt Delia was Latina with brown skin and blue eyes.

Queen Anysa Sadlyn was dark-skinned with a gorgeous head of tight curly hair—similar to my own—but styled in an impressive afro. Her gown consisted of layered organza of the most beautiful shades of gold. She had no jewelry on, but she didn’t need it. Her eyes were an intense blue, and they glowed like sapphires in her perfectly round, youthful face. She was one of the most stunning women I’d ever seen in my life, and for a moment, I was struck silent as she seemed to practically float toward us, a serene smile on her face.

Three vampires followed behind Howar. The only one I recognized was Raver. Three mages followed behind Anysa.

Howar bowed when he stopped a few feet in front of me, dressed in royal garb consisting of a dark-blue suit, and light-blue shirt, a bunch of medals on his left shoulder, and an extremely expensive watch. He was without a tie though, and for some reason, I found that comical.

Compared to Anysa and Howar, I felt extremely under dressed in my black skinny jeans and purple off-the-shoulder, baggy, long-sleeve shirt, but I took comfort in King Ryden’s jeans and T-shirt as the old bear sauntered up to stand beside me.

Queen Anysa curtsied, and I curtsied back to both of them, though mine was terrible compared to her practiced perfection.

They did the same thing with King Ryden, but my father-in-law seemed rather disinterested in the pomp and circumstance, and his bow was more of a head nod.

“It is an honor to finally meet you, Your Majesty,” Queen Anysa said, her posh British accent catching me off guard. Again, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with her, but it wasn’t a British accent. “We have so much to discuss.”

“I agree,” I replied, my palms sweating like a pig in the sun. “And I do appreciate your willingness to wait until I acclimated myself a bit to this new world.”