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Fourteen

A Dream

I find the others waiting for me outside, nosey bastards.

When I tell them about the funeral tomorrow, Thorn and Maxen kiss me and rush off to get things sorted so I don’t have to.

Drax and Dray refuse to leave my side, throwing each other competitive stares.

I even catch Drax trying to knife Dray, which makes me spin and glare at them.

“Stop it, both of you, or I swear I will tie you up and leave you out here.”

“Oh, kinky soulmate, would you at least get me off first?” Dray murmurs, prowling around me before whispering in my ear, “Because we both know I like chains and whips.”

Drax grins and winks at me. “As long as you promise to let me watch, sweet cheeks.”

“Insane, all of you,” I mutter, and storm away.

I hear them laugh as they follow after me. “Yep, and you married us!” Drax calls.

I ignore that and nod at people as we pass, not really sure where I am going, but I want to check on the sick and injured and make sure we have security in place. I stroll through The Ring, and people stop as I pass, and salute and nod in respect, which I return.

When I finally find Nan, it’s to see her squaring off with Evan, whose face is red as he throws his hands in the air.

We seem to make him do that a lot. Piper is sitting on the shoulders of that new, large man of hers, sipping at what looks like a bottle of rum as she watches the show.

Archel is leaning next to her, feeling her up.

Beast, as she calls him, is next to her other side, his arms crossed and face locked down in an angry scowl .

“You have been shot, I need to look at it,” Evan yells, making me arch an eyebrow as I step to his side.

“You got shot?” I ask Nan, looking her over. I spot some blood on the arm of her cardigan. “Getting slow, old lady.”

“I didnyee get fucking shot, it’s just a fookin’ scratch,” she snaps.

“Huh, and who shot you?” I query conversationally. He’s probably dead, poor man, unless it was foreplay for her, which with Nan, you never know.

“Some drunk idiot.” She sniffs. “Thought I was a fucking cannibal, didn’t he!”

I try to hold it in, I really do, but the laughter roars from me and right into her face.

She narrows her eyes and squares off with me. “Ya fookin’ think that’s funny, girlie?”

“It’s hilarious.” I nod. “He thought you ate humans. I mean, he isn’t wrong, you are a maneater.” I wink before looking at Doc. “Patch her cranky ass up, will you? If you can find it under all those wrinkles.”

“He’s not fookin’ touchin’ me, I’m fine!” she shouts.

I lower my head and narrow my eyes on her. “You will let him patch you up, or I will personally go to your hotel and leave a dead body in every single room.”

She freezes then, watching me angrily. “Ya fookin’ wouldn’t.”

“Try me, old lady,” I warn.

We have a staring contest before she rips off her cardigan, exposing her bullet wound—which is bleeding, although not too badly—through her bicep.

I stare in shock at her arms. They are surprisingly ripped for an old lady, though nothing about her should surprise me anymore.

But it’s the tattoo on her arm that has me interested. “You were in the army?” I ask.

She looks at the faded ink and smiles. “Aye, when I was a young un, a different world ago.”

I blink but look at Evan. “Patch her sour ass up, and then I want a report on the injured.” I turn to Piper then, who stops swigging the bottle and grins at me. “I need to speak to you…probably when you’re sober.”

She nods seriously, trying to feign soberness, even though her eyes are wide and her face is red. “I’m sober, totally sober, one hundred percent sober.” She burps and giggles. “Oops.”

I hide my smile as I stare at her. “Sleep it off, then come and find me.”

“You heard her, Princess, let’s get you to bed!” Archel laughs.

“Oh, for some horizontal mambo? All aboard the dick train!” she calls, laughing as they pull her away .

That girl. I shake my head at her antics as I look over to see Doc trying to patch up a glaring Nan, poor guy. He has to put up with her, Dray, and me. As soon as he is done, she leaps up and storms over to me, staring me down.

“Come on, I need some advice.” I turn, and she huffs but follows after me.

She speeds up and walks by my side as we head back through the building and into the meeting room where I sit, thankful for the respite when my body aches.

My men wait outside, giving us peace and quiet.

I smile at them lovingly for it, and in their eyes, I see the promise of retribution later. Good, I hope so.

“How ya feeling?” she asks.

“Fine.” I smirk. “You?”

“Fookin’ brilliant,” she mutters and grabs a drink, pouring two and passing me one. “So, what’s up, girlie? I thought they would have chained ya down to keep ya resting.”

“Nah, that’s for later…and it’s not to keep me resting.” I wink, making her laugh. Turning the glass between my hands, I avoid looking over at the blood staining the carpet. It seems so long ago, but it really wasn’t. “Major was right, we need rules. We need leadership.”

“Come on, spit it out, lass,” Nan encourages, so I lift my head and meet her eyes.

“I want to make a new world, a better one. Under one name, under our leadership. Not a dictatorship…but a—”

“Constitution.” She grins. “Very old world.”

“I know. Obviously, we would make it workable, but The North is strong. It’s clear that if we don’t work together, we won’t survive.

I think we can do that to create a better world.

No more Ivars, traders of flesh…just a place to feel safe.

For warriors and those who don’t fit anywhere else.

I’m not saying take away the fighting and bloodshed or the fucking and rough nature, that would be impossible…

But ground rules, like Major had here. It worked. What do you think?”

“To cover the whole North?” she questions seriously. I nod, and she sighs, thinking about it. “It would take a strong motherfucker to control all the rough bastards up here.” She smiles. “If anyone can, girlie, it’s you. I like it.”

I grin, taking a drink. “Good, I will present it to the other leaders tomorrow.”

“Lass, it will rub some people the wrong way, so make sure it’s whatcha wanna fight for. ’Cause ya will have to fight.” She winces, and I down my drink.

“I have been fighting my whole life, and I will carry on fighting, this time for everyone’s freedom, not just my own. ”

She laughs then. “Fookin’ hell, lass, say shit like that, and you will have them eating out of the palm of your hands.”

“Fuck off.” I grin. “I guess Major rubbed off on me.”

“Too fookin’ right he did. It’s good, ya finally talking like a leader.

Like a fookin’ queen. I mean it, girl, if anyone can unite The North once again and forever, it’s you.

To the Champion.” She toasts me with her glass, and I clink mine to hers before she downs it, then burps and wipes her mouth.

“Shit, Major did always have the good booze.”

“I’m sure you will drink us dry soon enough.” I laugh. “I have a plan. We can discuss the exact terms tomorrow, but first thing in the morning, we are having a funeral.”

“Oh, fuck, who for now? Wait…are you having a funeral before you kill whoever it is, or killing them at the funeral? I guess that saves time.” She cackles before coughing.

Grumbling, she grabs the bottle and starts drinking it straight, and when I arch my eyebrow, she grins. “Pain meds for the bullet wound.”

“A funeral for Vas and my brother, and anyone else who wishes to bury their dead here. It’s time we lay the past to the sands below and start a new future.” I grab the bottle and take a swig. “It’s time to say goodbye.”

“Too fookin’ right.” She swipes the bottle again and downs it before gasping. “All right, funeral, I’ll even wear black and not be drunk.”

“How kind,” I deadpan, making her narrow her eyes on me.

“Disrespectful, you are, kid.” She laughs.

“You only just realising that, Deloris?” I laugh.

She leaps to her feet and has a gun pointed at me in a blink. “You tell anyone, and I will kill you, queen or not.”

“Sure thing, old lady. Now fuck off, I want to spend some time with my men,” I snap with a smirk.

“Aye, I would too if the men I screwed looked like that…all abs and big cocks.” She sighs dreamily, and I arch my eyebrow.

“When have you seen their cocks, you perv?”

“Eh, a woman can dream, girlie. Don’t take my fantasies away, it’s the only thing that gets me through those fat blokes who stick their swords in me.” I snort so loud, it hurts and my stomach twinges.

“Fuck, Nan, what an image.” She winks and grabs another bottle before ripping open the door. “See ya tomorrow, girlie. Make sure to get a good fucking in, might chill you out!” she calls loudly to make sure my men hear.

Bloody old bitch.

Drax sticks his head around the door and wiggles his eyebrows. “I heard my services for a good fucking were required? ”

Thorn pushes him aside and strides in. “Not you. Obviously, she meant me.”

Maxen follows, and then suddenly, Dray slips through them all and I hear a grunt. Looking around, I realise he pinned Jax to the hallway outside with knives.

Standing, I stare them all down. “I decide who I fuck, not you…” I grin. “Now, I need a massage. Who wants to do it?”

Five voices all chime in, and I laugh.

I don’t fuck them. I do get a hell of a full body massage though.

My feet, hands, shoulders, back, and arms are all rubbed, and when it’s finished, I am boneless.

All of them surround me as we just relax for once, happy in each other’s silence.

It reminds me of when we first came here, the night I first told them my name. How far we have come since then.

Sands below, I’m even fucking married to them. The cocky bastards were relentless. I wonder if they knew back then this is where we would end up?

Probably not.