Page 14 of Their World (Her Royal Harem: Lily #2)

Chapter

Fourteen

The place Trey ended up wanting to take me was a jewelry store.

Somehow, we escaped the house without having to deal with my adoptive fathers, and after a delicious breakfast, they brought me to the very expensive store.

“What are we doing here, again?” I asked.

A beautiful woman in a pants suit walked out of the back, smiling wide. “Prince Trey! It’s been so long.” She attempted to pull Trey into a hug, but I hissed at her and she smiled and dropped her arms. “Are you here to pick up your item, finally? It’s been waiting for, what, seven years?”

He had something here for that long? Seven years, that was when we were eighteen.

“I am,” he said with a nod.

She clapped her hands together. “Wonderful! I’ll go fetch it for you. One moment, please.”

“Seven years?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I bought this item seven years ago, but it’s been waiting for this moment.” His phone rang, so he pulled it out of his pocket. “One second, it’s my mother.” Walking a bit away, he answered. “Hello?” His brows furrowed immediately. “You have no say, Mother. No. Absolutely not.” His eyes widened. “You should not make threats you won’t and cannot follow through on. If that’s the way you feel, then perhaps it is better if I am banished then. Oh, now it’s my fault? You know what, I’m done with your attempted manipulations and gaslighting. From this moment forward, you will not speak to me. Goodbye.”

“What’s going on?” I asked him nervously.

He dialed a number and held the phone back up to his ear. “Father, I think you need to speak to Mother. What did she do this time? Well, she just threatened to banish me from the Den and to disown me. Yes. Yes. Yep. Exactly. Well, from here on out, I’m cutting my ties with her. You’ll have to provide her updates on my life as you see fit. She is not going to manipulate or change my mind, not again. I let her do that six years ago and I’m not going to risk another catastrophe happening.” He glanced at me and said, “It almost cost me my soul.”

Kayden wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back against his chest, his chin rested atop my head. “It’s alright, Lily. He and his father are close, you know that. His dad won’t let his mom’s attempts at controlling him cause any issues with his place with the dragons.”

“It’s about me, isn’t it?” I whispered, and swallowed hard.

He turned me around and brushed my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. “You’re the only reason Trey gets that worked up, so I’m assuming so.”

Since Trey had marked me, and Kayden and Mason were part of his warrior’s bond, I was now connected to the three of them. The connection hummed, fresh and powerful, providing a sense of safety and filling a place in my heart that I hadn’t realized had felt empty since I’d taken the darkness back from them.

“Kay, are you upset?” I asked as I looked up at him.

He smiled, but there was a tension around his eyes. “Yes, but not at you. I’m upset about a lot of things that have happened the past week.”

“I feel that,” I said and sighed.

He kissed me chastely on the lips and said, “Feeling our connection makes all the pain and struggles worth it. I can’t wait to be fully mated to you.” Leaning down, he dropped his head down until his lips were beside my ear, and said, “Until I can cover you in my scent the way you’re covered in Trey’s.”

I gripped the front of his shirt as desire rolled through me, making me clamp my knees together. “Yes, please,” I breathed.

The woman returned with a black bag tied closed with a silver bow. When she saw that Trey was on the phone, she set it on the counter next to Kayden and I. “Here is the prince’s item. Do you need anything else today?”

Kayden looked down at me and asked, “Is there anything you want from the store?”

My eyes widened. “No, I don’t need anything.”

He pinched the tip of my nose. “I didn’t ask if you needed anything. I asked if you wanted anything.”

“No, I’m fine. I have too much as it is and hardly wear it.”

“Well, you’re finally back in Jinla,” the woman said, “so I’m certain you’ll be attending more of the royal events soon.”

So, she did know who I was.

“Thank you, but I don’t want anything.” My eyes started to drop to the display case where a necklace with a trio of diamonds that would hang down between my breasts was, but I looked to Trey instead. I walked to where he stood, scowling and whispering with Mason.

“Is everything okay?” I asked him softly.

Trey set his hands on my shoulders and smiled. “Yes, just dealing with my ridiculous mother. Don’t worry, Father is handling it.”

Turning to Mason, who had been silent the entire time, I asked, “Are you okay?”

Trey walked over to the counter to speak to Kayden and the sales clerk.

Mason looked at the ground a moment before he raised his head to meet my eyes. “The way the Grand Advisor acted, the way he so happily let us escape. It’s been bothering me. I’m worried about our King and Queen. I know they’re resistant to siren magic, but they aren’t immune to it. The longer they are there, the more chances he has to put them under his control.”

“I know,” I whispered, and stepped forward so he would hug me. “I’m worried as well, but right now, there’s nothing we can do, but wait.”

In a soft mumble he said, “I’m also a bit irritated that I helped you escape, but you asked Trey to stay with you.”

Wrapping my arms around him, I squeezed tight and said, “You know you earned extra brownie points for it.”

He kissed the side of my head and hugged me back. “Mm, and how does one cash those in?”

“Ready to go?” Trey asked, interrupting before I could think of something funny to reply to Mason’s question with.

Stepping back so I could look at them all, I nodded. “Yes.” My eyes narrowed when I saw a new, second bag in Kayden’s hand.

“Let’s go to the house, I want to update some of our information there,” Trey said and lead the way out of the store.

When we stepped out, a dozen reporters started shouting questions, videoing us, and snapping pictures.

Kayden stepped forward, using his body to block me from their sight and Mason moved next to him to add additional cover.

“What is the meaning of this?” Trey asked calmly.

“Is it true that Princess Liliana is mated to the demon king?” one reporter asked.

“Absolutely not,” Trey snapped. “Where did you hear such an absurd rumor? Do you want to be sued for defamation with such a blatant lie?”

“There’s a picture, of her hugging the demon king, them smiling at each other,” one of them answered. It was a reporter I saw often for royal events and was normally very respectful. She pulled out her cell phone and showed us the picture.

It was one hundred percent a picture of Jol and I, just from yesterday. How did someone get a picture of that? There was no one there.

Mason turned and looked down at me. He whispered, “It wasn’t me. I swear.”

I nodded. “I know. The angle’s not right.” And I knew he wouldn’t do that. My eyes widened, and I whispered, “The Grand Advisor, he must have other items, like the necklace, in Jol’s room. That must be what the mana stones in the room are for.” Fear coursed through me and my heart pounded so loud I couldn’t hear Trey or the reports anymore. “He knows,” I realized. “He knows the plan my parents and Jol are working on. He knows.” Stepping forward, I grabbed Trey’s wrist. “We need to go home. I need to get something from home.”

Trey nodded. “Okay.”

“Princess, have you chosen your mates? Are you and the demon hunters truly going to be mates?”

“Yes,” Trey answered and smiled down at me. “Princess Liliana has officially accepted our request to be mates. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have pressing business to attend to.” He put his arm around my shoulders, and led me away from the reporters and to the SUV we’d driven. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“The Grand Advisor knows,” I explained, my hands and body shaking. “That picture could have only been taken in Jol’s room, and it was only Jol, Mason, and I there. Which means he likely has other devices like the necklace in the room. Which means he knows all about the plan my parents are trying to do. He knows, and that means everyone there is in terrible danger.”

“Why are we going back to your house then?” Kayden asked as he started the SUV.

“I need to get the communication stone, to reach out to Jol, to check on him and my parents.”

We sped through the city, back to the house. I ignored everyone who was in the house, running straight to my room and grabbed the stone.

Picturing Dad, I whispered, “Dad? Is everything okay?”

“Lily?” he asked.

“Dad, I think the Grand Advisor knows. You’re not safe. You and Mom need?—”

“It’s too late,” he whispered. “Jol has your mom and no matter how many times I fight him, I can’t defeat him. Tell Nico I need him. I need him and Mom and Aunt Leona. I don’t know how much longer I can last.”

“Dad! Dad, I’m coming,” I said.

Picturing Jol next, I asked, “Jol, can you hear me?”

“Little Queen,” he growled. “How dare you contact me after abandoning me so long ago.”

“I didn’t abandon you. I visited you just yesterday. The Grand Advisor, I think he’s been spying on you. He’s changed your memory. Please remember. You have to break the magic that’s in your mind, find the seam and tear it open so you get your real memories back. You have to see it, Jol. It’s in your mind, changing the truth, trying to turn you against me.”

“I trusted you even though the Grand Advisor warned me against it. I should have listened to him. Now, you’ve brought ruin to my world. I will kill you and everyone you love. I will take over your world, save my people, and destroy you and your family.”

“Jol, this isn’t you. You wouldn’t hurt me. You have to listen. This is the Grand Advisor. I’ll come to your castle. I’ll come and?—”

“If you set foot in my world. I will not show you mercy. In fact, you won’t have to wait long. I’ll be coming to your world with my army. Queen or not, I will cut your head from your shoulders.”

Dropping the stone onto my bed, I gasped as tears streamed down my face.

This couldn’t be happening. The Grand Advisor couldn’t win like this.

Rushing downstairs, I ran into Branson, who grabbed my shoulders and righted me.

“What’s going on?” he asked, scowling as he looked at my tear-streaked face.

“I need Grandpa Nico. The Grand Advisor, he’s altered Jol’s memories, and he has Mom and Dad. He said he’s going to come and kill us all. We need Great Aunt Leona and Nana Jolie and … and …”

Branson pulled out his cell phone and started calling someone.

I dropped to my knees and Kayden sat beside me, pulling me into his arms and petting my hair. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “We’ll get this figured out. We’ll rescue your parents.”

“We have to kill the Grand Advisor,” I said and wiped at my face. “But if he’s as strong as it appears, he could pretend to be anyone.”

“Leona will be able to help us prepare an attack against him. You know she is the strongest siren,” Trey said, though he didn’t sound as confident as I would have liked.

A niggling feeling in the back of my mind had me scowling. I was missing something. Something important.

Why would the Grand Advisor have brought me over to their world to begin with? Why this story about the necklace and me being prophesized to come? What role did I play in this? Was he just hoping to use me against my family? As a hostage? But then why let me live when he knew about my shadow powers?

There was a huge hole in this that we didn’t understand, and it seemed like it was vital. So … what was it?

An emergency meeting was called and all of the royals gathered together. While they talked strategy for an invasion, I stewed on what I was missing. Maya sat beside me, holding my hand. She’d rushed over after my brother had apparently called her.

Was there a memory from talking to the Grand Advisor that he’d made me forget? Did I have the information and needed to unlock it?

Closing my eyes, I searched through my mind and body, looking for any magic that was not my own.

There, in the recesses of my mind, a tiny sliver gleamed. It was so small I would have never seen it had I not been searching for it.

I tried to grasp it, but each time I did, I felt an extreme exhaustion cover me. Opening my eyes, I turned to Great Aunt Leona and said, “I need your help.”

Everyone at the table stopped talking and stared at me in surprise at the interruption.

“What is it?” she asked and walked around the table to stand next to me.

“There’s something in my mind, a sliver of something, but every time I try to grab it, I get tired and it slips away. I think … I think it might be memories from interacting with the Grand Advisor that will help us.”

Mason and Kayden growled.

Her eyes widened, but she nodded, leaned her hip against the table next to me, and put her hands on my head. “I’m not sure I can do much. Although I’ve been practicing, removing a magic spell from another person’s mind isn’t something I’ve done. For you, I will try, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. You need to relax to let me in. It is going to feel weird to have me rooting around in there. Okay?”

I nodded.

She took a breath, and I felt her press against my mind and it took all of my willpower not to erect shields and walls to keep her out.

Mason set his hand on my leg and it helped calm my racing heart a bit.

She reached the glowing bit of magic and immediately withdrew from my mind with a gasp. Her hands dropped away from my head and she said, “Well, we’ve definitely confirmed that he’s part siren.” Shaking her hands out, she looked down at me and added, “I think I can remove it, but I’ll need to sing, so we need to go somewhere private, where my song won’t hurt anyone else.”

“Go and help her, maybe her memories will help us in finalizing our plan,” Great Uncle Silverowl said.

“We can go to the barn,” I suggested. “If everyone else stays here, inside the house, the barn will be far enough away it should be safe.”

“Sounds good,” she said with a nod and headed out of the house.

Trey caught my hand, stopping me as I attempted to walk by him. “Are you sure about this? What if it hurts you?”

I smiled reassuringly, bent over, and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be fine. Great Auntie won’t hurt me.”

“I’m more worried about what the memories will be,” he whispered and stroked his thumb across the back of my hand.

“Whatever it is, I need to know.” I kissed him on the lips and spun away, headed out to the barn.