Page 18 of Their World (Her Royal Harem: Lily #2)

Chapter

Eighteen

The house was empty, which concerned me, but Kayden and Mason hurried me to my room to start packing.

“I am not prepared for this at all,” I grumbled as I looked around my room.

Trey set a roll of bubble wrap and a stack of newspapers down on the bed. “Mason, come help me carry the boxes up.”

Kayden grabbed one of the photos on my desk and wrapped it in a sheet of newspaper and then bubble wrap.

“Was this the plan for today?” I asked. “Pack up my stuff?”

“Yep,” he replied and grabbed another picture frame. “The sooner we can fully claim you as ours, the better.”

I rolled my eyes even though he wasn’t looking at me and opened a drawer to start pulling out my clothes.

Trey and Mason brought several boxes and set them around the room.

Mason helped me fold and box my clothes while Trey and Kayden wrapped my breakable items in bubble wrap before putting those into boxes.

Since I hadn’t been home that long since returning from college, I didn’t have that many things, but somehow still managed to fill eight boxes.

While they packed the SUV, I went to the barn and stared at my pond and rock. I knew I could use them anytime I visited, but it was such a sudden, huge change. Yes, I had known I would move in with my mates, whoever they were, when I did get mated. I just hadn’t realized it would happen so soon. And while my parents weren’t home. Or safe.

I needed to figure out how I could end the curse that was placed on the Grand Advisor without knowing what the curse was. It was obviously something bad, since he was willing to sacrifice a child to make a deal to end it. Or was that just a ruse? Just another lie added on top of the many others?

Kayden slid his arms around my waist and rested his chin atop my head. “Talk to me.”

As we walked back to the house and into the living room, I said, “There is just too much that I don’t know. What if everything the Grand Advisor said, even what I now remember, was a lie? What if Jol always views me as an enemy? What if the demons defeat us and take over this world? What if my parents are already dead?”

“We all would have felt it if our king or queen died,” he replied calmly and stroked his hands soothingly up and down my arms. “Your dads would know if they died. The mate bond between them is strong, even worlds apart.”

“I keep getting the feeling that there is something I’m missing. Some major thing that I should remember or know that could save us all. Could end this war.” It was like having a word on the tip of your tongue, but not being able to say it.

“Don’t push yourself. Leona used her magic to help you, so if it had been there, it would have shown then. For now, let’s go back to our house and get you moved in. The sooner you are fully ours, the better.”

“Kayden, we’re mated, I can’t be more yours than I am now,” I said with a chuckle.

“I want you moved in, your scent permeating that place, so that if anyone enters the house, they know you are ours. I want to know I will wake up each morning with you there. With you living with me.” He cupped my cheeks and whispered, “We have been apart, separated, far too much in our short lifetime. I don’t want a single day more to occur.”

The front door opened and Tony walked in. When he saw us, he smiled and ran forward to wrap his arms around us both. “I’m so happy for you, Sis!”

Laughing, I patted his back. “Thanks, Bro.”

“I knew you would end up mated to them at some point, but I didn’t think it would take this long. I’m so happy it finally happened, though.” He released us and smiled at Trey and Mason as they joined us. “Congratulations.”

“Now it’s your turn to find your mate,” I teased. “I happen to know a female who is interested.”

His brows furrowed. “A female interested in me that you know?”

I nodded. “You know her as well, but I think you are just blind to her affection because of how long you’ve known her.”

His eyes widened. “You can’t possibly mean –”

“A certain fiery girl we’ve grown up with,” I said with a smile.

His mouth dropped open. “You’re serious? Maya?”

“You should ask her on a date,” I told him and my smile slipped a bit as I added, “while you have the chance.”

He set his hand on my shoulder and said, “We’ll get them back and keep the demons from taking over our world. Remember, you aren’t alone, so there’s no reason for you to stress about it or feel like you’re responsible in some way.”

“I am responsible, they’re also my people,” I reminded him.

“Just because you are part demon doesn’t mean you are responsible for this,” Kayden countered.

“Do you need help moving your stuff?” Tony asked, clearly changing the topic. Did it make him uncomfortable to know that I was part demon?

Probably better not to ask.

I shook my head. “Trey and Mason just carried the last items out.”

He hugged me again and pushed me towards the door. “Go, enjoy mated life. I’ll reach out if anything happens.”

“Don’t tell Maya I’m the one who let you know she’s interested in you,” I called over my shoulder. While I wanted to help my friend and brother, I did not want her getting angry at me.

“Take care of my sister or I’ll tear your heads off!” he called back cheerfully and waved.

Mason and Trey waved at him from the vehicle.

“Ready?” Trey asked.

I nodded. As ready as I could be.

Mason opened the door for me and climbed in next to me. “We have one stop on the way,” he whispered as he buckled his seatbelt.

“Oh?” I asked.

He scowled and said, “We’ve been summoned by King Deryn.”

“Grandpa Deryn?” I asked with a frown. “Why did he summon us?”

“To formerly introduce us to our new guards,” Trey answered as Kayden started driving.

“You guys picked the three without me?” I didn’t really care who they picked, but I was very curious who they had agreed to.

“We didn’t know you wanted to be part of the decision,” Mason said.

I shook my hands back and forth at them in front of my chest. “No, it’s fine. I trust your judgment.”

“Next time, we will be sure to include you in the decision process,” Trey said. “We’re used to making decisions between the three of us, but we will work on including you moving forward.”

“Thanks.”

My phone beeped and when I pulled it out, I snickered.

Maya: Tony, your brother, just asked me out on a date. 0.0

Me: And you accepted, obviously, right?

Maya: I haven’t replied yet. Is this for real? Did he lose a bet to you or something?

I rolled my eyes. This girl.

Me: It’s real.

Maya: …Are … are you okay with me dating your brother?

Me: Duh, if you become mates then you’ll be my sister!

Maya: It’s a first date … don’t talk about mates yet

Me: You should wear that black sparkly dress for your date & make him take you somewhere fancy. ^-^

Maya: I’m going to reply and then curl into a ball and hyperventilate.

Me: bye!

“What are you snickering about?” Mason asked.

“Maya freaked out because Tony asked her out on a date,” I explained.

“Little matchmaker,” Kayden teased.

“What are your opinions on me working at one of my parents’ stores?” I asked. “Tilly is going to be out for a while once she has her baby and they could use more help and it’ll give me something to do.”

“Whatever you want to do, we will support you,” Kayden said. “If you want to work at a store, that’s great, I know they’d appreciate the help. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to either.”

Trey’s phone rang, and he quickly answered it. “Yes? Where?” His eyes darted to me before he looked back down. “Okay. Yes. Understood. Yes, have them meet us there.” He set his phone down and said, “Change of plans. Head to the baseball stadium.”

“The stadium?” I asked. “Why there?”

“A demon portal was spotted as well as some demons,” he answered. “Our guards are going to meet us there.”

A demon portal?

“What type of demons?” I asked. “What did they look like?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I didn’t ask.”

Scowling, I clenched my hands into fists in my lap, an uneasy feeling settling in my gut.

“How long will it take to get there?” Mason asked.

“Fifteen minutes,” Kayden answered. “Trey, do you want to fly?”

He shook his head. “It’d take me about the same time.”

Mason set his hand on my thigh and smiled at me. “We’re together, it’s okay.”

Right, they could sense my feelings now, through our bonds. They were all strangely relaxed.

I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Right.”

As we climbed out of the vehicle, two men and one woman walked towards us. They bowed and focused on me. “Princess,” they all said as they straightened. All three were alphas, without a doubt, though I didn’t recognize the two men.

The man on the left was short and solidly-built with tan skin. He had a darker, aggressive aura about him, wide dark blue eyes, a small nose, and a rounded jaw. His brown hair was pulled into a bun.

The woman standing in the middle was tall and lanky with fair skin, a crooked nose, and soft, hazel eyes. She was deceptively average looking, but I knew for a fact that she could hold her own in most fights. I’d seen her spar with Grandpa Deryn and land a few good hits on him.

The man on the right was average height, extremely muscular, had wavy blonde hair to his chin, and electric green eyes.

All wore jeans and a t-shirt and I could sense they were all hybrids, yet I’d never met them before, which seemed a little odd.

“Lily, this is Patrick, Piper, and Paul,” Trey introduced, pointed from left to right.

My lip twitched. They’d chosen three guards with P names? Had that been a coincidence or on purpose?

“They are all elite soldiers that have spent most of their adulthood on missions for the kings,” Kayden added.

“It’s nice to meet you, Patrick and Paul,” I said. Focusing on Piper, my lip twitched as I held back a smile and asked, “They let you out of the Den without a collar?”

She smiled wide and put her hands on her hips. “I got off for good behavior. Plus, they knew that you needed an extra strong hand, since you’re notorious for getting into trouble.”

“Says the girl who burned down the shed,” I accused.

“You brought the matches!” she shot back, mouth open.

“You lit them!” I shouted.

We stared at each other a moment and then burst into laughter and met halfway for a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you. Where have you been, bitch?” she teased as she hugged me tight.

I patted her back. “Had to keep away from your stench or I never would have found mates.”

We laughed as we stepped back to arm’s length, hands on each other’s upper arms.

“I really did miss you,” she said with a pout.

“Well, now that you’ll be one of our guards, you’ll get all the time in the world to pester me.”

“Challenge accepted,” she said.

“I’d forgotten you two were friends before,” Trey said and sighed loudly. “This may have been a miscalculation.”

Piper pulled me against her in a tight hug and growled. “You’re not going to find anyone better suited for keeping up with this one and who is willing to risk their life. She saved mine several times, so I’m in her debt.”

It was technically true. I’d saved her from a snake when we were toddlers and saved her from Great Grandpa Dan’s wrath on more than one occasion.

“I won’t allow you to switch her for someone else,” I said sternly, hugging her back and glaring at my mates while we embraced each other.

“They will all be our guards from here on out,” Kayden added. “So, try to remember that you should listen to them since they’ll be protecting you.”

“I’ll try,” I said and smiled wide.

“What’s the status?” Mason asked.

Piper released me so we could face the group again and focus on the task at hand.

“There are no civilians inside since there wasn’t a game today. There were two demons we saw, the bull-headed ones,” Patrick answered.

“Let’s go, I’ll talk to them,” I said and headed towards the entrance.

“Do you think that’s wise?” Piper asked.

“Talking to them?” I asked with a scowl over my shoulder.

She nodded and asked, “Can they even talk?”

Right, it wasn’t public knowledge that I was part demon yet, not to mention all of the things we now knew.

“Can I trust them?” I asked Trey and Kayden.

They both nodded.

“We are your guards,” Piper said. “You can trust us to keep everything we hear or see confidential.”

I turned around to face them and said, “This may be hard to accept, I’ve barely accepted it, but … I am part demon.”

All three of their eyes widened.

“I’m the Demon Princess, actually. Apparently, my parents took me out of the demon world to raise me here. I am a hybrid of not just our races, but the demon race as well. So, please do not interfere when I try to talk to the demons.”

They all nodded, dumbstruck. I don’t think I’d ever seen Piper speechless before.

“Should we assign one of them specifically to her?” Kayden asked Trey. “Since she’s the one who gets into trouble the most?”

I glared at him. “Rude, but we all know Piper is my assigned guard, so stop teasing her.” Without waiting for them to discuss it more, I turned and finished the walk inside.

It was weird to come into the stadium when no one was there. It was so large and silent, super eerie compared to the warmth I felt when surrounded by cheering fans for games.

In the center of the field, a portal swirled silently. Standing just before it were two bull-headed demons, and just beyond them paced a familiar, floppy-eared female.

“Talrinir!” I called out and ran to her.

She grabbed my hands and inspected me. “You’re okay?”

I scowled. “Yes, why would you think that I wasn’t okay?”

Her eyes darted to the six men and one woman behind me and widened. She took a step back, but I gripped her hands. “It’s okay. These are my guards and my mates. You don’t have to fear them.”

The bull-headed demons turned to face them and pulled out axes from their hips.

“Stand down,” I ordered them and stepped before the bull-headed demons.

“Lily,” Mason growled.

“We aren’t your enemies,” I told the bull-headed demons. “If you don’t attack us, they won’t attack you. Understood?”

They looked at each other, stepped back, and put their axes back in the loops on their belts.

“Talrinir, what are you doing here?” I asked, turning back to her now that I’d defused the males.

“Druth was taken by the Grand Advisor a week ago. He accused her of treason and we haven’t seen her since. Then, this morning, the Grand Advisor and King Jolmach announced we would be invading this world in a week’s time because you were taken hostage and we needed to rescue you.”

“Rescue me?” I asked. “What sense does that make? Last time I spoke to Jol, the Grand Advisor had convinced him I was his enemy.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s happening, but the Grand Advisor’s powers have … changed. He isn’t able to manipulate people’s minds as easily and so he has to make the lies more believable. Everyone saw that King Jolmach and Zoman and Dhun care for you, so he couldn’t convince us all that you were the enemy.”

So, he made my family out to be the enemy instead.

“Have you heard news of my parents?”

“They’ve been imprisoned. Your father destroyed part of the city and your mother destroyed part of the castle while fighting King Jolmach. The Grand Advisor used a spell that stopped them and allowed their capture. I think they intend to use them as bargaining chips when they invade. To try to convince your people to hand you over.”

“Hand me over?” I asked. Why? Why did the Grand Advisor suddenly want me back?

“Over my dead body,” Mason growled.

“This doesn’t make sense,” I whispered. “What is his goal? What will he gain by me returning to your world?”

“Druth said it has something to do with a curse. One that the Third to Reign placed on the Grand Advisor,” Talrinir explained. “It apparently causes him a lot of pain and makes it difficult to sleep. There was a rumor that he has been stealing magic from other beings to help ease his pain. She said you are the key to breaking the curse and once broken, we can break the Grand Advisor’s hold on our people.”

“How will breaking his curse free your people?” Trey asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Talrinir shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s all Druth told us.”

“I don’t know how to break the curse anyway,” I reminded her. Pacing back and forth between the two groups, I tried to figure out what all this could mean. There were so many options and I didn’t truly know the Grand Advisor that well. “Talrinir, was there anything else Druth said?”

She tugged at her ears a moment and whined as she thought. “Oh!” she gasped and spun to face me. “She did say something about blood and shadows being the key.”

Blood and shadows?

I summoned the shadow snake and it blinked ruby eyes at me in its shadow body. “Do you know?” I asked it.

It bobbed its head.

My eyes widened. “You know how to break the curse?”

It bobbed its head again.

“How?”

The snake swirled until it became larger, then made an overexaggerated biting motion.

“You bite him?” I asked, confused.

“There must be a power the shadow can use once it bites and draws his blood,” Talrinir said and smiled. “That makes a lot of sense!”

Something about her statement and phrasing bothered me. I looked at her out of my peripheral vision and my eyes widened.

That wasn’t Talrinir.

How could I have been so stupid? Of course she wouldn’t be able to come find me. Especially not with two bull-headed demons as guards! Idiot. I was an idiot!

Mason, Trey, and Kayden took a step closer, sensing my fear.

“Talrinir, I need you to do me a favor,” I said quickly. I put one hand behind my back and waved at my mates to keep them away.

“Of course,” fake Talrinir said. “Anything for you, Princess.”

“I need you to tell the Grand Advisor that I will break his curse if he frees my parents, unharmed, and to this world. Okay?”

“I don’t know if he’ll listen to me,” she whispered. “Especially since he won’t want to give up your parents.”

“Tell him to release my parents, unharmed, and I will willingly return to the demon world, break his curse, and gift him a mana stone with some of my magic stored within it. He can use that magic to do whatever he needs or wants.”

Fake Talrinir’s eyes widened. “A stone with your magic in it?”

I could practically see him salivating.

“You better hurry back before the portal closes!” I urged them, grabbed their shoulders, and spun them back towards it. “We know these are very random and the timelines for their staying open are even more random.”

“How can I contact you again if I need to?”

I smiled and said, “I’ll see you at the battle in one week, right?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” fake Talrinir replied. “Hopefully, the Grand Advisor will accept your offer.”

“Can you do me one more favor?” I asked. I had no idea if he would do this or not.

“Anything for you, Princess.”

“Tell Jol, King Jolmach, that I intend to keep my promise.”

“Promise?” fake Talrinir asked, ears flopping to the side as her head tilted.

I nodded. “He’ll know what it means. Now, hurry, go!” I shoved their shoulders hard, making them stumble towards the portal.

“Stay safe, Princess!” they called back as they stepped through, the bull-headed demons on their heels.

The portal closed and I spun around to face the six scowling shifters behind me. “That wasn’t Talrinir. That was the Grand Advisor.”

“What?” Kayden snapped. “Why didn’t you tell us? We could have grabbed him and …”

“I realized it after I stupidly allowed him to find out I can break his curse. Plus, we don’t know if we can withstand his magic. It’s better if we play along with his ruse, so we can get my parents back.”

“Do you think he’s really going to trade your parents for breaking the curse?” Trey asked.

“I think he wants this curse gone more than anything else. Plus, once the curse is gone, he’ll be able to use his powers fully again.”

“Then we don’t want to break the curse, right?” Piper asked.

“If I can get my parents back, I’ll do anything, including breaking the curse on him, even if does make him more powerful.”

“He’s already extremely powerful,” Mason reminded me. “Wouldn’t it be better to try to defeat him first?”

“I have a plan,” I said with a wicked smile. “It involves one of my powers I haven’t told anyone about.”

“How many of those do you have?” Kayden asked with a scowl.

“About six?” I said and shrugged. “They started showing up randomly while I was at college.”

“Speaking of college, you said something happened while you were there, but haven’t told us what it was.”

“It’s in the past, it doesn’t matter,” I grumbled.

“We need to know. We need to know everything about your past and your powers,” Trey countered.

Taking a deep breath I admitted, “I almost killed someone.”