Page 18 of Unwilling Queen (Kingdoms #1)
Chapter
Eighteen
Colbie
W e don’t really talk on the drive back to my grandparents’ place. There is nothing much left to say. When he pulls up in front of their cottage, I brush a kiss across his lips.
“Thanks for everything,” I whisper before hopping out.
“Good luck, I’m sure you’re going to be amazing,” he tells me, and without a backward glance, he drives away. I stand there, watching, until his truck disappears from sight, and only my grampy’s voice calling my name has me turning my attention back to the present.
“You okay?” he asks, opening the gate and letting me pass through.
“Not really.” I don’t bother lying to him because he’s always been able to see through them anyway.
“Ah, kiddo. I’m sure everything will work out for the best. Now, if you want to pack up the rest of your things, Granny and I have already put ours in the car. We will drive to the edge of the neutral zone and leave it in the long-term parking, then catch the public transport the rest of the way.”
“Sure. Give me ten minutes, and we should be good to go,” I tell him as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
It doesn’t even take me that long to gather my things, and before I know it, we’re on the road. I lean against the window in the back seat of my grampy’s truck and watch the seaside village turn into suburbia before it becomes a city. The freeway takes us around the main central business district and back into suburbia again. There’s a small gap where the houses end and the neutral zone begins. It’s like the humans didn’t want to be too close just in case.
Regular traffic isn’t allowed in the neutral zone, so people park their cars in a parking lot and then switch to the public transportation or electric scooters to get around. We have too much luggage for electric scooters, so we all climb aboard the bus that winds its way through the neutral zone. It takes about twenty minutes for it to get to my apartment building, and then we all hop off. I wince when I see my mother in the front room of her studio. The minute she sees my grandparents, she’s going to be all over me.
I can’t quite stifle the groan that leaves my mouth quick enough, and Grampy hears it and chuckles, but Granny frowns when her gaze follows mine.
“Oh dear, your mother is going to be so dramatic about this,” she says, sounding put out, knowing her daughter all too well.
“Quick, if we hurry, she might not even see us, and I can avoid her even longer. Maybe I won’t even tell her. We often don’t see each other for days. She knows I’ve been visiting you, so she will assume I’m busy catching up on everything at the bakery.” I hurry through the doors and into the foyer, smashing the elevator button. My grandparents follow me, and Grampy is still chuckling.
“Colbie,” Granny scolds, sounding disappointed. “She’s your mother, and she loves you in her own way. She will be devastated if she hears about this from someone else.”
I lean against the elevator wall as the doors shut and close my eyes. Ugh, I know she’s right, but I also feel like it’s as much about keeping up appearances as it is caring about me. “I’m worried she won’t be able to keep the information to herself,” I admit, opening my eyes again. Granny and Grampy look at me with sympathy.
“You aren’t wrong,” Grampy scoffs. “Malina would shout it from the rooftops. Imagine what it will do for her business and social standing to be the mother of the shifter queen.”
I shudder and wince. “God, I hope she doesn’t want to insert herself into the shifter world. I’m not sure how that would go over.”
“Aren’t humans banned from the shifter zone without permission?” Granny points out, and Grampy snorts.
“Malina will assume she has carte blanche permission just because her daughter is the queen.”
I groan again as the doors open on my floor and we head toward my apartment. “I’ll have to ask the former king how he dealt with it.”
Although it’s only been a couple of days, my apartment smells musty when I open the door. While Granny and Grampy store their things in the spare bedroom, I open up a couple of windows to let in some fresh air. It’s late afternoon, and I’m guessing the others already closed the bakery by now, so there’s no point in hurrying there. Instead, I put my things away and decide I need to do a load of laundry. I gather everything in a basket, including the book on shifters Nox gave me, and head into the living room where my grandparents have made themselves a pot of tea.
“I’m just going to do some laundry.” I gesture to the basket in my hands. “And while I’m waiting, I’ll invite Mom to dinner so I can tell her, but you both need to be here to run interference,” I tell them, and they agree. Granny and Grampy are experts in managing their daughter, and both are strong willed enough to stand up to her ridiculous demands and behavior. For me, it’s easier to give in than deal with the guilt trip she gives me when I don’t agree with her or follow her instructions.
“You know, this shifter thing might not be bad. It will get you out from under your mother’s control. You’ll be able to find yourself without her interference,” Grampy says, trying to be positive about the whole thing.
“She’s not that bad,” I argue halfheartedly, but to be honest, she really is. She’s dictated to me all my life. She’s not abusive or neglectful or anything, but she’s not really good at allowing me to be me. She tried to mold me into what she wanted me to be—stylish, polished, popular, and career oriented—and I never quite lived up to her expectations. I always felt like I was letting her down.
“Yes, she is, so this could be good for both of you. She will finally realize that you’re amazing just the way you are.” Granny smiles brightly at me, and I feel so much love for them. They really are amazing, and I have no idea how my mother ended up the way she is, concerned with appearances and social standing. Neither of my grandparents are like that at all. I have a feeling it has something to do with my father, but no one really talks about him, so I have nothing to go on. It’s like when he left, they agreed they would never mention him again.
I take my basket down to the basement where our laundry room is and put on a load. I look between the book sitting in the bottom of the basket and the elevator and decide to text my mother an invitation to dinner instead of going up there. If I do and she isn’t with a client, then she will only grill me about my stay with her parents.
Instead, I take a seat on one of the comfy chairs that are positioned for people who want to wait for their laundry and open up the shifter book.
I get so lost in all the information that I don’t even notice when the washing machine finishes. It’s not until my phone beeps with an incoming message that I look up and realize two hours have gone by, and I have to move the wet stuff to the dryer. I quickly do that before checking my messages. It’s my mother demanding to know where I am since I invited her to dinner.
“Fuck!” I slam the book closed and tuck it under my arm before hurrying up to my apartment. When I get there, there’s an awkward silence between my mother and her parents.
“Darling,” she calls as I hurry inside. “Imagine my surprise when I come upstairs to have dinner with my daughter who has ignored me for days and find my parents waiting.” She sounds annoyed, but then, she often does. I’ve learned to ignore it. I will never meet her high expectations no matter what I do. She’s wearing a stylish pair of black tailored pants, a sleeveless, emerald green top, and heels. My mother does not know the meaning of casual.
“Hi, Mom.” I lean down and give her a kiss on the cheek before placing the book out of her line of sight. I don’t want her asking questions about it just yet. “Sorry, I was doing laundry and got caught up in a book.”
She giggles delicately. “Always have your nose in a book, don’t you? I would have thought you would have grown out of that by now. How are you going to find any real friends if your head is always in the clouds?”
“We ordered some takeaway, dear,” Granny says from the kitchen where she’s dishing some steaming hot dishes into some serving bowls. Heaven forbid we actually eat out of the takeaway containers. “We’re not savages, darling.” The memory of my mother’s voice echoes in my mind.
“Thanks, Granny.” I smile gratefully at her as I take a seat at the dinner table with the rest of them. It’s set for the four of us, and I feel Grampy give my leg a squeeze under the table as I reach for the glass of wine that is sitting at my setting. I have a feeling this dinner with Mom will require liquid fortification.
Granny brings the food over, and we’re silent as we help ourselves to the various options. My mom watches on with disdain as she sips her red wine. Takeaway is uncouth as far as she is concerned. You either need to cook an elaborate meal or take her to an exclusive restaurant to impress her. She probably won’t even touch the food, but I’m starving.
I don’t even get a chance to shovel any into my mouth before my mom starts in on me. “To what do we owe this surprise?” she asks passive aggressively. She waves a finger between her mom and dad, and I want to kick her under the table. Granny and Grampy have been nothing short of amazing to me. When she was too busy being a famous designer and it was inconvenient for her to have a child, they happily stepped up and took care of me.
I wrinkle my nose, annoyed that I’m not even going to be able to eat my food before I have to address the question, but before I can answer, Grampy jumps in.
“Do we need an excuse to visit our only daughter and favorite grandchild?” he asks, sounding deceptively casual.
I shovel in some of my rice and curry, enjoying the delicious flavors that tantalize my taste buds. I’m pretty sure Mom is trying to frown, but she uses so many anti-aging witch potions that her face doesn’t move, though her mouth is slightly turned down, so that’s a indication sign she’s annoyed.
“Not at all. It’s just that Colbie usually goes to your place, like she did earlier in the week.”
I sigh and put my fork down, knowing I can’t avoid this any longer. I only hope the damn woman will keep her mouth closed long enough for me to get my shit together. I need two more days, so instead, I distract her.
“How was the retirement party for the royals?” I ask, and her eyes light up with excitement.
“Oh, darling, I can’t believe you didn’t accept the invitation. Queen Mia said they sent you one. You missed out on one hell of a party.” She continues to tell us all about the party, gushing about the various dignitaries and celebrities who were there, the outfits, and the food, then she shares random little pieces of gossip.
This gives the rest of us enough time to eat dinner, clean up, and make a pot of tea. She’s on her third glass of wine by the time she finally winds down, and none of us have had to say a word except for an occasional murmur of acknowledgement.
“That sounds like a lovely party, dear.” Granny pats Mom’s shoulder as she takes a seat on one of the sofas in the living room, placing the tea tray on the coffee table and then proceeding to pour everyone a cup.
My mom made herself comfortable while the rest of us cleaned up dinner. She declines tea and sticks with wine, but I happily take a cup from my granny. Leaning back, I blow over the top so I don’t burn my mouth before taking a sip.
“Sounds more like a pain in the ass,” Grampy grumbles, and I hide my smile behind my cup. He would hate the idea of dressing up and making small talk. I only hope he will suffer through it for me, because I don’t doubt there will be a party to celebrate the arrival of a new royal, and I will want both of them there.
“Anyway, how was your trip, darling? You’re looking a little strained. You really could use a holiday somewhere nice and sunny by the beach and get yourself a tan.” She eyes me critically, and I consider not telling her my news. I really am tired and don’t have the energy to deal with her today. I’m sure she will find some way to make this about herself.
“I’m a little tired,” I admit. “I just needed to get away for a few days and sort a few things out in my brain. That’s actually what I need to talk to you about and why Granny and Grampy are both here.”
“Oh, do tell?” She doesn’t sound particularly interested. Her eyes get that glazed look, which tells me she’s thinking about something else and only pretending to listen, so instead of telling her my news, I remove the necklace from my neck and show her instead.
The marks reappear as soon as the necklace is removed, and they are even darker now. There’s no denying them anymore, but it seems to take her a few moments to respond, and when she does, she shrieks.
“You got tattoos? God, could you be any more cliché?” she snaps, and I just stare at her. “Tattoos are so tacky. How are you going to find yourself a classy, distinguished man if you have tattoos? And around your wrists like shackles! God, Colbie, I thought I taught you better.”
“Enough, Malina,” Grampy snaps, and my mom shuts up. Wow, I want that superpower. “Let the girl explain.”
I take a deep breath. “Mom, these appeared on Saturday night,” I say slowly, and she purses her lips as she thinks. “Magically appeared,” I add.
I see the exact moment she comprehends, because she shakes her head like she can’t wrap her brain around the information. “You’re the next shifter queen?” She sounds perplexed.
“Looks like it,” I mutter, and she rolls the information around in her brain before her eyes light up with maniacal glee and she leans forward, forgetting all about her wine.
“What the hell are you still doing here? Why haven’t you presented yourself to the palace yet? God, you’re already failing at this.” She stands up and starts pacing. “You ungrateful little brat. You’re going to make a bad impression. They are going to think you don’t want to be their queen.”
I flinch at the barbs, and Grampy growls, sounding almost like a shifter himself.
“Malina, that’s enough. It’s a huge adjustment, and Colbie will do it at her own pace.”
“I don’t want to,” I admit, and my mom looks like her head will explode.
“Why the hell not? You’ll be the most powerful person in the kingdom of Aramis.” I can see the exact moment she starts to scheme. She pauses, and a small smile crosses her lips. “Of course, you will need an advisor. I should go pack up my things and get ready to move into the palace when you do.”
“What about your business?” Granny points out diplomatically while I stare at my mother in horror. What the hell makes her think she is qualified to be an advisor to a shifter queen?
“Pfft. That’s not as important as assuring Colbie doesn’t embarrass me or herself when she doesn’t dress right or say the right things to the right people.”
My cheeks heat, and I feel a pang of hurt in my chest before it turns to anger. Before I can say anything, though, my granny does for me. “Malina, you’re human, and Colbie will soon not be. You will not be allowed to be an advisor for the shifter queen. They don’t even allow humans to reside in the shifter zone.” Granny’s tone is cool as she calmly shoots down my mother’s crazy scheming, but it doesn’t dampen my mother’s enthusiasm. She spins and looks me up and down and grimaces. I’m wearing jeans and a T-shirt and have my sandals on my feet. My hair could probably use a brush, and I’m pretty sure there’s a stain on my top from dropping some dinner on it.
“This will not do.” She waves her hand up and down. “I will go look in your closet to see what you have that is suitable.” She doesn’t wait for a response and hurries toward my bedroom.
The three of us are quiet, and I feel tears well in my eyes.
“We shouldn’t have told her,” Grampy grumbles, and Granny reaches over and pats my leg.
“Ignore her. Soon you won’t have to deal with her at all. If there was any reason for jumping at the chance for the queen job, that is it.”
“I just hope she will keep her mouth shut for a few more days,” I murmur as Mom bustles back into the room, her nose turned up.
“Ugh, you have nothing fit for a queen in there. I’ll just have to make you something new. You’ve waited this long, so another twenty-four hours won’t make any difference. I’ll get started on it now.”
She doesn’t wait for a response and leaves my apartment, letting the door shut behind her with bang.
I slump on the sofa and groan. “I guess I have twenty-four hours to get my shit together.”