Page 8 of Unwilling Queen (Kingdoms #1)

Chapter

Eight

Liam

I tug at the collar of my dress shirt and curse the fact that I had to wear a tie to this event. I love Gryffin’s parents, and I am happy for them in the wake of their retirement, but his mothers insisted we had to dress up after the parade, and I really could have done without it.

I’m hiding in a corner of the ballroom behind a large potted plant, staying away from all the fawning dignitaries and celebrities. My teammates are angry with me, and I don’t really blame them, but Gianna was very persuasive, and I’m tired of waiting for our mate. Who knows when she’s going to appear? I bet she doesn’t expect us to be monks before we even meet her.

I peer through the foliage, and I see Hunter and Brodie standing with the general, his wife, and Hunter’s twin brother and sister, Ember and Talon. They are both in their first year of college, and they are good kids. I’m pretty sure Talon wants to join the night watch like his brother, and he has been working hard to prove himself. Hunter said a bond mark has recently appeared on his body, which is a little later than usual since most appear at seventeen, and he is two years past that. I wonder if the general will insist on his bond moving in with them, or if he will leave to live at one of the other parents’ place. They are all laughing at something, and I consider joining them, but I chicken out in the end. I’m sure Hunter has told them about what happened with Gianna, and I don’t want to feel their disappointment.

Gianna was supposed to attend this event with me, but I was firmly instructed not to bring her after her major fuck up with the human girl. I can still hear her voice screeching at me through my cell phone speaker when she called to ask me what time I was picking her up, and I had to break the news to her. I don’t think the guys have to worry about Gianna again anytime soon. Oh well, she was getting a little clingy anyway, even though I made it clear we could be nothing more than casual bed buddies. She was pushing for more and asking for group dates with the rest of my bond, even though one of them is missing.

I look around the ballroom, searching for the standout figure of Prince Gryffin, son of King Lucas and Queen Layla and my other bond mate. I’m surprised he’s not here. Surely he wouldn’t miss his parents’ retirement party. Archer was found a week ago, so why hasn’t he returned?

“What are you doing hiding back here?” I jump as Gem appears from nowhere. Damn phoenix using his powers of invisibility in his human form. The mythical shifters are able to do that, unlike us everyday shifters.

“Meh, avoiding those two.” I nod in Hunter and Brodie’s direction. “I don’t need a lecture about where I stick my dick.” He passes me a beer, and I nod my thanks. “I was looking for Gryff, and I can’t see him.”

Gem’s eyes blaze, and he growls, sounding like my own bear. “The bastard hasn’t returned from his wild goose chase.”

I sigh, and my gaze moves to my best friend’s parents who, while they put on brave faces, are also worried about their son not being at their retirement party.

“He promised his mothers he would be back,” I murmur, and Gem scoffs.

“I don’t know why he keeps looking. Our sixth, whoever he is, does not want to be found. How do we even know that what the witch told Gryffin was true? What shifter wouldn’t come forward when a bond mark shows up on their body? The witch was just trying to stir up trouble, and now Gryffin spends as much time roaming, looking for our sixth, as he does at home. Our bond is not as strong as it should be, and I bet that’s part of the reason the goddess hasn’t revealed our mate to us.” Gem is pretty easygoing most of the time, except when it comes to this very subject. He and Gryffin have been dancing around each other for years, and I think he’s jealous about how much time Gryffin spends looking for a mythical sixth member of our bond. They just need to fuck and make nice.

A commotion by the entrance to the ballroom draws our attention.

“Ah, there he is, the prodigal son deigns to make an appearance.” I point my beer in that direction. Our bond mate looks immaculate in his black tux, his black streaked silver hair brushing his shoulders. He’s smiling as he greets his parents, but I can feel the tension in our bond. He obviously wasn’t successful.

Gem dumps his empty glass on a server’s tray as they walk past us and grabs another, tossing it back. He eyes the prince like he’s a tasty morsel of meat he wants to take a bite out of. I roll my eyes. Hunter, Brodie, and I are all straight and strictly into females, but Gryffin and Gem are fluid, not leaning to either side. It’s become awkward as fuck. Gem watches him obsessively, and Gryffin seems oblivious, wrapped up in a reading a witch gave him a couple of years ago telling him we wouldn’t meet our mate until the sixth member of our bond was found. He’s taken it upon himself to search for this unknown member, but I don’t believe they exist. Being marked for a bond is a privilege, and no shifter I know would not come forward and admit to being marked. If we don’t sort out our issues, our bond is going to be permanently broken.

I watch as Brodie and Hunter make their way over to our bond mate, welcoming him home with hugs and whispered conversation. I grimace. I probably haven’t helped our problems with the whole Gianna thing, but fuck, my bear is becoming unruly and aggressive. It isn’t often a born shifter goes feral, but it has happened, and I’m worried that might be my future if our mate doesn’t appear soon.

I sigh. “Come on, we better go say hi. I want to find out where he’s been all week. He should have returned as soon as he got the message that Archer was fine,” I grumble. “We needed his help with those damn ferals yesterday.”

The lust drains from Gem’s eyes and is replaced by sadness. We caught up with the feral pack and took them out. They were lost to the madness of being bitten without the king’s magic to stabilize them. Four wolves had to be put down. It’s why unsanctioned turning is outlawed. Once turned, the king’s magic can’t even fix the problem, though they have tried. We even tried to imprison them in the hope we could find a solution to the madness, but that made it worse.

When we returned home, Gem disappeared for the rest of the night, wallowing in his grief. Nothing the three of us said could get him to come out of his room. I hate not being able to comfort my bond mate, and his residual sadness leaked through the bond, making us all miserable. Thankfully it doesn’t happen too often because I’m not sure if Gem would survive.

Brodie and Hunter must be filling Gryffin in on what happened as we approach, because his gaze shifts to Gem, and I can see the compassion in his eyes. He opens his arms and engulfs our phoenix in his embrace, hugging him tightly. We watch as Gem sags against him, shuddering with emotion as Gryff whispers words we can’t hear into his ear. I know they will be the same thing as what we all tried yesterday, but it’s more effective coming from our unofficial leader.

I exchange a knowing glance with the other two as Gryffin pulls back, turning to face me while keeping one arm around our phoenix. “I hear you’ve been stirring up trouble,” he says to me, cocking an eyebrow.

I glare at the two tattletales who just shrug unrepentantly. “Look, you might like to pretend you’re a monk and ignore what is right in front of you, but my bear has needs, and seriously, you have the nerve to have a go at me. Where have you been all week? We needed you yesterday, and you were off on a wild fucking goose chase. Archer has been safe since Monday. Did you get lost on your way home?” I snap, unwilling to deal with his crap.

“I was checking out a mythical town on the border between us and the witches’ kingdom,” Gryffin tells me, and I see Gem stiffen slightly.

“You’re still trying to find this mythical sixth member. It’s bullshit, man. You should be here, working with the bond you do have, not ditching us all on a pipedream.” I can’t stop the rumble of my bear in my chest. He is angry and pacing inside me like he wants to gut Gryffin.

Before Gryffin can answer, Brodie clears his throat. “I mean, it’s not a bad idea. Maybe one just recently manifested and was marked as a part of our bond.”

“Ever the fucking peacemaker,” I mutter, rolling my eyes.

Unlike regular shifters, mythical shifters don’t have the ability to shift into their creature’s form at birth. It’s because mythical shifters often have extra magic that would be unruly in a child. Hunter’s and Gem’s animals manifested at seventeen. Could you imagine baby dragons and phoenixes flying around, wreaking havoc and setting shit on fire?

I scoff. “There has never been a bond group with an age gap like that, and you know it. You’re grasping at straws,” I argue. “Maybe you are just going to have to face the fact that a sixth doesn’t exist, or if they did, maybe they died in an accident before being marked. Give it up, Gryffin, and focus on the bond you have right in front of you, because we are falling apart.” I don’t wait for any of them to reply before I leave.

My bear growls inside my chest as I make my way through the shifters and humans on the dance floor. He is both pissed and sad, and I feel the hair on my arms ripple as I struggle to keep from shifting. It’s a full moon tonight, as is required for the ceremony, and instead of being out in the woods and shifting like we normally do, we’re stuck in here, wrapped up in confining suits and playing nice. We want nothing more than to shed the uncomfortable clothes and run, and it’s making us miserable.

“Liam, hey, Liam, wait up,” Brodie calls, but I don’t stop. Instead, I make a beeline to the balcony doors for some much needed fresh air. Maybe if I get outside, I can stop some of the panic inside me.

The cold air slaps me in the face, and I breathe deeply as I step out onto the deserted balcony. The nights are getting colder, and the leaves are starting to change color in the forest. Winter is definitely on its way. The urge to shift and run hits me hard, and I reach out to grab hold of the railing to steady myself, my knuckles turning white with the exertion.

“Hey, are you okay, man?” Brodie puts a hand on my shoulder, and I shake my head.

“No, I’m really not. I’m so pissed at Gryffin. How can he be so blind and stubborn? He is so obsessed with that damn reading that he ignores everything he has in front of him. Anyone with half a brain can see he and Gem are hot for each other, but he’s like a fucking ostrich sticking his head in the sand. This obsession with finding this illusive sixth is going to break us. My bear will not survive if our bond breaks. I’m already struggling,” I admit, breathing hard. I concentrate on the view. The Aramis Arms backs up to the shifter border and the forest that delineates the two zones. I can feel the full moon calling to me, but I don’t look up. Shifters don’t need to shift on the full moon, but it’s more comfortable for us if we do.

Brodie sighs heavily, his hand tightening on my shoulder. “I know. It’s tricky. I think in Gryff’s brain, he would be betraying our mate if he and Gem started anything before she is marked.”

“That’s just stupid.” I whirl around to face him. Brodie’s normally laughing blue eyes show concern, and I hate that I’m the cause of that. “Plenty of bonds are in relationships with each other before they find their mate. The goddess wouldn’t put people together if it wasn’t meant to be. Our mate will love them even if they are in a relationship with each other as well.” I’m not only angry, I’m also slightly jealous. I’m not interested in either of them like that, but I want someone to love.

“Yeah, I know. Look, let’s just get through the next couple of weeks. Once the new king or queen is secure, we can sit down as a bond group and talk about it. We can’t ignore it any longer. I can see you’re struggling with your bear, and my wolf is pissed as well. They have to have it out once and for all and clear the fucking air, and we have to convince Gryffin to give up on his quest. Maybe we can talk to Lucas and Layla about it, and they can intervene, but I don’t want to add more to their plate just yet.”

I nod, and my bear settles slightly, knowing our bond mate is right.

A gong sounds out in the ballroom, and I hear the roof start to open.

“Shit, it’s time. Come on, let’s go watch history in the making.” He releases my shoulder, and I take one last deep breath before we rejoin the crowd inside the ballroom.

We make our way over to our bond group, which is close to the front. Gryffin wants to watch his parents’ ceremony. He narrows his eyes on me, and I glare back at him, but he turns his attention upwards, and I do the same. The roof of the ballroom slides open, showing the moon at its zenith. The air begins to buzz with magic as the four royals step up onto the platform and kneel. The crowd falls silent as the goddess Aramis appears in front of them. As one, we all sink to our knees and bow our heads in reverence to the goddess who gave us life.

“Stand, my children.” Her voice reverberates around the room. When we return to our feet, I try to see through the magic to make out what she looks like, but her glow makes it impossible to see any features, even with my heightened sight.

“Lucas, Layla, Mia, and Evelyn, you have been just and kind rulers, and I thank you for your service, but it is time for some new blood. Once I send my magic out, the countdown to the new ruler’s appearance will begin. You four will continue to advise until their mates are found, they are crowned, and have selected their new council.”

There’s some uncomfortable murmuring in the crowd, and I smile. I had forgotten the council was also at risk tonight. The new king or queen always gets to select their new advisory council. In the past, it has remained virtually unchanged, with former kings and queens and their family members, but it is at the discretion of the new ruler. Lucas refused adding the previous queen and her mates to the council because she was a bitter old twat who was jealous and made his mates feel small. She must be at least a hundred by now, which isn’t that old for a shifter since, on average, we live to about three hundred. She lives somewhere in the country toward the borderlands near the witches, banished there by Lucas, which was somewhat of a scandal and unprecedented. She really did not like giving up her magic, or so I’ve been told.

“Please remove the crowns,” the goddess asks, and the four rulers use both hands to lift the symbols of their reign into the air. The goddess waves a hand, and magic swirls around the four frozen people. I see Lucas sag slightly before he straightens and stands tall. Apparently having the magic removed from you is both painful and freeing. The magic swirls around, and the crowns begin to fall apart, becoming one with the swirling magic. A portion breaks off and shoots up into the sky through the open roof in search of the new chosen king or queen, while the remaining magic whirls furiously, growing so large, the king and queens need to step back off the dais.

The crowd murmurs loudly, and I look at Gem, our resident genius bookworm. “What’s happening?”

He doesn’t take his eyes off the spectacle. “This is when we find out how many mates the new king or queen will have.”

“It’s pre-decided?” Brodie asks, frowning. “I thought the ruler got to choose.”

“They do get to choose the individuals, but not the number—that is determined by magic.” He waves a hand, shushing us, so I turn my attention back to the platform.

The magic finally settles, and in its place is one large crown—the ruler’s crown. It’s hard to tell whether it’s more masculine or feminine, which I heard was a good indicator of whether a male or female was chosen, but what happens next has the crowd gasping and surprised chatter breaking out despite the goddess’s presence.

Floating on either side of the large crown are six smaller ones, three on each side. “Holy crap, six consorts,” Gem mutters. “There has never been a king or queen with that many consorts.”

The magic fades, the goddess waves a hand, and all seven crowns rest on busts surrounded by glass. The magic surrounding her person clears, and we finally get a look at the goddess. She’s tall, probably seven feet, with a body made for sin, all curves and long legs and lush, flowing gold hair. Her face is so perfect, it’s almost hard to look at. She has a smile on her face, which I would say borders on mischievous. “Ah, six consorts. Yes, that seems like a perfect number for my new chosen. I’m really going to enjoy watching this play out. It’s going to be very interesting,” she murmurs almost to herself before facing us and raising her hands.

“Please join me in thanking your king and queens.” Magic shoots out of her fingertips, and fireworks explode in the air as the crowd bursts into applause. “I will be watching closely. Remember, I am never too far away,” she reminds the crowd, but she turns to look at our bond group, and I feel like she’s staring directly into my soul for a moment before her gaze slides away and she fades as quickly as she first appeared.

The band starts up again, and the applause dies, so I tune into the speculation.

“There has never been so many consorts,” a man behind us murmurs.

“No, usually it’s three,” his female companion replies. “What does this mean?”

“It can’t be anything good,” the man says, and I feel a pang of dread. Great, just what we need, shifters speculating.

“I wonder when they will start appearing?” I turn around to look at the couple discreetly. The woman is craning her neck like they will start appearing at any moment.

“Pfft, everyone knows the marks don’t start appearing until the king or queen has stepped across the threshold of the castle.” Gem glares at the people. “I really do pity the poor chosen. I’m almost certain there will be double the amount of marked consorts for them to choose from. The goddess wouldn’t be so cruel as to give her a small amount to select from. It’s going to be a circus here while they try to woo them.”

“I wonder if we can get an assignment that takes us far away,” Gryffin murmurs. I know he doesn’t care about being picked as a possible consort, still determined to search for that elusive sixth. Damn him.

“What’s to say none of us are going to be marked?” I spit out, being argumentative because he pissed me off.

“Members of bond groups are never marked because we already have a predetermined mate, and it would mean tearing the group apart,” Hunter reminds me.

“Well, that really is unfortunate, isn’t it?” I mutter, and Brodie elbows me.

“I need to go check on my parents,” Gryffin says stiffly before leaving us.

“Damn it, Liam. Let’s get through the next couple of weeks, and then we will sit down and talk to him. Maybe we can find a way to finally get him to give up this wild goose chase. Maybe the witch queen can help us when she arrives for the coronation, whether to confirm or deny the reading and help us track them,” Gem suggests and follows Gryffin.

A wave of guilt washes through me, and I feel awful. I hate picking fights with Gryffin, but I can’t seem to help it.

“Now that that’s over, let’s shift and go for a run. Maybe your bear will feel better after,” Brodie suggests, and I grasp the idea like it’s a lifeline.

“Yes, thank you,” I agree, and I don’t even wait to say goodbye to anyone. I make my way through the ballroom, ignoring people I know, with only one thing on my mind—shifting and running, hoping like hell it will even out my mood, or maybe our bond group will end up broken anyway.