“He isn’t going to fight Ryder, period. I’ll handle that part. Liam was abused here, but he seemed pretty damn stable when I was last with him.” I hoped.
“He has every right to challenge him. We’re getting off subject, though. You are being introduced tonight as well,” he said.
“I had a feeling about that,” I said as we entered the great hall through the wide doors.
“Good, because it’s show time,” he said as he took in the mass of people lining the walls. “This is a cluster fuck,” he said to Savlian, who nodded his head in agreement. “Formation. Z, you can let Ryder know she has been appraised of the niceties and she will be a good girl now.”
Zahruk rolled his eyes at Ristan’s flippancy. “Keep her close. Adrian and Vlad will be in right after you and will add another layer of security. Silas is sniffing out everyone in attendance tonight. Synthia, behave, please,” Zahruk said as his blue eyes searched mine, and then went to my bump. “And for the love of the Goddess, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Afraid you might have to stab me again?” I questioned with an impish smile spreading over my lips.
“Not quite; just don’t want to have to worry about you tonight. Plates full, Babe.” He smiled back as he turned and made his way to Ryder.
“Cue music,” I replied to Ristan, who scoffed but smiled all the same.
“Cue the Prozac; we should have brought some back with us for the Light King. He looks like he is about to explode with anticipation. He is assuming Ryder will accept the existing contract with him. Highly doubting it myself,” Ristan said with a devious smile now plastered to his face.
“Good. The guy is an asshole. He needs to go boom,” Adam said as his finger absently rubbed over my wrist.
“Oh shush, Adam; he was almost your father in-law,” I joked.
“That would have made him your father,” he countered and hit his mark.
“Yes, that would have sucked,” I replied as I turned to look at him.
Something touched my shoulder, and I turned to find Adrian and Vlad decked out in their Fae finery. Both wore crisp white linen shirts over their wide chests, and they also wore elegant crimson cloaks loosely clasped at their throats. It seemed like jeweled weaponry was the order of the evening as both Vlad and Adrian had elaborately jeweled swords in scabbards at their waists.
“Fancy Face, you look well,” Adrian said as his eyes slid down slowly to land on my abdomen. I briefly wondered if he was bothered by the small bump that announced my pregnancy. “Wow, pregnancy looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” I replied easily as I turned and hugged him quickly. “You look good.”
He smelled great, and his hair was a tinge darker than it had been last time I’d seen him. I had to admit, being a vampire made him look older and more handsome than he had when he’d been human.
“I’m part of your protection for tonight, which means that I can actually talk to you.”
“Funny boy,” I said as I turned back at Ristan’s urging.
It was time.
I felt the butterflies moving in my stomach and held my head high as we took our places to enter the enormous throne room.
“Synthia, Princess to the Blood Kingdom. Also carrying the Heir to the Horde Kingdom,” a short red cap announced in a booming voice. He continued as we started in, announcing everyone who was with us. The entire crowd erupted at my name, and with what followed.
“Adam, Heir and reigning Prince of the Dark Kingdom.”
“Vlad the Third, Prince of Wallachia, cousin to the Horde King.”
I almost stopped, but Ristan’s hand on mine kept me moving.
“Ristan, third son of Alazander, Prince of the Horde Kingdom.”
My head snapped to attention and twisted until I was staring with my mouth open, looking at Ristan.
“Aodhan, eighth son of Alazander, Prince of the Horde Kingdom.”
He continued, ticking off each of Ryder’s men. Z was Alazander’s second son, and I was getting whiplash from my head turning to each name that was ticked off. Ryder’s Elite Guard was made up entirely with his brothers. Why hadn’t I put that together before? Vlad was his cousin?
“Seriously!” I asked, staring at Ristan.
“Yes, Flower, seriously. Our father liked to fuck, a lot. He fucked anyone he thought would bring him strong sons and daughters.”
“Ciara, Daughter of Alazander, and Princess of the Horde.”
“You have sisters?” I gaped at him.
“Only one, a half-sister, but she’s enough.” He grimaced, but managed to smile.
Ciara was beautiful. She had raven hair that fell to her hips, and eyes of violet and turquoise. She wore a white dress styled much like the one I wore, and hers was trimmed with gold. I looked around the room as all of the Elite Guard took note of her entrance.
I’d hate to be the guy she dated. Ryder said Dristan was his brother, and that he was the youngest. She had Horde brands, so obviously she’d made it through Transition—I was curious to see if those who had helped bring her through had lived, considering who her brothers were, and how many of them were here. Dristan was announced as being Alazander’s one hundred and twenty eighth of his sons. Which meant either there were always a ton of brothers, or male relations, that protected her.
“You guys could have told me,” I hissed.
“And missed seeing your reaction? Not a chance in hell, Flower.”
Drums sounded from all around us, as if an entire marching band was descending on the assembly. Those who had been talking stopped, as people pushed and fought to see above the crowd.
“Abiageal, daughter of the high noble Cornelius, and fiancée to the Horde King.”
“And the Horde King, Ryder, first born son of Alazander. He is Danu’s chosen Heir, born of Alazander of the Horde, and Kiara, the Dark Princess, sister to Kier, the reigning Dark King.”
The entire assembly went insane. Howls erupted, as screams of pride and happiness from the Horde extended and drowned out any other noise from those unhappy with Ryder being king.
I exhaled slowly as the beautiful female beside him bowed low at the waist and demurely placed her hand out for Ryder. She had platinum hair much like Claire’s, but that was where the resemblance stopped. Instead of the two shades of brown that Claire had, Abiageal had a line of brown and another of lilac in her eyes. She was thin and delicate, and everything a Fae woman should have looked like. I swallowed past the pain that hammered against me, even as my chest beat violently in my chest.
“It is okay, Synthia. Breathe,” Ristan encouraged me as he patted my hand resting on his wrist.
I closed my eyes as Ryder accepted her hand and focused on just getting air into my lungs. I wasn’t upset. Quite the opposite; I wanted to jump on the dais, smash her head in, and claim my king. It just seemed like the wrong time to do so.
I opened my eyes to find Ryder standing in front of me. “Come, Princess, you sit with me for the feast,” he said with a crooked smile on his beautiful face.
He walked us to the second hall, which was right off from the great hall and held many tables. It was a huge room, decorated in a pale shade of grey with black trim. Huge chandeliers were lit above the tables, which were hand-crafted from oak and polished to a high shine. It was a beautiful room, and the chair Ryder pulled out for me was comfortable.
Abiageal and her father, who looked no more than thirty, sat on his right, as I was seated to Ryder’s left with Ristan on my other side. Adam was beside him, and the others sat around us protectively. Adam’s father and mother sat a little way down the table from us, and Kier acknowledged my arrival with a small smile and a nod of his head.
An entire boar rested on a platter on the table in front of us with an apple shoved in his mouth. I felt my stomach flutter and pitch at the sight of it. Ryder noticed. “Synthia?”
“It’s the pig,” I said from beneath my hand, which I’d placed over my mouth and nose. “It smell’s horrible.”
<
br /> Ryder snapped his fingers and servants came running to remove it and place it further down the long table. “Better?”
“Thank you,” I said, removing my hand.
“My king, I was under the impression in the contract your father agreed to, that Abiageal would be the one to birth the heir. She will be the first wife, as was your mother,” Cornelius said with a glare that could have melted the iceberg that sank the Titanic. It was leveled at me.
“The contract stated that I should take your daughter as my first wife. Danu designates the Heirs, so this is an assumption on your part,” Ryder said, leveling the dark haired man with an equal deadly glare. “I’ve been reading over the contract between you and my father. You wanted to ensure that it was unbreakable.”
Cornelius narrowed his green and yellow eyes crudely. “Are you trying to find a way out of it? I assure you, there isn’t one.”
“I didn’t say that now, did I?” Ryder growled from deep in his chest.
“My daughter was to be the queen, and with the title comes the opportunity of the Heir. The previous three generations of Heirs were born from the first wife.”
“That was an assumption on your part rather than being in the contract, as Alazander did not think he would ever die. Synthia wasn’t planned. She is, however, my choice. Have a care how you proceed, Cornelius.”
“Are you threatening me?” he sputtered.
“No, I’m warning you. If I was threatening you, you’d know it. I don’t plan on ruling as my father has, and that means there will be a lot of changes. I took Synthia, Princess of a Royal Caste. She may not be from the Horde, but she is my choice as the mother to my children, Cornelius. That was not addressed in the contract, nor was it my father’s right to give. It is my choice alone, and she is my choice.”
Okay, so dinner was awkward!
“She is lovely,” Abiageal said sweetly, her big brown and lilac eyes still plastered to the table.
“Thank you, Abiageal. She is exquisite,” Ryder said as his hand slid down my leg beneath the table.
I almost jumped as his fingers fluttered over the silk dress and his heat sank into my skin, setting it ablaze. This wasn’t the place to set me on fire, considering how unbalanced my sex drive was. I couldn’t get enough of him as it was.
“Still, the first pregnancy should go to my daughter! I was promised it!” Cornelius slammed his hands on the table, forcing more eyes from around the room to look at us.
“There was no promise of it,” Ryder said in that voice that brooked no argument.
“It’s irrelevant, as I’m in the second trimester of my pregnancy,” I pointed out.
“There are herbs to take care of unwanted bairns!” Cornelius said in a high pitched nasal voice.
Ryder moved so fast that no one saw him until Cornelius screeched in terror from across the room. Ryder had him pinned to the wall with his hands around the guy’s neck. “That child will not be harmed. If anyone so much as attempts it, I will kill them in a way that makes my father look weak!” Ryder roared in his multi-layered voice.
“Ristan, I think dinner is done,” I said, looking at poor Abiageal, who looked about as tan as a ghost. “He won’t hurt him,” I assured her. I hoped he didn’t, since every Royal of the Horde was watching him.
“My father had no right to say that to you. It was meant as a barb, and shouldn’t have been even whispered out loud. There are too few children in Faery now, and to even say that in jest was cruel,” Abiageal murmured softly.
Well shit. She was sweet. So much for hating her. She was the opposite of Claire.
Chapter Thirty-Four
We entered the grand hall and came face to face with the last people on earth, or Faery, that I ever wanted to see again. Dresden and Tatiana both glared at me as they blocked my way.
“Well, aren’t you just full of surprises,” Dresden spewed harshly as his eyes roamed from my breasts to my abdomen.
“Such a joy pregnancy is,” Tatiana said as her husband’s eyes got stuck on my breasts.
“I guess I am,” I replied, feeling a little bold, considering who was behind me guarding my back. “And this pregnancy has been a joy,” I said, making sure I had replied to them both. The pregnancy had been a surprise that had both shocked and joyed me.
“Had I known you were so fertile, I would have kept you around,” Dresden pressed.
“That wasn’t one of your options,” I indulged him, but only because I wanted to see his face when Ryder joined us.
I didn’t have long to wait as Ryder rounded the corner and stood beside me. His eyes went from my stiff posture, to Dresden who had yet to look up. Sensing Ryder’s presence, he finally did, thankfully.
“You!” he growled as recognition dawned on him that the new Horde King named Ryder was the very same Ryder he had thought was one of Kier’s sons. It also didn’t help that Ryder was no longer disguising how much power he had when he was in his Fae form.
“Dresden,” he bowed slightly, “Tatiana. What an unwanted surprise,” Ryder purred.
“You lied to us!” Dresden sputtered in outrage.
“I’d be very careful of your words, Light King, as we have a very precarious treaty right now. This event is under truce and has been declared as a Sanctuary. If you overstep your welcome, I will have you removed from this gathering. I’d also be very careful of how you treat Synthia.”
“I had a treaty with your father! He gave it to me when he killed Anise. It is still binding, and I hold you to it.”
“You are wrong. Most of the treaties my father made died with him. You’ve had peace, because I chose to use my time to gain allies, and secure other things needed before claiming my birthright. I suggest you start thinking of terms for a new treaty that we can both agree on, and remember, Dresden, I am not my father. I think he made a rash decision in killing Anise, which set your spoiled self-indulged ass on the throne. It can be easily rectified should you prove to be a thorn in my side.”
He dismissed Dresden and Tatiana, both of whom looked like they were about to be sick. They sifted out together, before I could manage an in-your-face to them both. The look on his face had been priceless when he’d seen Ryder.
“Synthia, go with Ristan; you do not need to be present or suffer through this. It will be a lot of posturing and other bullshit. You can visit with Adam and Adrian as well.” To Ristan he said, “Stay within my sight.”
“Can do,” Ristan said, slipping his arm through mine as Abiageal and her father trailed behind Ryder. I wasn’t privy to what Cornelius was telling the man to his left, but his eyes were on me as he did it.
We sat between the others with the Elite Guard as Ryder stood on the dais and listened to those who had grievances about the way Alazander had ruled. No one could actually challenge Ryder’s claim since he’d been chosen by Danu to be the Heir.
There were too many of them; all expressing their displeasure, although no one challenged him outright. But Ristan had been right; this would give Ryder a better idea of who opposed his rule. I watched as Liam glared at Ryder, and if looks could kill, Ryder would be dead. He looked as if he wanted to protest as well, but he kept whatever was on the tip of his tongue in its place.
Some opposed Ryder for what his father had done, and it made me proud with how he deflected them as to why he would be a better monarch than Alazander was. He wouldn’t follow in father’s footsteps; he’d make his own path. One that would benefit all of the Castes as he intended to repair what had been ruined and replace the bridges his father had burned.
I felt it in my bones that he was the right choice for this. He’d been born to rule this deceptively dangerous land, and it was why he was such a brute. He’d been raised here, and his father had been brutal, but he’d also seen what ruling as his father had, left behind.
He would be a better ruler than any before him had, because he cared for this world, and he would sacrifice to fix to it. He could make the hard choices that would need to be made. T
he mere fact that he was presiding over this assembly in his Fae form rather than the form of the Horde King spoke volumes as to the kind of monarch he wanted to be known as.
I watched as a Fae male with long black hair and wearing flowing robes that looked like the Milky Way got lost in them, approached Ryder at the dais. He was escorted by four Fae males, armed with ceremonial weaponry. As if a signal had been given, they knelt as one in front of Ryder.
Ryder placed his hand on the robed Fae’s shoulder and he stood proudly, as his voice rang out.
“Ryder, first born son of Alazander, do you accept the responsibility of ruling the Horde, as well as the smaller Castes who depend upon the Horde for protection?”
“I accept the responsibility of this, and more. I will protect the Horde from those who seek to harm my own. I will protect those of the weaker Castes, and those who depend on us for their livelihoods. I vow to repair what my father left behind in his wake, and the destruction he brought upon our kind with his greed and merciless pandemonium.”
Zahruk stepped up, his blue eyes smiling as he presented the gold crown to the mass of the crowd, and then turned to face his brother. “Kneel before your people, my brother, and be crowned as King of the Horde before all,” Z’s voice rose to be heard above the crowd as the High Priest stepped up and accepted the crown that Zahruk held in his hands.
“Who is your second in command?” The Priest asked, as his robes were held out of the way, by those who stood beside him.
“Zahruk, second son of Alazander, will serve as my second. He will walk beside me, but never behind me.”
Ryder held his hand up for Zahruk to take and knelt before the High Priest. Z towered above Ryder now, which almost made it comical, except no one else thought it was funny. Zahruk bent low and kissed his brother’s hand, with a wicked smile planted on his face as he did so.