“Are you ready, Your Royal Highness?” She winked at me, but knew it was time for me to slip into the role I was born to. “It’s time to address your people.”
I lifted my chin. I was the princess of Alera, rightful ruler to the throne. I had a job to do. A planet to run. Peace to restore. And hopefully, I could hand it all off to my mother so I could go off with Leo and do some headboard banging. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
9
Trinity, Planet Alera, City of Mytikas, The Palace
A roar filled my ears the moment the freezing, twisting pain of transport left my body. I swayed, but Leo was there, his hand on my elbow—like a respectful guard and not my lover. My everything.
He was dressed in the traditional uniform worn by my mother’s royal guard. He’d copied his father’s uniform from memory, inputted the data into the S-Gen and it created it perfectly, even though the style had faded away when my mother disappeared all those years ago.
The tight-fitting black hugged every gorgeous muscle. The uniform was designed to show the guard’s fitness, his strength. Unfortunately, it also showed Leo’s bulging cock which only showed he’d been newly awakened. We’d both hoped the amount of fucking we’d done would have dimmed his need a bit, just like my Ardor had been soothed, but apparently not. With my sparkling dress and my very existence, we hoped people would ignore him. At least for now.
And that hope appeared to be coming true. I turned. Blinked. We’d transported directly into the coordinates of the palace, but we weren’t alone. Far from it. The roar grew in volume as more noticed we’d magically appeared and I stared out over a sea of people gathered in the courtyard of the Queen’s Palace.
“And we thought this would be less crowded than the citadel,” Leo whispered to me. “Princess,” he added as a reminder of our roles.
I straightened my spine and lifted my chin, looking as composed and regal as I could manage after just having had days of sex, cross-galaxy travel, a murder attempt, falling in love with a stranger and transporting through thin air.
All in a day’s work for a queen, or at least a princess. I waved and smiled. Posed as people took pictures and videos of me. Fortunately, they were all at a safe distance and Leo didn’t have to keep himself from ripping their heads from their bodies. I was real. And I was here to stay. I hadn’t gotten all dressed up for nothing.
“Trin-it-ee! Trin-it-ee!” The crowd was chanting my name, the name they’d only learned via the video pronouncement I’d recorded while on the Battleship Karter. They’d expected me, as we’d planned.
I was still waving, still smiling, as the giant double doors behind me swung open and an older couple came sweeping down the steps like they were welcoming an esteemed guest. Like the castle was theirs.
Maybe it was. But not for long.
“Cousin!” The woman stepped forward and took my hands in hers. Leo allowed it, but he held onto his weapon, watching every move the middle-aged couple made. “Welcome, Your Highness. I am your cousin, Radella, and this is my mate, Danoth.” She bowed her head slightly in deference.
I nodded at her. “Pleased to meet you. You are my mother’s second cousin by her Aunt Zetta.”
The woman looked shocked, but quickly got past it. “Yes. Of course. And you are Queen Celene’s daughter?”
“I am.” I’d told everyone as much on the recording, but it wasn’t surprising she would want confirmation. I mean, I appeared out of nowhere after twenty-seven years.
“No offense intended, Your Highness, but where is your mother?” She glanced about as if my mother were hiding behind me.
“And where are the royal gemstones? Your arrival here, alone, has caused quite a stir. No one is certain that you are who you say you are.” Danoth, my cousin’s mate, spoke. As he did so, the color around him changed. Darkened.
He was lying. I knew it as surely as I knew my heart beat in my chest. Now I knew my power, knew there was more than one color that gave people away.
“The citadel knows,” I said plainly.
Perhaps it was my tone, but definitely the look in my eye, for Leo moved slightly closer.
My glare was full of outrage. Maybe I didn’t need that stupid acting class after all. He’d only said one sentence and I didn’t like him at all. “My mother will join us in her palace soon. We must prepare for her arrival.”
“Of course. Of course.” Radella bowed and swept her hand to the side. “Please, welcome to our home. Come in. Come in. We have had chambers prepared.”
Our home? It was my mother’s as far as I knew. But I didn’t say as much.
“The queen’s chambers?” I asked. I would not be a guest here. It was my mother’s palace. Mine, with my spire lit. I wouldn’t give any leeway to my cousin’s mate after he lied to me. He knew exactly who I was.
We entered and I was led to a parlor—Leo closely following—that would rival any on Earth. The walls were lined with breathtaking works of art and gilded trim. Crystal chandeliers that glittered silver and white hung from thirty-foot ceilings. The carpeting was so think and plush, I lost two inches in height the moment I stepped onto it, sinking down. Everything in the room, from the massive sofas to the carved writing desk screamed money. Lots and lots of freaking money.
Holy shit. Just how rich was my mother? We’d never lived above our means. Our house was average. Middle-class America. My sisters and I had had chores growing up. I’d scrubbed toilets and done laundry. Oh, we’d gotten a flat screen TV when they came out and a new washer and dryer when the old one flooded the basement, but we never splurged. It just wasn’t the way we were. If I’d grown up here, my life would have been much, much different.
“Please, Your Highness, please, sit. Would you care for any refreshments?” Radella led the way to the center of a large gray sofa embroidered with silver outlines of Aleran flowers. It was so beautiful, I hesitated to sit down. But I did. The crowd outside continued to chant my name so loudly the rumble echoed through the palace.