Gerald showed none of his usual warmth as he addressed me. “King Kade shifted and went for a run. I’ll escort you home now, Your Highness.”
Just like that I was no longer welcome here, no longer allowed to be on friendly terms with the king. It was an uncomfortable drive back to the vortex. No one said a word. I’d upset Kade. I accepted my part in his ire, but we still needed to fix the mecca or we would both be screwed. Besides, when he had a chance to calm down, he would realize that what I had done was for the best. We’d been skirting around this stuff, flirting with disaster, letting the lines get blurred. It was time for one of us to make a stand.
Before I knew it we had arrived at the vortex and Gerald was escorting me out. When we reached the door, I wanted to say something, anything, to ease this uncomfortable situation that I had created. I opened my mouth but Gerald spoke first: “King Kade will meet you tomorrow morning at your estate to work on the fae issue,” he said, and then bowed slightly before walking away.
My lip quivered a little and I wanted to cry all over again.
“Your Majesty?” Monica called out to me. I turned to find her standing with Violet and Finn at the vortex.
My best friend stepped closer to me, slipping her hand into mine. My aching heart clenched; her support was enough to send me over the emotional cliff again, so with one final squeeze I let her hand go.
Straightening my shoulders, I took a few deep and steadying breaths. It was time for me to be the queen shifter I had been born to be, time for me to get over my heartache, over the subtle but distinct rejection from Gerald.
Life was hard. Not everyone liked you. That didn’t mean you had to let it ruin your day. Shaking off the drama with the king, I traveled back to Manhattan to do what I was meant to do since the day I was born. Be a queen to my people.
Chapter Seven
Love is like magic, volatile, beautiful, and scary.
After we arrived back at Manhattan, I called a private formal meeting with Calista. If I was going to do this, I needed to dive right in before I chickened out. I remembered my mother telling me at a very young age that sometimes the best queens made the most sacrifices. When you died, your legacy only lived on in rumors and history of the time you ruled. The Red Queen’s history was already beginning to be tainted by her rumors of a fae affair and love gone wrong. I didn’t want that happening to me, to the red line.
Calista tapped lightly on the door.
“Come in,” I called out, my palms sweating from nerves.
Calista walked through, clutching her tablet to her chest. “Your Majesty, you called for a formal meeting?” She was dressed in black slacks and a silk top, wearing her nice leather loafers.
“Sit down.” I gestured to the large overstuffed chair in my office.
She sat and stared at me, probably wondering what the hell I was doing calling a formal meeting with my own advisor and close friend. I’d never done anything like this before, but protocol was important to the wolves, and I wanted to be seen doing all the right things.
I tried to keep my voice strong but it shook anyway: “I’m ready to take a mate.”
Calista’s face lit up with joy and surprise. “Oh! I wasn’t expecting that. Wonderful!”
She hunched over her tablet and began typing notes. A queen declaring she was open to a mate was a formal process. It would be documented on this day, and preparations would begin.
“Yes, I think it’s best that my people know once and for all that the King Kade rumors are just rumors. I am loyal to the wolves.” There was no waver this time. My words rang true.
Calista nodded, smiling like a sixteen year old given her first car. “This is wonderful news, Arianna. A queen can be strengthened by a strong male at her side. Have you chosen someone or would you like me to open introductions?”
I paused. I hadn’t chosen anyone. Opening introductions would be a long and tedious process, but I could see no other way.
“Open the introductions. Bring me only the best candidates.”
It wouldn’t be long before pictures and bios from around the world landed on my desk. I’d find all of them to be the strongest, most loyal, and fiercest males that the wolf shifter race had to offer. Calista, and likely the council, would sort through them and then bring me the top candidates. It was dangerously close to an arranged marriage, but I would have final say, and only after a few months of courting. I hoped that in this process I would genuinely fall in love. That was still hugely important to me.
Calista was up now, her eyes bright, cheeks pink. She would be a whirlwind of activity for the next few days.
I stopped her before she could leave. “One more thing, Cal.” She met my eyes. “Tell me about Sir Baladar.”
Sorrow blossomed out of her, then it was gone just as suddenly. “What about him?” she said, sounding cautious.
“I asked him how you knew each other and he said you were the love of his life.”
Her shoulders hunched, and now there was no mistaking the pain on her face. “He did?” She forced out a strangled chuckle. “He’s always so honest, to a fault.”
I waited, but Calista just picked her cuticles, not speaking. After the last few days, and all the Kade stuff, I understood how hard it could be to talk about strong emotions.
“Calista? What happened?” My voice was softer now, and I stood, crossing around my large desk to stand before her.
She took in a deep breath and then met my eyes. “I was never the type to go out to parties or clubs or anything of that nature.”
I envisioned the younger Calista as a bookworm who played mecca chess and studied. “So when my roommate came home with a key to an exclusive party, I wasn’t interested at first. She finally convinced me, telling me that the key would expire the next day and that the party was so exclusive we may never be invited in our lifetime again.”
I nodded. That would have gotten my attention for sure. “So what happened at the party?”
Calista smiled. “Baladar happened.”
I noticed she didn’t refer to him as “sir.”
“He was greeting people at the door, handing out those magical drinks, which I of course refused, and, I don’t know ... there was this spark when we locked eyes. It was like … magic. That’s the only thing I can liken it to.”
I smiled, envisioning a young Calista falling in love. “Sounds like love.”
She chuckled, wistfulness in the tone. “I wasn’t prepared for him. He was so charming, so funny. He abandoned his own party and we talked for hours and hours.” She stared off into the distance and I could see why he’d fallen so quickly for her. Calista was strikingly beautiful, super smart, and sure of herself. “We were together for two years, but then work got in the way and we had to spend longer periods apart and it just didn’t work out. Duty calls, you know?”
My heart pinched. “Cal, was I the reason you guys finally broke up? My birth?”