All I could think about was the fact that Kade was close by. I forced myself to focus.
“Did Violet spell the water?” I asked, wanting the council to know I was staying on top of things. No longer would they be pulling my strings in the background. Not to mention they were stupidly unconcerned about a fae attack during the summer festival.
Torine’s face creased into a look of such arrogance that I wanted to punch him in his straight teeth. “It’s all fine, Your Majesty. Go out and mingle with your people.”
Hah! Just like that I was dismissed, no more useful than an ornament on a Christmas tree. Just hanging around to pretty up the place. Bastard.
Selene was looking rather smug, but that look fell when I cut her with a glare. A blast of warm wind, ancient power, and familiarity trickled in across the porch and I calmed. Finn was near. Turning, I saw him galloping toward me. He reached me in seconds, his warm body brushing up my side.
Fancy meeting you here, I teased.
Interesting choice for costume, Ari. Freudian slip on the seamstresses’ behalf, I think.
Always one step ahead of everyone else, I wasn’t surprised that he’d noted the fae nature of my costume. No one else had yet. Thank God for Finn. I would literally be curled up rocking in a corner without him.
Calista crossed over to me. She’d been organizing all of my things out of the car and into the royal home. “Time for you to mingle, Your Majesty,” she said to me. “The official opening ceremony is in a few hours, but for now you need to be out with the people, reassure them with your presence.”
“Okay, please send Violet to me when she arrives.” I made a point of saying this loud enough for the council to hear.
Calista nodded, and started typing away on her tablet. Within seconds I had a royal contingent of dominants around me. My five inner circle were the closest to me, and at least twenty others streamed out around us.
I shook my head. “I won’t greet my people with a wall of security between me and them. I will take my five, and they can call for backup if anything happens.”
Torine shook his head. “It’s not safe. You’re queen now. Think what would happen if you were to be hurt, or even die here. We cannot allow it.”
Well, that sounded an awful lot like an order.
I stood straighter, a few specks of glitter flying off my arms. “I am the queen, you allow nothing. If you want me to allow you to remain on the council, you will not question me in such a manner. I am neither rash nor stupid. I consider each and every decision. The shifters need reassurance right now, not only because of the death of the Red Queen, but also all the new security measures we have had their alphas implement. They are rattled. Seeing me striding around with more security than the president of America and the queen of England combined is not a great way to reassure them that everything is okay, that we have things under control.”
Before they could utter anything more, I turned and strode off. By the time I was halfway out of the long drive, Finn, Blaine, Monica, Jen, Ben, and Victor were the only ones at my side. My declaration had been heard, and my reasons found sound, since not even Calista argued with me. It was the right decision to make. I hoped so anyway.
You’re a good queen. You put your people first. Don’t question yourself. The council has served their own purposes for too long.
I ran my hand along Finn. He already had on some of his harnesses and glittery adornments. Later he’d be saddled so I could ride him for the opening ceremony. Kade would join me, his familiar Nix by his side. This was how we maintained peace during the summer festival, by showing unity between the two leaders. I tried to remember if I’d seen Kade and the Red Queen last year.
I turned to Blaine. “We missed the opening ceremony last year, right?” Jagged snippets of memory were hitting me. Calista had blasted me because I was an heir and should have been front and center.
“Yes, Selene spiked our punch. We ended up half-naked on the south side of the Island. We were lucky we didn’t drown.”
“Crap, that’s right. I’d forgotten she did that.”
Flickers of memory were coming back to me. I’d woken up with a massive hangover the next day and Selene had been the heir of honor for the rest of the festival; the Red Queen had refused to speak to me. I hadn’t thought about that for a year, but it was one of the many reasons I hated that redheaded harpy. She’d been a pain in my butt for too many years. I couldn’t believe she was the backup queen.
It took the masses of wolf shifters many minutes before they realized I walked among them. It was only as I started to send out waves of warm mecca energy that faces turned toward me. I took my time, smiling, waving, sharing the energy of our mecca with them all. Blaine and Monica remained on point, each to one side of me. The others were a little further back, which made it seem like I was almost without security. Which is what I wanted.
My shifters looked happy; their children ran and played with abandon. There were no bears on this side of the Island yet. That would come later.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Queen Arianna.”
“The Red Queen lives again.”
Shouts and choruses of words washed across the entire area. Then a boy of ten rushed over and grabbed my hand and silence descended throughout the tree-filled field. Faces drained of joy and I could feel urgency in the air. Everyone was waiting to see how I would deal with this child who had broken one of our golden rules and grabbed the queen without permission. I knew how the Red Queen would have dealt with him, but despite being from her line, I was happy to be nothing like her.
“Craig!” The frantic voice of a mother in distress reached me as she rushed forward. She fell to her knees beside her son, who was still clutching my hand. “I am so sorry, Your Majesty. He did not mean to break protocol.”
I glanced around the crowd once, before lowering my gaze to smile at the pair before me. I then surprised everyone by dropping to my knees so I could be on the same level as them. “You need not worry for your son,” I said. “I know the difference between harm and a happy little boy.” I then kissed both of them on the cheek, before pulling my hand back and getting to my feet.
“Go!” I shouted out to the crowd. “Go, have fun, and be merry. This is the summer festival, and we will know nothing but joy!”
Noises and laughter started again, and I felt the warmth and love that I had showered out being returned to me. A true leader knows that respect and love are not given freely. You must earn the respect and love of your people, and I was determined to be a queen worthy of both.
Chapter Ten
For just one moment, time stood still.