I shook my head, eyes narrowing at Carl, Thomas, and Shawn — three of the six members of our royal council and the very ones who’d been sticking to the laws of the land about us not being able to take the thrones.
…And there they were, in Berne, on the palace grounds, pushing Anya back against a tree.
I saw the look on Anya’s face as she glared at them, and suddenly, it all fell into place. These were the men who’d brought her there that night — the men who’d tried to trick her into that place, and trick her into being claimed by them.
The men who’d gone and told on us when we’d claimed her as our own.
I heard Killian growl fiercely beside me, and I knew my friends suddenly saw it too for what it was.
“You’re fucking members aren’t you,” I hissed, storming towards them.
“Uh-uh,” Carl spat back, raising his shirt to reveal the butt of a pistol tucked into his pants. “It’s an anonymous club, remember?”
He grinned wickedly at me.
“Now, this one belongs to us, so if you don’t mind, we’ll—”
The man was so busy trying to throw some lame little line at me that he never even noticed Killian bolting past me until he was flat on his back on the ground. I lunged forward as well, tearing Thomas away from Anya and bringing my knee into his gut. Jace smashed a forearm into Shawn’s nose, shattering it and bringing the man to his knees.
We advanced on them, the rage exploding out of us, when suddenly, the whole damn garden was swarming with guards.
…Yeah, I guess crashing a car though the hedges on palace grounds will do that.
And just like that, chaos ensued.
There were guns trained on all of us, and men shoving us to our knees on the ground. Carl, Shawn, and Thomas were bellowing on about being innocent, Jace, Killian, and I roared back about them being traitors to their country, and Anya screamed at the Berne Royal Guards to let us go.
Eventually, the screaming died down, and when one of the guys holding me down pulled out my wallet and saw who the fuck we really were, suddenly all three of us were very much on our feet.
Anya ran into us, throwing her arms around us as we pulled her in tight.
“The royal council will never approve of you three taking the thrones,” Carl hissed from the ground. “Even without us, there’s not a chance they approve of whatever insane idea you have of all claiming her as your damn queen!”
Killian growled, taking a menacing step towards Carl.
“With you three in jail for treason, they might,” he spat through clenched teeth.
Carl laughed. “Not with this slut.”
Those were the last words he got out before I stepped forward, pulled my fist back, and sank it into his mouth. He screamed, spitting blood as I stepped back.
“Punch me all you want! But they will never accept her!”
“Yeah? And why’s that?” Jace spat.
Carl grinned.
“She’s not a princess.”
“But I am.”
We whirled, the guards around us saluting sharply, and turned to see Princess Adele, of Berne, marching towards us.
…Holding hands with her Captain of the Guard, no less, but I decided an explanation on that fairly interesting detail could wait for another day.
“I'm a princess,” she said thinly, glaring at the men on the ground. “So, what’s this all about?”
Chapter 16
Anya
Adele flew into my arms the second she saw me, hugging me close and holding me tight.
“Is this your secret?” she said quietly, glancing at my men standing behind me.
I nodded, the heat flushing through my face.
Adele’s cheeks went red, but she smiled at me. “You happy?”
I nodded even harder, the grin splitting my lips as she beamed back at me.
“Good,” she whispered, pulling me close. “Me too.”
She nodded at the man in uniform who she’d walked over, and I suddenly recognized him as Captain Hunt, of her father’s Royal Guard.
My eyes went wide. “Wait, that’s your secret??”
She nodded gleefully.
“Uh, tell me everything?”
“Later,” she giggled, hugging me again and looking around at the scene around us. She glared again at the three assholes on the ground before turning to Jace, Killian, and Dean.
“So,” she said sharply, eyeing them.
“Your Highness,” the three of them bowed formally.
“So you’re the ones making my best friend so happy?”
“I hope so, Your Highness,” Dean said with a grin.
“Oh, and they're polite too?” She turned, winking at me before turning to the guards standing watch over the three pricks on the ground.
“And who are you?”
“Your Highness,” Killian growled in his deep baritone. “I apologize for my fellow countrymen. This is Carl Manning, Thomas Harmon, and Shawn Post. They’re Dukes of Tam, and members of the intermediary high royal council in charge of the transition.”
Adele frowned. “I was sorry to hear of the loss of your fathers,” she said quietly.
“Thank you,” Killian nodded.
Adele turned back to the three dukes glaring at her from the ground.
“And what are you doing here, on palace grounds, harassing my best friend? What exactly is going on here?”
“I’ll tell you,” Carl hissed — Carl, who’s name I guess really was Carl. So much for fake names, “These three,” he spat, nodding his chin at my men. “They want to be kings, but they need queens to do so in Tam. And even if the council does sign off on the three of them being with one chick—”
This time it was Jace who strode over and kicked him sharply in the ribs.
Carl whined.
“Even if they do,” he spat. “She is not a princess. And in Tam, that still matters!”
Adele rolled her eyes, making me grin.
“I see. Well, I am.”
She turned to me, biting her lip before glancing up at my men.
“Is this true? You all want to be with her?”
“We’ll never hurt her, Your Highness,” Dean said quietly, his face tight. “We’ll never stop protecting her, and we’ll never stop loving her. All of us, together.”
Adele’s eyes darted to mine, and I could definitely see the “oh I have so many questions for you, girl,” look in her eyes before she turned back to the princes.
“And does Tam allow…” She blushed trailing off.
“Marriages of multiples?” Jace said with a small chuckle to my red-faced friend. “It’s rare, but yes.”
Adele nodded. “So the only problems are that half your council are traitors.” She turned and smiled thinly at the dukes. “But it seems you’re taking care of that.”
“Damn right,” Killian growled.
Adele continued. “So just that, and the fact that Anya isn’t royalty.”
The men were silent.
“Is that really a problem in Tam?”
They looked at each other, a fierce look flashing between them before their shoulders slumped.
“Yes,” Dean muttered. “It’s an old, ridiculous law, but it stands. And changing it could take years.”
Adele nodded, chewing on her lip before she turned to me, a small smile creeping over her face.
“Well, I guess I should have done this a long time ago,” she said quietly.
I frowned. “Done what?”
“Decree you a princess.”
My jaw dropped.
“What?”