Fragile Reign (Mortal Enchantment Book 2) (7 page)

Darius began to shift into his hound form. “You made a fatal mistake coming here.”

Marcus appeared in front of me, blocking my view. Speaking to his father, he said, “Please listen to what Rowan has to say. He came to ask for your allegiance. If we return with him, he has promised to give us our freedom. And once he is crowned, you will have a seat on his council.”

Darius ignored his plea. The bones in his back shifted while the muscles in his arms and legs seemed to multiply.

“Father, please.” Marcus clasped his hands together. “I have never asked you for anything, but I am begging you to stop this. Please accept his offer.”

Darius stopped the shift, returning to his human form. I wasn’t aware a hound could do that once the transformation had started. “Very well, Marcus. But first, Rowan must agree to a test. Prove he is strong enough to lead our court.”

I nudged Marcus out of the way. “Name it,” I replied.

Darius smiled, wickedly. “I challenge you to a one-on-one battle. If you can beat me, you will have the support of my pack.”

The hounds cheered.

Before I could tell him to bring it, Marcus said, “No. There has to be another way.”

“Those are my terms.” Darius replied, dismissing Marcus with the wave of his hand.

Marcus strode over to his father. Both of them panting heaving breaths. The crowd silenced, eager for one of them to speak. “If you insist on going through with this, you leave me no choice.” A droplet of sweat trickled down Marcus’s face. “I challenge you for pack leader.”

Kalin

Mom didn’t need to say a word. It was written all over her reddened face. She was pissed. Raging like an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale. As she paced, she rolled up the sleeves of her white button-down collared shirt. Her normally smoothed hair hung down her back in crimpy waves as if she hadn’t dried it after a shower. Many questions lingered in my mind. How did she get here and who had she been speaking with?

In my entire sixteen years of existence, I had never seen her so angry. Worst part? It was all because of me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Kalin, I am your mother. It’s my job to worry.” Mom threw her hands in the air. “And you are my child, which means
you
don’t get to decide what I
need
to know.”

Suddenly, I was making excuses like a kid who had come home with a bad report card. “I didn’t want to put you in danger. You were safer at home. I had extra knights guarding the house to make sure of it.”

“You were protecting me?” She shook her head in disgust. “You have this whole thing backwards. It’s MY JOB to protect YOU. Not the other way around.”

While Mom paced the room—saying a whole lot of something under her breath—I glanced over at Dad. He hadn’t moved one inch since he saw her. His eyes were wide while his lips were slightly parted. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing, so I nudged him with my elbow. “You could try helping me out.” I whispered.

“Sorry.” He said, jolting like I had just awakened him from a daydream. “What should I say?”

I raised my eyebrows. “How about letting her know it was your idea not to tell her. I think that would be helpful.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Tricia, much of this is my fault. I should have—”

She made eye contact with him for the first time. For a moment, her shoulders relaxed. Then a smile appeared and quickly disappeared almost like a twitch. Before I could blink, she went right back to anger mode. “Oh believe me, I blame you too.”

Dad made his way over to her, taking her hands in his. All the bitterness drained from her face. It was so obvious they still had deep feelings for one another. I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s wonderful to have you here. You’re just as beautiful as I remember.” He said, massaging her palms with his thumbs. “Will you be staying?”

“I’m not sure.” Mom answered, frazzled. “My plan was to come here and strangle you both.” Appearing pained, she pulled her hands away. “But now that I’m here, I don’t know what to do.”

I cut in, grabbing one of each of their hands. “You should stay, Mom.”

In a soft tone, Dad added, “I really wish you would.”

Mom put her other hand on my cheek. “You look so grown up. I hardly recognize you.”

It was hard to believe I had only been in Avalon for two weeks. After everything I had been through, I felt like I had aged ten years. I certainly wasn’t the same person I was in the mortal world—that I was sure of. I placed both of my hands on top of hers. “It’s still me.”

Her voice turned serious. “From now on, I want to know everything. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

She softly flicked the tip of my nose. “I want to hear you promise.”

I chuckled. “Okay, okay. I promise. No more secrets.”

“Good.” She said, releasing a lazy breath. Then she turned her attention to Dad. With her hands on her hips, she asked, “Now, where will I be staying?”

Dad’s entire face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Anywhere you’d like.” He held out his arm for her to take. “It’s been so long since you’ve been here. How about I show you around?”

Mom hesitated.

I wanted her to spend time with him. It had always been my dream that one day they might get back together. Mom’s eyes darted back and forth between us. She definitely had more to say to me, but I could also see she wanted to go with Dad. “It’s fine, Mom. I have a council meeting I have to attend.” It was true, but I would have been happy to it blow off.

“Find me when you’re done,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “I mean it. Find me.”

Having her around never felt as wonderful as it did right now. “I promise.”

Mom slid her arm in his, letting Dad lead her out the door.

By the time I reached the stone balcony, I was surprised to find the area empty. A few glass tiki torches lined the space. The decoration made the area look more like a party than a council meeting. In the middle section, six wicker chairs were setup in a circular design. As I plopped down into one of the seats, I watched the tiki flames twist in the mountain winds. The citronella oil inside the glass gave off a scent that reminded me of the woods behind my mother’s house. It also kept the bugs away, which I was grateful for. At this time of night, they were everywhere.

I turned my head toward the entryway when I heard several voices coming up the cement stairs. One by one, the other five council members entered the balcony. Most bowed when we made eye contact, except for Samson. He simply sat in the last empty seat. Each member wore yellow robes with a tie in the middle. Once I realized they were waiting for me to speak, I asked, “Why have I been called to another emergency meeting?”

Samson smiled at me before he spoke. My stomach knotted. Whatever he was so pleased about wasn’t going to be good for me. “Your Highness, it has come to our attention that King Taron was seen in public today.”

Where was he going with this? “Yes, he was greeting some of our people. They were very excited to see him recovering so well.”

“Really?” he said. “We heard he was distressed. Several witnesses saw him struggling to control the storms. Had it not been for your assistance, he may have lost control all together.”

Crap!
“I’m not sure who is providing you with this information, but the situation was far less dramatic. He had put on a show for everyone and got tired. Need I remind you it has only been a week since he was found and treated for his
severe
injuries?”

Samson sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers against his knee. “Yes, his injuries are severe.” He stood, addressing the group. “In fact, I don’t believe he will ever recover from them.” Every member of the council gasped. “This is a time of war. Our court cannot be seen as vulnerable. We must act in the best interest of our people.” He glared right at me. “I call for a vote of no confidence.”

The shouting began, growing louder by the second. Members loyal to Dad accused Samson of treason. Others wanted Dad brought here to defend himself against the accusations and to prove he was healing. I had the urge to take one of those tiki torches and shove it down Samson’s throat. “I would like to know your intentions. If my father were removed, the throne falls to me. I can’t imagine that’s what you want.”

“You cannot ascend to the throne.” He said, acting as if I had insulted him. “There has never been a halfling on any elemental throne in our entire history.”

This was getting worse by the minute. He wasn’t suggesting my father step down. Instead, he was pushing to remove our entire family from power. I rose, hands clenched at my sides. With venom in my voice, I said, “My father will not be removed from power, but when he does decide to step down, I
will
take his place. Anyone who objects should say so now.” I made a point to make eye contact with every one of them, daring them to disagree.

Jaya rose from her chair, eyes on me. “As much as I hate to say this, Samson does have a point. With your father recovering, we do appear vulnerable to the other courts. We must maintain balance at all costs.”

Samson grinned, seemingly pleased with himself. “I’m glad to see someone on the council has come to their senses.”

Jaya smiled at me. “Effective immediately, I vote that Kalin ascend to the throne.”

A lump swelled in my throat and I swallowed hard. “Hold on one second, I wasn’t suggesting—”

“She is a halfling.” Samson argued. “The elementals of our court will never accept her.”

“A few might have reservations, but we can find a way to resolve their concerns.” The group remained silent while Jaya tapped her finger against her bottom lip. “If Kalin were to marry a full-blooded air elemental, it would strengthen her position.”

Samson crossed his arms, chuckling. “I’m not at all surprised to hear you make this suggestion. After all, Sebastian is
your
son.”

Sebastian?
I was still trying to wrap my head around her proposal that I take the throne. Were they actually trying to decide my future husband for me? “Wait one second. Who is Sebastian?” Before anyone could answer, I thought back to the conversation I had with Ariel at the Midwinter’s Ball. She said all high-ranking elementals were betrothed at infancy. I cringed, already knowing what they would say, but not wanting to hear it.

Looking surprised by my ignorance, Jaya answered, “Sebastian is the elemental your father chose to be your husband.”

Revel—a younger council member who rarely spoke during these meetings—said, “I second the motion. Kalin shall marry Sebastian, and then ascend to the throne.”

This can’t be happening
. I watched in horror as the other council members agreed with the ruling. Everyone except Samson, of course. He sat back in his chair, seemingly unsure how his big plan had failed. Was I engaged? I shook my head in disbelief. I didn’t even know Sebastian. And what about Rowan? How could I explain any of this to him? My stomach sickened, then my legs went numb. Had the floor been knocked out beneath me? I sat down in my chair before I collapsed.

I lost several minutes of time wrapped up in my own thoughts. When I came back to reality, I realized most of the council had left. Only Jaya remained, sitting in the chair next to me. “I can’t do this. I won’t marry someone I don’t even know.”

Jaya pressed her lips together, compassion written all over her face. “No one said ruling was easy. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary for the greater good.”

Giving up carbs was a sacrifice. This was my whole life. I would miss out on everything: dating, falling in love, everything. It meant ending things with Rowan. My chest ached at the thought. “So I’m just supposed to be okay with all of this because I’m royal? How could Dad do this to me?”

She frowned.

“I’m sorry.” For a moment, I forgot Sebastian was her son. I needed to tone it down. “I don’t mean to sound negative about your son. I’m sure he’s great.”

She leaned closer to me. “Your father arranged this marriage to help you. He anticipated the objections to your birthright. He wants you to be the next queen. This betrothal solidifies your ascension.”

That made sense. Dad never meant to hurt me. He arranged a marriage because he thought he was helping me. I just wish he would’ve shared that little nugget of information with me. Hearing it from a council member only made it worse. “But I don’t even know him.”

Jaya patted my hand, smiling. “Maybe it’s time we change that.”

I could actually hear the resistance in my tone. “You mean—”

“I mean, it’s time you met Sebastian.”