5

“So wait, you’re really the mate to the vampire king. The king of Vampires. The guy in charge of vampires. He’s your mate,” Janus rambled.

“Yes, I really am the vampire king’s mate.”

“Not Lily?”

“Not Lily.”

“Do I need to kill this Lily to prove she’s not my mate?” Trick asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No!” I shouted at the same time Janus said, “Well-“.

“No,” I said firmly, shooting Janus a look.

“Fine, have it your way,” Janus pouted. I turned back to Trick.

“Why are you here?” I asked, suddenly aware that I was in my Hello Kitty pajamas without a bra.

“I came to check on you. That’s what mates do.” He came over to the couch, planting his hands on the back. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” I said, pulling one of my throw pillows in front of my chest.

“Good.” He leaned down until his lips were almost touching my ear. “I missed you.” Heat rushed straight to my core. My thighs clenched and my mouth went dry.

“So does this mean Saraya is going to go to the palace?” Janus asked. Trick straightened and I started to breathe again.

“At some point, yes. It won’t be safe for her here.” I looked up at him and he smiled reassuringly.

“What about the shop?” I had almost forgotten about my shop until Janus said something. I frowned. This man had been in my life less than twenty-four hours and I was already neglecting my priorities. Not a good sign.

“Nothing. It’s my shop. It’s going to stay my shop,” I assured her. It was Trick’s turn to frown.

“You wouldn’t consider selling it? Financially, you won’t need it,” he told me.

“It’s not about the money. It’s my shop. I bought it. I spent my hard earned money on it. I’m not going to give it up just because some egotistical vampire tells me to.”

“I never said you had to, just to consider it, especially since I will see to any of your financial wants or needs. If you truly want to keep it, though, I don’t see why you couldn’t.” Good. I wasn’t stupid; the bookstore was going to be my slush fund, my safety net when this inevitably went sideways.

“We should hire another person,” Janus suggested.

“You should probably hire at least two more.”

“Me?”

“Yeah well I’m guessing I won’t exactly be able to have much of a presence,” I said looking to Trick for confirmation. He nodded and I sighed. No surprise there. “I’m going to need a competent store manager and there is no one I trust more than you.” I reached over and squeezed Janus’ hand. She yanked my hand and pulled me into a hug.

“I won’t let you down,” she said, squeezing me. I squeezed her back, tears springing to my eyes.

“You couldn’t if you tried.” We pulled away, both of us wiping away tears. “You’re going to do great.”

“I should probably get going,” Janus said, standing.

“Keep me updated.”

“I will.” She gave me one last hug and headed to the door. Before she left, she turned to Trick. “Just so you know, you are the luckiest man ever. She’s amazing and is going to be a kickass Queen.”

“I know.” She seemed satisfied with his answer and left.

“Are you sure she’s…” Trick started but I cut him off.

“Definitely human. Vegetarian. Human boyfriend.”

“Knock knock. How’s our patient?” Chemist asked coming in. His goggles were pushed up on his head, making his blonde hair stick out in all directions. Next to Trick, there was a stark difference. Where Trick was built like a warrior, Chemist was several inches shorter and easily half Trick’s weight. Trick was dark and brooding while Chemist was sunshine and rainbows. He wore a lab coat and carried his doctor’s bag.

“I’m fine,” I said with a smile as Chemist sat next to me. Trick scowled at him.

“Stop, I’m only here to examine her as a doctor. Put your fangs away,” Chemist told him. “You have such a pretty coloring,” he went on as he took my pulse. Trick growled. “Your mate is a jealous man. Have you ever had a jealous lover?” I shook my head. “No? I find that hard to believe.”

“Chemist, finish your exam and get out,” Trick said, gritting his teeth.

“If you find his behavior getting out of control,” Chemist continued, ignoring Trick, “simply remind him that there are plenty of men out there who would love to get their hands on you.” He winked at me before letting go of my wrist.

“CHEMIST!” Trick stepped toward the couch.

“All done. Until next time, Saraya.” He vanished and I sat there, staring at the spot where he sat.

“What just happened?” I asked, looking up at Trick.

“He ran away. Vampires have the ability to teleport between locations. He knew I was going to kill him, so he got out while he still could,” Trick explained.

“You can teleport? How?” He shrugged.

“I don’t really understand the physics of it. That disappearing idiot could probably explain it to you. It’s just something we can do once we turn twenty-one.”

“Can you teleport others? Or just yourself?”

“Honey, how do you think I moved an entire werewolf army? A magic carpet?” My eyes widened.

“You actually did that? I just thought that was part of your lore, something embellished to add to your mystique.” The Battle of All Souls almost ended with the humans winning until the entire werewolf army suddenly appeared, aiding the vampires (whose forces had been divided due to fighting with smaller guerilla forces) to victory. Any human telling the story would say that the werewolf army had been there the entire time, biding their time. However, the historical accounts recorded the werewolf army being on the other side of the continent before their sudden appearance on a battlefield thousands of kilometers away.

“I need no embellishment love,” Trick smirked.

“So, what now? What happens next?”

“Excellent question,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “Today you’re going to meet the palace chancellor. He takes care of all the palace goings on and will answer directly to you once you’re queen. He’s pretty much trained his whole life for this moment, which has turned him into an insufferable idiot, so I’m sure the two of you will get along well.”

“Hey, I resemble that remark. What’s his name?”

“Bishop. He’s currently assembling your ladies-in-waiting but should be here in the next hour or so. Anything that you need, just let him know.”

“What about you?” Trick sighed and pressed a kiss to my forehead. My heart did a black flip at the touch.

“I will be in meetings most of today. The council is anxious to hear if you’ve accepted me as your mate.”

“Wait, I had a choice?”

“Of course. I may be an asshole but I’d never force you to be with me.” He sounded insulted.

“So knowing you’re an asshole, the council was worried that I’d reject you?”

“See now this is where you’re supposed to say, oh no, baby you’re not an asshole. You’re the best thing to happen to me and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m not saying that. I can see their concern.”

“Fine, but I am going to tell them you’ve accepted me.”

“And then what?” A wicked grin crossed his face.

“Then we fuck.”