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The Reluctant Queen 8
“Pardon me, Milady, but Master Bishop thought you might need some assistance,” a tiny blonde in a light blue dress said with a curtsy. She was half my size, with porcelain skin and the palest blue eyes. They were practically colorless. “Oh no, I’m fine. I made my choice for tonight and was just letting Bishop, er Master Bishop, know,” I explained, trying not to stare at the minute person in front of me. I am a fairly hefty girl, at least twenty pounds heavier than most women my height. My curves have curves and I buy pants that take minimal effort to get over my butt. No one uses words like delicate, attractive, or banging body to describe me. Common adjectives include solid, thick, or built like a linebacker. On a good day I feel like a pudgy troll. Next to this itty bitty creature, I was easily a giant pudgy troll. “Would you like me to iron your selection?” she asked, miniature translucent wings unfurling. They fluttered rapidly as she lifted off the ground and flew right in front
The Reluctant Queen 9
“Saraya Ana Lopez, I cannot believe I had to find out about your relationship from the internet!” my mother yelled the moment she picked up my call. “Have you lost your mind?!” I cringed.“I didn’t really have a say in the matter, mother. There wasn’t an application process or anything.”“This is serious Saraya,” she hissed.“No shit Catherine.” The older I got, the less tolerant I became of my mother’s sanctimonious bullshit. She believed that those who mate with vampires and werewolves did so by choice; that it had nothing to do with destiny. She would never come out and say she was a purist, but she had no problem looking down on the mixing of races.
The Reluctant Queen 10
Bishop led the way into the main salon. Trick stood with three men, one of them a human. There were also three women, one of them a vampire. All of them held champagne glasses and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one too. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Trick. He wore a suit similar to Lord Hail. The suit jacket stretched across his wide shoulders and he stood comfortably, with his right hand in his pants pocket. His dark hair hung just over his eyes that were such a rich brown they resembled freshly tilled earth. When he caught me gawking at him, he smirked. He set down his glass and walked over to me. “Hi,” he said, stopping just in front of me. “Hi,” I said back, all of a sudden feeling very shy. “Were you able to talk to your parents?” “Briefly.” I didn’t want to tell him about the conversation with my mom. Something told me he wouldn’t find it amusing. “Well, I’ve arranged to have them come to our engagement party at the end of the week. You’ll have plenty of time to
The Reluctant Queen 11
“Uh, not that I know of,” I managed. “You’d remember if we had,” Trick said, holding up his champagne glass for a refill. “Would she?” Maven teased. “You would know,” Eclipse said in a sickenly sweet voice. My heart fell. “Your speculation on my previous relationship with Trick is gross, not to mention unfair to Saraya. If you have something to say, address it with me. This passive aggressive pettiness is unbecoming of someone of your rank, even if that someone is you.” Eclipse opened her mouth to say something but she stopped, her jaw open. “Eclipse, I highly recommend that you think very carefully before you say anything else the rest of the evening,” Trick cautioned, leaning back in his chair with his glass. “You have proven to be a competent minister. It would be a shame to be replaced, unable to fulfill your father’s dying wish. Have I made myself clear?” Her eyes darted to Trick and I realized that she sat there paralyzed. “Good.” The next instant her j
The Reluctant Queen 12
“Bishop.” Trick’s voice was bone chilling. “Yes, Your Majesty, Lord Hail came to pay his respects to Miss Saraya earlier today.” Bishop’s already grey skin appeared more sickly as he spoke. The muscle along Trick’s jaw clenched. “You are dismissed,” Trick managed through clenched teeth. Bishop bowed his head and disappeared. My heart sank. Was he coming back? Had Trick just fired him? “It appears that I’ve caused some discord between servant and master,” Hail said, smirking while he took his seat. “Trick,” I said softly. “Not now,” he replied shortly. His tone dumped cold water on my feelings causing tears to form. I stared at my plate, trying to
The Reluctant Queen 13
I rubbed my sweaty palms on my leggings and stepped out of my room. Jules and Lucy looked relieved to see me.“You didn’t need to check on me,” I told them. “I appreciate it, though.”“Well things were pretty intense and that group is not exactly easy,” Lucy said understandingly. “Jules and I remember meeting them for the first time.” Jules nodded.“It was horrible. The only saving grace for me was no one said anything bigoted. If they had, I would’ve just been done,” Jules remembered. “Thankfully, Risk scares most of them and the ones he doesn’t scare don’t care.”“Does Trick care?” I asked. I already had an oppressive mother, I couldn’t stand it if my husband was the same way.“Nope. He gave me away at our wedding.” A tender smile crossed Jules’ face. “My parents refused to attend, so he declared he was my father for the day. It was perfect.” My heart burst with pride. And relief. “I’m glad. I may need a set of substitute parents for my wedding.” Jules and L
The Reluctant Queen 14
My mouth went dry as all liquid in my body shot straight to my panties. Trick took advantage of my shocked open mouth, inserting his tongue, closing the gap I had been maintaining. My hands fisted his dress shirt, while he took handfuls of my ass. I rubbed myself across his front, feeling his erection through his pants. Damn, that was an inhumanly impossible cock. Duh stupid. I groaned at my idiotic thought but Trick took that as approval, sliding both hands under my shirt, lifting it until both of my breasts were exposed.“Hey now,” I squealed, trying to step away. Trick’s eyes were black with need and he pulled me back to him, dropping his mouth to my left nipple. My toes curled the second his lips touched my skin, his tongue teasing me. “Oh, uh, mmmm, we can’t,” I panted. “Please.” Trick stopped and I died when he pulled away, the cold air replacing his breath.“Give me one good reason why we can’t,” he demanded, his tone low. It wasn’t threatening, but it still
The Reluctant Queen 15
After living through Bishop’s morning schedule for me, I could see why Trick always hired him back. The man was like a machine, never deviating from the task at hand, a clear plotted course for each action, and always ready with a reason why we couldn’t take a break to have a snack or a shot of tequila. By the time I was allowed to make my way to Lucy’s and have lunch with her, Jules, and Kyla, I was ready to forsake Trick and run back to the bookstore. Then Bishop brought me a giant toasted club sandwich with extra bacon and a side of potato soup (heavy on the bacon) and all was forgiven. When he sat down a vodka spritzer, I almost kissed him. “Rough morning?” Jules commented, watching me drain the entire drink. Bishop whisked the empty glass away and set down a replacement beverage.“Did you know that I have to invite the queens of each realm to monthly lunches for the rest of my life? And then attend them in each of the realms? Every month. In every realm. Also, there’s an entire
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