Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
And then he began his journey to go there promptly, because he disappeared, and Queen Calisa danced on our display until she got control of their tablet.
“Dad is only going to get in the way of the RS’s investigation,” Aleksei noted.
She waved a hand in front of her display. “Let him do what he has to do. He’s a male. All that ‘protect my female’ rubbish.” She rolled her eyes.
“Laura is not his female,” Aleksei pointed out.
“Ah, say that should your son find his fated mate,” she returned. “It is as if she’s his, but in the daughter-type way.”
It was?
Really?
Mega!
Her eyes shifted to me. “You’re lovely dear.”
“Thanks,” I replied shyly.
“The vids are already flooding the social tapes,” she informed me. “You looked quite stunning in that satin gown astride my son’s beast.”
Aleksei cleared his throat.
I kicked his ankle.
He broke out in a broad smile.
“Mind out of the gutter, son. My goodness. Males,” Queen Calisa griped. It was her turn to look beyond her display and she called, “Excellent, Germaine. You’re here.”
“I wish to speak to her,” Aleksei requested, though no one was under any impression it was anything other than a demand.
“Always needing control,” Queen Calisa mumbled irritably. The visual showed her lovely, beaded dress as she said off display, “Comm from the prince. Good news, the female is his mate.”
“No kidding? That’s exceptional,” a female replied, then she appeared, platinum and honey hair pulled back in a bun, her lavender fae eyes staring at me through the display. “And you’re fabulous. Even better.” Her attention shifted to Aleksei. “Hello, your royal highness.’
“Release a statement,” he ordered. “Along with agents of the Royal Service, His Royal Highness, Prince Aleksei, thwarted an assassination attempt this evening at the art gallery, Tempera. One suspect is in custody. The other lost his life during the attack.”
She dropped all pretense and exposed the relationship she really had with my mate by retorting, “This is not going to fly, Lex, and you know it. Yes, there was drama and danger, but no one, not even you, is allowed to lose control of their creature, no matter what the circumstances.” She took a dramatic pause and made her point by slanting her gaze to me then back to Aleksei. “Except one.”
“This is not true, and you know it, Maine,” Aleksei shot back. “If a beast is defending his being’s life, it is absolutely considered lawful.”
“You had twelve RS agents defending your life,” Germaine pointed out. Before Aleksei could retort, she said quietly, “I get you. You know I do. But you’re going to have to let her out, my prince.”
Aleksei made a ferocious noise in his throat.
“The socials are eating this up. There’s vid from every direction,” she told us. “And yes, you are definitely getting positive commentary for saving the life of some beautiful, random female who stepped in the way of danger to defend our True Heir. But you are also getting a lot of very negative commentary about privilege and acting as judge and executioner by immolating a suspect holding a PR60, which is not known to do much but stun a beast unconscious. And your beast? It would only daze you.”
“However, on the setting he had it, it would have burned a hole through Laura’s body,” Alexei gritted. “Or anyone he might have mistakenly hit.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “And the courts would have decided his punishment for that.” She hurried on again before Aleksei could. “There is not a single being, be they shifter, fae, demon, vampire, witch, conjurer or human who would even begin to question a shifter changing to his beast to defend, protect and even annihilate a threat to his mate. There is no question this is what you did. It’s on vid from at least two dozen directions. You did what any species would do, and in doing it, it is not only lawful, it’s championed. You know that, Lex. We have to use her. She has to be outed.”
“Her name is Laura Makepeace,” Queen Calisa chimed in from off display.
“Fuck,” Aleksei clipped right beside me and looked down at me.
I understood his unspoken question and shrugged, because unfortunately, this Germaine chick was right.
“Do it,” he grunted to the display.
Germaine excelled at not openly appearing victorious, but her eyes did light with excitement.
“I need her brief,” she said.
“Get it from Allain,” Aleksei replied.
“Any skeletons?” she asked me.
Aleksei answered, “Her parents are pieces of shit.”
Sucky.
But accurate.
Her brows shot up. “Are they going to be a problem?”
I got a few words in. “I haven’t seen them in thirteen years, but if I had to guess…yes.”
“Don’t look so downhearted,” she assured. “If they’re the only problem, then they’re the problem and everyone loves the story of a plucky heroine plugging away at life against all the odds and eventually finding her prince.”
I was realizing why this female was the royal spin doctor.