As we walked down the gilded halls toward the dining room, my heart pounded. I wasn’t sure what scared me more—facing Addan in my new form or keeping this insane secret from him. He was mine. But… I needed to know if it was Queen Alienor, or Addan’s mother, who murdered my parents. Or, an even more disturbing possibility, an unknown enemy. Someone I had yet to meet.
16
Addan
The room stilledthe moment Paige entered. I felt her presence before I saw her. My skin prickled, my heart soared, and my cock throbbed. The last wasn’t a good thing in a roomful of people.
I’d been standing near the far wall, watching General Niemini quietly exchange words with one of the guards stationed at the double doors. The other guests, all allies and close friends of Paige’s long dead parents, were scattered in small clusters around the receiving room. Because they’d been gone for over twenty-five years, the crowd was older. They remembered life on Insuri under the old queen and saw every change since.
I’d been young, a new arrival at the military academy, so I only remembered some of the old ways. Even so, I was more than eager to see Queen Alienor dethroned. And the spoiled Prince Martainn… he could be transported to some far-off trading post. Permanently.
While I had thoughts that could have me executed, others sipped sparkling drinks from the trays of gliding silver service bots, their polite chatter just loud enough to mask the tension crackling in the air.
Yes, everyone felt it. They might be excited by Paige’s sudden return, but their cocks didn’t get hard for her like mine did. They better fucking not.
When Niemini returned from summoning the allies, I spoke to him at length. The initial reaction to the news that the Princess was still alive was shocked disbelief when they learned the news. Then joy. Then…unease. Whispered questions prevailed.
What would Queen Alienor’s reaction be?
Her son’s?
Would these people be forced to choose sides, or would Paige assume the throne without resistance?
No one knew.
While I sensed Paige’s entrance, I had to look twice. A female I barely recognized descended the spiral staircase like a vision from the stories my mother used to tell of our world’s greatest queens. Like a goddess.
Paige.
Or, rather, Princess Paige. No. Tonight even that wasn’t right. Tonight she was Princess Edelene Merrienne Peigi, heir to the throne, future queen of Insuri.
Not. Mine.
Except my cock spurted pre-cum at the sight of her, knowing what was beneath. How her calm demeanor hid the insatiable appetite for orgasms that only I could give her.
Fuck, I was in trouble here.
She stood at the top of the staircase for the briefest of moments, and it was as though the air itself paused to take her in. Silence fell.
This was the moment everyone had wanted for decades. Hoped for, but never expected.
Finally, the day had arrived. She had arrived.
Her dark blue gown shimmered, the gold overlays sparkling like moonlight scattered across rippling water, the rich blue bodice snug against her perfect figure. Her crown of braids glinted with golden threads and jewels, catching the glow of the crystal chandeliers overhead as if she already wore the crown. She was… magnificent.
No, she wasn’t just magnificent. She was radiant. She didn’t have the crown of a queen upon her head—she was a queen. The queen.
And I was struck dumb.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything except watch as she descended, each step slow and deliberate. It was as though she’d been born to command this room, and every person in it.
For a moment, she looked my way. Her gaze swept over the crowd below, and something in her expression shifted when her eyes met mine. Or perhaps it was my imagination, desperate as I was to find meaning in her smallest glance.
I didn’t know what it meant. It wasn’t lust. I knew what she looked like in the throes of arousal. I knew what she looked like angry. Sad. Frustrated.
This? It was new to me as well, and I felt I knew her the best of anyone on the planet.
The sound of a clearing throat snapped me back to reality. General Niemini stepped forward, bowing deeply as Paige reached the last step and came to stand at its base. “Princess,” he said, his voice steady and strong. “May I present your mother’s loyal allies.”
