“Craig!” The frantic voice of a mother in distress reached me as she rushed forward. She fell to her knees beside her son, who was still clutching my hand. “I am so sorry, Your Majesty. He did not mean to break protocol.”
I glanced around the crowd once, before lowering my gaze to smile at the pair before me. I then surprised everyone by dropping to my knees so I could be on the same level as them. “You need not worry for your son,” I said. “I know the difference between harm and a happylittle boy.” I then kissed both of them on the cheek, before pulling my hand back and getting to my feet.
“Go!” I shouted out to the crowd. “Go, have fun, and be merry. This is the summer festival, and we will know nothing but joy!”
Noises and laughter started again, and I felt the warmth and love that I had showered out being returned to me. A true leader knows that respect and love are not given freely. You must earn the respect and love of your people, and I was determined to be a queen worthy of both.
10
For just one moment, time stood still
IT WAS OPENING ceremony time.Calista had spent the last thirty minutes making sure I was versed in my duties. I was already perched on Finn’s back, his strength comforting as always. My hair and makeup had been touched up, dress adjusted, mecca crown now atop my head. I was a wolf shifter queen, dressed as a faerie queen, about to stand next to a bear king. This was like the start of a bad shifter joke.
I had no idea what Kade was dressed as, or if he would even honor the tradition by dressing up at all, but I couldn’t wait to see him. I stood off to the side of a recently erected stage, two throne chairs perched upon it. Not my mecca thronefrom back home, just one that was used during the summer festival. I could see the crowds out there waiting for us, a veritable sea of shifters spread out across a massive cleared hill in the center of the Island. Bear and wolf together … well, sort of. There was still a divide, but the mingling energy was strong. The mecca was loving the closeness of the five boroughs, and it danced with abandon beneath my skin. It was hard to tell under the glitter and body paint I wore, but my skin had a fine purple glow about it, which seemed to be happening more and more lately. The pull of mecca from the Otherworld to Earth might have slowed, but the imbalance remained, and it was clearly starting to affect those of us closest to the power.
An influence which should be over after tonight. I let my eyes linger on the bright beams of the full moon. It could just be seen in the setting sun. Our special fae ceremony, the one in the mecca room at the castle to call on the fae portal, would take place at midnight, the time of the fullest moon.
“Time for you to take your throne, Ari.” Violet leaned in and gently brushed her lips against my cheek, careful to not really touch me, for multiple reasons – my glittery makeup and her ability to read the essence of anyone she touched being two of the biggest. “If we lose each other duringthe night, I’ll meet you at the boat docks just before midnight. I won’t let you down.”
I blew her a kiss. “You’ve never let me down. Now go out and have fun. I’ll see you later.” I let my eyes linger on her costume. She was in Renaissance garb, of course, so it wasn’t really a costume, but she’d gone much more detailed than she usually wore. Tonight she was in a bright, vibrant pink, her hair elaborately up-styled with small ornaments woven into it. She had on some body paint that glowed against her white skin and hair. The glitter was sprinkling everywhere and mecca energy was oozing from her very pores. This was going to be one hell of a night, that was for sure.
When the music started Finn began to walk us into the massive crowd of thousands of gathered shifters. We were on Apple Hill, a breathtaking open field that was high enough to look out onto the ocean, almost directly in the center of the Island. Both bears and wolves were on this hill, and I was pleased to see a few talking to each other rather than standing with their own kind. At the base of the hill was a cherry tree grove, and beyond that grove a little empty cabin that few knew about. It was there that Kade and I had kissed over five years ago.
Faces turned to greet me, and I was pleased to see most of them smiling, only a few scowls.Every queen knows you can’t please everyone; the former Red Queen went out of her way to please no one, but I believed in catering to my people. At least a small amount.
Behind the stage was a beautiful adornment of hundreds of flowers that had been strung up. As Finn brought me out of the crowd and up to the stage’s steps, I saw Kade. That damn bear. It felt like forever since I’d seen him, and as I found my gaze glued to his tall frame, my heart began to pound in my chest. My palms grew sweaty and my stomach was in knots. I knew there was no point denying it any longer. I had fallen for the bear king.
He was dressed in a worn pair of jeans, a red and black checked flannelette button-up, which was open at the neck, displaying a lot of bare, muscled chest, and he had an axe thrown over his shoulder. Add in some rugged black boots and … hot damn. He’d just brought my fantasy to life. He was a huntsman.
Heat shot through me and I wanted to fan my face. He could have literally come to the summer festival naked and it wouldn’t have been as hot as his woodcutter outfit. Okay, maybe not literally naked. Naked was the clear winner. I was a fan of naked. But seriously, did he somehow know I thought of him as a sexy woodsman? Maybe Violet told him? I wouldn’tput it past her to start matchmaking behind the scenes.
I knew my cheeks were pink as I stepped off Finn and ascended the steps. Kade outstretched his hand to help me up the final few. Pushing aside naked thoughts, I took his hand, and as I looked into his warm golden eyes, everything else melted away. In this moment I forgot that thousands of shifters were watching us. I forgot that both of our lives and crowns were on the line. It felt like we were the only two in the world. Suddenly the crowd began to cheer, and like a swift kick to my clenched stomach muscles, I was reminded of where and who we were.
“Kade,” I breathed now that I was a mere foot away from him. I finally noticed Nix on his shoulder, and I realized how single-focused I had been on the king. How did one miss a massive eagle?
“Arianna,” he murmured back. God, the way he said my name made my stomach clench again, the desire heating even more within me.
I cleared my throat. “Happy summer festival.”
His eyes narrowed the slightest bit, as he turned his head, assessing me. “Are you actually happy, Ari?”
I realized then my hand was still in his, so I pulled it back, rubbing it quickly across my face. A lame attempt to mask my shock. Breathingdeeply, I tried to suppress my very strong emotions. It had been a huge, overly emotional day already, and I was having trouble containing myself.
Finally I said: “You’re the second person today that’s asked me that.”
Why did shifters keep asking me this? Making me examine my feelings. I was much better with the suppress-until-I-had-to-deal-with-it type of existence. Was it that obvious that I was miserable inside?
Before either of us could respond further, howls rose up, followed by bellowing roars. Our people wanted a speech. Kade gave me one more long look, a look that said a thousand words, before he turned to the crowd.
“We have gathered here today, just as our ancestors before us, to honor the peace between our people and bask in the beauty of this season. I think I speak for both Queen Arianna and myself when I say that we wish you health, prosperity, and love on this blessed day.”
His voice held such strength and sincerity. Despite his confession to me on the night of my coronation that he had never been meant to be king, it was clear that this was the role he’d been destined for. I nodded in agreement and let my voice be heard.
“For a long time we feared and even hated each other, but let tonight be a clean slate. Let us come together and drink, eat, and be merry. Let us make new memories for generations to come!”
The crowd went wild then, throwing their fists in the air and screaming as the music picked up. They all began to dance. From my previous years here, and the sight of many lifted beer mugs, I knew that at least half the crowd was already drunk, but that didn’t matter. My people were happy, and that made me happy.
Kade and I both turned then and made our way across to our thrones. Just before I took my seat in the high-backed, jeweled piece, I turned to Kade and looked him dead in the eyes.
