Royally Mated

FIANNI

Iona circled in the reflecting pool, arms crossed as she waded with purpose. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked doubtfully. “You know I’m eager to help, but anything you see, I’ll see too. What if we catch them naked?”

“Why would they be naked? It’s the middle of the day, and you said you’d located them in some sort of meeting room,” Fianni reasoned.

Iona shrugged.

Fianni sat on the cool tile rim of the pool and sighed. “It’s driving me mad to know who my supposed matches are but being unable to just go to them. Geneva said she’s been unable to contact them, so maybe this will give a hint as to why.”

“Using my magic to spy isn’t one of my favorite activities.”

“Yes, it is. You watch us like we’re never-ending movies,” Fianni replied with an arched brow.

Iona rolled her eyes dramatically. “Fine. But if you see something you wish you hadn’t, no complaining.”

“I’ve never asked you for a favor like this. You know I don’t take it lightly. Geneva hinted this could be a difficult match. I wouldn’t worry, but it’s been a week since she said she’d tell them about me. What if they changed their minds? What if they found someone else? Or what if they need help? It’s suspicious that they’ve not even returned a call.”

“Okay, okay. I was going to do it anyway. I just needed you to say out loud that you could handle it.”

Iona sank down into the water, her body dissolving as the pool swallowed her. She was one of the last of her kind and was patient enough to have mastered her magic in ways most fae couldn’t even imagine. What she was doing now was a skill she’d only discovered within the last century.

As the top of her head vanished, the water’s surface became completely flat and glassy. The bottom of the pool became a blurred image.

Iona could reach any water on any planet with her magic and manifest herself to reveal the scene. At this moment, she was in a drop of water on the side of a glass—the best vantage for viewing the men straight on.

The charmed water soon cleared to reveal two handsome men, one with tanned skin and golden hair slicked back from his face, the other a sepia mountain with black braids brushing his muscled shoulders. They wore simple tunics and leather pants and stood in a room with curtained walls, softly lit by the sun streaming through large windows barely visible behind them.

The dragons.

She didn’t know their names. Geneva had only revealed that they were the dragons that ruled Arcadia, and they were seeking a single mate to be their queen. Confidence and strength seeped from them, even in their casual stances. How can they have trouble finding a mate, looking like that?

Fianni tucked a loose strand of pastel hair behind her delicately pointed ears and leaned as close to the pool as possible. The edges of the image shimmered and blurred. The men were identifiable, but it was like watching through a sheer frosted glass.

“The Blue Mountain Clan is testing their power,” the braided man said with an air of irritation.

Goosebumps danced over Fianni’s skin as the low tone of his voice carried through the image. She glanced at the other man, who was turned slightly away and appeared to be looking out at something in the distance.

“What power? I’ve blocked each and every ridiculous proposal of theirs. I won’t allow them to bully the smaller clans, Arron.”

“Except that they are thriving, and it gives them sway over the others. They have always had strong leadership, and now they have numbers. If that isn’t power, what is?” Arron shook his dark braids and glanced away. “We shouldn’t underestimate them.”

“I’m not delusional. I know we’ve lost some of our hold, but what would you have me do? Step down?”

“Don’t overreact, Liam. Our plan is solid⁠—”

“Is it really? Just because it works for the wolves…” He ran a hand through his golden hair and turned, looking Arron in the eyes. “I’m not saying I don’t believe in it. I just worry that because it’s us, it’s doomed.”

“That sounds exactly like you don’t believe in it,” Arron said with a frown.

“It would be easier if we weren’t waiting around. There hasn’t been a single possibility, and I don’t think patience is going to be my strong suit. Besides, do we really think Rask and I could have similar tastes?”

“As if you know my true tastes,” a deep voice grumbled.

A dark-haired man with a severe scowl strode into the viewable area. He wore only black leather pants, and his olive skin held a slight sheen. Sweat, Fianni assumed. As if he’d just been running or some other strenuous activity.

Her eyes latched onto the large swirled tattoo covering the left bicep of his lean, muscled torso. She always did like ink on men. A second tattoo, one that appeared to be black flames, rose out of the pants over his left hip. She ached to trace the shape with her fingers.

He must be Rask, then.

He snatched a glass of water up and regarded Liam. “Our three families have seen this planet through too many ups and downs for us to fail now. It’s a flawed arrangement for us to rotate leadership each generation, and it’s finally caught up with us.”

Arron rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re thinking logically for once.”

“Maybe the flaw is that you two are supposed to be my council, yet all you do is disagree,” Liam reasoned. “Our parents made this work just fine. Hundreds of years of dragon rule exactly like this. We succeeded.”

“Weakened with every change,” Rask said under his breath.

“Are you saying I’m a bad leader?” Liam asked.

“I’m saying that you can’t stick bricks together without mortar,” Rask replied.

The three men stood silently, and Fianni’s jaw dropped as she realized what their conversation meant. They were all three the leaders of the dragons. When Geneva said she knew the perfect men, Fianni thought she’d implied two. But three?

Rask ran a hand through his dark hair. “The problems are piling up, but this is one we can solve.”

“We used to get along just fine,” Liam pointed out.

“Yes, when you were both younger and less hormonal,” Arron grumbled. “Can’t we talk about this later? I’m meeting with the wolves to go over the generators.”

“Of course,” Rask replied. “The moment I show up you have to go. Gods forbid you to stick around and discuss an issue where you aren’t the most vital component.”

“Fixing our communications has to come before finding a mate,” Arron reasoned. “Even I know that what we require isn’t something that could occur instantly.”

“Even if I have my doubts, I still believe I make my own fate, as do we all,” Liam insisted.

Rask didn’t immediately add to the conversation, but his already dark eyes grew deeper and more intense. The other two men waited on him as if they knew he had more to say.

“The wolves have their triad. It empowers the pack to allow each individual strength of their leaders to shine,” he said finally. “It’s not a secret that Wolff and Marcus were falling apart before they found Reese.”

“That’s different.” Liam tucked a hand into his pocket and shifted his weight to one leg. “They didn’t get along outside of leadership, but they still managed to work together for the sake of the pack. Plus, the triad has always existed within their structure. A natural balance.”

“A balance we can learn from,” Arron said, narrowing his eyes.

“I know we’ve discussed this for years, but I always thought you’d be the one to have trouble with it,” Liam said to Arron.

“But now you’re the one questioning it,” Rask said to Liam. “When it was originally your idea.”

Liam glanced away. “I have a lot of ideas. And I’d do anything to save our reign. It’s what’s best for all of us. Our families promised to be worthy of the ruling seat when we came to this planet and deemed it our own. But…”

“But?” Rask asked.

“Nothing.”

Arron cleared his throat. “I really should go. There will be plenty of time to continue bickering after our systems are re-calibrated.”

Fianni sighed and drew a finger across the image of the men, which froze before dissolving into ripples. Iona shot through the surface with a squeal.

“Three?” she shrieked excitedly.

“Apparently,” Fianni replied.

“I see the problem though. Nothing more frustrating than grown men who can’t play nice.” Despite her words, a broad smile remained fixed on Iona’s ecstatic face.

“I’ve settled a million quarrels on Sidera Luminis, but this may be trickier,” Fianni admitted.

“It didn’t seem bad. They were arguing, but they were talking. That’s better than if they couldn’t even stand to, right?”

Fianni shook her head. “No. Beyond their words…I could see it in how they stood, how they breathed, and even with so much distance between us I could feel the strain. Each is on edge. Something pushed them apart, and each of them is only showing a hint of the problems brewing inside.”

“I’m not worried. Magical Harmony pussy power,” Iona snorted.

Fianni rolled her eyes, though she held back a laugh. “I can’t just…that’s not how it works. They have to get along for real. I can’t magic our relationship. You know that. I can ease some of the tension, but whatever is underneath has to be resolved.”

“I know. I’m just as close to envy as I’ve ever been. You know me. Happily, forever alone.” Iona’s brows waggled. “But I’d let that group skinny dip in my pool.”

***

“I don’t know, dear. Honestly, I’m a bit concerned.”

Fianni slumped over the modified computer she was borrowing to speak to Geneva. Technology didn’t work well in Sidera Luminis, except for certain custom objects like the computer in front of her. Thankfully, they didn’t drain Fianni as much as their Earth versions.

“Iona has seen them. They aren’t in danger,” Fianni offered. “I don’t know why they haven’t been in touch.”

“You’ve watched them?”

“Not in a creepy way.” Wait, was there a non-creepy way to spy on the dragons? “I was curious, and I wanted to make sure they were okay.”

“How? Or do I even want to know?”

“Another trick in Iona’s infinite bag,” Fianni explained quickly.

“I see.” Geneva’s voice conveyed no judgment and neutral emotion. “Unfortunately, if their communications systems are on the fritz, it wouldn’t be safe for you to travel. You don’t want to chance a faulty transport.”

“I can travel,” Fianni said carefully. “But they don’t know about me.”

“You have a way to get to Arcadia?” Geneva sounded suspicious.

“Iona. I’m one of the few beings who could travel via undine. A mortal would drown in stage one, and anyone else wouldn’t recover from being disassembled into base molecules, but I’m an aspect. It has its perks.”

“Base—” Geneva croaked. “Base molecules? Disassembled? That sounds horrible. You don’t need to do that.”

“It’s not just about the possible romance at this point. They are scrambling. They know something is wrong, but they can’t figure it out. What if I can help? I can help them communicate off-world, if nothing else,” Fianni rambled. Watching the men on and off over the last few days had brought them close—even if it was one-sided.

A sigh came through the speakers. “I can’t argue with that, though I want to. The truth is, I can’t stop you, and I do worry about them. It wasn’t an easy decision for their families to leave Astreia and start something new.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s a shifter planet, so I’ll probably maintain most of my magic. It’s not like on Earth, where I’m completely vulnerable,” Fianni reasoned.

Silence filled the air, not even interrupted by a breath.

Finally, Geneva’s clear voice rang through. “Be in touch, then. This isn’t how my matches usually go, and I can’t pretend to be comfortable allowing you to travel across the universe alone with no safety net.”

“You have my word.”

“Sure. But I’d like to remind you of something—immortals often take foolish risks. Even if you keep your magic, you will not be immortal on Arcadia. Even the dragons die in time, and danger is danger.”

“I’ll be okay, Geneva.”

A frustrated snort came through, then the line clicked.

***

The downside to traveling across the span of space via magical water portal was that Fianni couldn’t bring any luggage. Which meant that whatever she wore today would be her first impression, but also something she may have to wear a few days in a row.

She knew that there was a balance between comfort and grace. Utility and beauty. She knew it existed, but she’d never had to choose. Her wardrobe consisted solely of simple yet lovely gowns. Even when she spent time on Earth, she managed to get by with what they called ‘sundresses.’

The golden ochre fabric of her current dress was sturdy, but could it hold up to being washed by hand each night? It’s silly to imagine you can’t just acquire clothing once there. But it was a possibility. On Sidera Luminis, clothing was tailored. She’d never thought twice of her size since the fae came in all shapes, from big and curvy like her to thumb-sized like the demifae. On Earth, it was embarrassing when Roy took her shopping, only to discover that few stores held a size that fit her.

And what she found there was baggy and bland, as if she were supposed to hide her curves under long tunic shirts and try to blend into the background. Then the sizes themselves… Either the numbers kept going up and up, or there was an X involved.

The entire situation was ridiculous and had introduced her to an insecurity she’d never before had. One that now reared its ugly head.

She plucked at the scooped shoulder of the dress bodice. It was fitted on top and hugged her breasts, giving the perfect amount of cleavage without seeming offensive—as far as she was concerned. The fabric flowed from there, creating soft ruffles around her knees. Her standard floor-length gown seemed too much for her adventure. She liked the casual grace this dress presented.

“Are you ready?” Iona asked from behind Fianni.

Fianni turned and approached the pool, feigning confidence. She had traveled with Iona before, off-world to a few planets as a sort of mediator. Over a century had passed since her last trip. Iona had always been a portal between worlds—the water from her birthing pool was the same water that replenished the pool of reflection that allowed magical gate travel to the rest of the fae.

Only aspects could travel with the undine and survive.

“Just second-guessing my clothing choice,” Fianni muttered.

She wasn’t afraid, but she’d been blasé when telling Geneva about the method. Iona’s magic forced the second phase of travel, the part where Fianni would become pure essence. There was a time when Fianni could do it on her own, but she’d lost the ability.

Somehow, the loss of that ability made her feel slighted. Iona was ever growing and discovering new ways to hone her magic. Forever confined to water, yet she thrived and would likely outlive them all.

“It’s perfect,” Iona replied.

Fianni combed her fingers through her soft, petal-pink locks. Arcadia was a shifter planet. Magic would be in the atmosphere. Still, her appearance was likely to be changed.

“I can’t recall the last time I saw you nervous,” Iona commented.

“There was probably a war involved,” Fianni joked, but regretted it. For her, it would always be too soon to be casual with Sidera Luminis’s history.

Iona picked up on the unspoken darkness that entered the room and shook her head. “Come on, now. They are meeting by a fountain. I plan on giving you a grand entrance.”

Fianni stood on the rim of the pool and stared down into the clear water. “Iona…what if Kohl was my one true love?”

Iona’s expression lost its excitement, swiftly replaced with sadness. Fianni’s former fiancé had died in the last war, and they’d never spoken of it. Time had eased the pain, but her memory of him still held him clear as day.

“You never asked me this with Roy,” Iona said carefully.

“Because we both always knew Roy was something different. It wasn’t soul-deep love.”

“Then why do you worry now?”

Fianni examined Iona’s carefully neutral face. Iona had always been silent about how she felt about Fianni’s attempt at casual happiness, but it was there under the surface. She thought Fianni was kidding herself trying to hold back her heart while giving it away at the same time.

Fianni bundled a section of dress in her hand. “Geneva deals in true love, and I don’t have to be in the same room with the dragons to know that they are the all or nothing type.”

“The world is filled with second chances,” Iona said reassuringly. “I think Kohl would want you to meet yours.”