Chapter dedicated to Nicole192. Thanks so much for reading and voting!  You rock!

Chapter 32 – The Queen – Raine's POV

Cage returned right on time. I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist as I asked breathlessly, "Where are we going?"

He laughed and nuzzled into my neck. "We are going to see Kieran and Talia." He released me to my feet and took my hand as we walked out the door.

After all of yesterday's events – had it only just been one day – it felt a little strange to me as we walked through the familiar rooms. But no one seemed to take any special notice or pay attention more than normal. Besides Cage, Kieran and Talia, it appeared no one knew about my attempted escape.

It didn't take long to reach Talia's suite. I was nervous, worried about how angry she would be with me. As soon as we entered the door, she rushed to me and hugged me tightly. Relief flooded through my body. A small sob broke from my lips as I cried against her shoulder, "I am so sorry! I never meant for you to get hurt!"

"Hush now. It was just a little flesh wound. I am perfectly fine," she assured me softly, and then stood back and said with a sly smile, "I hear you will be mated soon."

I wiped the few tears from my cheeks and flushed with excitement as I breathed, "Yes!"

Kieran stepped around Talia to face me. He nodded toward Cage and teased, "You are either incredibly brave or irreparably insane to put up with him."

I laughed.

He looked at Cage and asked, "May I?"

"Of course," Cage answered easily.

I was startled when Kieran gathered me into his arms, but welcomed his brotherly affection. He whispered, "Always be good to him, little sister."

"Always," I breathed in absolute agreement against his shoulder.

He released me, and Cage's arms wrapped around me tightly again. I clung to his chest, my happiness mirroring his. We settled down onto a couch. Kieran and Talia sat across from us in chairs.

"I will return her to you this evening," Cage told Talia.

Talia assured him strongly, "We will take very good care of her for you. Vlad will get nowhere near her."

Anxiety rolled through me again.

Kieran asked Cage, "Do you have any further news on the spy who alerted the hunters about her departure yesterday?"

Cage's voice was hard as he replied, "Not yet. Besides the three of us, it does not appear that anyone was even aware of her absence. Yet someone had to know. I have my contacts working on it."

My face must have paled considerably because Talia admonished them, "Hush, those details can be discussed at a later date. They are not important now. What is important is getting you ready for the mating ceremony. Tomorrow, we will find you a gorgeous dress, fitting for the Princess you will be."

"A dress?" I breathed.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh yes, we are going to have so much fun together!"

We were interrupted when Cage's cell phone pinged. He extracted it and frowned as he looked at the screen. He stood and extended his hand toward me. "We must go. It appears the Queen has requested your presence."

Both Kieran and Talia looked worried. I trembled. "What does she want?"

Cage shook his head.

..........

When we reached the Queen's suites, Cage assured me, "I will be right outside."

"Okay," I whispered as I slipped inside and shut the door behind me.

Queen Ileana sat regally on the same couch that she had last time. And once again she ordered me, "Sit."

I crossed the room quickly to sit in the chair across from her and waited silently for her to speak. For a moment, she just stared at me. I desperately wanted to know what she was thinking, but didn't dare ask. Finally she murmured, "You will be mated in three days."

I was still at a loss for what she wanted and just replied, "Yes."

"Are you doing it willingly?"

Oh! I didn't expect that question. I hurried to explain, "Yes! I love him very much."

Her expression hardened.

Oh shit, I guess that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. And then I realized how my happiness might inadvertently cause her loss to be more sharply felt. In an effort to lessen the blow, I focused on the one part of difficulty and muttered, "Although I am not quite sure how I will be able to get through the ceremony."

"You are not eager to be on display in front of those bastards, with your legs in the air, while he takes what he wants from you?" She spoke scornfully, clearly inserting her own perspective into her comment.

I was taken aback a bit by her searing contempt of the process, but given her lack of relationship with the King, I guess I could understand the event had been just one more, quite public, humiliation of her. I cringed. I was curious about one thing and bit my lip as I asked hesitantly, "How did you get through it?"

My distress seemed to open her up. She said softly, "It was easier as a vampire."

I considered her words. I knew at some point, Cage expected me to make that choice. Even if I wasn't completely human, I was still aging. It was logical that I would have to, if I truly wanted to be with him forever. I wondered for the briefest of moments if I should ask him to turn me before the ceremony. The anxiety of that thought was all-consuming and stifled me in its grip. I quickly pushed the idea out of my mind. I clearly wasn't even remotely ready to consider it right now.

I whispered, "Cage said he will make the process quick."

She sneered, "Hopefully he will be true to his word. Most vampires prefer taking the opportunity to display their sexual prowess. Armand certainly seemed to enjoy having a room full of men watch me suck his dick. And when he was done fucking my mouth, he went on to fuck every other part of me he could."

I stared at her in abject horror, appalled at what she went through. I trembled hard, reconsidering if I could go through with it or not.  She continued derisively, "For both your and my sake, I hope he makes it quick."

"What?" I asked in confusion. What did she mean for her sake?

She explained, "As the Queen. I am required to be in attendance. As the Princess, you will be required also for any future mating ceremony."

"Oh fuck," I whispered. I did not realize I would have to be a spectator for future unions.

"Indeed," she remarked as she saw the understanding crossed my face. She dismissed me curtly, "You may go."

Cage worriedly met me in the hall as I exited. My expression must have solidified his anxiety because he hissed, "What did she tell you?"

I murmured, "Not here."

He nodded hard and we returned to his suite. I was shaking by the time we got there. As soon as the door shut behind us, he gathered me into his arms, cradling me to his chest as he carried me to the bedroom. He sat down on the bed with me still firmly in his grasp and spoke soothingly, "You can tell me. What did she say?"

I climbed out of his lap and sat next to him on the bed. I needed some distance in order for me to have this conversation. I needed to be able to see his expressions clearly. His lips formed a thin hard line as I pulled away, but he let me go.

"She told me about her experience," I said. Even though I knew it was unlikely, a part of me hoped that she had exaggerated. Any hope I had, was completely dashed when his features transformed into anger.

My heart sank. She had told me the truth.

And from his furious expression, I suspected it had been much worse than even she had shared. He hissed vehemently, "I would never do that to you!"

I whispered, "How can you be so sure? If it is tradition for men to display their abilities, there is going to be extreme expectations on you, considering your title as Prince. And if you do choose not to make a spectacle out of it, what kind of retribution would you face?"

He looked at me in awe and said, "Shit, are you seriously worried about me in this scenario?!"

My heart was breaking. A tear fell from my eye as I whispered brokenly, "I won't lie to you. I couldn't survive it, if you did that to me. But at the same time, you must live up to, and exceed, their expectations in order to lead them."

He took my hands, forced me to look into his eyes and swore fiercely, "Any  man can fuck. There is no honor in that. You are right. They will expect a performance. However I don't give a fuck about whether or not they get off a nut while watching. I refuse to lead them with my dick. What they will see, is a man so confident in his abilities that he doesn't need to prove it to any one, least of all those fuckers. They will see me cherish and protect you, in a proper example of what a mate should be. And if they are foolish enough to mistake my love for you as weakness, I will efficiency and happily show them the error of their ways, with a dagger through their hearts."

His eyes blazed crimson. I had no doubt that he meant it. Tears flowed freely from my eyes. I quickly climbed back into his lap. His steel arms wrapped around me in an unbreakable hold as he whispered soft soothing tones, assuring me everything would be okay.

I finally pulled back and looked at him. I whispered, "I thought I loved you before. But words cannot really even express what I am feeling now. You will make an amazing King. I am honored and overwhelmed that you want me by your side."

He smiled radiantly and replied, "You will always be by my side, Dulce Tigru... "