Lycan King Joaquin

Chapter 4

Joaquin was holding Francemia's hand and walking toward the river. Neither one has said anything. He tried to listen to her thoughts after not having any success. He figured it was because she was human and wasn’t marked yet. That’s the first thing he’s planning to do when they return to the castle. He can’t allow his mate to walk around unmarked for several reasons. He wants everyone to know she’s his mate and also, if anyone harms her, he’ll know and will make the bastards pay dearly for touching what’s his.

Starr, Phylicia, Jenna, and Delilah are walking behind the couple. Neither of them is saying anything either.

Byron is walking behind the four women, wondering if they’re carrying any weapons that he can’t see. He still hasn't figured out why a human has two Viking axes. He almost got strangled when he heard one of the women saying she hoped wherever their friend's mate pack was. She hopes some of the males are handsome and single. He bumped into Delilah’s back and wondered why she stopped so suddenly. Then he noticed Joaquin and his mate had stopped at the riverbank.

Francemia looks at the moonlight reflecting on the water. Joaquin kisses her neck, ”I still don’t know your name.”

“Same here. I don’t know your name either. Let me introduce myself, Francemia Deveraux, and I’m twenty-two.” She sits down, removes her shoes, and puts her foot in the water.

“Twenty-two is a lot younger than I am.” He squats down beside her. Joaquin Gonzalez, I’m two hundred years old and the Lycan King.” Joaquin wonders if she knows what a Lycan King is.

Francemia smiles “So my mate is the handsome and ther merciless Lycan King that I’ve heard so much about.”

“Handsome is new to me. I’ve never heard anyone say I’m handsome. Merciless and a few more choice words. How is it you know about shifters?” He sits beside her.

She looks into his eyes. “I’m a Hybrid. Yep, half vampire, half witch."

"Damn, so you prefer to let people believe you're human. And you're blocking your thoughts from me. This is a first for me. Nobody has even been able to block me." Joaquin looks at her four friends. "Are they vampires or hybrids?

"They're whatever I choose them to be." Francemia looked back at her friends.

He looks at her confused and thinks "We'll save that conversation for another day. Right now, I have to get my mate home." Joaquin stands up, takes her hands, and helps her up. “Let’s head home. We’ll get you and your friends moved in tomorrow. I don’t see you leaving them behind.”

"They go where I go. It's been that way since I was eighteen and that's not going to change." Francemia's looking at Phylicia telling Starr and Jenna to be quiet.

Now both women are frowning, arms folded, and rolling their eyes at each other.

Joaquin tells Byron to come over so he can introduce him to their queen. After Joaquin introduces Francemia to him, he points at Jenna and Starr. "Do they do that a lot?"

"Yes, but sometimes I ignore them until they get on my nerves. If that happens, I put them in a cage for a few days." Francemia walks away.

Byron looked at her confused. "Your mate cages her friends up." he scratched his head. "Don't you find that strange?'

"I would agree if I knew what she chose them to be. Don't ask me because I have no idea" Joaquin looked at Francemia talking to her friends who were staring at him. He doesn't like that he can't hear their thoughts, but now, for some odd reason, he can feel no deceit from any of the women.

"What she chose them to be. Byron mumbles, looking at Francemia. He's more confused than ever because he still believes the five women are human. He sniffs, "Humans."

****

At Joaquin's castle, Helga had called Domino and Ling to help make sure four bedrooms were ready for their guests. The women were in their rooms waiting for the Lycan King to return. Tonight was the night they had planned to slip some wolfsbane into the King's nightcap. Just enough to knock him unconscious so they can seduce him.

Ling and Domino are curious about the guests who will be staying on the floor where Beta Byron lives.

"Helga seemed to be hush-hush about it. She never tells anyone a damn thing. At least it isn't on the king's floor. The guests will be spending the night on.” Domino's mouth fell open, looking at Helga. She's carrying a tray with oysters on a hat, chocolate, and white truffle-covered candy, Strottarga Bianco White Gold Caviar, and a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries.

“What in the hell is that about? Ling points to a man carrying an antique gold champagne bucket with a bottle of 1907 Heidsieck champagne that the King paid a fortune for years ago at an action. Behind him is a woman carrying a French Charcuterie board with cured meat, fromage (cheese) walnuts, almonds, baguette, Saucisson (dry sausage), fig chutney, black and green olives, cornichons(small pickles, slices of French pears and apples.

Domino walks beside Ling looking at Helga, the man and woman stepping into the private elevator that goes to King Joaquin's living quarters.

"We were only told to prepare four bedrooms. Who is the fifth guest?" Ling whispers.

"Looks like the king is having a sleepover. Why, after all these years did he decide to bring a b***h back?" Domino yells.

Ling pats her pocket that the wolfsbane's in. "Hurry up and finish so we won't bump into Beta Byron. If he discovered our plan, it's just like the king discovered it himself. We both would be killed on the spot."

"There's always tomorrow night. The Lycan King will be ours." Domino looks back, walks into the hall, and stops looking at Byron and talking to four women. "Four bitches."

"Four. Maybe one is the Beta's mate." Ling walks into the hall looking at them.

He sees Ling and Domino and motions for her to come over.

"Trouble." Phylicia mumbles, looking at the two women up and down.

Delilah shook her head. "Those two are as good as dead and haven't even met their queen."

"Dead and I want to kill the short black-haired jerk." Jenna looked at Ling.

Starr looks at Domino. "I've never preferred redheads. In her case, I'd make an exception and kill her."

Byron nods " At least it won't be boring around her." He's thinking while looking at Ling and Domino slowly walking toward him. "Why do they look guilty? What have they done or were about to do?"

"Damn, they're walking like turtles." Starr walks past Byron and grabs the two women's arms. "We don't have all night. Some people want to go to sleep."

Domino and Ling look at Starr dragging them up the hall, then throw them on the floor in front of Byron. They're frowning and rubbing their arms.

He chuckles, then clears his throat, and introduces the four women to Ling and Domino. "Be on your best behavior. Do whatever these young ladies say. They're our Queen's family and will be living here."

"Queen," Domino and Ling look at each other mumbling.

"Yep. Queen." Jenna, Starr, Delilah, and Phylicia say in unison, looking down at the two women.

Byron holds his laughter in thinking, "It's not going to be boring around here."