The Crown Hackura Prince and His Dragon Princess

Shift in the World Pt. 2

Her kids flinched and so did Uncle Marcus. She reached over and took Aunt Haley’s hand, “You hold yourself accountable for things that you had no way of knowing. Even now if someone uses that oil on people you could suspect but only Aiden would know. He wouldn’t have back then either. He’d also suspect and investigate.”

She put her other hand on Uncle Marcus’ thigh, “I worried he regretted us because he’d defend her. I didn’t dive into those emotions. It’s something we talked through in therapy. It shouldn't have happened. No b***h should ever take someone’s will the way she did Marcus and Eric. Those choices are on her. She’s the predator, but you didn’t see him with her. If you had, you would’ve known. You didn’t know she did it and brushed it off. Marcus and I are stronger for what happened. I wish it hadn’t, but we came through that trial forged together in a way that we hadn’t before. I’ve never doubted a day since whether or not Marcus finds me attractive.”

She acknowledged, “Oligar had a hard time, but they moved past it.” Oligar chimed in, “I felt intense guilt when we found out. Dad, me, momma T, my mom, stepdad, and Grandpa Titus sat down with all my siblings to discuss it. All of us knew it wasn’t like him, but we didn’t suspect anything.” I wondered if Cousin Benny did. Or if he knew. I’d ask if I ran into him again.

I’d met him on my first mission and done some research into that side of the family. My dad was open and honest with me about who he was. We had no idea what he was doing, but he seemed to steadfastly believe that we were all in danger. He’d been on that mission so long I knew that it had to be deeply important to him. If he was still out when I became King, I’d have Aunt Haley bring him home. I knew she’d never met him.

Grandpa Titus said, “Princess, that wasn’t your fault.” She rubbed her temples. Uncle Benjamin said, “You wouldn’t blame your patients or the other partials you saved. You wouldn’t blame us either.” She agreed, “I wouldn’t.” I asked, “Can you stop blaming yourself then?” She whispered, “I don’t know.”

All my Uncle’s along with my dad stood and surrounded her. Uncle Marcus picked her up and held her in his arms. She sobbed, “I’m so sorry, Marcus.” He told her, “I didn’t need your apology then and I certainly don't need it now. Bad things happen, and it’s not up to you to solve the world’s problems.”

A pop sounded. Aiden Holloran blew out a breath. He said, “I don’t think Astrid gave Lucinda all the details.” I looked at my mom who winked. Uncle Aiden conjured a drink and handed it to Haley.

Aiden said, “So, I see why my presence was needed even though the question is quite basic. It has clearly upset my sister.” Probably the wrong choice of word at the end using basic. He said, “To answer your question, Astrid, unless a Fairy is around someone with a Fairy charm they don’t know if someone is charmed. Who is charmed now? If it’s one of you again please kill them.”

Uncle Marcus said, “I was charmed.” Aiden rolled his eyes, “Yes, that’s old news. This is clearly new. Little sister, you wouldn't know unless you saw the person with a Fairy charm. You clearly suspected and now the problem is over.”

I explained, “This is about Marcus being charmed. She believes she didn’t have his six because she didn’t save him when she was fifteen. She thinks not accepting her light fully means she let him down.”

Aiden frowned, “Haley, please look at me.” She pulled back from Uncle Marcus and tilted her chin in his direction. He locked eyes with her, “You are aware there were Fairies at the summit? Including Bexley?” She frowned but nodded. I saw where he was going with this.

He said, “Any Fairy would’ve run to me with news that someone had a powerful Fairy charm and was using it on your Consort.” Uncle Eric growled, “Really?” Aiden shrugged, “They would have. They might have hoped you hurt her feelings and she came to me. Or that I’d pull her to our realm. Claudia made sure not to be around any of the Fairies. Bexley only heard about her and she tried to seek her out.”

Aunt Haley frowned. I sent my mom my feelings that she was right to call him. She laughed in reply but was happy I agreed with her. Uncle Eric snarled, “She is mine.” He yanked Aunt Haley out of Uncle Marcus’ grasp.

Aiden replied, “I know that. I wouldn’t have taken her from you. I would’ve had such fun disrupting the Summit though. It would’ve been glorious. Can’t you just imagine?” I actually could. He would’ve been gloating and demanding an audience bringing Claudzilla to her knees. He chuckled.

Aunt Haley said, “She came around me.” He nodded, “Knowing your powers weren’t working. She was clearly tipped off by Alania, somehow.” They could’ve been in direct contact. He said, “Or she would’ve come to Eric in private when you weren’t around.” Haley frowned.

Aiden patted me on the back, “Good call.” I rolled my eyes. That Fairy in his territory was a pain in my ass. He gave Aiden lots of information. I shrugged and our family went through a torrent of history and our feelings about it. Aunt Haley was clearly surprised she felt so much better and so did everyone else afterwards. That’s part of the bond. We feel better when we go through everything together.

After they went to bed I went into my room. I spotted the purple stuffed Dragon I had. Sometimes I couldn't believe I still had it. I said, “I did a good thing today, K. I helped my Aunt. I’m older than her but that’s a whole thing. I feel a lot of pride for me in the bond for what I did. The thing is I feel everything changed today. I just don’t know why.”

The wind blew through my open window and a picture of Hugo, me, my dad, Arvid, and Louis floated off my desk. I picked it up and put it back smiling. We were in New York outside a hot dog place. I opened a portal to New York and was gone.

I went to the place and ordered and sat down. I felt restless. A faint scent of Cherry blossom pound cake hit my nose. My Grandma Kenna made that for me a lot. We’d made it together when I was younger. I stood and asked, “Who sells Cherry blossom pound cake nearby?” The man answered, “Uhh no one. Sounds good though.” He kept walking.

I followed the scent and ended up in an alley. It was all over but ended on the street. I jogged to the spot I’d portaled in at and quickly left. I found Uncle Gunner. I said, “I need to know everyone who had a mission in New York that was there today.”

He said, “Alright.” He had it in seconds and handed it to me. I’d met every single woman on the list. My jaw locked and I knew it. Uncle Gunner asked, “What’s wrong, H?” I answered, “I thought…” I sighed, “It was dumb. Thanks anyway.” I portaled away from him to the stables.

I saddled up my horse when my dog trotted over. I greeted, “Hey, Rusty.” He was related to my first dog who I loved with my whole heart. I was devastated when he passed away. Aunt Haley had done a fancy burial for him they do for animals in Faerie. It made me feel better too. I asked, “You coming boy?” He stuck his tongue out and wagged his tail.

I whistled and mounted my horse. I took off with my dog happily running beside me. I went to the hills that overlooked the castle. When I got there I bent down to pet Rusty. I said, “Good dog.” I gave a treat out of the saddlebag. I tied my horse up the post and sat down overlooking the Kingdom.

I knew who came before turning around. I greeted, “Hugo.” He sat down, “That was a good thing you did today.” I laughed, “Thanks.” He said, “You don’t seem as proud as I thought you would. Or accomplished.” I admitted, “I thought I smelled my mate in New York, but apparently there was just someone nearby selling cherry blossom pound cake.”

He laughed, “I would’ve believed it was your mate too then.” I admitted, “I want her, but no matter how hard I look I don’t find her.” He mused, “I’m guessing you got the list of those out on missions today.” I nodded. He said, “It’s too bad people don’t log their trips. It might not have been a mission.” I shook my head, “It was wishful thinking.”

He nudged me, “But….” He trailed off. I laughed, “But the world felt like it shifted today. I thought after talking to Alexander that maybe it was my mate.” Hugo shouted, “WHOA! WHOA! I missed Alexander finding his mate? Who is it?” I laughed, “No, he felt the world shift last month. Then Jason McAlister told him his little sister was born.”

He whispered, “Levi said her name is Melanie.” I nodded, “That’s what Alexander said too.” He offered, “It’s too bad Sam was super sick her whole pregnancy. Levi said he didn’t think she’d have another pup because she was so sick the entire time. She even threw up the whole time she was in labor.”

I told him, “From what our brother says every pregnancy is different.” Alvin offered, “It sounds like she had hyperemesis gravidarum. It’s very rare for a supernatural, but I have told our older brother every pregnancy is different.”

Rusty jumped into Alvin’s lap and licked him. I chuckled with Hugo. I tugged on my bond with Gabe, “Come on, little brother. I know you’re here.” He skipped over to me. Gabe said, “I swear your dog knows Alvin is a cat person.” I grinned, “Of course he does.” Alvin sighed, “I like dogs just fine. I just prefer my cat.”

I asked Hugo, “When is my next nephew or niece coming?” He laughed, “I’ve got three boys, brother. Holly and I are happy with that right now. We figure we could stretch that out with the long lifespan we have.” I nodded. He said, “You’ll find your mate, H.”

I agreed, “I know.” Gabe said, “I bet our mates are hanging out right now.” I laughed, “Well, then let’s go find them.” I got my horse and opened a portal to the stables. A hand came over, “Crown Prince, I’ll take care of your horse.” I patted my stallion, “I’ll see you soon, Aziz.”

I told my brothers, “Shower and meet back here in fifteen minutes.” They hooted and hollered. I said, “Bring your mates.” I opened a portal to my room and took a shower. I grabbed some jeans and glanced at my stuffed purple Dragon. I felt a tug in my heart I didn’t understand. I tapped its nose, “I’ll find my mate on day, K. You’ll always be my best girl though.” I laughed at the joke and left my room before I did something crazy like holding it.

My brothers were waiting for me and the ones with mates brought them. I opened a portal to Grandpa Rob and Grandma Kenna’s house. Grandma squealed when she saw us, “Oh my god look at you!” My Uncle Victor got up to hug us. His mate, my Aunt Ayesha, gave us all hugs too.

Grandpa said, “Well, this is a welcome surprise.” I said, “Well, I was hoping Grandma and I could have a throwback to a past time cooking session. With the brothers.” Gabe asked, “How does this help us find our mates?” I laughed. Grandma Kenna winked, “Because we always cook enough that I sent H out to deliver them.”

I added, “Only to houses with unmated women in them.” She gasped, “Well, I just never.” Everyone busted up laughing. She said, “You know, I had a hankering myself earlier.” She winked at me. Grandpa laughed, “You brought enough pound cake ingredients to serve the whole area.” She asked, “Did I? Odd.” I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

I told her, “Put us to work.” She shooed us all into the kitchens and already had stations set up. Brenton asked, “Did you know we were coming?” She shrugged, “Hmmm. Maybe. Could that be why I invited Caius?” I laughed. Brenton yelled, “CAIUS!” My brother’s mate ran in and gave him a hug. He shouted, “Surprise!” I ruffled the top of Brenton’s head. He was eight but thought he was thirty for some reason.

He kissed Caius. I turned to stark whisking the butter and cream. Eventually flour was thrown at me. Grandma Kenna winked, “That took longer than I thought. I have the first cakes in the oven.” I laughed and we got into an all out flour war. Grandma Rob came in asking, “What in the world is going on in here?”

Uncle Victor yelled, “I told you not to go in there!” Brenton nailed Grandpa Rob in the face with the flour and cackled like a lunatic. Grandpa Rob warned, “Now, you’ve done it! You’ve woken THE FLOUR MONSTER!” Brenton and the little ones screamed and ran as he took off after them.

The first batch came out and my Grandma handed it to me. She said, “Here’s the address for the first delivery.” Holly asked, “Who do we deliver to since the unmated Cambridge boys have the unmated women.” My grandma smiled, “Other younger mated couples. I have a few I think would have such fun on double dates with you boys.” I laughed and took off.

The first address was just across town. I knocked on the door and heard someone coming. She yelled, “Hold on.” A smile overtook my face. I knew that voice. She yanked the door open and stared at me. She had a hair tie in her mouth and she dropped it to gape at me. I greeted, “Camila.”

She snorted, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you knew I was back.” I laughed, “This is the work of my grandma. It’s been awhile.” We’d dated when I was fourteen for about a year. Then she’d decided to make her mark on the human world. She was immersing herself in their culture and took a long term mission.

She blushed, “I’m a mess.” I chuckled, “You know I never minded that.” She nodded, “I do know that. Come in.” I did and locked the door behind me. She asked, “Why the cake?” I answered, “I had a hankering. How was your mission?” Her face went through several emotions but her eyes told me more.

She sighed, “It was fine. I made stupid mistakes that one does when they are young. I’m chalking it up to being young and dumb.” I asked, “What’s his name?” She blushed, “We don’t have to do this.” I agreed, “Not at all. If you want to talk though, I’m here.” She asked, “And if I don’t want to talk?” I shrugged, “That’s fine.”

She pushed, “And if I want you to make me forget those years I left? Would you be open to that?” I grinned, “More than happy to. You just need to know I don’t do relationships anymore.” She winced, “That’s not my fault is it?” I answered, “No, I dated after you left. Ten years ago I had a situation that made me decide I’d date around but never anything serious until I found my mate.”

She asked, “Do you want to talk about that?” I assured her, “It’s not really a sexy story. She wanted to be Queen more than she wanted to be with me.” She winced, “I’m sorry about that. It must be hard for you. Wondering who is around for the Crown or for you.” I replied, “It can be.”

She moved to me slowly and I let her come. She asked, “Did you ever wonder with me if it was you or the Crown?” I answered, “No. I knew it was me.” She grinned, “I missed you, H.” I replied, “I missed talking to you quite a bit.” She pushed into me asking, “Is that all you missed?” I grinned, “Not by a long shot.”

I picked her up and spun us around and kissed her hard. She groaned, “God, it’s been too long. I don’t want finesses. f**k me hard, H.” I bent her over the table and did as she asked. I spent hours with her before we finished. She chuckled, “You know, I almost got married to a human. I’d forgotten how different it was being with a supernatural.”

I asked, “Do I need to kill this human? Did he hurt you?” She sighed, “It was very cliche.” I told her, “That was not a clear answer, but I’m feeling a yes.” She laughed and shoved my chest. She shrugged, “He wasn’t my mate or anything, but he worked where I was getting intel. He was in a higher position so it was all very forbidden and hot.” I inclined my head letting her know I understood.

She said, “Well, we spent a decade together.” I was surprised but nodded. She sighed, “He always commented that he loved that I never pushed him for marriage.” I laughed, “He was probably quite confused. In their realm they often discuss marriage from what I’ve observed.” She nodded, “I guess he was. He took a position at a different company with better pay.” That was pretty commonplace.

She snorted, “We were discussing having kids. I almost went off my birth control, but something was telling me something was wrong. He was always freshly showered when he came home. Part of me thought I was going crazy because he was just as attentive as always. He took me on dates. He was the one pushing the kids' conversation. He’d even mentioned going ring shopping.” I definitely needed to kill a human.

She sighed, “I talked to my sister and she told me to fade back and follow him. She said I’d always wonder if I didn’t.” Smart girl. She sighed, “So I did. It was his secretary.” I agreed, “That is cliche.” She grinned, “Thank you for not saying something dumb. I got a lot of pity back then and I can’t stand pity.” I kissed the top of her head, “I remember that about you.”

She blew out a breath, “I felt quite foolish but I made one hell of a scene. He got fired and so did she. Something about a morality clause in their contracts. The human realm is fascinating sometimes, but that one worked to my advantage.” I laughed, “I’m sure their HR department was in quite a tizzy.”

She winked, “I threw that door and opened and screamed my head off. I barely kept from kicking their asses, but I did shove her out into the middle of the room, butt naked. He was desperately trying to chase me and tripped on his pants.”

I told her, “I will kill him if you’d like.” She shrugged, “He married her and they have a kid.” I huffed, “Fine.” She warned, “I wasn’t done.” I groaned, “You’re not making this easy not to want to kill him.” She grinned, “He cheated on her and got someone at his job pregnant. This was the boss's niece so he divorced the secretary and married that niece. He cheats on her a lot but she doesn’t care because she cheats too.”

I blew out a breath, “That’s a whole lot of crazy. I can bankrupt the company.” She laughed, “That’s not fair to the kids he needs to support. He got his karma. He does still call me though.” Hell to the f**k no. I asked, “I assume you don’t want him to call.” She shrugged, “He thinks I’m stuck on him because he kept tabs. He put me off men, but this encounter definitely whetted my appetite. I guess seeing me with women turned him on.”

I said, “I do recall you were hot with women.” She’d been involved in my first threesome. She laughed, “Don’t you forget it. I taught you how to eat out a p***y like a champ.” I grinned, “That you did.” She told me, “I hope you find your mate, H.” I replied, “Right back at you Cam, Cam.” She groaned, “God, I forgot you called me that.” I got up and got dressed.

I asked, “Any interest in going with me to a banquet next month?” She agreed, “If I don’t meet my mate or you yours I’ll be there.” I winked, “Glad you’re back.” She laughed, “I’m staying for a while this time.” I replied, “A mission as long as yours definitely deserves a reprieve.” She shrugged and walked me to the door.

I went back to my grandparents’ house. Grandma Kenna opened the door, “Phoo. I was so hoping.” I laughed, “Don’t worry, Grandma. I had fun.” My grandpa laughed, “The bond told us that, kid.” I asked, “What’s his name?” She grinned, “Herford Henson.” I stared at her for several minutes but she didn’t laugh.

I turned to my Grandpa, “She’s joking, right?” He shook his head, “Nope.” I asked, “Could he sound more like an ass?” My grandma gritted out, “No. That rat bastard! Treated a friend of mine’s daughter’s daughter so poorly. He believes her name is Kelly Oso.” I told her, “I’ll handle it.” She grinned, “I knew you would.” I kissed the top of her head and went into the kitchen.

I picked up my sleeping younger brother and opened a portal. I put him to bed and called Uncle Gunner. He answered, “H.” I said, “I need a number for Herford Henson.” He chuckled, “Yes, your grandma Kenna texted your Uncle Harper you might want that. I texted it to your phone.” Uncle Harper growled, “Now turn off that phone.” Aunt Cali moaned, “Please, Gunner.” I laughed and hung up.

I dialed the number. A gruff voice asked, “Do you know what time it is?” I replied, “No, nor do I care.” He asked, “Who the hell is this?” I answered, “Someone telling you to leave Kelly Oso alone.” He asked, “What are you dating her now?” I replied, “Does that matter? Leave her alone.” He snorted, “I can do what I want. I feel responsible, you know? I turned her onto women.”

I rolled my eyes, “So? By the way Kelly has been into women long before you met. Though we did just roll around the sheets for four hours. You’re not responsible for Kelly and you can stop calling her. Don’t let me find out you did again or you’ll meet me in a dark alley. Which would be a win for womankind, but not your children.”