Page 30 of His Fate
Unless...
I turn to Josh and he gives me a watery smile. "Ella and Alex. They're four and seven."
"I am so deeply sorry for the loss of your mate. So sorry."
He nods and Will clears his throat. "Someone figured out Jesse was a Kodiak princess, next in line of the Burbaden clan. She hadn't claimed her rightful place or nothing so it's definitely a red flag that she was attacked."
"Not that there's Jack shit for any one of us to claim," Harold growls. "Our prides and packs all scattered after all that shit went down and they musta spread word about a curse or some shit because not one shifter has even farted in our direction since then."
Will scolds his brother then looks at me, "Since it is obvious you are dragon royalty and not just next in line but a made king we thought it was best you knew what you were up against."
"I appreciate that. Now how can we help?"
Will's brows lift and he gapes at me. "How can you… help?"
I nod.
"I only told you as a courtesy, so you could leave and get to safety if needed. I wasn't asking for help, necessarily."
I lean forward and plant my elbows on my knees. "Here's my dilemma, chief. One, we know who those daggers belong to or at least who they were acquired from and to leave with knowledge that may be beneficial to you is wrong. Two, Henrich has a brilliant mind for science and if he can figure out what was used that successfully killed twenty-eight members of your community, as well as paralyze Hank Timmons, then he needs to stay and do that."
I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a minute. "Third, we very recently lost our mother and father and our three younger sisters in a tragedy that started a civil war amongst the dragon shifters. There is no one left of our clan except us and one loyal warrior who stayed behind to be our eyes and ears, no one left of our allied clans. There is only the one who led the uprising and a small group of his followers. I no longer have a kingdom to rule over and as long as our enemy is still alive, I will never be able to rebuild."
I look at my brothers who all nod. "And lastly, I cannot leave even if I felt it was the right thing to do because I have found my mate here in Ashland. She is now at risk and I will not let harm befall her." My mouth lifts at the corner a bit, "And quite honestly, she plays a rather vital role in rebuilding my kingdom."
Will chuckles and shakes his head before looking around the yard. "I know we ain't much, especially compared to the four of you but we just so happen to be a kingdom without a king."
"Speak for yourself," Harold chides while puffing his chest out. "You ain't much because you're just a cop but I'm the fire chief."
Jack roars out a laugh while patting his gut. "Been a long time since this bear fought for anything he believed in but I'm in."
"Me too," Josh says. "I'm strong as hell and madder still. I'll follow you straight to the devil's front door with a smile on my face if it means bringing vengeance for my Jesse and keeping our town safe."
I scan the group again and see equal hope and ferocity, pleas for justice and a leader, strength and endurance that is so hard to find naturally, and I know in my heart this is the right thing to do.
With my people gone, my kind almost extinct, I know my father would want me to do this, to lead these people, unify us and eliminate all threats posed.
My kingdom might be dead and buried with my family but my reign has just begun.
Strange Things
One week later
"Girl, you need a day off."
I glance up from the espresso machine I currently have in pieces all over the floor of the back room to find Kady grinning at me. I took it apart to clean it and found a broken cog that I'm pretty sure I can fix. Maybe. Hopefully. Or else Kady is gonna kick my ass.
"Once Gracie comes back I'll be fine. No more doubles for a while for this girl."
Kady laughs and then sighs. "I really appreciate you stepping up, Posey. If it hadn't been for you filling in when Allie and Grace both went out, this place would have crashed and burned."
"Don't forget Ronny. He's been a huge help the last few days."
"I suppose he has." She smiles warmly, the way I'd expect a mother to look at her child. "That's thanks to you too you know."
I wave her off and go back to fucking around with an espresso machine I have no business fixing. Especially when I cram a screwdriver into a gear and flip it across the room when Kady asks her next question.
"Have you ever thought about settling down and having any kids, Posey?"
