“Why?” Cerdic asked, shrugging when I gave him a shocked look. “Look, I can’t know what it’s like to lose my memories, so you need to decide how you feel and what’s the best path for you. I will say that there weren’t all these cool and crazy things when I was a child.”
Kristof snorted. “Toys weren’t allowed except dolls for my sisters. Most boys only had toys if they learned to whittle.”
“Exactly,” Cerdic agreed. “When squirt guns came out, I bought a ton and brought them over to a community center. I played with the kids there all day because I wanted to see what they were like, and then let the kids keep them. Adults are allowed to let out the little kids inside of them too. And you’re practically still a kid, Inez. Twenty-three? Even humans still think that super young.”
“Maybe,” I sighed, getting sleepy again. “We have so much to do that it seems such a misuse of time.”
“Those who have stressful lives get a pass to play and relax,” Kristof murmured. “Many criticized presidents for playing golf. They need breaks too.”
“Well that last one, it was all he did at his own golf course,” Cerdic argued.
“Yes, he was a useless boob who didn’t know he was a boob, that people put in power so they could do all their misdeeds with his blessing,” Kristof grumbled. “I about gave up on humans after that and retired to my house for years.”
“The point is when things settle a bit, we all have hobbies and ways to realize what we like. There’s no reason you shouldn’t too, and if it takes you a bit to find what those are, then so be it,” Cerdic told me firmly.
I hoped it was that easy.
19
Trisha
The rehearsal dinner wasn’t going to plan. At all. Tons of people showed up uninvited, and even worse was the quality of who showed up. Yeah, it wasn’t the nice people that maybe missed the memo the first time.
And I didn’t mean just the princesses.
“Well, how lovely they have the food already wearing red so if we spill, no one will notice,” a noble said to me with a group of friends who laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.
“Touch any shifter here and our princess will have your head,” I warned. “It’s not allowed in her coven.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Well of course not, that would be uncivilized. No princess would ever condone that.” He smirked at his friends. “The young shifters these days are fairly dense, aren’t they?”
“I find so,” the second guy chuckled, eyeing me over like his next meal. “But I hear feline shifters are excellent in bed. I know you saw her first, but I think there’s enough to go around for all of us.”
“You are not hearing me,” I hissed at them.
“No, you’re just not getting it,” he snickered. “The princesses never ‘allow’ the mistreatment, but the nobles get the perks of them having spirit animals. Shifters will do anything to have the protection of the coven, and while your brother may share your princess’s bed as I’ve heard, there’s only a handful of your clan left. That means you’re the perk her nobles and visiting nobles get. The men, for visiting princesses.”
“Inez would never allow that,” I argued, my heart racing too fast. All of this was reminding me of my time in the Navy. One officer or politician saying he could make or break my career if I didn’t act like a woman should and do what they wanted. Like women in the military were there to make it easier for them to get their rocks off and that was the only reason.
“She’s young and alone,” the first told me firmly. “She’ll do what she has to so she has the right backing and friends that enjoy visiting often as that says a lot without saying too much. You’re one of the perks to the visit, honey. You just didn’t know that was part of the job.”
I froze in horror, wondering if everything Ma and Gram had told us about the princess was really true, and we’d been ignoring it all because of how nice she was. Could this really be my life now? A whore to help the coven? Entertainment for visiting dignitaries?
I’d never let the Navy get away with that, or more, it was James who always stepped in and made it clear that they’d deal with him if they threatened me. It was sad I let him, but it was the easiest path without having to explain why a senator who put his hands on me was bloodied and broken.
“Touch my sister and you will not survive your trip here,” James hissed as he smacked the first guy’s hand away when he reached for me. “I understand you have certain preconceived notions, but you are mistaken it will happen here. Our princess has explicitly said if anyone mistreats any shifter in her coven, the vampire will answer to her. She turns a blind eye to nothing.”
“That’s not the way things work, even if you’re in her bed,” the first snapped.
“Inez doesn’t care,” James chuckled, giving him an amused look. “It’s her coven, her rules, and she’s boss here. You weren’t even among those invited. I’d be very careful you’re not writing checks you cannot cash and your princess won’t offer up your head as an apology.”
“Bullshit, a young princess needs backing,” the second argued. “Our princesses can give it.”
James rolled his
