I nodded and raised a questioning brow. “What about your grandfather?”
She growled, “My grandda is living in the past. I don listen to him, and I don care what he says. It’s time for my generation to start making decisions for our future. They had their time, now it’s ours.”
My elbow was propped on my chair’s armrest and I leaned on my hand as I listened, moved by the fight and determination in her slight frame. She was right. It was our time. The old timers had their chance and now it was time for them to step aside and let us have ours. With me on the throne, I could make some serious changes with the help of other likeminded people.
I gave her a genuine smile as I realized how similar we were. “I can’t offer you a position in the Queen’s Guard, Rowan,” I began. “You don’t meet the physical qualifications, and that’s one of the most important standards for our guards to achieve.” Her face fell and she slumped in the chair, defeated. “But I can offer you something else, if you’re interested.”
She peered up at me sadly, her dreams dashed. “What’s that?”
“How would you like to join the Queen’s Council?” I raised a brow and waited for her response.
Her mouth parted slightly. “The—the Queen’s Council? You mean the Council my grandda was in?” I nodded. “Can—can I do that?”
I laughed. “Yes, you can. If I want you to join my Council, I can make it happen. Don’t worry about your grandfather. I’ll take care of him.”
Rowan’s mouth opened and closed several times as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words. It was quite funny to see. I knew her childhood dream was to join the Queen’s Guard, but this wasn’t a bad alternative.
“And there’s no chance I can join the Guard?”
I twisted my mouth to the side. “I won’t say there’s no chance. I mean, if one day you can pass the physical test, I won’t stop you if that’s what you really want. But until then, it’s just not in the cards.”
She nodded, then met my eyes with clear-minded determination. “Okay, I’ll do it!” she beamed. “I’ll join the Council!”
I grinned. “Perfect.” I held out a hand for her to shake. “Welcome to the team, Rowan.”
The day flew by in a flurry of appointments and meetings and before I knew it, evening fell and the moment I’d been dreading was here. Our dinner with Fenrir.
I remained in my office until my guard announced that all invited parties had arrived. Dressed in a pair of navy capri slacks, a pale green blouse, and my favorite oxford loafers, I slipped my hands in my pockets and strolled uneasily through the castle, accompanied by my guards on our way to the dining hall.
I met William at the top of the grand staircase. He was dressed in his Guard uniform with the gold triquetra pinned on the lapel. “All of yer guards are in position in the dining hall. I’ll escort ye in myself with the temporary guards.”
I nodded. “Thank you, William.”
When the doors opened, everyone stood at my presence. I noticed Fenrir was the last to stand, and he did so reluctantly. He came with Raven and Bobby Wu, just as expected. Alexander, Bash, Ranulf, and Ophelia were in attendance as well, with my guards surrounding the room and guarding each exit.
I walked to the head of the table and took a seat, William standing guard behind me. Once I was seated, everyone else sat and light chatter commenced. I reached for my cloth napkin and placed it on my lap as a server poured grape juice in my goblet. It always made me chuckle when I thought about the fact that I was the only one not being poured wine. I glanced around the table to see Raven place her hand on top of the rim to stop them from pouring wine into her glass.
“Water, please,” she murmured. I frowned slightly but brushed it off. Considering she was smashed when we met, I wondered why she was making a special effort to stay sober tonight. It wasn’t like she was the designated driver. If she remained sober, that put a serious kink in our plan to get them all tipsy.
“I see ye’ve cleared out of Loch Lomond,” Ranulf started the conversation.
Fenrir smirked. “We were no longer welcomed.”
I watched their interaction like a ping pong match. Fenrir and his people were on one side of the table, my people were on the other side, and I was in the middle. Fun times.
“Where are ye staying now?” Ranulf queried politely.
Fenrir raised a sardonic brow. “Why? Planning to attack again?”
Ranulf growled, but I cleared my throat to cut them off. “I’m surprised you came,” I said as my plate arrived first. The succulent smell of perfectly cooked steak wafted to my nostrils and my mouth watered.
“Why, little wolf? You think I’m afraid?”
I snorted. “Not at all.” I began cutting my steak, pleased to see the red center. “You just don’t play well with others.”
He grinned. “Neither do you.”
I smiled slyly. “Then I guess we should work well together.” I took a bite of my steak and chewed, wagging my eyebrows at him. “You said it’s a demon terrorizing my lands. How long have you known?”
Fenrir sighed, but Bobby was
