Chapter 11

Eleven

Our normal SUVs were replaced with SUV stretch limousines. Leona and her mates would arrive first, then Jolie and her mates, and finally us. Since we were the ones to be celebrated, we were expected to arrive last.

"Just remember, you only need to tug on our bonds to alert us that you need a break and we will take you away from all of the people to a secluded room Dan set up," Riddick said as we neared the place the event was being held.

I nodded. "Right." The fact that Dan had thought to keep a room like that available for me made my heart soar. He truly was a kind and understanding king.

The guys had touched up their hair while I'd been getting ready with Jolie and Leona. The dress they had purchased for me was a bright ruby red, form fitted, and I wore a necklace of diamonds that was worth more than most people made in their entire lives. My crown was resecured with additional pins in my hair to ensure it didn't fall off. Caleb's magically stayed in place even when he canted his head. Male magic or something.

Hundreds of people stood outside the large event center we were heading into. Barricades had been set up to keep people back, guards lined the barricades and were interspersed in the crowd for additional security, and a long, red carpet went down the middle. The closest to the barricades were the reporters and journalists with their camera crews, ready to snap pictures of our first outing as rulers.

Caleb had been practicing his shield magic extensively with Nico and was able to now have a shield around us while we moved. Knowing that, I felt a bit easier about heading down the carpet with so many strangers around us and the H.E. still at large.

Finally, our turn. I took a deep breath and smiled at my four mates. "Let's do this."

Ezio opened the door and winked at me. "Good evening, Your Majesties."

Branson, Riddick, and Triston climbed out first, standing on either side of the carpet to wait for us.

Caleb blew me a kiss, stepped out of the limo, and raised his hand, waving and smiling to the crowd. After a moment, he turned back around, and held out his hand to help me out.

I accepted his hand, plastered a smile on my face, and carefully stepped out of the limo.

Cameras flashed in an almost blinding display, but I kept my smile on and raised my hand, waving as people called my name and cheered.

Caleb tucked my hand in the crook of his arm and we walked side by side down the carpet with Riddick, Branson, and Triston behind us. As we stepped between the barricades, Caleb's shield went up around us, invisible to those outside of it, and I found it muted the screams and sounds, allowing me to smile a bit more truthfully.

A dragon roared above us, starting to head down in a dive at us. Caleb's head snapped up, and he bared his teeth.

Before we could even move another step, Emrys stepped out of the building ahead of us, narrowed his eyes, and sent out a wave of power that had all dragons staggering a bit, even Triston. The dragon fell into the crowd and the guards within the crowd moved forward to capture him.

Caleb seemed immune to it, which had his eyes widening and eyebrows raising. With a renewed smile, we continued walking.

Emrys was back inside before most realized what had happened, so many didn't know if it had been Caleb or someone else.

The inside was colorful and full of sparkles and I realized matching my dress, which matched my eyes in rabbit form. The thought that they had matched those things had tears in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away to avoid ruining my makeup.

"It's so sparkly and beautiful," I said as we passed through the foyer and stopped at the doors to the ballroom, where we would spend the rest of the evening.

"They put a lot of thought into this," Riddick agreed.

Two guards at the doors had us wait as we were announced inside.

"Now presenting King Caleb and Queen Ember of the Hybrids and their packmates Branson, Riddick, and Triston!"

The two guards opened the doors simultaneously, and we were met with applause and cheers.

Caleb's entire family was inside, including all of the cousins and uncles and aunts I had not met yet.

At the far end of the room was a raised platform with two thrones, empty and waiting for us to sit on them. Glancing around, I saw that each side had the same, with the kings and queens of the other clans seated already. Jolie winked at me from her seat beside Nico and I realized she had finally accepted her full mantle as queen now. She was no longer Princess Jolie, but Queen Jolie.

"Lots of changes tonight," Caleb commented. "It is definitely going to cause a stir among the population."

I nodded my agreement, as we walked up the two stairs to our thrones.

Caleb dropped his elbow, but laced our fingers together on the same hand, then raised his other hand. Everyone stopped clapping and cheering. "Thank you for joining us tonight. We are incredibly grateful to have all of your support and partnership as my queen and I step into our roles." Caleb sat first, and I sat next, following the protocol Jolie had explained to me.

"Long live King Caleb! Long live Queen Ember!" Thor shouted.

The entire crowd repeated the cheer, and I stared at the scene before me. Once again, the insanity of this life, the quickness from which I had gone from an outcast hermit to a queen was flashing before my eyes.

Dan walked down from his throne to ours, dipping his head just down enough to show respect without showing us as superior. "As is tradition when a new monarch is crowned, each of the fellow monarchs provide you with a gift."

What? Jolie hadn't mentioned this part.

Caleb's frown made me think he hadn't known about this either.

"While jewels have been a common gift, we understand the hybrid royalty while appreciating these items value others more. The werewolves hereby give you, King Caleb and Queen Ember, the Sapphire Island."

The crowd gasped, and Caleb's hand clenched a bit around mine as his eyes widened.

"Thank you, King Daniel. That is … quite the gift and we will be sure to appreciate it for its many uses," Caleb said.

I had no idea what the island was or why it was important, but being gifted an island did seem a bit extravagant.

"We look forward to our continued partnership with the werewolves," I said with a smile.

Dan winked at me and went back to his throne.

Emrys and his mate came next. She was scowling, but it seemed that was a constant for Rhys's mother, who still hadn't warmed all the way up to Jolie. We had had very little interaction, so I wasn't certain how she felt about me. "The dragons have a long history of wealth and we hope the same for you as well. To assist, we are gifting you, King Caleb and Queen Ember, the mine of Morsai."

Once again, the crowd gasped and murmured while Caleb's eyes widened.

"Thank you, King Emrys and Queen Adelaide, we are humbled by your gift," I said, since Caleb was staring in shock at them.

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesties, for such a generous gift," Caleb said.

They dipped their heads before returning to their seats.

"You didn't know about this part either, did you?" I asked out of the corner of my mouth.

"Nope," he said. "And these gifts are more extravagant than any jewelry or item they could have given us. I think there's going to be a long discussion with my family tomorrow at brunch."

"I have to admit, I don't know what either of the items are," I whispered softer to ensure no one else overheard me.

"When I explain it later, you're going to faint in shock, so it's probably good that you do not know."

Kara and Katar approached, both smiling and full of warmth and sunshine. "The elves are excited for the new rulers' reign, and as such our gift is designed to assist with ensuring you can keep our people safe. That is why we are gifting you with fifty-fifty rights to the Carbac Mountainside."

Caleb sucked in a breath. "Thank you, King Katar and Queen Kara. That gift will be treasured for generations to come."

Again, something I didn't understand, but seemed important.

Nico and Jolie approached, smiling warmly. Nico said, "The mages are proud of the ascension of our son and his talented mate. We are excited to give you the gift of ownership of the mine of Perclane."

That one I had heard of. It was a crystal mine, the kind of crystals you could store magic in. owning one of the mines capable of producing those crystals would benefit us personally as well as allow us to sell the crystals. They were setting us up to be financially stable without their involvement. Clever, clever monarchs.

"Thank you, King Nico and Queen Jolie. We appreciate the continued support and partnership of the mages," Caleb said.

"Now that those formalities are out of the way, let the celebration commence!" Dan shouted.

A DJ started playing music and the crowd began dancing.

We stood from the thrones and walked down to hug Jolie and Nico.

"You all met and decided on the gifts, didn't you?" Caleb accused.

Jolie smiled wide. "Guilty."

"We wanted to ensure that no one could claim we were influencing or in any way responsible for your future success. We have given you tools, but it is up to you to take those tools and use them wisely," Nico said.

"I don't know how to thank you," Caleb said softly.

"That's what family does, son," Nico said and hugged him. "Now, take your queen out onto the dance floor."

Caleb took my hand and pulled me out onto the dance floor and as we spun around and danced with huge smiles, his other family members came to congratulate us.

The pure, joyful expressions on everyone's faces as we enjoyed the time together and a night of celebration were quickly ended as the ceiling exploded.

Caleb and Nico put a shield over everyone's head and the debris slid down the sides of the shield, gathering along the walls.

"If the monarchs won't see reason, then it is time to end the monarchy!" a familiar male voice yelled.

Looking up, my eyes widened at my adopted parents and dozens of people floating where the ceiling had been, swords and other weapons in their hands.

"How dare you!" Dan roared and shifted into warrior form. "Wolves, attack!"

Every werewolf in the ballroom shifted and howled a battle cry.

"Mages, protect and attack!" Nico ordered.

A dozen mages materialized staffs and started glowing.

"Dragons, attack!" Emrys roared. "Kill them all!"

"Elves, attack and heal!" Katar yelled.

"Hybrids, kill them all!" Caleb roared, shifting into a meld of all of the races into a complex warrior form.

I shifted into my warrior form and my adopted parents' eyes widened.

"They're mine," I growled, the anger and fury of all those around me feeding into mine.

"Ours," Caleb corrected. "We stay together."

"Now!" my adopted mother screamed.

Chaos broke loose as they dropped down into the ballroom and flooded it, as we quickly learned there were far more waiting outside to come in as well. Hundreds streamed in, but my pack had eyes for two people alone.

My adopted parents tried to stay off to the side, four people as guards around them.

Branson, Riddick, and Triston made short work of the four guards, and my parents stared at us in surprise.

Mother started to reach into her pocket for something, but I jumped forward using my rabbit-human combined legs, and kicked her in her stomach, sending her flying into the wall behind her.

Dad spun to help her, but Caleb sprinted forward, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall next to where Mom was slumped.

"You thought you could win with your overwhelming numbers, but since that trap where you almost defeated us, we've been doing nothing except prepare for you," Caleb snarled in his face.

"You will all die," Dad spat.

Some of their people tried to intervene, but Riddick, Branson, and Triston made an impenetrable wall.

"There's one thing you didn't count on, Dad," I said.

"And what was that, child?"

He had no idea the extra training, the super secretive training, that I had been doing with Jolie and Leona. The tricks they taught me that were only possible once I was mated. Once I was part of each clan, once I was queen. "We outrank every one of your members." Turning around, I faced the crowd, felt down the bonds I held with my four mates, to each of the four clans. Using a combination of my siren and mage magic, and the bonds that allowed me to access each of the clans, I sang as loudly as I could, "Enemies of mine shall bow before their queens!" It was a spell Jolie, Leona, and I had come up with. One that forced those of a lower rank when in the presence of one of their queens, to immediately bow. It was something we had prepared as we had assumed they might attack tonight while all of the kings and queens were gathered.

Every single enemy dropped to their knees, heads bowed and forced to still.

Mom gasped. "What … how?"

"I told you, I outrank your people now." Turning, I gave her a smile and said, "And I'm not the weak child with abandonment issues you fought previously."

"Nicely done!" Jolie praised. "That's my girl!"

"That's my sirenling!" Leona cheered.

Walking closer to my adopted mother, I said, "You see, it took me finding them to understand what true motherly love is like. You are nothing more than a therapy topic now. Otherwise, you are nothing."

Her face contorted in rage and she tried to stab me with a knife I hadn't seen her pull out of her pocket. I kicked her again, but due to how close we were to the wall, she hit it much harder this time and her head made a sickening crunch before she slid to the ground. Dead.

"No!" Dad screamed and tried to attack me, but Caleb snapped his neck and took two large steps to stand between me and their bodies, blocking my view.

He hugged me and kissed the side of my head, avoiding my crown. "You did great, Ember."

I nodded. "Is it finally over?"

"For now," he said with a nod. "There may be stragglers, but we will find them and eradicate them as well."

Soft, warm hands pulled me away from Caleb and into a tight hug between two bodies. Jolie and Leona.

"You did great, Ember. We're so proud of you," Leona said as she stroked her hand down my hair.

Tears built in my eyes and fell down my cheeks, so I pressed my face against her chest. "They're dead."

Jolie patted my back. "Yes, they are. They can't hurt you anymore."

"It hurts," I whispered. "I know it needed to happen, I knew it was going to happen, but … it hurts."

"Yes, death is almost always painful. Just know that it was them who forced your hand. They could have left you alone, they could have let you be, but they didn't and you did what had to be done," Leona whispered.

"Come on, let's go home," Riddick said behind me. He extricated me from their arms, put an arm around my shoulders, and gently turned my head so it was against his chest. I let him lead me blindly out of the room.

Before we walked outside, Triston pulled a napkin from his pocket and wiped my face, cleaning up my makeup before we were to exit and face the cameras there.

"Ready?" Caleb asked and held out his hand.

I set mine in it and nodded. "Yes."

We stepped out into flashing cameras and those livestreaming the video. Questions immediately barraged us.

Caleb raised his hand, and they silenced. "The terrorist organization Hybrid Eradication, or H.E., is no more. We have killed their leaders, and those who dared attack the monarchs. Let this be a lesson to all; we are a united set of monarchs and we will destroy any who try to harm ours."

Taking a step forward so I was at his side again, I cleared my voice and said, "This is an open call to all hybrids. You have a clan you can come to now. A clan who won't judge you for your genetics or whatever powers you have. Come to us and join our clan. Let word spread that the hybrids won't be second class citizens any longer. We are and will always be equals with our pureblooded allies."

"Thank you for your time and your support," Caleb said and dipped his head in a sign of respect. Pulling me forward, our pack walked back down the red carpet to the waiting limousine and drove home to shower and rest.

The H.E. was finally destroyed.