Page 20 of Their Crowned Mate
"So you didn't run," I murmured. When he looked up at me, I added, "You have a tendency to do that, so you can't really blame me for assuming. First the kingdom." I swallowed. "Then my mother."
Shock flashed across his face, but he didn't deny it. Instead, he sighed and leaned forward on his knees. "So you know."
"Alexander told me," I answered. "He sends his regards."
"I bet he does," he scoffed. "If the bastard was doing his job, you never would have ended up back here. Now or then."
"It's not for a lack of trying on his part, trust me," I muttered.
Joram stared at me for a few long moments before sighing. "I know this won't mean much to you, but everything I did, I did to protect you and your mother. I loved her dearly, and I wanted a better life for her. We both wanted a better life for you."
"You're right," I said, looking away. "It doesn't mean much. But that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that the emperor is going to run this realm into the ground, and these people—yourpeople—are suffering as a result."
I could tell he wanted to argue with me, but there was a look of resignation in his eyes as he sighed. "I know. And I have every intention of putting things right now that I'm free, but it's going to take time and resources—and an army. I've been imprisoned long enough that I'm only just now beginning to reach out to my old contacts, and that's assuming he hasn't imprisoned them by now, too."
"But you do have an army?" I asked, feeling a twinge of hopefulness I hadn’t felt over this situation since everything in my old pack went to shit.
"There are those who remained loyal," he said quietly. "There was only so much I could do to remain in contact after my imprisonment, but yes. I know there are some."
"And what if I could supplement those ranks?" I asked.
Joram frowned. "What do you mean?"
"My pack," I answered. "And Alexander's vampires. It wouldn't be a legion, but if we combined with your loyalists, and you were willing to come forward... to let everyone know the true king of the fae is still alive... we might actually stand a chance."
"There are a lot of ifs in that scenario," Joram warned, but I could tell he was actually thinking about it. I had to get the crazy genes from somewhere.
"You have a better plan?" I asked. "Because you've spent years not doing a thing. Now you have a chance to do something."
I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he mulled over my words. "This isn't your world. Not anymore. Why is this so important to you?"
"Because the emperor is a monster," I said, shivering, and I wasn’t sure if it was fear or the lingering cold in my bones or both. "He's cruel and heartless, and if he wins, the world is going to be so much worse off than it is now. This world needs someone to stop him. And I'll help you if you think you can take him."
Joram looked at me for a long moment. "You are so much like her," he murmured. There was no mistaking the nostalgia in his voice.
"So I've heard," I said. "And for what it's worth, I take after you a bit, too. So what's it going to be?"
He watched me closely. "This isn't going to be easy. Or safe."
"Obviously," I muttered. "But I'm stuck here, so we might as well plan an insurrection while I'm at it."
He chuckled. "Point taken. How do you plan to get this army of yours through, though?"
"I haven't really planned that far," I admitted. "But I got here in a dream, so I guess this whole key thing has more applications than we initially thought."
"You think you can go back that way?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. But it's worth a shot. Convincing Alexander and the others to let me come back is going to be the hard part," I replied. Especially now that they knew I was pregnant. I was going to have a hell of a time doing anything I wanted without the guys breathing down my neck.
"It should be hard if he's keeping his end of the bargain," he said in a gruff tone.
I sighed. "Don't start. I have enough men who think they're in charge of me. I don't need another one."
"No," he said, a faint hint of amusement in his gaze as he watched me. "I don't suppose you do. And for the record, you get that from me. The defiance.”
"Good," I said. "Because we're going to need it in order to put that son of a bitch back in his place."
"I guess I should show you to the guest room," Joram said, standing up from the sofa. I got up, too, and followed him down the hall. "And you should get some rest."
