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“Yes, Your Majesty. I believe they got that message loud and clear.” Raven saw Dexter holding back a smile as he answered her mother, and she knew why. It didn’t happen often, but when someone got the best of Max and Nico, those were moments to remember.
Raven wanted to laugh as well but knew this wasn’t the time nor the place. Focusing her thoughts, she smiled behind her hand. They were almost ready for the main event. Her father wrapped her mother’s hand in his as he began walking towards the front of the room.
“The threats to my family end tonight,” King Hans declared. Raising his free hand at the four people standing off to the side, the King beckoned them over. Max and Nico grabbed their wives’ hands before making their way across the room to stand closer to the King and Queen.
Raven smirked at the person staring at her family with envy, greed, and hatred.We got you, motherfucker. When Dexter received the call from Max a week ago, it had been exactly what they needed. From that moment, they began setting plans into motion. When the blackmailer’s name was finally revealed, her father wanted to take care of things himself. It took her mother all night to calm him down. She wondered about the magic spell her mother put on her father to convince him to stay inside that night. She cringed at the thought. Actually, she didn’t want to think about that at all.Now, one week later, they were ready to put on a show.She hoped like hell this motherfucker tried to run for his life, because he wouldn’t get far.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for attending our gathering. Tonight is a special one for my family as we celebrate my daughter and her fiancé, Dexter Sorenson.” He smiled at his wife, and everyone in the room could feel the love between them. “But, before we do that, I’d like to welcome some people and thank them for their help with a critical mission.”
Raven beamed as the two couples stepped forward. If she could choose anyone to watch her back, it would be one of these men. Well, on second thought, she’d take Lavinia over both Max and Nico. Something about Lavinia screamedPredator. Even though she’d been carrying two guns and a serrated knife, Raven’s mother allowed her to walk into the castle without issue. Both Kiana and Lavinia seemed to have impressed the Queen, which Raven couldn’t be happier with. Raven watched and listened as her father introduced their friends to the assembled group.
“Now, the thing I’ve been waiting for all night. Mr. Joshua Booker, please present yourself.” Glancing at the confused faces around the room, her father stepped forward once the man strode confidently to the front dais. The smug man’s halfhearted bow to her father was so offensive, Raven felt herself begin to intervene.
Dexter touched her arm, gaining her attention. He shook his head to stop her from getting involved. “Raven, no. You said you would stay out of it.”
Yes, that’s what she said, but she also didn’t like the disrespect this man was showing to her father. When she heard her father begin speaking again, she turned to pay attention.
“What most of you don’t know is someone has been attempting to blackmail my family. Threatening to take away my crown, my heritage, and my birthright. What this person didn’t realize is that although I am your King, I am foremost a man.” Raven’s father circled the portly, sweaty, nervous-looking Consul General. “If what this person claimed is true, it escapes me why he would threaten my wife, my marriage, or my child.”
“Your Majesty,” Joshua Booker whispered. Fear could be seen in his eyes, his body shook, and his voice was broken.
“SHUT UP!” The King’s booming voice reverberated throughout the entire room. Queen Vivian took a step forward, touching her hand to his. Seeing them this way brought tears to Raven’s eyes. One day she wanted that type of unwavering love and support between her and Dexter. She wiped a tear from her eyes as her father began speaking to the crowd.
CHAPTER 12
Raven
“Those gathered here tonight to witness your confession include the Royal Parliament, the French authorities, and my daughters new, and extended circle of protectors.” King Hans dipped his head to Dexter and the other four people standing to his side. “Joshua Booker, you will confess what you have attempted to do to my family and your reasons why. If you do not, I’ll deliver my own justice, which is my right as King of this sovereign nation. Now, tell them what you did,” he yelled in an anger-filled voice.
Joshua Booker trembled in his ill-fitted suit. The man looked around the room, seeking help from someone in the sea of faces staring at him as he cowered. No help would be forthcoming tonight. Raven almost felt pity for him. Then the feeling went away as quickly as it appeared. She hoped he’d rot in jail for what he did to her family.
Then the sniveling man began to speak. “When I saw her all those years ago, I knew she was supposed to be mine. Then she was taken away, with you standing in the way of me getting the woman I deserved. I wanted you humiliated and shamed. I wanted you to give up the crown so I could step in and be her savior. She’s belonged to me from the moment I saw her beautiful face.” The scared man whispered his confession into the air. Everyone looked on in horror and confusion.
“You wanted my wife as your own?” Her father bellowed. “You claimed my woman as yours and set out to ruin the monarchy because you’re a sniveling weasel? She is a Queen, you toad. The mother of my child.” King Hans walked over to one of the walls that held some of their cache of weapons. He grabbed a longsword, testing the weight before he walked back over to the blubbering man. “You dare come to my home and declare you want my wife?”
“No! Not your Queen. I want Raven,” Joshua admitted before lifting his gaze. “You looked at me, and I knew you were meant to be mine.” Shocked murmurs and whispers could be heard throughout the room.
“You motherfucker,” Dexter yelled. His body propelled forward towards the crazed man standing in the middle of the room. To give such a confession, he must be out of his mind. To declare his love for a woman who would never have given him a second glance was the definition of delusional.
“Dexter! No,” Raven pleaded. She didn’t want him to kill this man. He wasn’t worth it.
All hell seemed to break loose as Raven’s father stepped forward, sword in hand. Anger covered his face, turning his handsome appearance harsh and cold with fury. His eyes were ablaze with retribution. “I, King Hans of Abingdon, claim my right of first blood.”
The sword slid through the man’s chest, exiting his back. Blood splattered on the floor and coated the blade. After pulling the weapon back, the king placed his foot on the man’s chest, shoving him back and onto the floor. One of the royal guards approached the King and took the sword away from him.
“All those present hear my words. By Royal Decree, Joshua Booker, Consul General to France in Shularia, was found to have committed treason against the monarchy of the country of Abingdon. His punishment is death. Dexter Sorenson, Maxwell Bishop, Kiana Bishop, Nicholas Mitchell, and Lavinia Mitchell, are protected under the crown of Abingdon. Now,” he paused before adjusting the sleeves on his suit, “get this piece of shit out of my sight. It’s time to eat.”
As her parents exited the room, their guests followed. Many of them didn’t seem surprised by her father’s actions, and that spoke volumes. “What the hell just happened?”
Dexter stepped in front of her, his eyes boring into hers. “Sweetheart, you just saw the man Nico, Max, and I will become one day. Your father may be a king, but he’s also a husband and father.” Hugging her close, he continued. “Remember what I said to you two weeks ago?”
“No. What did you say?” Because he had said quite a lot, and she couldn’t remember everything.
“I said, don’t ask me to be someone I’m not. Based on what I’ve learned about your parents, I think maybe you can talk to your mom about how that works.” His chest rose and fell with laughter.
“It’s not funny, Dexter. My father is a damn gangster.” Although, she did feel like laughing herself. Her parents weren’t the people she thought they were.
“Why else do you think your father took to me, Max, and Nico so fast? He recognized kindred spirits.” He turned before stepping to the side so they could walk into the dining area to take their seats.
