His Lost Queen by Annie Whipple

GRAYSON

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Belle pulled her older-than-the-dinosaurs phone from her back pocket. It was a flip phone the size of

a small brick. It was a reminder of the way she was living when she was in Maine.

It made me unnecessarily angry.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

She clicked through her list of contacts in a hurry. “I’m looking for Queen Evangeline’s phone number,” she explained.

I stared at her, sure I had finally pushed her to the brink of madness. “What?”

“Evangeline gave me her number when she visited me at the diner. She told me I would need to talk to her about something sometime in the near future. I think now’s that time.”

I squeezed my eyes shut in frustration. “Baby…”

“I know, I know, you don’t believe me because you think I was having some sort of grief-induced psychotic break and made the whole thing up.”

She hit the call button and put the phone on speaker. “But just humor me for a second, would you?”

I sighed and listened to the sound of the phone’s call tone echoing throughout the large room. I wasn’t sure what Belle thought she was going to get out of this.

I would admit, though, I was a little interested in seeing how this was going to turn out. Who the hell was on the other side of this number?

After a minute of listening to the tone, it went to the automated voicemail-the kind that told me this phone number belonged to no one.

Belle deflated as she stared down at the phone. She hung up before having to leave a message and looked up at me. “Okay, so maybe it was a psychotic break. But it was worth a try, right?”

She looked like she was on the verge of tears. She was at her breaking point. I had stressed her out enough for one day.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Right,” I responded in a gentle tone.

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I took Belle to the library. She needed to know as such information about the Fue us was available to her. Over the last several months, I had done a lot of my own research.

I had scoured the supernatural kingdom in search of any text I could find on fairies or shifting into anything besides a wolf.

I found a total of three books-all with only one page of viable information cach

It was infuriating.

And it was all I had to show Belle in regard to answers. I felt useless.

I took her out after that. As much as I knew she wanted to be alone with me to talk this all out, I

couldn’t do that for two reasons,

I

First, because I knew she needed out of our apartment, and second, because I had proven that I couldn’t be alone with her in our apartment without getting precariously close to f ucking her into

next week.

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So, yeah, I took her out instead. We went for lunch and talked for hours. It was much easier to concentrate when she was sitting across from me, out of arm’s reach, in a public location. It kept me

in line.

I told her everything she wanted to know and thanked my lucky stars she didn’t get too mad at me for keeping so much vital information from her for so long.

Don’t get me wrong; she was mad-she just also had it in her to take pity on me and forgive me. I truly did not deserve her.

It was late in the evening when we finally made our way home. We were both tired from the emotional day.

My arm was wrapped around my sweet mate’s shoulder, and she leaned into me lovingly as we approached the door to our apartment. I stopped her as she reached for the doorknob.

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“I need you to do me a favor, Belle,” I said. I faced her to make sure she could see me head-on. “I need you to help me out with something.”

She nodded apprehensively. “Okay…

Leouldn’t help myself as I slowly pulled her to me by her waist, so we were pressed together. “You Chapter 50 of 59: Chapter 50

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Her lips slowly turned up. “I don’t know if that’s something I can control. I do have a whole lot of new lingerie to break in.”

I held in a groan, picturing her in the little black number she had put on earlier. “Belle….” I warned.

She giggled. “Hey, it’s not just my fault! You know how hard it is for me to be around tearing your clothes off?”

you without

A low purr vibrated in my chest. My hand drifted down her body, skating over her jean-clad a ss. Her talking about ripping my clothes off did not help with the point I was trying to get across.

“Oh, trust me, you’ve made that perfectly clear, little mate. How about we agree to help each other out then?”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. I promise not to try and seduce you anymore…even if my se xiness r is often simply uncontrollable.”

I chuckled. “And I promise the same.”

I led her through the door of our apartment, feeling much lighter than I had when we last left.

That was until I noticed the figure sitting in the corner of our living room.

BELLE

Grayson instantly sprung into action, shifting into his wolf faster than I could blink.

He growled at the person sitting in the armchair in the corner, approaching them in a crouched. position with his ears folded low against his head.

The figure in the corner giggled. “Oh my, you do have a big wolf. No wonder you’re the next hybrid king. You may even be bigger than my mate.”

My breath stalled in my throat. “Evangeline?”

She looked so elegant and confident, sitting with her gloved hands folded neatly in her lap and her legs crossed at the ankle.

She was wearing a turquoise dress the color of the Caribbean Sea, and her silver-blonde hair was pinned up into a sleek bun on the top of her head, loose tendrils banging out to frame her face.

She smiled brightly at me. “I was wondering when you were going to give me a call.”

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“I-I, um…” I wasn’t nearly as blubbery as the last me I talked with her, but I didn’t exactly know she was the former queen of the entire world last time, now did 17

“It’s so nice to see you again, my dear,” she continued. Her gaze slid to Grayson, who had moved back to stand protectively in front of me.

He was still snarling at her threateningly, crouched low, “You can shift. I am no threat. Look at your mate–she is not scared of me.” She smiled at me. “Are you, Belle?”

I hesitated for only a moment before slinking my head slowly, “No, I don’t think so.” I put my on Grayson’s head. “You can shift,” I told him.

lund

Grayson didn’t move for several moments, then he spun and clamped down onto the front of my shirt with his teeth, then promptly began to drag me toward the door of our bedroom.

It became clear to me that he was bringing me in there so he could shift and get dressed while still keeping an eye on me.

“Oh, um,” I looked back at Evangeline as we entered our room. Thankfully, she was watching us with an amused smile on her face. “We’ll be right back, I

Evangeline waved. “I’ll be here!” she called after us.

I smiled back and quickly closed the door. Grayson was already human again when I turned around.

Before I even knew what was happening, Grayson had his hands on either side of my face and was smashing my lips against his. Tingles zapped through my form.

“I’m so sorry for not believing you,” he said once he pulled away a second later, “You’re wonderful and beautiful, and I’ll never not believe you ever again.”

I giggled. “Good.” My eyes trailed downward as if they had a mind of their own.

Now, get dressed. We have the queen of the supernatural sitting in our living room.”

He kissed my lips one more time. “You’re the queen of the supernatural, baby. And don’t you forget 11.”

*******

After putting on a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, Grayson left the room first, pulling me behind him with his hand tightly grasped around mine.

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It was sweet how intent he was on protecting me from the sweet old lady sitting in front of us.

“King Grayson Stoll,” Evangeline greeted, “it is so nice lo meet you.”

“Queen Evangeline Viotto,” Grayson replied, tilting his chin in acknowledgment.

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Evangeline laughed. “No one has called me that in ages. It’s nice to hear it again. It’s nice to be back here again.”

She looked around with raised brows. “Although, I don’t ever remember it being quite so…modern. Every room I stayed in was lined with gold and had a personalized chandelier. I must say, this is much homler.”

“The room you and King Elijah stayed in still exists. It is where the Mortars stay now?”

Evangeline nodded. “Yes, the Mortars. Still inhabiting the palace, I see.””

“You’re…alive,” I said.

“It would seem that way, wouldn’t it?””

“How?”

“I am happy to answer any and all of your questions, but I will let you know that my time here is

limited.

“I will not be staying much longer-and I have a feeling you have far more important questions to ask me that don’t have to do with the state of my mortality.”

I stepped forward, only to be stopped by my still hesitant mate.

I rolled my eyes. “Come on. I trust her,” I said.

I sat down on the couch across from Evangeline, and Grayson quickly followed behind.

I already knew he was going to try and pull me into his lap when he sat down next to me. He did that when he was feeling protective and possessive.

But there was no way I was going to have a conversation with Evangeline Viotto while sitting on my mate’s lap, so I quickly pressed up against him when he sat down, so I was nearly on top of him.

He purred softly and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me Impossibly closer. Success.

“You have the big, scary alpha king wrapped around your little finger.” She hummed. “I know the

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I took in a deep breath and gripped Grayson’s hand tightly in mine. “We need to know about

fairies.”

Evangeline threw her head back and laughed. “Yes, I’m sure you do. Any specifics?”

“Shifting,” Grayson interjected. “We need to know what shifting into a fairy will be like.” His voice was tense and low. His body was still next to mine, and his eyes

This whole ordeal was really stressing him out. It made my throat raw to think about the fact that he had been dealing with this all on his own for so long.

I mean, the jerkwad did do it to himself…but still, it had to have been a lot.

I squeezed his hand, trying to offer him some comfort. He immediately squeezed it back.

Evangeline’s grin had fallen the slightest bit. “Ah, yes.” She let out a deep sigh that didn’t sound the least bit promising, “Unfortunately, that is the one thing I cannot help you with.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I was born a fairy. My powers may not have developed until after I met the king, but even then, I never had to go through the process of shifting. I’m not sure anyone ever has,” she explained.

Grayson snarled, baring his clenched teeth at the ceiling.

I quickly turned to him and framed his face in my hands, determined to calm him before he did something stu pid-like killing the former queen.

He stared at me with his livid crimson eyes, reminding me of a volcano about to crupt.

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one freaking out?” I asked him, trying to keep my tone light. “This is happening to me, remember? How did I become the one comforting you?”

He snarled again, lower this time and more threatening.

Okay, so that had been the wrong thing to say.

He grabbed onto both of my wrists, squeezing them lightly. “You can’t get hurt, Belle.” His voice was strained and deep. “I can’t let anything happen to you. You’re my everything.”

“I know,” I agreed. Emotion welled in my chest. “You’re my everything too.”

Evangeline leaned forward, grabbing both of our attention.

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I released my hold on Grayson, turning back to the former queen. “Why are we assuming shifting into a fairy is going to harm Belle?” she asked.

“The Fae are not like werewolves. We do not have to break bones or grow new limbs. We are human

at our core.”

“It was agonizing when I became a hybrid and acquired my vampire. Vampires are also human at their core, are they not?” Grayson pointed out.

“Ah, yes, but your body had to process an extreme amount of highly toxic venom when becoming part vampire. That is not what becoming a fairy will be like.”

“How do you know?” Grayson continued to challenge. “Can you promise that?”

Evangeline’s eyes fell from his for a moment. “No, I suppose I cannot.”

Grayson was on the edge of exploding. His anger was palpable in the air around us. Mix that with his overwhelming fear for my safety, and it felt like I was nearly drowning in my mate’s intense

emotions.

I put a hand on his knee in a pathetic attempt to calm him, but he just continued to seethe.

“So, what, I’m just supposed to mate with her, knowing that it might kill her?” he snarled at Evangeline.

“I can assure you it won’t kill her-” she said, trying to console him.

“You don’t know that,” he interrupted. “You can’t know that. So the only thing you can assure me is that I can never be with my own mate.”

“You will mate with Belle, young alpha, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. You are mates. And it is in the prophecy.

“You will complete the mating process and take on the roles of the king and queen of the supernatural reincarnated whether you want to or not. Your fates are already written for you.”

“Will I get wings?” I cut in.

Both of their gazes snapped to me.

“I’m sorry?” Evangeline asked,

“Will I get wings?” I repeated. “You know, like a real fairy.” I studied her wingless appearance with

a frown. She looked nothing like what I thought a fairy would look like.

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Both of them stared at me for several seconds. My attempt at changing,topics was pathetic and obvious.

But I didn’t know how much longer Evangeline would be here, and I didn’t see the point of continuing to talk about what shifting would be like when there was clearly no true answer. I had other questions.

“It’s possible,” Evangeline finally said. “Wings are common with Fac, but each Fae develops their powers based on need and circumstance.”

“So we have no idea what being a fairy will be like for me?”

“I can tell you that you’ll have powers. I’m afraid that is all I know.”

I shifted uncasily. My own frustration over the lack of information that was available on Fae was starting to surface. I had no idea what I was getting into.

“Can I ask what your powers are?” I asked Evangeline.

She

gave me a small smile. “I have many powers. It would take a very long time to list all of them. I believe there are other more useful ways to use this time.”

Grayson let out a growl. “So you can’t give us any useful information,” he snapped.

I gasped. I refused to believe he had just said that. “Grayson!” I chided, elbowing him in the ribs. He ignored me.

“It’s all right, Belle,” Evangeline assured me. I was relieved to see that she looked more amused than offended. “This sort of behavior is to be expected from an alpha male trying to protect his mate.”

“That doesn’t mean it should be tolerated,” I grumbled, glaring at him.

Grayson seemed totally unconcerned with my reprimanding tone and gaze. “I don’t want it,” he said suddenly, staring at Evangeline, jaw set.

Evangeline’s brows tugged together as she waited for him to expand on his confusing statement. After a moment, she said, “I’m afraid I don’t understand. You don’t want what?”

“I don’t want to be king,” he replied, his voice unwavering and hard. “If giving up my title means assuring my mate’s safety, then so be it. I will step down as king of the supernatural.”

“Grayson…”

“That’s not possible. A prophecy isn’t a negotiable thing. It is an inevitable part of your life. Your

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“Then f ucking unwrite it. You made this prophecy, right? You must be able to change it too.”

Evangeline began to shake her head, but Grayson abruptly slammed his fist down on the coffee table, growling loudly.

I gasped and jumped, gripping Grayson’s arm tightly.

“I will not lose my mute!” Grayson exploded.

Evangeline didn’t so much as flinch, continuing to regard the seething alpha male in front of her with enough tranquility to calm any raging storm. Slowly, she stood.

“You will not lose your mate,” she told him, voice firm. “Belle will survive this. As the prophecy states, the two of you will take on the role of the immortal king and queen of the supernatural reincarnated.

“So, while I can not tell you how she will react to your mating, I can tell you she will not die.” Her gaze slid to me. She smiled. “Belle has far too much to do.”

I turned to Grayson, offering him a small grin. “See? I’m going to be fine.”

“Not dead is a far stretch from fine.” With a huff, he pulled me closer to him, making me lean my shoulder against his chest.

As awkward as this continuous PDA was, I knew he needed the physical touch to help keep him calm. He pressed a hard kiss to the top of my head, his chest vibrating with his low growls.

“Unfortunately, my time with the two of you is coming to an end,” Evangeline said. She stood from her chair and smoothed out her dress with the palms of her hands. “I must be going now.”

Grayson stiffened behind me.

“Oh,” I said. It felt like she had only been here for a few minutes. I still had so many questions for her. “You have to go already?”

“I would love nothing more than to continue my visit with the two of you,” Evangeline replied, folding her hands in front of her.

Her eyes momentarily wandered to the doors of the terrace, which overlooked an incredible view of the entire kingdom of Zaweth.

She looked back at us with an expression that could only be described as nostalgic. “I enjoy being back in this palace. Despite its change in appearance, it still brings back many fond memories.”

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070% 11.57 Her lips turned up. “I also enjoy chatting with you both. You remind me a great deal of myself and my mate at the start of our journey.”

The faint halo of light surrounding her form was becoming brighter, illuminating the dark room

around us.

“I truly wish I could have been more helpful. I wish I could have provided you with better answers to your questions.

“You may be Elijah and my reincarnated spirits, but much of this journey is your own. You must experience it for yourself.”

Grayson stood, pulling me up with him. “Is there any chance we can convince you to stay longer?” he asked her.

I nearly scoffed, thinking it a bit ironic that he was begging her to stay despite his incredibly rude behavior toward her, as if she would want to be around him any longer than absolutely necessary.

It was a miracle that I could stand him.

Evangeline shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. My powers have allowed me to visit, but they have their limits. I must be going.”

She was glowing brighter than the lamp next to her now. I nearly had to squint to continue looking at her.

“Where exactly are you going?” I asked, letting my curiosity get the best of me. It was still unclear as to whether or not she was even alive. Were we talking to her ghost?

And if she really was here, did that mean King Elijah was out there somewhere too? Had the Mortars not been successful in killing them when they took the throne all those years ago?

Evangeline laughed like a person would when sharing an inside joke with another. “That would take far too long to explain. Just know that this will be the last time you will be seeing me.”

Did that mean she couldn’t come back or wouldn’t come back? “But what if we have more questions?” I blurted. “Will you be able to come back if I text you again?”

“The phone worked only that one time,” she explained. “You can text that number, but I will not receive it. As I said before, this will be the last time you will see me. My powers will not allow me

to return.”

I wanted to ask why but was distracted by the sudden burst of brightness around her. I gasped and covered my eyes as Grayson pulled me tighter into his protective embrace.

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€0 70% “I have to get back to my mate now. He worries when I’m away for too long. I’m sure the two of you can relate,” Evangeline said with a giggle.

I could barely even see her anymore; she was far too bright to look at directly.

The halo of light around her had spread onto her body, making her look like she was glowing beneath her skin, lighting up her clothes and hair.

“Fate chose you both for a reason; you will make an incredible king and queen,” she continued, her voice sounding distant. “Just trust that what the prophecy says is true, and everything will be okay”

With that, the light burst into a million little sparks that filled the room like falling snow. Grayson forced my face into his chest and stepped in front of me protectively.

Complete silence followed. Grayson and I were still, listening, waiting to see if it was over.

After several moments passed, we finally lifted our heads and cautiously peered around the room. Evangeline was gone, as was the light. We were alone.

I was the first to speak. “Um…” I looked up at Grayson, his arms still wrapped tightly around me. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Did that really just happen?**

Grayson shook his head in shock. He was smiling with me, but his wide eyes were still searching the room. “Yep. That just happened,” he confirmed.

One more flabbergasted laugh escaped my mouth as I let my forehead fall onto his hard chest. “My life used to be normal, you know,” I said against his shirt.

Grayson chuckled. “Normal or boring?””

I suppose he had a point. I would much prefer this life even if it had been a little crazy and unexpected since I met him.

I sighed and tilted my head up to look at him. “So what now?” I asked.

I was acutely aware of the fact that we were alone once again. I was also aware of the fact that there seemed to be no good reason keeping us from mating now.

That knowledge heated my body and drove me to dip my hands under the bottom of his shirt, running over the bare skin of his back.

I traced his muscles and even trailed my fingers just slightly under his belt and the waistband of his pants, hoping Grayson would take the hint.

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I traced his muscles and even trailed my fingers just slightly under his belt and the waistband of his pants, hoping Grayson would take the hint.

My efforts were rewarded when he began to softly purr, obviously enjoying my suggestive touch.

Moisture pooled between my legs at the sound, and a whimper escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

I knew Grayson could smell my need because his lips came crashing down onto mine a moment

later.

Warmth ran through my midsection and crupted into a pool of butterflies that left me gasping. I

moaned and leaned into the kiss.

The way his lips moved against mine, the way his tongue thrust into my mouth like he couldn’t wait to taste me, somehow made me feel lost and like I had finally found my home simultaneously.

He pulled away too soon. “Now…,” he began, his tone causing my stomach to flutter. My skin tingled as his eyes ran over my flushed face, shifting between red, black, and forest green.

“F uck… now I remind you of the promise you made me just a little while ago.”

I pouted. “What promise?”

He lowered his head until his lips were just barely skimming over mine as he spoke. “The promise that you wouldn’t try to tempt me to ravish you.”

The groan I released closely resembled that of a whining child. “We’re still doing that? Even after everything Evangeline just told us?”

“Just give me some time to process,” Grayson said, trying to soothe me.

“I know the bond is making it nearly impossible, but please, just let me think this through.

“A few days, okay? Give me a few days, and then I will happily allow you to break my resolve with your wandering little hands and the smell of your mouthwatering arousal.”

My heart wormed its way up my throat. If I wasn’t mistaken, that sounded like Grayson finally confirming that we were actually going to mate-something I wasn’t so sure about up until that

moment.

“A few days?” I repeated, swallowing thickly. I shifted my weight, secking any sort of friction to relieve the throbbing happening between my legs..

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I doubted my ability to last a few more seconds, let alone a few days but I could try.

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A muscle ticked in Grayson’s jaw. I wanted to lick that muscle. “A few days,” he confirmed.

I tried to wrap my head around his need to wait. I could feel the evidence of his arousal, his hard c ock pushing against my stomach.

He obviously wanted me and I was sure I had made my desire for him more than clear.

We knew all the information available to us about what the shifting process would be like when turning into a Fae, so what was the point in waiting to mate?

Grayson was too sweet. He was too worried about keeping me safe. His protective nature was going to be the death of both of us.

“Fine,” I whispered. “A few days.”