Horse (Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club Book 6) (14 page)

He was dressed in a tux and wore his crown, which could pose a problem since I had humans at my wedding who weren’t aware of supernaturals. My eyes searched the room for Aaron, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw him coming towards us with Nathan and Abbott at his side.

“Neville, any discussion needs to happen out of the public eye, I’m afraid,” Nathan said as he neared.

“I was just wondering why my grandniece didn’t see fit to invite me, or any of the rest of the family, to her wedding.”

“She discussed the idea with me, and we felt you all lived too far away,” said Aaron, “and we worried inviting you would be an imposition. Please, if you’ll step into another room with us, we can explain more?”

With The Dragon King on one side of him, and the Amakhosi on the other, thankfully my King decided to go with them. Horse and I followed, as did a large percentage of the RTMC. The MC would always have Horse’s back, and since he and I were a unit, I’d have them at my back, too.

The staff had set up a staging area between the kitchen and the banquet hall, and Abbott ran everyone out and waved his arms at the doors. I assumed he locked them in some way, but I didn’t ask. He waved his arm again and the sounds from the other rooms were muted, and I knew we could now speak without worry of anyone overhearing.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” I told my uncle. “It seemed best to get married in this realm. I didn’t want to come to Faerie without my fiancé, and getting passage for a Grizzly Bear would’ve been complicated. My life is here, and I wanted my wedding to be here as well, and I didn’t want to impose on you and the rest of the family to come to the human realm. I meant no disrespect.”

“And yet you haven’t bowed or kneeled.”

He was right, I should’ve at the very least bowed or curtsied as I addressed him, but I didn’t
want
to, and I’d never been reticent to show obeisance before. I took a breath and moved my feet to curtsy, but my body didn’t cooperate. I slowed my thoughts to analyze what was going on, and remembered that he’d triggered as a monarch, but not as my King. Also, I usually called him
My King
or
My Lord
when in public, but it hadn’t felt right and I’d said
Your Majesty
, instead. It was a way to show respect for the Crown without admitting he was over me in any way.

I glanced at Nathan, saw his concern, and looked back to my uncle. “I don’t want to continue this conversation, Uncle Neville. I think it’s best if you return to Faerie before we do something we can’t reverse.” By using the familial title I was skirting the edge. As his great-niece, doing so was okay during certain times when in public, and it could be argued my wedding reception — a family event — would be one of those instances… and yet it also clearly told him I was getting around having to show respect to his office. His title.

I felt his power as he unleashed it, and I strengthened my shields so he wouldn’t feel mine. I was almost positive I could overpower him, but I didn’t fucking
want
to. I looked to Aaron for help, and thankfully, he intervened.

“Gabby isn’t the same rabbit she was when she first arrived, Neville. She’s trying to let everyone save face. I know the kind of power she holds now, and it’s the stuff of legends. She’s happy here — please don’t force her to take on a role she doesn’t want. I know you enjoy being King. She doesn’t want to be Queen, and if certain things happen then you’ll both be unhappy.”

My uncle gave me a calculating look and Nathan stepped in front of him and met his gaze as the Amakhosi. Two Kings eye-to-eye as the Lion King said, “If anything happens to her, whether we believe you had anything to do with it or not, you’ll be killed. Her health and safety should be very important to you, Rabbit King.”

“You’d risk war for her?”

Aaron stepped beside Nathan so they were shoulder-to-shoulder and said. “Oh, if
I
did the killing in a public way, there wouldn’t be war. You know what I’ve done in the past to keep the people special to me alive. Don’t test us on this, Neville.”

The Rabbit King looked at me, contemplating, and finally said, “Aaron is correct — I
do
enjoy being King. You truly have no interest in the Crown?”

I shook my head. “If forced to take it, I will, but I’d keep a joint residence and spend most of my time here. I’ve built a life for myself here. I found my soul mate, I have friends, and I’m on my way to doing what I want with my life. A few years of college and I should be all set.”

“I don’t feel that much power coming from you. Is this some kind of sick bluff?”

“To what purpose, Uncle?” I let him consider that a few seconds before adding, “Growing up with a psychopath apparently teaches one to build awesome shields. You and I both know if I let you feel my power we run the risk of me taking over the Crown without meaning to.”

He nodded. “Your aunt misses you. If you can shield this well in Faerie, you’ll be welcome with your spouse for day trips but you’ll need special permission for overnight trips. I’ll see to it the Summer Queen knows I’ve given you leave to bring him.”

“I’d like a way to send letters to Aunt Bea. I know there’s a way, if one has special permission to do so, and contact with the messenger service. Can you make arrangements for her and me to send letters to each other?”

He nodded. “Aaron can set it up for you and I won’t get in the way.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Will you introduce me to your new husband, Gabby?”

I did the formal introductions exactly the way my aunt had taught me, and everything was going fine until they shook hands. I felt Horse unleash his power as their hands met, and I realized my power was coming through along with Horse’s. My new husband’s arm was around me, and we’ve bonded so much it didn’t matter I was shielded.

The Rabbit King unleashed his full power again, and suddenly we were partaking in the very battle I’d tried to avoid. Once it started, there was no way to back down, and tears came to my eyes as I held on with Horse and dropped the barriers I’d been using to hold in my power. Aaron had taught me the difference between a barrier and a shield, so I could release my power now without dropping all of my shields.

Abbott’s bubble was intended to contain our energies as well as our conversation, and he apparently didn’t build it to withstand the battle for a Monarchy. When it burst, everyone in the room was affected. Even Aaron and Nathan put their hands to their heads for a second, though they’d regained their composure long before the rest of us. I noted Duke was on one knee looking dazed when I could focus around me again, and realized this meant I recovered before him.

Oddly enough, Bash didn’t seem to be terribly affected. I filed that away to think about later, and pulled back from Horse, who’d held me tight during the worst of it.

“Are you okay? What happened?” I asked my new husband.

“I’m good, though I’m not sure what happened. Touching him was like touching a battery — my energy flowed out and around me without my having control. I don’t like not having control.”

I looked to Aaron and Nathan, and Aaron said, “Bears don’t have an official hierarchy, but this reaction leads me to believe you’d be at the top, if you did. When two people who hold Crowns touch, we have to be careful. The strongest of two species together… you never know how our energies will react. Nathan and I have worked it out, and Sophie and I were together before she became Queen, so we adjusted as her powers grew. You and I will experiment later to see what happens when we touch, and I’ll teach you how to manage it when you touch other leaders.”

I turned to my uncle. The bubble popping had ended the showdown without altering anything, and he was still King, thank goodness. “That was most unpleasant but it wasn’t done on purpose, Your Majesty. I trust you’re okay?’

He nodded. “I am, and I now understand the power you wield. The two of you together, Rabbit and Bear, are a formidable couple.” He looked to the RTMC members standing behind us. “He’s aligned with Wolves?” His gaze met mine once more. “The wolves are
not
welcome.”

“As you know, Sophia has invited them to our castle many times. She’s quite close to a couple of them,” Aaron told him. “But that’s a discussion for another time. I believe it would be wise for you to return home now, while you’re still Rabbit King.”

My great uncle looked at me, appraising me again. “You’ve never asked for your grandparents to be freed.”

“She’s your sister. Have
you
tried to bargain for her freedom? If the King can’t make it happen, what hope would I have?”

“I’ve tried several times over the years but she wronged
you
. You’re the only one with a hope of freeing them.”

“I’ve never met them. My dad hated them so I grew up hating them as well. I didn’t know their fate until I returned to Faerie, but I never realized their future was in my hands.” I opened my mouth to say something else, but wasn’t sure what to say. They’d been in Mab’s dungeon nearly five years,
should
I ask for their release? I didn’t like knowing anyone’s fate was in my hands, and especially not these people who’d been the cause of so much grief in my life. If I’d been raised in Faerie with an extended, loving family, my life would be so much different. Not to mention the lives of the hundreds of women my father had raped, tortured, and killed while he ran amuck in the human realm.

Horse was holding my left hand, and he gave it a squeeze to remind me he was there. I looked at him and he said, “They’ve been there a long time. Nothing has to be decided right now. You can think it over later, with counsel.”

He was right, of course, but there were things I wanted to know. I looked back to Uncle Neville. “Do you know why they didn’t want to let my mother into the family? Why my father had to take her to the human realm to marry her and have a life with her?”

“As second in line, he was promised to someone else. He could have kept your mother in a bedroom down the hall, and fucked her and had a life with her here — she just wouldn’t have been his wife. You know how Rabbit life is. We can fuck whoever we want.”

“There’s more.”

He seemed startled I’d guessed there was more, and he took a step back before regaining his composure. “There is, but it isn’t fit for anyone outside the family to know.”

“They knew he was a psychopath, didn’t they?”

“That’s a human word.”

I sighed. “It is, but unless they didn’t know their son at all, they had to know something wasn’t right.” He didn’t say anything and I added, “If I thought they were trying to protect my mom, I could more easily forgive them.”

“They were trying to protect more than just your mom.”

I nodded. “I need to return to my wedding guests, but I promise you I’ll put a lot of thought into this.”

When he’d gone, Aaron told me, “I can get you a private audience with The Winter Queen if you’d like. You’ll need her permission to speak with your grandparents.”

“Yes, thank you. We should discuss doing so soon, but for now I’d like to get back to my reception. Can we pick this conversation back up when Horse and I return from our honeymoon?”

“Promise me you won’t go to Faerie without me? I’ll go get your Aunt Bea and bring her here, if you need to talk to her.”

I nodded, and we all returned to the reception.

Horse

Gabby was exhausted when we finally left the reception. Aaron’s helicopter picked us up in the field beside the banquet hall and took us to our honeymoon cabin on a remote North Carolina mountaintop. She stayed awake only because she was uneasy flying over mountains through the dark.

A rental car was parked in the driveway in case we wanted to drive into town, but the kitchen was stocked and our luggage was already there, so we could hide out by ourselves without going near civilization if we wanted.

I’d like to say we had a night of incredible sex, but the truth is we’d both been out way too late the night before, and then with the wedding, reception, and everything else, we were both exhausted.

I was insistent we consummate our vows, and she wasn’t opposed in the least, but it was a nice, slow round of lovemaking.

During the exchange of our orgasm, I felt her conflict and confusion over possibly being powerful enough to be Queen, and the fact she was pissed off the fate of her grandparents rested on her shoulders. She’d been fine knowing they were in Mab’s dungeon when it wasn’t her choice, but now that she knew she was the only one who might be able to negotiate for their freedom, she was angry to have been put in the situation.

And I knew she wasn’t going to wait until our two-week honeymoon was over to make a decision. She still thought she was going to wait, but I knew it would eat at her.

She awoke before me the next morning and decided to jump on and ride. Lucky for both of us, my cock was up even if I wasn’t, and I awakened with a smile as heat enveloped and squeezed my cock, and I saw her looking down at me with lust in her eyes.

She leaned forward and explored my lips with hers in a gentle feminine kiss, and I relaxed and let her have her way with me. I considered playing with her breasts as they rested on my chest, but I merely played with her hair and stroked her back, and let her lead. Eventually, her kisses went from enticing to ravaging, and she braced her hands on my chest and pushed herself up so she could ride me properly.

My little bunny is raw pleasure, carnal heat, and my bear came to the surface with a growl as I let her have her way with me.

The wolves talk about not being able to orgasm from the bottom, but I have no such issues and I love it when my Gabby rides me.

She rode the edge of her orgasm longer than I’ve ever seen her deny herself, and she was breathless when she finally fell over the edge and lost her rhythm as bliss overtook her. Now, I grasped her thighs to hold her a few inches above me as I slammed up into her and held her on the precipice, flying high.

She barely paused to catch her breath before she was riding me again, and this time I moved with her, our bodies finding their own passion-filled dance.

Unfortunately, we were still going at it hot and heavy when I sensed someone near. She felt the change in me and stopped, and I lifted her off me and made my way through the cabin to investigate — grabbing a nine mil on the way. I’d just made it to the front room when someone knocked on the door, and I looked to see Gabby with a gun as well. I motioned where I wanted her — protected from stray bullets but in position to lean around the corner and fire if necessary. Her martial arts training had dampened her freeze-or-flee response but we still didn’t know how she’d react in a real-world situation.

I didn’t recognize the man on the porch, but he wore a vest with the Concilio’s insignia and my heart went into my throat as I recognized it. Not much scares me, but the Concilio scares most every supernatural on the planet. Our lore says they’ve even taken down the most powerful legendary leaders who dared show too much of themselves to humans.

My voice was strong, though, as I told him to, “Identify yourself, please.”

“I am Apollonius, on an official visit from the Concilio.”

“We’re on our honeymoon and we aren’t dressed. Can you take five minutes to enjoy the scenery in one of the rocking chairs while we make ourselves presentable?”

“It is indeed a nice view. I shall wait.”

“Thank you.”

Gabby went to the bedroom, and I texted Aaron. He texted a picture of Apollonius to me with a note to, “
Call me and I’ll do all of the talking so Apollonius won’t hear.
” The picture matched the man on the porch, and since the image showed Aaron and Apollonius smiling together, I hoped this meant the man would be a friend to Gabby at least, since she’s under Aaron’s formal protection.

Aaron answered the phone with, “Nathan and I will be there within the hour, and I’ll make phone calls on the way to see what’s going on. If possible, the two of you should keep from agreeing to anything until we arrive.”

He hung up, and I looked to Gabby to make sure she’d heard. We’d both had our ear to the phone and the volume low, to be sure our guest didn’t hear. She nodded and pulled a sports bra on, and then a loose tee over baggy jeans. She’s gotten so much better about not wanting to hide her body, but when she’s stressed she still tries to hide herself under constricting sports bras and layers of formless fabric.

We walked out together, hand in hand. We both wore holsters with firearms, plus I had one at my ankle. Odds were, if this guy wanted to fight it wouldn’t involve firepower, but it never hurt to be prepared.

He smiled as we stepped onto the porch, and introduced himself again. “I’m sorry to interrupt your honeymoon but I’m afraid this conversation couldn’t wait another two weeks.”

Part of me wanted to stay on the porch and talk to him, but my gut told me to invite him inside. How you show respect and disrespect is a big deal in the supernatural world, and we’d do good to not anger this man if he were here on a peaceful mission.

“Before I invite you inside,” I asked, “can you give me a general idea of why we need to speak so urgently?”

“Because I’m in the presence of the most powerful Rabbit and Grizzly Bear in this realm — or any other we are aware of — and certain responsibilities and duties come with the kind of power the two of you hold.”

I nodded and motioned him through the door. “Then I’ll invite you inside as a guest in our temporary home.”

“How do you know we’re the most powerful?” Gabby asked.

“We felt The Rabbit King coming through the portal, and monitored the exchange at your wedding reception.” He shifted his gaze to me. “Without her, you might just be third or fourth most powerful, but with her by your side and having regular sex with you, she’s giving you a boost.” He tilted his head. “I believe it works the other way around as well, and the two of you apart wouldn’t be as strong.”

He looked back to Gabby. “Bears are more powerful than Rabbits, and the two species’ energy rarely mixes. None of us remember a Bear and a Rabbit of any power forming a union in the past. Our archivist is looking through the records, but I don’t expect he will find anything.”

“You’re aware of the legends surrounding me?” Gabby asked.

Apollonius nodded. “We are, and this has given you more power than your King, who has access to the combined power of every Rabbit in Faerie.”

“You’re saying she’d be twice as strong if she took the Crown?” I asked, because if she’s already stronger than King Neville without accessing the power of every Rabbit, I couldn’t imagine her power signature if she could.

“Yes, in all likelihood — though we have no way of knowing for sure unless she does so.”

The layout in the great room had a sofa and a loveseat facing each other, and several upholstered chairs scattered around to make a conversation area. I moved to the sofa and brought Gabby with me, and motioned toward the loveseat and several chairs as I invited Apollonius to have a seat.

When we were once again facing each other, I asked, “How often do people who don’t want power receive it?”

“It’s true the majority of people with this kind of power have had to work for it, but these situations happen more often than you’d think.”

“How can I have responsibilities?” Gabby asked. “As far as I know, I’m the only Rabbit in the human realm, and my uncle is still King.”

“The responsibilities are in the ways you choose to use your power. We don’t interfere with the way the various species’ governing bodies choose to rule their people, as long as they keep a low profile to humans. However, in order to remain relevant, our organization must allow for the most powerful of us to have a say in how the Concilio chooses to operate.”

“And we qualify for whatever board or committee gets a say?” I asked.

Apollonius explained how individuals with power are regarded, and then how couples with power are classified, and said we would qualify to join either way, but we’d need to make a decision. He was in the process of explaining the pros and cons when we heard the ‘copter, and Gabby stood and said, “That’ll be Aaron Drake and Nathan Pierce, I believe. I trust their counsel and I’m glad they’re here.”

He smiled. “I’m aware The Dragon King has taken you under his wing, and you seem to have had an intimate relationship with the Amakhosi in the previous months.”

I started to correct him that they’re still intimate, and remind him Rabbits and Bears aren’t monogamous, but decided to remain quiet. This man already knew much about us and it wouldn’t hurt to have a few things he didn’t know.

Gabby was already outside waiting on Aaron and Nathan as they landed, and she brought them inside. I moved to shake Nathan’s hand but Aaron said, “Let’s skip the handshakes until we figure out your new power signature, Horse. We all know we get along, we don’t have to go through the motions to prove it.” He nodded to Apollonius and said, “A heads up would have been appreciated, old friend.”

“We wanted to see them on their own without you around.”

“And what did you see?”

“A couple who would be strong as individuals. A couple so much in love their bond is like another entity. The two combined are likely five times as strong as either of them alone.” He looked at us and then back to Aaron. “The Bear knew I was here less than two seconds after my arrival, but this provided ample opportunity to sense their energy when they thought they were alone. I know you consider the Rabbit to be under your protection, do you claim the Grizzly as well?”

“I’ll vouch for him. He’s my friend, and the husband of someone under my protection. He has no desire to use his powers in a way the Concilio will object to. I don’t believe you need more than that, do you?”

Okay, so I’m not under his protection, but by vouching for me and claiming me as a friend, he’d as much as said I am without making it official. Aaron excels at navigating supernatural politics and I fully approved of his answer.

Nathan is usually quiet, and he’d been leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. He dropped them to his side now and stepped forward to say, “Aaron and I’ve been working with Gabriella to teach her to manage her recent surge in power. Horse’s power surge came last night, and he’s on his honeymoon now so we figured we’d wait until they returned to help him learn to control the new levels. And yet, he’s managed to keep it shielded perfectly fine under the stresses you’ve put him under. They don’t pose a threat, Apollonius. They didn’t go looking for this kind of power, and they aren’t going to try to take over the world with it. The Abbott is fine with them living in his territory and has no plans to put a leash on them. If nothing else convinces you, this should.”

Everyone was silent for a good two minutes. Gabby opened her mouth to speak but Aaron shushed her with a look before she started, and she stood with me, silent.

When Apollonius finally spoke again it was to inform us of a meeting in five weeks, and to tell us Aaron and Nathan knew the location and should bring us the first time.

He turned towards the door and Gabby said, “Wait!” She must have realized giving orders to a Concilio representative was bad so she quickly followed it with, “Please?”

Apollonius turned and she asked, “Is my father alive?”

He took long enough to answer, I got the idea he was consulting with someone telepathically. Finally, he told her, “Your father was purchased at auction by someone with the power and facilities to make sure he’ll never escape. His owner paid a great deal for him so I would assume he’s still alive.”

“Is there a way to find out?”

“Come to the meeting and you can speak to the man who purchased your father.”

He walked out the door without another word and without closing it behind him, and abruptly disappeared as both boots touched the wood of the porch.

Gabby’s pulse beat even faster, and Nathan’s voice was gentler than I’d ever heard it as he said, “He can teleport in this realm. It’s okay, Gabriella. You’re fine. Horse is fine.”

I pulled her into my arms and looked at him over her head. “Thanks to both of you for coming. I have a feeling we were so far out of our depth, we have no idea how much danger we were in.”

“It’s true one usually doesn’t want to see a Concilio vest,” said Nathan, “but when the representative knocks on your front door instead of showing up in your bedroom, you’re usually okay.”

“I’d like to point out, “ Aaron said as his gaze met mine, “that Apollonius was standing in a room with the strongest Dragon, Lion, Grizzly Bear, and Rabbit on the planet, and wasn’t the least intimidated. I didn’t put you under my formal protection because doing so would imply you aren’t strong enough to defend yourself, but the truth is, you aren’t when it comes to someone of Apollonius’s caliber.”