Chapter 26 - Future Queen

Xavier walked toward Belinda and grabbed her by the arm. She tried to fight him as he dragged her out of the room.

"Guards." Xavier yelled.

"I don't care what my father or anyone else said; you and I will never be mates. If you talk to my mate Luci like that again, I will have you hung by a silver chain from the highest beam. You are the only bloodsucker I see here. If you step foot in the palace again, it will be the last time." As Xavier spoke, Belinda got redder and redder. Two guards came in, and Xavier threw Belinda at them.

"Get her out of here, and I never want to see her in the palace again." The guards nodded as they dragged Belinda away, screaming.

"What did she mean when she said your father has announced that she will be your mate and queen?" Luci didn't like the sound of anyone trying to stake a claim on her mate.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out. Let's go talk to my parents." Xavier grabbed Luci's hand, and they walked out of the room.

"Maybe I should wait here. The king and queen may not like you confronting them in front of me." Luci tried to stop him, but he continued holding her hand.

"I don't care how they feel. I told you I wouldn't be king if they didn't accept you, and they also have to answer for their actions." Luci stopped walking, making Xavier stop to look at her.

"You are meant to be king, and I can't ask you to give that up to be with me. I'm nothing but a vampire, and I know nothing about being a queen." Luci once again felt inadequate to have a mate like Xavier. He tilted her face up so she could look into his eyes.

"You didn't ask me to give up anything. I would do it because I love you, and you're the most important thing to me in the whole world. I have a sister who can take the throne. As far as you not knowing how to be a queen, you're already a queen. You're the strongest, most fearlessly independent woman I have ever met, and if that doesn't define a queen, I don't know what does."

Xavier leaned down and kissed her, not caring if the entire palace saw them. Luci felt like she was going to turn into a puddle from his words. When he pulled away, she felt her heart flutter.

"I love you," She spoke softly as he held her in his arms.

"I love you too. Now, let's go set the king and queen straight, or we're leaving." Xavier and Luci walked back toward the throne room but through a different door that was off to the side.

It was an enormous office with two desks. King Malik was behind one, and Queen Reina was behind the other. They both looked up with smiles when the couple walked in.

"Hello. We weren't expecting to see you again so soon. Is there something we can do for you two?" King Malik didn't seem to have any ill will toward Luci as he smiled at her while talking. She started to wonder if Belinda had made the whole thing up.

"Belinda came to mine and Luci's room, stating that you have announced her as my mate and queen. How could you do that when you know I only wanted my fated mate?" Xavier asked angrily as he confronted his parents. However, when he saw his father's and mother's confusion, he lost some of his steam.

"Son, I don't know what you're talking about. I never announced such a thing. She came here a few weeks ago asking if I would force you to mate with her, and I told her that a king needed his fated mate as queen. She was angry but left without a word. I haven't seen her since then. Luci, I'm sorry about Belinda's behavior. Please rest assured that Reina and I have no problem with you being Xavier's mate. Make sure to let me know if anyone gives you any trouble, and I'll set them straight."

Luci was taken aback by the king's kindness. She had been so sure with how the guards glared at her and her mother that they reflected the king's feelings. She now knew that wasn't the case at all.

"Thank you, your majesty." Luci didn't know what else to say, but she returned the king and queen's smiles with one of her own. Xavier took her hand, and they left the office after saying their goodbyes.

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting them to be accepting of us so quickly, but that just shows they already see how wonderful you are. Don't worry about Belinda; we'll throw her in the dungeon if she returns here."

As they approached Xavier's room, Luci looked to make sure no other women were around to try Belinda's little stunt. That made her think of something she wanted to ask him as they entered the room.

"Did you have a relationship with Belinda?" Luci wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer. The thought of Xavier kissing or making love to her caused Luci's heart to ache. Xavier walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"No, I never had anything with her. She always tried, but only because she wanted me to mark her and make her queen. I never cared for women who only saw my wealth and throne as their goal. You, my queen, are special and one of a kind." Xavier ran the back of his hand over her cheek as he smiled at her.

Xavier looked into Luci's brown eyes and saw her worry disappear. He hated that Belinda had made her have any doubt that he didn't want to be with her. Luci was a true queen in more ways than she knew; obviously, his parents had seen that, too.

Just as he was getting ready to kiss his beautiful mate, there was pounding on their bedroom door. Xavier groaned, wondering who it was this time.

"Open up. I know you're in there." Xavier's attitude changed when he heard the female voice on the other side. He felt Luci tense up, expecting the woman to be another rival, but he calmed her fears.

"That's my little sister, Bexley." Xavier went over and opened the door.

Bexley was almost as tall as Luci, with shoulder-length curly blonde hair, golden brown eyes, and an infectious smile. Luci didn't even know her, but she was already smiling at her.

"So it's true, you found your mate, and she's a vampire. That's so cool. Hello, I'm Bexley. I'm about a hundred years younger than Xavier." Bexley walked over to Luci and hugged her. She was surprised but hugged the younger woman back.

"It's nice to meet you, Bexley. I'm Lucinda, but you can call me Luci." She felt a tug on her heart; Bexley reminded her of her sister.

"That's such a cool name. We're going to be great friends, Luci. Are you guys back at the palace for good now? I'm tired of being here with all these stuffy old people." Luci couldn't help but laugh at Bexley's statement. They weren't exactly young, with all of them being over a century old.

"Let's just say we're here for now. I don't know if we're staying, but we'll see. Luci and I just got here, Bex. Do you think we can be alone for a little while, and we'll catch up with you at dinner." Xavier wanted nothing more than to make love to his mate. He needed to feel her soft skin and kiss her all over to show his queen that she was already royalty.

"Fine, but I get to sit next to Luci at dinner. We have a lot to talk about." Bexley waved as she left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"I like your sister. She's really sweet." Luci was still smiling after Bexley had left.

"She's the only thing that keeps me sane when I'm here. Now, let's forget about my family. I need to show the future queen what it's like to be worshiped."

Luci laughed as Xavier picked her up and carried her to the bed. He truly did make her feel like a queen, worshiping her body more than once.