Chapter 29 - Luci's Surprise

Nolan got the word a few minutes ago that the missing three were at the palace. He was sure that Damien already knew this because he had several spies there. Nolan was trying to figure out how to get to them without Damien finding out.

They still had a few more days until their faces would be healed, so in that time, he would come up with a plan. He figured the three of them wouldn't be leaving the palace anytime soon anyway. Luci and Alessandra probably thought they were safe with Xavier and the royal family.

Nolan laughed; they would soon find out they were wrong. He would take them from right under the king's nose. King Malik was too much of a pushover to know what was going on. Nolan was sure he could walk in the door and take Luci and Alessandra without anyone knowing. He would leave Xavier there but refused to leave the other two.

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Damien heard from one of his spies that Nolan had received information on the location of his mate and daughter. He knew he had to stop him before he did something stupid like angering the king.

Some people thought the king was weak because he was easygoing. However, everyone else knew the truth and tried to stay under the radar. King Malik could be ruthless when it came to those who hurt anyone in his kingdom, especially his family.

From what the spy had told Damien, the king and queen had already accepted Luci as the next queen. He was also told what happened to the woman who attacked Luci, and Damien felt a moment of pride at how Luci stood up for herself.

He was trying to find a way to leave his family alone but continue his work. The only way that would work meant killing Nolan. As long as he was alive, his family would be in danger. Damien knew if he killed Nolan, he would also need to kill his partner, Silas.

Now, he just had to make a plan on how to get rid of them with no evidence. Then, he would work on his family and tell them to keep their mouths shut about his business.

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Luci woke up at sunrise feeling happy despite what happened at dinner the night before. She was glad Belinda had been taken to the dungeons and hoped she would remain there for a long time.

She shifted a little in the bed and felt Xavier move behind her. He didn't wake up but pulled her closer and buried his nose in her neck. Luci moved her head slightly to give him better access, and he took it. She giggled when he started kissing her neck softly.

"I thought you were still sleeping." She said as Xavier started sucking and nipping the sensitive skin near her ear. The sensation made her moan in pleasure.

"I was, but then your scent seemed to surround me, and I had to wake up so I could get more of it. I can smell your arousal. I thought you would be too worn out after yesterday and last night." Xavier continued moving his mouth over her skin, causing her to get breathless.

He ran his hand from her waist up her side and cupped one of her breasts. Luci tipped her head back into him and began wiggling around. Her backside was rubbing him until he was poking her. Xavier slid his hand down from her breast, over her stomach, and between her legs.

Luci shamelessly opened them wide, giving his fingers full access as he played with the source of her wetness. Xavier's fingers worked their magic until they were coated in her juices as she screamed out his name.

"I guess you weren't as worn out as I thought." He rolled Luci onto her back and began working on making her orgasm so many times that she would be too paralyzed to move.

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A couple of hours later, they had showered, and Luci was sitting on the bed in one of Xavier's t-shirts, waiting for Bexley. She was bringing her some clothes to wear, and she said she had some things that would also be good for Alessandra.

Xavier had gone to see the king and queen before breakfast. He told Luci he had some business to discuss with them. She could tell he was up to something but wasn't sure what.

As Luci was lost in thought, Bexley burst into the room carrying a mountain of clothes. Luci tried to take some of them, but she pushed past her and dumped them on the bed.

"You made all of these?" Luci couldn't believe it. There was every type of clothing she could ever want in the pile.

"Yep, I made every last one of them. I'm over a century old, so I had nothing but time on my hands. Have your mom come over so I can dress you both up for breakfast, and then we'll go through the rest afterward." Bexley began sorting clothes while Luci snuck next door to get her mother.

She wasn't too keen on walking around the palace in nothing but a long t-shirt and panties, but she figured just going next door would be all right. Luci knocked on her mom's door while she looked around, making sure she didn't see anyone else. When her mom finally opened the door, she sighed in relief.

"Come next door. Xavier's sister Bexley has some clothes for us to try on." Alessandra's eyes lit up. She loved new clothes, and Luci's face softened as she watched her. She had been dealing with a lot herself, but she forgot that her mom had also just found out what her mate of over two hundred years had been doing.

"That's great. I thought I would have to keep washing the dress I came in." Alessandra put her arm around her daughter as they walked next door.

When they walked in, both women stopped in surprise. In the few minutes that Luci had been gone, Bexley had turned the room into what looked like a small clothing store. Clothes were hanging everywhere and separated into different sizes and styles.

"Welcome ladies who also happen to be my first customers. Breakfast will be in about forty-five minutes, so let me dress you for that, and then when we come back, I'll get you set up with everything you need." Bexley started laughing when she couldn't keep up the serious face and tone any longer.

"You really outdid yourself. This stuff is gorgeous. We have never been to a royal breakfast, so please dress us up in whatever you think will be appropriate." Luci looked at her mother, who was just as stunned as she was.

"Mom, this is Bexley. She's Xavier's sister. Bexley, this is my mother, Alessandra." The two women smiled at each other, and then Bexley got to work.

She dressed Alessandra first in a beautiful dark blue dress that hugged her figure but was still classy. It had long sleeves and a skirt that stopped at her calves with a little flare. Bexley even had blue heels in her size to match. It had been a while since Luci had seen her mother smile so much. She looked radiant.

Bexley then began to dress Luci, who was curvier than her mother. She had an emerald green dress with thin, lacy sleeves that stopped just above her elbows. The dress fit her snuggly on top, and the skirt flowed around her, stopping at her knees, making her feel like she should go dancing. She had green heels to match because Bexley obviously forgot nothing.

"I love this. Thank you." Luci spun around, letting the skirt twirl around her as she giggled. Alessandra loved seeing her daughter so happy and carefree.

"I had another dress picked out for you, but Xavier asked me to have you wear something in green. Luckily, I had this dress, and it was already your size. Are you ladies ready? Everyone should be there already." Luci didn't miss Bexley's grin that she tried to hide, and she wondered again what was happening.

Bexley was wearing a pale pink dress with short sleeves that accented her tall, lean figure. She had on white heels that had little pink accents on them.

Luci thought they were going to the dining hall, but Bexley led them to the throne room instead. Luci was confused. Why would they be having breakfast in the throne room? Bexley knocked three times, and they heard a voice say come in. As the door opened, a booming voice began speaking.

"Please stand for the princess crowning ceremony." Luci stopped at the door as she took in the room in front of her. It was filled with people in chairs on either side who were all standing and staring at her.

She looked past all the spectators and saw King Malik, Queen Reina, and Xavier standing in front of the thrones. All three wore their royal clothing and their crowns. Luci didn't know what to do until Bexley gently pushed her forward.

She slowly walked toward the front of the room, her face flaming red as the people on either side bowed when she passed. No one had ever bowed to her, and it made her slightly uncomfortable, but she continued walking.

When Luci arrived in front of the three royals, she was about to bow, but Xavier stepped beside her and stopped her. He took her arm and led her a few steps to the king and queen. King Malik smiled down at her before he began speaking.

"Thank you all for coming here this morning to enjoy this very special occasion. As my son has found his fated mate, and she is to be the next queen of this kingdom, it's only fitting that we crown her a princess. Lucinda, mate of the Crown Prince Xavier, I crown you as Princess Lucinda. From this day forward, everyone within this kingdom shall treat you as part of the royal family without exception."

Queen Reina walked down to the stunned Luci and placed a small gold crown covered in diamonds and emeralds on her head. She felt the weight of it and was surprised at how heavy it was, even though it was so small. Xavier took her hand and turned her around to the crowd.

"I present to you for the first time, Princess Lucinda." King Malik bellowed. Luci felt tears in her eyes as everyone bowed in front of her. She saw her mother standing in the front row with Bexley, and she was openly crying with a huge smile on her face as she bowed to her daughter.

Luci looked up at Xavier, who was beaming at her, and she smiled through her tears. They still had to stop her dad and Nolan, but for the first time since accepting Xavier, she felt like she belonged with the royals, even as a vampire.