Lies in Blood (Dark Secrets #4)(55)
Author: A.M. Hudson

“I know.” He bristled with pride. “Why do you think I’m in charge of the Guard now?”

“Yeah.” Blade slapped Falcon on the shoulder. “This guy should win an award for the size of the steel rod he can cram up his arse.”

Emily and Blade laughed their way down the corridor and out of sight, and I turned to offer Falcon a sympathetic pout.

“I’m not here to earn friends,” he said.

“But they love you anyway.”

“Yeah. When I’m not walking around with that steel rod wedged where the sun don’t shine.”

“So, only when you’re off duty then.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Or off doody.”

“Ha!” I covered my mouth. “That was a pretty good one.”

“Like I said.” He closed the front door. “I’m not all business.”

Chapter Seven

“So, we��ve addressed your tantrums—” Blade pointed to his thumb, “—your naivety and, today, I want to talk some more about respect.”

“Respect?” I slid my bottom back on the tabletop and let my legs dangle. “Who am I not respecting?”

“It’s not your respect for everyone else I have a problem with, Ara. It’s theirs for you.”

“Oh.” I looked down at my knees, tucking my hands under them.

“The general population residing within these walls seems to hold you in reasonably high regard. I’ve checked, talked with them about you,” he said, pacing the floors again like he was lecturing at a university. “It seems to be only your peers, you know, anyone who knew you before you were queen, that haven’t taken a step back yet to notice this transformation you’ve made.”

“Like who?”

“Mike?” Emily said, and my eyes moved upward with Blade’s to the girl leaning her arms over the railing on the second floor balcony.

“That’s one,” Blade said, turning back to me. “Morgaine’s not too bad. King David could use a lesson in the do’s and don’ts of spousal control.”

I laughed. So did Emily.

“He won’t be a problem now, Blade,” I said, shifting over, patting the spot next to me for Em to join. “He apologised for that, and it really . . . It’s not who he is. He’s just been having a hard time.”

Blade bowed his head. “Okay. That’s fine. But the thing is, Ara, it’s not the other people we need to change. It’s you.”

“We need to change me because they disrespect me?” I said flatly.

“Yes,” Emily added, scooping my hand up in hers. “Because you teach people how to treat you, Ara.”

Blade’s eyes went wider for a second, a warm smile narrowing them after. “That’s right, Emily, and you could take a leaf out of your own book, couldn’t you?”

Emily nodded, turning to me. “Ara, Mike babies everyone if they let him.”

“Yeah, and you allow way too much of it, Your Majesty,” Blade said. “As a human being, you deserve the respect and confidence of your friends and family but, as a queen, you must command it.”

“Command it?” I said.

“Yes. It happens one situation at a time,” he explained. “You stand tall and clearly warn the culprit to rephrase their statement, this time with a little respect. Do that once or twice, Majesty, and people will catch on that you believe you deserve better than to be spoken to like you’re a seventeen-year-old spoiled brat.”

“Is that what people think of me?”

“Not so much anymore. But there’s just a few who haven’t woken up to smell the coffee. And you’ve been so busy being sad over David not being here, followed by news of his impending death, that you haven’t really noticed just how bad your people treat you.”

I brushed my thumb down Emily’s, focusing only on that so I wouldn’t cry.

“I think she has, Blade,” Emily said. “She’s not as tough as she looks.”

Blade’s face appeared under my lowered gaze, his black eyes peering up at me softly. “My Queen, you don’t even realise how much your people actually love you. Those who don’t are in the minority.”

“It doesn’t feel that way.”

“I know. But, hey, get this—” He grinned at Emily. “Ems and I took a stroll through Lamia Village the other day to see how it was thriving now, and when we got to the great water fountain in Town Square, there was this group of little human girls sitting on the steps.”

“They were making garlands of blue paper roses to hang around their necks, Ara,” Emily said.

“And I overheard one of the girls call herself Princess Amara,” Blade finished.

My heart melted. “Really?”

“Yeah. Honest to God.” Blade tapped his heart. “You and David aren’t just the king and queen, struggling to rule and be in love. You’re figures in history; stories parents tell their children.”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah.” Blade laughed, standing up again. “So don’t feel so alone, okay, Ara? You’re not. Your people love you, and respect you. But you need to realise that you’re the queen, not a girl fresh out of high school with no relevance or training.”

“And, Ara,” Emily added. “If you think about it, you know more about the laws, systems, and history than almost any of us.”

My mind wandered to this morning’s lesson with Morgaine on Lilithian and Vampire politics and history—a lesson I, for once, stayed awake for, realising now, more than ever, how important it was that I knew all that stuff. Very soon, there’d be no king to save me from myself. I needed to—had to—understand how to do this on my own or, when David was gone, everything would fall apart. “You’re right, Em,” I said, feeling the realisation flood my system like water rising. “I probably know more than anyone here, aside from Arthur and Morgaine. And no one, not Margret, Walt, not even Mike, has the right to speak to me like I’m a child.”

“Right,” Em said, her smile radiating as she looked at Blade. “So, what are you gonna do about it?”

“Um.” I didn’t know. Not really. “I guess, now that I’ve addressed it as an issue, I’ll just have to put myself to the test next time a situation arises.”

Emily looked at Blade. He shrugged, nodding. He seemed happy enough with that.