Princess Ninja Warrior (House of Garner Book 4) Read online

  They showed me where they had started massive feed growing with barley fodder for the cows. They were working on it, but I saw what they needed me for. I went over to the light bulbs they were using and turned one into energy beads so I could get a feel for it, nodding I had it. Then I went to the containers of energy beads that either I or Vitor did and turned them into the right light bulbs.

  Everyone there seemed thrilled, smiling that we had the next step, and maybe we could really manage all of what we needed to. It gave me hope. We all needed hope.

  Next was an actual and gigantic dairy factory that was located in Edmonton. Well, an industrial park of them that had been owned by the same company. One was milk, another was cheese, and I saw yogurt, but Cerdic promised me there was more.

  “So this is going to be where the milk goes for all the areas and clans, and they’ll ship out products, just like the clan in Seattle that will be doing fishing. We’re getting it going, Inez, I promise. Just hang on. I know it’s overwhelming, but we’re way beyond how you were when I met you even.”

  “Yeah, we are,” I agreed, trying not to do a happy dance. I fixed the first factory, but then I was out of juice; Jaxon and Cerdic more than willing to help me out with that… While Vitor and Tian stood guard. That was new, and would take some getting used to.

  Really getting used to. Eventually, I would mostly be at the coven and as long as I didn’t think about the castle someone was building me, that was comforting.

  “Everything will be okay, I know it,” Jaxon whispered to me.

  “Will it?” I rasped, snuggling up against him. “He said it so easily, Jaxon. He was the one who pushed me to accept life like this, but then he turned on me. I would…”

  “Only have stayed with him forever, and never looked at another man, if he hadn’t pushed you to accept that was the life of a princess?” Cerdic pushed when I shut my mouth. He sighed when I nodded. “I think that’s his issue, love. You thought this was all crazy, but he pushed you, and he sees it that he pushed you towards something past what he thought you would like or accept.”

  “He blames himself I like to give head to you and Kristof?” I asked, sighing when Jaxon flinched. “Cerdic just once, recently. He’s, um—”

  “Given her pert arse a few good smacks during fun,” he said for me. “Nothing wrong with that, and we enjoyed it, didn’t we, love?” He chuckled when I shivered. “Yeah, we loved it. You enjoy when your Zen master gets aggressive with you every so often and demands what he needs from you.”

  “I do, fuck, I so do,” I panted, kissing along Jaxon’s neck. “I love driving my men crazy. You love fucking me so hard and deep. Don’t you want to do it after I suck you off? Spank your bad wife for enjoying that so much? Tell me you haven’t thought about me laying out and sticking my ass up again and offering all of me to you.”

  “Yes, I want it, I want all of that,” he growled. “I’m not against it, as long as everyone knows it’s play. I worry some won’t keep to the line and leave it in the bedroom, and start to think they’re boss. It’s a valid worry.”

  “It is,” Cerdic agreed. “But the line is clear, and if that changes, we handle it.”

  “I just didn’t know you were so into it,” Jaxon continued. “You always seemed to do it for us.”

  “I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t want it too. It’s never mutually exclusive. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t just do it. There hasn’t been anything anyone’s done that I didn’t like that I didn’t talk about it with them later.”

  “Not me,” he murmured.

  “Kristof forgot I was a baby vampire,” I sighed. “He’s careful. He checks. I promised to be honest and I have been. I like trying though, and seeing where that line is for me, just like you dressing me up and letting me experience other things. It’s fun.”

  “Fuck, I so want to see now.” His dick twitched in me. “Take more blood, my love. I need you again.”

  “Beg,” I purred, shivering when he did. Yeah, I wasn’t going to just be someone’s submissive or pet, but it was stupid that we had our immortal lives, and I couldn’t play or explore because it was beneath me? For something so normal?

  Silly men.

  We finished, and then I finished fixing everything, excited we had such a huge array of options coming soon. I knew it wasn’t easy for those helping the kitchen to keep churning butter and all the grinding stuff—as I’d helped with it all the time—so I liked we could do it better.

  We had lunch there, and I found out that people weren’t just raiding but also reporting what they found. There was a lot we could use so that part I knew, but what I hadn’t known is Cerdic and a few others were mapping it all out for ideas of what could be where. We didn’t need milk processing at each location or outpost. Maybe one day, but really, we didn’t have enough people for that.

  Which made me think again about helping settlements and other groups but really, we had enough upset trying to handle our own stuff. Really, we did. Eventually, someone could handle maybe making contact with the two survivor settlements someone found in the Northwest Territories of Canada, but for now, we just couldn’t risk it.

  We had a meeting after lunch where Vitor updated everyone what he and Petre had found in Canada. It was the Niagara Falls coven that had come after me. First their princess, when she was told that some surviving princess planned to take over Canada from the guy who had been on James’s ship.

  We couldn’t ask him if that was what he’d really said, as they killed him when the princess died, thinking he’d lured her into a trap and I had black magic. Okay then. Basically, they seemed mostly off their rockers, but the surviving coven members understood that it was all bullshit, I had nothing to do with it, and clearly their princess had upset Aether.

  Whether they believed that or not, I couldn’t say, but they believed Vitor and Petre would slaughter them all if anyone else tried for me. Three failed attempts, and it was a miracle I wasn’t already out for blood, so like enough. We were trying to survive the apocalypse, after all. They had no princess to take over but the eldest of the coven all agreed “no more,” and I was fine with them doing their own thing.

  Yeah, far away from me so just fucking stay over there and leave us alone. They also marked out where we would be and having outposts and taking over. They promised if we stayed out of their corner of Ontario and didn’t come from the other side of western New York, they would stay there and leave us be.

  We’d have to wait and see if it happened, but both of them were confident they were telling the truth. It was a small coven and not doing well, so they lashed out in desperation.

  Idiots. I couldn’t even feel bad for them. They went on information they didn’t verify and tried to kill someone they didn’t even know. They deserved everything they got, and I felt a bit valid after three attempts on my life, one I never even knew of but still happened.

  I nodded along but had trouble focusing when I realized Darius wasn’t there. Wow, he couldn’t even be in the same room with me, even for appearances, as it was a meeting with the courts of my “managers” so Sebastian, Jacob, and Hanna’s noble, Winston, were there.

  “I would like to speak with my princess on possibly making a deal that Vitor visit with his gift and help our area now and again,” Sebastian said, carefully broaching the topic, Jacob and Winston both looking interested.

  I shrugged. “You have to talk to him about that. I don’t own him. He works for me as a guard. I mean, we might have to work on trading a shift for this new setup, but I’m sure he can if he wants to on his time off. Or if we ever get days off.” I sighed. “I’m fine with you asking him as the princess of the coven he’s in, I guess, but don’t bully him or I’ll shoot you.”

  “Are you alright, Princess?” Jacob asked gently.

  “Sorry, my head still fucking hurts,” I admitted and then pushed to stand. “I’m sorry, I need a night off and not more. Jaxon can handle this as my husband.”

  I swallow
ed loudly. The only one who seemed to love me. I opened my mouth but then shut it, shaking my head and walking out.

  I didn’t like that I basically admitted I would have only accepted Darius, like they were all expendable. I needed to talk to someone who might understand any and all of this, but this wasn’t something I could trust other princesses with.

  I did, however, have female knights I felt like I was friends with. After a bit of back and forth, I found Trisha in Seattle, my security leaving the meeting to guard me. I apologized for that, as one was Vitor and the question was posed to him. Then again, that sort of sprang it on him in the meeting.

  “I need a night off. With friends. Do you fit that bill?” I asked Trisha, not surprised when she gave me a shocked look. I felt the same, but also raw, so I wasn’t all that shocked I’d just blurted it out like that. I sighed in relief when she nodded. “I have like a vacation home in Montana. Let’s go there. No one will hear us. We can just… Be.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll let James know he’s handling the kids tonight,” she told me, reaching over and patting my shoulder. “I’ll talk to Nick about food. You get the booze.”

  “Cool, I want to check out Minneapolis a bit now that’s been cleared out,” I muttered. “Well, besides the fucking turkeys.”

  “The turkeys are tasty,” she reminded me.

  “And mean.” I turned to Sisay since he knew where we were going. He swooped me up and brought me to a Costco, probably having heard we’d had fun there before, except that had been with Darius, so that was sort of stabbing. I sighed and headed for the door, trying to ignore what I was feeling.

  Right, because that ever worked.

  20

  “May I speak?” Vitor asked as Sisay broke the doors, since the place didn’t seem to even be raided.

  “Um, sure?” I replied, covering my nose when the smell of decay came out to greet us. Lovely. “Let’s go find a liquor store. I don’t know what happened in Minneapolis, but I’m shocked this is locked up.”

  Sisay darted in and then back out. “It’s picked over inside. It was probably open until someone gave the word to flee the city. I think this seventy percent of the world is gone; might be closer to eighty.”

  “Who knows,” I sighed. “America’s so spread out, and there are a lot of places we haven’t checked.” I glanced at the Costco. “There’s a settlement not far north of here and east, fairly close to what was Green Bay, right? That’s a huge one. Branko said it had to have hundreds of thousands there, maybe more.”

  “Still a fraction of what these two states had.”

  Fair enough. I bit back a sigh. I felt nothing but turmoil.

  “Where is you mind?” Sisay asked gently.

  “That we’re busy helping covens in Europe, and yet we’re not helping any of the settlements,” I admitted. “I keep saying it’s because I’m not sure I want to help cults and gangs, but Branko said the settlements seemed like good ones. And who am I to judge? I doubt those covens are so much better.”

  “You’re doubting your decisions,” he worried.

  “Yeah, it happens a lot.” I shrugged. “You asked.”

  “I did.” He glanced at the Costco too. “What would you think if a trailer was dropped off at that settlement? Maybe outside of it and could be unhooked fast. At night when they would stay in the settlement. Leave a trail to the trailer.”

  “You’ve thought the same?” I asked him.

  He scrubbed his hand over his head. “I’ve thought I was a selfish dick stuck in my own existential crisis, instead of helping other people on the planet and killing corrupted like you and others were. I just pulled an ostrich and felt so removed from it all.”

  “Safie forbid us from killing them unless they came near the coven,” Vitor muttered, staring out in the distance. “We fled Iran, stole ships, and took them out to the Indian Ocean before the first bombs dropped. We cut the engines and waited it out with the provisions we had and those of us who knew how to fish. After we ran out, we raided a few places in Africa.

  “But then surviving zealots were attacking there, and we left after we stole all we could. From there, we drifted to Mexico, Safie declaring the gods wanted us there and to take back one of their temples. She killed the princess of the coven there and took them all over, saying the corrupted were a human problem, and as superior beings, the gods did not want us involved.”

  “Um, how did you guys get blood?” I asked.

  “There were two clans kept as ‘pets’ in that coven,” Sisay told me gently.

  Vitor cleared his throat, giving a swift nod. “One was Safie’s always, one of her ancestors having the spirit animal of a leopard and trapping them to her bloodline. The coven she took over lived in harmony with a large clan of wolves she declared hers as well. They were our blood and mostly slaves.” He cleared his throat again. “I never fed from them, but I was no better, as I fed from others in the coven.”

  “A lot from what I heard,” Sisay chuckled. “You are very popular.”

  He shrugged. “I’m old and well endowed. I was the oldest, so the favorite for Safie to feed from. You don’t fuck the dog though, so she bragged I was a perk for the women of her coven. They felt the same.”

  “Okay, no more heavy,” I whispered, shaking my head. I was glad Safie was gone and those clans were free, but that didn’t paint the best picture of others in the coven. Then again, I had no idea how much they did because they thought they had to, and not what they really wanted. I shot Sisay a look. “We need to lay down rules about—”

  “Rules have been in place since the first of your visitors,” Sisay informed me. “Death to any who try to force a shifter for blood. Even that Dennis agreed to it, as civilized vampires didn’t treat others as food. That was made very clear to the new vampires. Also, several of your knights made it crystal clear that their only chance to get blood was to help and work hard.”

  “Of course they did,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Yeah, good. James said anyone over like thirty can donate a pint every other day and older like him can do every day, so there shouldn’t be a problem if people aren’t assholes.”

  “And apparently James only donates to men, as you get jealous,” Sisay teased me.

  I snorted. “He doesn’t want a princess. He was very clear on that.” I shook my head. “No more heavy, please, Sisay, I just can’t today.”

  “Sorry, I was just trying to make you laugh. I didn’t know that was an issue too.”

  I bit back a giggle but it slipped out. “Just assume everything’s an issue. Right now, it sort of is.”

  “Yeah, it is,” he sighed. “Can I have permission to raid this tonight and take a trailer to that place?”

  “Sure, check it out some more when you do. Hopefully they’re not locking up women to make babies or as sex slaves, like the other cults ones I’ve been to.”

  “I understand why you’re so bitter towards the humans,” he grumbled, shaking his head.

  Yeah, I had lots of reasons to be, but I also had to hope that some of the good ones survived.

  Vitor turned several dozen vehicles that were in the parking lot into energy beads, and I made one electric semi and trailer, charging it up for him. The settlement wasn’t further than three hours away, so that was six round trip and the semis could handle more than that before they needed a recharge. I needed to remember not to do too much.

  And have fun, which was why we hit the liquor store next. It had been raided, but there was still more than enough to grab.

  “So when you clear out an area of corrupted you mark these places for people to collect supplies later?” Vitor asked, nodding when I did. “Smart. Yes, very wise.”

  “We’ve been focused on the places where stuff could be taken out from under us or where the trains were near. But after this round of places, summer will be in full swing, and I promised the furthest parts of Canada to Sebastian and Jacob with their teams so places like this will be all ours for the coven we’re sti
ll building.”

  “Right, heavy topics,” Sisay cut in, knowing where my mind went given who was building the coven.

  I nodded, and he grabbed me while Vitor carried an impressive amount of bottles in two boxes we’d found.

  “We’re not giving the humans any of the booze, right?” Sisay asked after setting me on my feet.

  I snorted. “Fuck no. We killed the corrupted, my blood lured them all out even. We’re not sharing the damn booze. Maybe once we get our act together enough to reopen places, but apparently the US government has all the best places in their backyard and makes them dangerous.”

  “Alcohol has been made long before there was a US or government,” Vitor reminded me. “Bourbon was said to have to be made there, but we’re not worried about selling it and can make our own.”

  “Glad someone can,” I sighed as I moved away from Sisay. Vitor wouldn’t let me take the booze so I just shrugged, going over to the swank fire pit that wasn’t lit and plopping on one of the benches. Then I decided to soak up some sun since it was cooler, and not as crazy like where the coven was.

  Then again, I was so fucking pale, just living should require me to wear sunscreen, and I normally did. The day had been so crazy that I honestly couldn’t remember if I had or not.

  “What’s your pleasure?” Vitor asked me.

  It took me a moment to push past the shock of the bold statement to realize he meant booze. “Whatever, not the wine. I’m not in the mood to appreciate it.”

  “Cheap booze to get drunk it is,” he muttered.

  I thanked him when he handed me a bottle moments later. I took a swig and swallowed a cough. I didn’t know enough about booze to know what was cheap, but it wasn’t as smooth as Jack Daniel’s. Hell, I didn’t even know if it was vodka or rum, but it was flavored. Strawberry? Some type of fruit, and beyond that, I didn’t really care.

  I took another swig and waited for the others.

  Tian showed up to trade out with Sisay, and of course sighed at what I was doing. Or drinking. Or wearing… Or I didn’t give a shit. Tian was always sighing at me.