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

  “Yes,” Nora agreed, clearly thinking that cat was out of the bag.

  “We don’t know that,” I snapped at her before turning to Matilda. “We don’t know that. And people need to stop saying it.” I growled when she gave me a look like that was silly. “Come on, I don’t even know how much I buy all this champion stuff—but fine, I get Aether protected me when Clarence tried to hurt me.” I gestured to the other princesses. “But it’s just really too much, and we don’t know that.

  “Hi, I know you guys are all champions for gods and goddess, but, um, like, I’m a baby vampire, but I got the big G Goddess of everyone so like, suck it.” I rolled my eyes. “I’d want to beat me up too and I’m not all into the courts and this and that. We don’t know what I am.

  “Until I get my billboards from Her saying I am, we don’t know that. If something falls… From…” I glanced up as the picture perfect nice and clear day instantly turned dark above us and clouds formed. “The…” A fat drop of rain landed on my forehead. “Sky.” And then the downpour started. Mostly on me, from what I saw glancing around. “Seriously?

  “There is a limit to the crazy my mortal mind can handle! I get you’re all knowing and awesome and Goddess of us all, but you’re going to break me with the crazy.” The rain slowed to a light shower, and I shook my head. “Well, yeah, that’s just fine then. No problem. Couldn’t you at least send down some damn cheese if I’m going to be the mouse in this maze?”

  “Love, I think it’s time not to poke or snark,” Cerdic muttered as Kristof moved his arm around me. “Thank you for the clear sign, Aether, but our princess has had some trying times lately.”

  “What are the chances that was really just some crazy random shower?” I whispered as the rain slowly stopped and the clouds moved on. I waved off the answers. “Don’t want to know. Can’t…” I moved my fists to my head and made exploding noises as I flicked out my fingers.

  “Moon, it’s been a very long time since anyone has seen you,” a princess greeted one of the two new nobles.

  That one seemed to be some sort of Hispanic, and the other was mixed race maybe? I thought I’d heard people say mulatto, but that was offensive, right? He looked half white and half black or for all I knew, he was a million years old, and that was white people originally looked like.

  Well, and hot. Really, really, really hot.

  “It has,” another princess purred. “How good of you to be here. It was a long journey, and I could use—”

  “Mine!” I blurted, realizing where this was going. I went over to the guy and grabbed his arm, licking his skin. Then I went to the other two and did the same thing. “There, mine. I licked them like cupcakes I want after dinner. Even the twins won’t eat them if I do that, maybe just hide them.”

  The princess’s eyes filled with rage. “Why you little—”

  “Me? What about you?” I snapped. “I was trying to poke a bit instead of straight out saying you’re disgusting, but fine, throw a fit.” I went to go over to her, but Kristof snagged his arm around me, letting me know she could probably squash me. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s seen him, so clearly he stays away from courts—and probably because of bitches like you—and your first thought is to quickly get his blood?

  “Aether pushed us all to be here, and you’re so fucking selfish that you’re going to order a noble to feed you because you can, like it’s owed you or you deserve it? You know what he deserves? Better than that. He is a person. Who the fuck are you to order someone to give you blood when you’re not hurt? I would never, not ever order someone like they’re beneath me. Just fucking ask. Be nice.”

  “You’re a child,” she hissed at me. “You’ll learn the way things work.”

  “I don’t want to learn to be a bitch,” I snarled. “It’s the fucking apocalypse and you’re being selfish. Geez, I wonder why nobles hate us or avoid princesses. You just made every princess here look selfish, catty, and bad, so don’t fucking lecture me about the world, you spoiled brat. How about figuring out why we’re all here right now? I doubt it’s so you could chomp on them and get some powerful blood.”

  “I would think not,” Matilda cut in, clearly showing she was an authority. She nodded to someone in the group. “Don’t you agree, Cousin?”

  So one of them was from the other Wessex coven as well. I nodded to her like I understood and hey, I was not their enemy? Was that how it worked?

  “I would think we’re here to witness her before there are any more misunderstandings or issues, as apparently she’s well-protected,” the woman answered. “And you didn’t do anything to Olivia?”

  I snorted, waving to the block I’d just collapsed into energy beads. “I never know what the fuck I’m doing, for reals. There’s no way I put a hex on Olivia.” I glanced up at Kristof. “One, how long are you going to hold me like a kitty that might misbehave? Two, I couldn’t have done a hex, right? I mean, we’re sending that witch to Nora?”

  “Witch?” Nora muttered, raising an eyebrow.

  “It’s complicated, and not everyone needs to know,” I muttered.

  “There were a group of nobles of no court that apparently travel and try for any princess not at court,” Kristof explained. “They’re all dead now.”

  I blew a raspberry. “‘Not your fucking business’ is actually a viable answer. We get in more trouble because you guys answer questions we don’t have to or people shouldn’t ask. Not that one, but others and I don’t want to answer.” I gave him a look like I’d smack him.

  “Yes, My Princess,” he murmured, giving me a soft kiss. “I wouldn’t want to be grounded like Cerdic.”

  “Dick,” Cerdic grumbled.

  “You’ve agreed to court a princess?” Moon asked Kristof, giving a look that he didn’t buy it… Which was why Kristof did it probably, especially when I saw other princesses giving him looks like they were thinking of asking him for blood.

  “We’re engaged,” I answered, holding up his ring. “Cerdic, Jaxon, Darius, and Branko are mine. Eddie too. All of them. No feeding on the nobles unless you’re near death. Not my shifters either. My coven, even if they’re not courting me.” I rolled my eyes when Kristof gave me a curious look. “It was supposed to be an easy day.” I gestured over to the destroyed city block and that I was wet from the rain. “Clearly not.”

  “I know, I just found it shocking that I’m turned on that you’re being a bit petulant—even if well-deserved—as I normally find that annoying,” he admitted.

  “When are you not ready to go?” I chuckled.

  “That’s only since I found you,” he reminded me, the heat and need in his voice making me shiver. “And while I understand you not wanting to give answers, I believe that’s not an option when so many know now, My Princess. Show your strength before one makes the mistake Olivia did and assumes they can tame you.”

  I sighed when I saw Cerdic nodding as well. “Fuck. Just fuck.” I turned in his arm. “How big do you want me to go?”

  “All the way, but not hurt yourself. You are powerful, but a baby. They’ll understand the difference, even if you sometimes struggle with it. They have the experience and have seen enough to know.”

  “Fine, but if you’re wrong, you get to handle the bullshit, because I looked like a bragging, gloating bitch.” My fangs came out and I eyed his throat.

  “Feed from me, Inez,” he murmured, cupping my head and bringing me closer.

  I wanted to, not just because I’d need the blood, but I didn’t like the looks some of them were giving him. He was mine. I sank my fangs in his neck, grabbing his ass possessively as I drank from him. He got the idea and did the same as I took a few mouthfuls and licked the bite closed. I pointed behind me. “Two blocks that way. I know what to do.”

  He blurred me there, and everyone easily came up. He snickered when I just rolled my eyes, as I would have had to actually run it instead of doing cool vampire blurring. “I promise this is smart.”

  “But does it
come with a massage?” I asked him as I danced away. “Didn’t you promise me some doting, and then you had everyone else do it?”

  He frowned. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You wouldn’t. Besides, I like it rough.”

  “Inez,” he growled, and I burst out laughing.

  I kept his gaze as I backed up to the fleet of busses that were Seattle’s public transportation. I let out my power and turned all of them to energy beads, including the huge lot of Greyhound buses behind it.

  Then I turned and focused on the beads, pulling the ones I wanted to me and forming several electric semis, a few of the M-ATV assault vehicles, and even some of the machine gun bullets when I found enough lead. I went for broke and turned the rest into rebar rods I knew we needed for the castle. I spun to face him, ignoring I was a bit lightheaded, and groaned at what I saw.

  “Well that was dumb,” I bitched.

  “Are you okay? Did you go too far?” he worried as he and Cerdic came over to me.

  “No, I forgot what else was on the agenda today,” I grumbled as the first ghosts started appearing.

  I glanced over when one of the princesses said something in what I thought might be French? Maybe. No, I really didn’t know, as languages weren’t my thing.

  “She says ghosts are coming and a lot,” Cerdic told me.

  “Yeah, that’s today,” I sighed when several more appeared.

  “I found a room already since I knew we’d be here today,” Kristof told me, and I gave him a heated kiss.

  “Thanks, I forgot,” I whispered. “We didn’t even get any fun.”

  “Later,” he promised. “Do you have your earbuds?”

  I nodded. “And the recordings from Branko. If someone can get me some grub and water, I’m all set, really.” I glanced at all of our uninvited guests. “How much are you really going to tell them? Why do they get my secrets and I don’t even know their names?”

  “Because I’m pretty sure Aether’s giving them the chance of a lifetime,” he answered, smiling when I gave him a look I didn’t understand. “To be your friend.”

  I sighed. What else was there to do?

  Well, handle ghosts. Fun times.

  4

  Jaxon

  I shared a look with Darius when we both realized something was going on. Father and Jacob had about the same reaction and we all took off, the two of them able to arrive before we could.

  I arrived just in time to hear Kristof say he knew where to get Inez as the ghosts started. He whisked her off seconds after Darius appeared, so I didn’t have to catch him up… But I needed a few dozen answers filled in.

  “What the actual fuck?” Darius whispered, as we took in all the princesses and several guys I didn’t know who hit the same power of Kristof.

  “Mother,” I greeted, going over to her and hugging her.

  “Congratulations, my son,” she said, kissing my cheek. “You are happy, yes?”

  “Aye, very,” I promised. I introduced her to Darius and flinched when I saw Matilda Wessex, worried Olivia was there.

  “Where did he take her?” one princess demanded.

  “Is her coven in Seattle?” another one asked.

  “What house is she?” an Asian looking noble threw in.

  Father gave me a look and nodded to Cerdic, who was about to start answering. I darted over there and slid up next to him. “I appreciate you have a lot of questions, I have several of my own, but let’s all take a breath and—”

  “We’re a bit past that, mate,” Cerdic warned, nodding behind him.

  I wanted to groan when I saw the electric semis and M-ATV assault vehicles. Clearly Inez had done that. Why? Why would she show off like that when we were trying to keep her under the radar?

  Cerdic must have guessed my unasked question. “Olivia’s ill for fucking with Inez, and we’re guessing the princess who sent the assassin might be dead. Everyone here had a dream, they should show up, and saw Inez level a city block.”

  “Well just fuck me dead,” I groaned, scrubbing my hands over my head. People started demanding answers of Cerdic—include two of the Wessex princesses—and Darius gave me a worried look. I stuck my fingers in my mouth and let out a whistle. “Cerdic is engaged to Inez and shouldn’t speak for her. Darius and I are her nobles and I appreciate you have questions and we’re younger, but we stand at her side.”

  “Which of you is her Night then?” a princess asked with a huff.

  I swallowed a wince. “Inez has decided to name all nobles she accepts the oath of as her Night, with a designation of an oldest. She refuses to put one before the others. And also will allow nobles in her coven that aren’t courting or sworn to her, as long as they sign a neutrality agreement so as to not spy for their home covens.”

  That shocked them all to silence real fast.

  Kristof came back and went to take over, but I turned him away from the group. “I get you’re oldest, but we’re hers.”

  “You’re pulling rank on me?” he asked, his tone less than thrilled.

  “No, but if they steamroll us because we’re young, they will never, not ever take Inez seriously,” I reminded him. “We’re her husbands.”

  “You’re right, and I have been out of court too long,” he agreed, dipping his head to me. “What do you need?”

  “Catch us up, and fast,” Darius whispered, his eyes going wide as Kristof did.

  Yeah, so did mine.

  “You’ve all traveled a long way with a purpose we weren’t warned of, nor invitations to gather sent,” I said when I turned back to the group. “We’re not fully set up, but if you will come with me, we’ll see about getting you settled and at least some refreshments.”

  One princess moved in front of the others and started speaking in Portuguese… Which I didn’t know. Fuck me dead.

  “She wants to know where we took Inez and how she has that many ghosts,” Cerdic told me, staring at the woman when she spoke again. “And she apologizes for not speaking English, but her pronunciation is horrible. She does understand it fairly well, so if I would keep interpreting for her, that would be wonderful.”

  “You have the ghost gift, Princess?” I checked, stoked when she nodded. “I will answer your questions—and we have many as well—as I’ve not seen much of the gift myself. Let’s get everyone squared away.”

  “She wants to know what room first,” Cerdic told me when she spoke again.

  I nodded to Kristof, and he led us to downtown Seattle, where there was a medical center with a cancer ward that had the right room. “Something about the radiation room makes it so the energy is blocked. Only the amount of ghosts that can fit in there with her is what she feels, instead of their energy bombarding her. We were driving her around, so only so many appeared in the vehicle at a time.”

  “She says that’s smart, but she doesn’t understand how Inez has so many,” Cerdic interpreted. “She gets all the ghosts of those who die in her area, but there are so many tied to Inez and she felt the echoes of that when they were coming.”

  “You don’t get the ghosts of the corrupted you kill, or any tied to you kill?” I checked, not needing Cerdic to interpret, given the look she gave me clearly said that was crazy. I glanced at Kristof. “Can you get James and Tyson? They’re at the Everett Naval Station, seeing what’s there that we can use.” He nodded and headed off. “If everyone else would follow me to where we’re set up, we’d appreciate it.”

  I took off without another word, knowing they’d easily be able to follow and would to get answers. We needed to get control of this situation for sure and things were off the rails already.

  “The Fairmont, really?” Mother chuckled as she looked around.

  I shrugged as I held open the door for her. “She said if the Perez clan was going to be staying here for the long haul and the Novak clan is here for now helping, she wanted them to have a real place and not stuff twenty to a room.” I followed in after her, glad when I saw the Begleys. “W
here are we at?”

  “We’ve got power,” Callum answered, looking over Wilson’s shoulder. “He’s getting the system back, so we’ll start with keycards and room assignments. Vance’s checking the building to make sure nothing bad happened the past few years.” He reached for the radio and clicked it. “Jaxon wants to know what’s what.”

  “Water’s coming on but we need juice,” Asher replied. “Toilets already going, but again, we need juice. Everything is in place but Vance is looking for Inez.”

  I took the radio. “Kristof found her a treatment room to hang in. Once he comes back with James and Tyson, I’ll send him to Vance so Inez knows where to go. Are all the batteries and whatnot in place?”

  “We got enough for the next couple of days, as long as people don’t leave every light running,” he answered. “We had an idea for long term if she’s up for it.”

  Callum nodded. “The power plant is right next to the university with all the fields and stadiums. She levels those and we can set up a whole solar farm right there. Done and done. We handle a few of those sorts of places where the buildings aren’t blocking and it should be more than those staying need. I can get into that tomorrow.”

  “What do we have doing us now?” Darius asked as he joined me.

  “The massive industrial batteries I brought with us that were charged up,” he told me. “I reworked the control room to use that. Seattle isn’t Prince George where it’s all together and small coverage area. The power here is a huge fucking thing. I’m shocked Seattle wasn’t taken out even.”

  “The whole world thought it was bunch of coffee-drinking, pot-smoking pacifists,” I muttered, shrugging. Who knew why some didn’t get hit? I would have assumed Boston would have been toast for sure, but it was fine. I would never have thought Phoenix, but it was up at the top of the population rank.

  There was a whole world to keep up with, so it wasn’t like everyone knew all the best spots to take out while having to deal with their own outbreaks and problems.

  Wilson slapped the desk and spun around in his chair. “I am just that fucking good. And I have a surprise for our princess that will get me lots of snuggle time and naps for sure.”