Page 45 of The White Dragon Revealed

“As you have so graciously pointed out before, King Valerius, I control the Below,” Marban had interrupted smoothly. He stroked the front of his monk’s robes. “I can assure you that there will not beoneact of criminality during Caden’s visit.”

“You can really make that happen?” Caden had asked. He had gone up onto the dais to be a part of this argument.

“Of course, dear boy.” Marban smiled so easily it looked as if his mouth was oiled. “Everything will be perfect for you and Rose’s special event.”

Rose joined them on the dais. Her hands worked nervously together. “When it was going to be a spontaneous event, Grandfather, I didn’t worry about things getting rowdy, but now with… ah, witheverythingyou’ve planned and the excitement that Iolaire causes--not to mention the press--things could go pear-shaped.”

“You don’t think I can control my own people, Granddaughter?” Marban’s voice was dangerously reasonable, but Caden could see the mobster’s temper underneath. No one in his organization, not even Rose, could question him like this.

“I’m just worried about people in other parts of the city hearing and trying to come down,” Rose quickly amended. “They don’t respect the Below or the people in it!”

Marban appeared mollified. Caden felt a flare of anger that there had been any threat in Marban’s voice to Rose at all. The king of the underworld hadn’t truly left that darkness behind no matter that he was on the highest peak in sunshine.

“That is something the Claw can handle. I understand that the lifts and the great staircase have been shut down already,” Marban said almost sweetly at Simi.

The Claw Captain, who had been silently watching this exchange, clearly did not like that Marban knew the Claw’s activities. “Indeed they have. But people may try to enter the Below through the Gash.”

“My people have that handled. Believe me, dozens of Swarm Shifters have been placed near that entrance. They will be shifted, of course. That should keep the others away.” Marban spread his hands as if he were offering a generous gift.

“The whole idea of Rose and I doing this was so it would be fun and show that the people in the Below are good and just like everyone else,” Caden pointed out. “Do you really think Swarm Shifters guarding the entrances will do that?”

Rose looked unhappy as well at this. “He’s right, Grandfather. Just the mention of Swarm Shifters scare people. Do we really want to try to tell people not to be afraid on the one hand while using their supposed scariness with the other?”

Marban tapped his chin, clearly listening to them, which is morethan Caden would have thought. “Perhaps Claw there would be more appropriate.”

“I can have it arranged right away, King Valerius,” Simi said smartly.

“Make it so,” Valerius told him.

Simi turned to go, but Marban called out, “No Claw, however, will be inside the Below! That is the one condition that I will not let go!”

Simi looked at Valerius to see if that was all right. After a long moment, Valerius nodded.

The Black Dragon King turned to Marban and pointed a finger directly at the Swarm Shifter’s chest. “If anything goes wrong, Marban, this will be onyou. No one else.”

Marban bowed.

But Rose was front and center in this. She was in the center of the roped circle by Marban’s side. She seemingly was the only Bee Shifter there, at least if the clothing was any indication of the type of Shifters there. She was dressed in her extreme yellow and black best. Her makeup was more exaggerated than normal. From the way that people were reacting to her--calling her name almost shyly and others asking for her autograph--she was well known and Marban had made it quite clear in his announcement that Iolaire and Rose were good friends.

“Rose looks nervous and unhappy despite the smile she has plastered on her face,” Kaila remarked.

“She does not believe that Marban can keep things contained.” Valerius grimaced. “I think she is correct. The size of this crowd and its boisterousness are like dry tinder. All it will take is a spark. I hope I do not regret keeping the Claw on the outside.”

“I don’t know if the Claw makes people here feel safer,” Caden said gently.

Valerius’ lips thinned. “No, you are likely right. Though Captain Simi has tried to urge the people here to see the Claw as their partners, it has not gone to plan.”

“Rose looks like she wants to escape her skin,” Kaila continued.

“She doesn’t like the spotlight either. Remember, being a SwarmShifter has made her isolated as it is. Now she’s back in it as my friend, which will get her some more bad attention,” Caden explained with a sigh. Marban had really put her in a spot.

Kaila’s forehead furrowed. “Bad attention?”

“People will now want to befriend her in the hopes of getting to Caden,” Valerius stated flatly.

“She and I were going to do this together before so she knew she’d get some exposure. But this feels different. It’s more of an… attraction or something.” Caden shivered a little. The Below was cold and he was naked underneath the cloak. His clothes were tucked under Valerius’ arm. Shifting would have destroyed them and he loved those jeans.

“People are often quite terrible.” Kaila shrugged. “That is why my dolphins are my best friends. They do not like you for any other reasons than they do.”

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