Page 44 of Princess For All

“That is—you truly are worthy of being Aether’s champion with such kindness,” Noel whispered. “Thank you, Pri—Inez.”

“What role do you wish us to take on?” Josephine asked quietly after we were served food and they had had a few bites.

I didn’t answer right away, studying them and seeing how frail and beaten down they were. They were abused and scared of their shadows. I wasn’t saying that to be mean and certainly wasn’t judging them.

No, I was simply being honest and accepting that was part of them.

Currently.

“You tell me what you bring to the table,” I said after another couple of minutes. I gave them each a look that I was serious before continuing. “Short of taking over my coven and being the princess, the sky is the limit.”

They shared a look and Noel cleared her throat. “We don’t want to rule. Ever. We’ve seen how horrible it can—it breaks princess. Forgive me, but it’s all we’ve seen.”

Josephine wiped under her eye and cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, in our fear, we chose the option that broke us as well. Everything is rigged against us. I used to think Aether hated us and how things were and it was all set up by Erebus. It was the only thing that made sense to me that—it fit with how we’re treated and blamed and never supported.”

Everyone else went tense, but Icompletelyunderstood where she was coming from. I thought only other princesses could probably.

“Well, I could use support and help. If I’m to truly change that and the way the world lives after the apocalypse—at least in my coven—I need vast support. So if you want my protection as your sister under Aether, then I need your support as one. Not as my adopted daughter bullshit.”

“I will take them around and introduce them to the right people to get them caught up as they heal,” Kristof told me.

I frowned. “You’re going too hard. You need rest too and—”

He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss, his way of apologizing for interrupting me in front of people he shouldn’t. “I have all I need when my wife worries for me, my love. I promise. I will rest well with you tonight. I think Aether is giving me help now, and they can share the burden we’re both struggling with. Especially now after what happened.”

Josephine cleared her throat again. “On that note, I have a suggestion if you’re open to hearing it.”

I met her worried gaze. “Always.” I nodded. “I’malwaysopen to suggestions as long as you’re not beating me with them or repeated or calling me names with them—you know the difference.”

“I do.” She let out a slow breath and seemed to pull up her courage. “Kaitlin had a coven oath for people who joined. It wasn’t for members who were born into the coven.”

“It was like a citizenship oath countries had,” Noel added. “Yes, Kaitlin used it more like a threat and weapon because those who weren’t born of the coven were normally of a lower caste status. She would ask people if they’d taken the oath, meaning were they born of the coven like that mattered more. To most wishing to be a part of the coven instead of—”

“Yes, many countries struggled with the same,” Kristof muttered. “Immigrants versus born and…” He cleared his throat.

I didn’t understand why he’d trailed off at first, but then I sighed. “I know it’s upsetting or you take it as a slight, but it’s not. It’s just—this is how people talk. We’re really busy and—Kristof ran from the coven structure and courts. Please be understanding when we will be with you.”

Noel let out a slow breath. “We will do our best. It was done to us intentionally over and over again for more than a hundred years to remind us of our places.”

“If someone does it intentionally for that kind of petty bullshit then tell me and I will handle it. We’re not pulling that crap in the apocalypse.” I gestured around the room with just me, Kristof, and them… And Jaxon and Cerdic who had snuck in when food was served. “We’re all just people in a setting like this. It’s nice to relax.”

“It is a good suggestion,” Cerdic commented, always the mediator and getting us back on track. “Even for the humans and shifters. Nothing too long, but basics that they pledge to respect people’s beliefs, treat everyone as equals, and accept the leadership of the coven. We can make it that it’s for now while they stay with us—”

“But once there aren’t any more corrupted, they can leave and do whatever they want and it’s fine,” I muttered, bobbing my head when the others did. “Good. That might help with the situation of the Fort Knox leaders still thinking they’re the leaders. That they understand that this coven is rooted in the belief in Aether and our ways, but we accept all religions.

“No matter what name they call Her or who they pray to as long as they follow the basics and never denounce Her. I don’t care if they pray to their god or believe in them, but they can’t stay here under Her protection with me as Her champion and denounce Her as a false god or the Antichrist or whatever. Accept that or go get eaten.”

Jaxon cleared his throat. “Let’s start with the pledge for vampires and shifters, and we can work on the one for humans.”

Yeah, that was probably best. I gave him an amused look but sort of shrugged, asking what he really expected when I was so stressed and so much was going on. Like… Seriously?

What did he expect?

“Okay, let’s get a real idea floating around of what to call our coven and country that they can pledge to,” I told them as we finished up breakfast.

“Forgive me, but that was the acronym you were writing out a few weeks ago, yes?” Petre asked from the door.

I nodded. “We can’t keep calling ourselves Team Inez or Princess Ninja Warrior or… I forgot the last one we landed on.”

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