average human’s Reviews > Ardent Queen: Kingdom of Aramis Duet > Status Update

Liam’s hair is in disarray, like he or someone else has been running their hands through it, and Colbie’s cheeks are flushed pink, like she’s been exerting herself.
“What the fuck did you do?” my father roars, jumping to his feet, his glare turning lethal as he looks at my bond mate, instantly suspecting the two of them have been up to no good.
Fuck, Liam has done it now. There is no helping him, because the general’s ferocious wrath is focused on him. Liam stops in his tracks and looks at my dad with a flash of hurt before he continues walking, but Lucas gets to his feet and holds up a hand to stop the smoke puffing dragon at the same time as his wife puts a hand on his arm.
“Sit down, Bry, and hold your temper. Goddess, you’re worse than a dragon with a thorn in its claw,” my mother scolds him. My father struggles to gain control of his urge to shift and eat Liam as a snack. I jerk in surprise as Colbie reaches for Liam and whispers something in his ear that’s too quiet for any of the shifters at the table to hear. Then, to my surprise, he leans in and presses a kiss to her forehead before joining us at the table while the new queen remains standing.
“What the fuck?” Brodie mutters next to me.
Gryff’s eyes widen with shock, but Gem nods like he’s finally worked something out inside his mind. My heart races as I smell Colbie and Liam’s combined scent. Whatever they were doing, they were close enough to each other for their scents to mingle, but why were they that close together? Liam’s bear is getting out of control, but he knows Colbie isn’t the one for us. I feel my anger rise, and smoke drifts from my nose. He’s such a manwhore, and I know his bear has been unruly, but putting his hands on the queen is going too far. She is off-limits.
Colbie takes a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with the action, and approaches her spot but stays standing. She laces her hands together nervously as all of us at the table focus our attention on her, but she ignores everyone else and instead addresses my team.
“Ah, so, um… Fuck, this is hard. Oh shit! Should I be saying fuck as a queen? That’s probably not allowed, is it?” she rambles adorably, and some of my anger drifts away.
Gracelin giggles and gives her an encouraging nod. “You can say whatever you want, Colbie, you’re the queen. Go on, tell them what they need to know.”
Gracelin’s words have the desired effect, and Colbie nods decisively, straightening her spine and looking at the five of us, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Could the five of you please remove your shirts and show me your chests please?”
Liam doesn’t even flinch and quickly does as she asks. I think, like me, the other guys are stunned into inaction.
“You want us to remove our shirts?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around her request.
“Your queen gave you an order, boys, so I suggest you comply,” Lucas growls at the four of us, and I slowly get to my feet and pull my shirt off, bewildered by the strange request. Gryff, Brodie, and Gem do the same thing. I toss my shirt onto the table in front of me and raise an eyebrow at our queen.
“Darling, if you wanted to get us naked, you only had to ask, but really, do you think the dinner table is the right place for this?” Gem smirks at the queen, his eyes sparkling.
She rolls her eyes and gestures at our naked chests. “If you would indulge me for a moment, please look at your bond mark. Is it different than it was when you woke up this morning?”
My frown deepens, and I exchange a look with Gryffin. Is the queen losing her mind? My eyes drift lower to his chest and widen in shock. The mark that is, or was, the exact match of mine has changed. It now has eight branches instead of six. I gasp and look down at my own, running a finger over the mark that has sat over my heart for ten years now.
“Holy fuck, it has changed. Did the magic do this?” I ask as the other three mutter something along the same lines as me, but Liam is not surprised. I narrow my eyes on him suspiciously. “What did you do?”
He throws his hands up in disgust. “Why does everyone automatically assume I did something?” he mutters, sounding pissed.
“We think the goddess made some changes when that wave of magic hit us today. Like we told you, there are now eight crowns in the throne room…” Lucas trails off as if he’s expecting us to react, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.
“Eight crowns and eight branches,” Gem murmurs, his eyes going wide as his attention locks on the queen, and she nods her head.
“I guess it might make sense if I do this.” She strips her tank top off, leaving her in a sports bra. Colbie turns around, and my jaw drops. In the middle of her back, sitting above the band of the sports bra, is a bond mark that is an exact match to the one above our hearts.
“Mate,” I whisper reverently. Holy fuck, the queen is our mate. Brodie, Gryff, and Gem look as stunned as I feel, but Liam is smirking. He obviously knew about this already.
“When? How?” I stammer and lean forward to grip the edge of the table so I don’t haul her over my shoulder and drag her back to our apartment to have my wicked way with her. My dragon is screaming to do just that, but we are a bond group of five, not eight, so we can’t be a match.
“I knew there was another member of our bond group,” Gryff shouts triumphantly before frowning. “Does this mean there are actually three more members of our group?”
“Put your shirts back on and sit down, then we can discuss our theories over a meal. Colbie needs all her energy if she’s going to spend the afternoon shifting with you,” Layla suggests, and I drop into my seat, quickly tugging my shirt over my head. There’s an impatient silence as Lucas directs the staff to serve the meal. I can’t tear my eyes away from my mate. I see her squirm under the intense scrutiny of all five of us, but she’s smiling like she’s happy.
“This explains so much, like why my tiger couldn’t get enough of you in the stables and felt comfortable going to sleep on your lap.” Gryffin stares at her with wonder. He reaches for Gem’s hand again, but this time it’s in plain sight, like it’s automatic, and I sigh in relief when Gem doesn’t push him away. Colbie will need to understand they come as a package, but I don’t think she cares. She looks at their joined hands and smiles, squirming in her seat. A fresh waft of cookies and frosting hits my nostrils, and I almost groan out loud, not upset in the least.
Lucas instructs the staff to leave us and gestures for us to begin eating. Everyone else at the table does, but the six of us don’t. It’s kind of like nothing else exists around us and we’re in our own little bubble, all of our attention focused on the queen and her on us.
Dad clears his throat. “Well, I’d say congratulations are in order and welcome to the family, Colbie.” He beams at her and raises his glass to the six of us. “You couldn’t find a better group of mates if you picked them yourself, but I don’t envy you trying to keep them in line. It’s taken the six of us all our strength since their group formed to keep them out of trouble.”
Everyone at the table laughs, and the tension in the air breaks. “Eat, my queen,” I rumble. “You are going to need all your strength,” I tell her, not hiding the desire I feel for her anymore.
“For shifting?” she asks, picking up her fork.
“And other things.” I wink at her, and it’s like her brain short-circuits for a moment, her fork pausing on its way to her mouth. A pretty blush heats her cheeks, and I chuckle at her discomfort. God, she’s adorable.
“Phew, the sexual tension at this table is off the charts.” Gretchin wrinkles her nose. “Can we maybe discuss our theories about the magic and what happened?” she asks.
“So eight mates? Does this mean there are three more out there somewhere?” I drag my eyes away from the woman who just became the most important person in my life.
Gryff is frowning but is still holding Gem’s hand while he eats with the other one. “The witch only told me there are six of us.”
“I told you she was a crackpot,” Liam mutters.
“I think originally there may have only been six of you,” Lucas says thoughtfully, “but something we did today must have changed it.”
Violet gasps. “Colbie decided to invite the fairies and mers to have representation on the council.”
My eyes widen in shock, and I look at our queen with surprise. I’m not the only one. Dad and my brothers are doing the same.
“You did?” Brodie asks her, and she nods and smiles, returning her attention to her meal.
“But she also invited the equine shifters as well, so why wasn’t it nine mates instead of eight?” Mia argues, and Colbie puts her fork down.
“Actually, I think I have the answer to that.” She looks like she’s running some things around in her mind before she nods. “When I was first marked, I thought I could run away. I didn’t want to be the shifter queen and thought that if I didn’t appear, the magic would choose someone else.” My heart sinks at the thought that our mate doesn’t want to be here. “But the goddess quickly took care of that when she appeared on the beach and basically told me to suck it up. Shortly after that, I ran into a man who offered me shelter from a storm.” She blushes again, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out something happened between them.
My dragon roars inside me, and I bend the fork in my hand in my rage. Some other man had his hands on our mate. Growls and snarls echo from Brodie, Liam, and Gryff, while Gem’s entire body lights on fire again. He swears and jumps back from the table again so he doesn’t set anything alight. He stands there, staring at our mate with a look of betrayal.
Her eyes widen, and she stands as well, holding her hands up in a placating manner. “He had the same mark on his chest that the five of you do,” she says in a hurry. “But at the time, I just assumed it was a tattoo. He told me it was from a former life, and I had the feeling he didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t push. He’s the one who gave me this.” Her hand goes to the pendant around her neck. “He had a matching one, and I’m assuming he was hiding the fact that he was a shifter. Before I got to the palace, I just assumed he was human, but too many things have happened for him not to be one and a part of your bond group.”
“But why wouldn’t he present himself to the bond center to find his group?” Gryff sounds bewildered, his snarling cutting off with her explanation. “I’ve been searching for him for years. I didn’t look in the human zone because shifters aren’t allowed to live there, so I thought there was no point.” He sounds crushed.
Colbie shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know, but I do know where to find him and will show you as soon as we can,” she promises.
“He obviously doesn’t want anything to do with us.” Liam sits down and crosses his arms, a stubborn set to his jaw. Liam won’t understand because being in a bond group was a blessing for him. His family members are assholes, and it gave him the means to get away from them. Most shifters see being part of a bond group as a blessing, and we are stronger as a group because of it, so why wouldn’t this stranger feel the same way?
“Well, he’s not going to have a choice. Colbie can’t be crowned without him,” Dad points out, and Colbie winces.
“I don’t want to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do. Nox has an underlying sense of sadness, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s been hurt by something or someone, and if we are going with the assumption that my other mate must be an equine shifter, it would explain why he’s reluctant to join a bond group. You said they were treated as lesser because they aren’t predators.”
“That would also explain why you can shift into a pegasus. He must be one,” Violet blurts with excitement.

44%

“I’ll be fine. Go shake out those wings,” I tell my friend, who is watching us with unrestrained interest.
“I’ll see you later?” she asks, and I know she’s going to grill me for every gory detail, but I nod my agreement. She takes her plate, then she and Gretchin follow the parents out.
“Ugh, we miss all the good stuff.” Gracelin stomps her foot but hurries after everyone else, and then there are only the six of us left in the dining room.
The silence is slightly strained for the moment, but then Gem turns his attention back to Liam.
“We might have enjoyed our freedom, but you’re the only one who fucked where you slept,” Gem points out. “The rest of us were sensible enough to keep that shit out of the palace.” He turns to me, his eyes pleading. “Shifters are highly sexual creatures, all supes are, but now that we’re mates, none of us will look anywhere but at you.” He side-eyes Gryffin, and I see the dismay in his eyes. I know I have to assure them that whatever they have going on is fine with me. I could see it the moment I approached the table, and thoughts of being the jelly in their sandwich make my panties damp.
“I’m not going to stop you and Gryff, if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell, there’s only one of me, and there’s going to be eight of you. I would say you are taking one for the team if you two are together.” I wink at him, and they both relax. “In fact, I’m pretty sure Nox is bi as well. He kind of implied he was,” I offer. “He’s very pretty.” I see intrigue in both of their eyes, but it’s the only thing I’m going to say on the subject. “What about the rest of you? Are you going to be fucking as well? I don’t care, I’m just trying to work out the dynamic here.”
They all stare at me with shock, and it’s all I can do not to giggle.
“Ah, no, the rest of us are very much hetero, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to share.” Brodie recovers first and gives me a sly wink.
“Good to know.” I give him my own wink back, and his mouth drops open in surprise. I think he was trying to shock me, but I assumed that’s how things worked in a group dynamic. I’m kind of excited, to be honest. The thought of being shared by two or more of these men is exhilarating, albeit nerve-racking. I hope I’m enough for them. It doesn’t seem fair that I get to have all of them, but they only have me. A frown creases my brows as I think about this.
“What are you worried about, pretty girl?” Hunter asks, and I turn my attention to the gorgeous dragon shifter. “The key to a healthy bond group is communication. You need to tell us how you are feeling, because despite our animal instincts, we are not mind readers.”
“Not yet anyway.” Liam smirks at me.
“What do you mean, not yet?” I ask him, and he shrugs.
“We can all mind speak, and once the bond is sealed, you will be able to as well.”
“But that doesn’t mean we can read your mind.” Gem scowls at Liam. “You have to actively send your thoughts to us.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t want them to learn about all my insecurities, and being able to keep my thoughts private is essential to me.
“What about these two new bond mates? Do you really think they are going to be a mer and a fairy? That’s what Violet implied earlier,” Brodie asks and pushes back from the table, bringing his plate down to a chair closer to mine. It sets off a chain reaction, and the other four do the same thing, so we are all closer together. My head swims as their intoxicating scents hit my nose. I know Liam is the frost and pine aroma, but I can’t distinguish the others yet. I’m assuming the smoky scent is from either Hunter or Gem, both of their animals having access to fire. I close my eyes and try to breathe shallower so I’m not overwhelmed by them.
“It makes sense,” I agree, opening my eyes again to find them staring at me with adoration. It’s a lot, but I’m going to have to get used to it. “So how are we going to work out who they are? Do you think they will go to the bond center and register? Should we put out some feelers so we know as soon as it happens?”
“Actually, I think I might know who one of them is.” Gem rubs his chin thoughtfully, but before I can ask, Gryff jumps up.
“Micah!” he exclaims. “That’s why he was rubbing his chest like that and suffered so badly from the wave of magic.”
Gem nods his agreement.
“He will be a good addition to the team. He is one of my father’s fiercest warriors,” Hunter agrees. “And I like him. He’s quiet and focused, but he’s a good guy.”
“That makes sense. Should I go find him?” Brodie also gets to his feet, bouncing up and down with excitement.
“No need.” The deep voice has all six of us turning our attention to the dining room doors, and my mouth drops open in shock. The tallest dude I have ever seen stands there. He has to be close to seven feet tall, and he has broad shoulders and arms that look like they could crush a small car. His torso tapers into a thick waist, and his thighs look like they are one loose stitch from bursting out of his black cargo pants. I’m pretty sure this guy could bench press Hunter without breaking a sweat.
He has long, teal hair that is dark because it’s wet, and his glowing eyes are the same color. He has a strong jaw, and his eyelashes and eyebrows are the same color as the hair on his head, which is a little startling. He’s staring at me like I’m the answer to all his questions.
“Micah! Hey, man, come on over. I’m going to take a wild stab and assume you have a mark on your chest that matches ours now.” Gem waves him over, and the man strides into the room, his attention not leaving me in the least. I scramble out of my chair so he isn’t towering above me when he reaches the table, but it really doesn’t do any good. He’s just that much taller than me, and he has an intense aura that’s almost suffocating when he reaches out and takes one of my hands.
“Your Majesty, I am Micah, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he purrs and bends, placing a kiss on my hand. I just about swoon with all of his focus on me. Phew, holy shit, this male is intense.
“Hi, call me Colbie. Do you want to join us for lunch?” I stammer slightly before pushing my shoulders back and trying to look confident.
“I take it you have a brand-new bond mark on your chest?” Liam says dryly as Micah releases my hand, pulls out a chair next to Hunter, and takes a seat. He gives the guys a nod before turning his attention to Liam.
“I do, and I happened to run into King Lucas and the general as they were heading back to the barracks to check on everyone. They explained the situation and sent me this way.” He absently rubs a spot above his heart, which I’m assuming is where his new mark is. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe I was marked. I’m forty years old, so I’d given up on being marked for a mate or bond group years ago and was focused on serving my kingdom, despite my community’s reluctance to get involved in shifter affairs.”
“Well, we can’t really blame them.” Gryff winces. “It isn’t like the shifter nation has given you anything to fight for, but we think that’s going to be different. Colbie is going to bridge the gap my parents were unable to.” He beams at me with pride, and I shift uncomfortably. Everyone has so much faith in me, but I have my doubts. Until recently, I was happy with my lot in life and determined to find a small amount of joy in my career and make new friends. Everything has changed. I’ve made new friends, but that came with a life completely removed from what I planned.
“What are you?” I ask bluntly, giving up on all attempts to be subtle. So much is up in the air, I think the least I deserve is to know what each of my mates shift into. “Actually, can you all share with me what you are? I know that Gryff is a tiger and Hunter is a dragon, and you told me you’re a phoenix, Gem, but what are you?” I look at Brodie and Liam before switching back to Micah. I know it’s not polite to ask, but I figure since we’re mates, I deserve to know.
Micah is still gazing at me, half bewildered and half amazed, like he can’t believe what’s happened, but then he frowns and his eyes take on a look of distrust. “I’m a mer,” he announces like he’s bracing for a reaction.
“Like a mermaid?” I ask carefully, desperately trying to control the squeal inside me that wants to break free.
“Well, merperson or merpeople are the proper terms, but yeah. Is that a problem?” He crosses his arms defensively, and I bounce up and down on my chair in glee and clap my hands.
“Do you have a tail and everything?” I ask, unable to control my excitement anymore.
The distrust in his eyes fades, and he looks at me in wonder. “Uh, yeah, I do.”
“And gills and you can breathe underwater?”
He starts to chuckle. “Yup, that’s usually how it works. It would be pretty bad if we couldn’t breathe underwater.”
“Oh my god, that’s amazing!” I turn to the others. “Do we have a pool so we can go swimming and he can show us?” I feel like a kid whose dreams have come true. I was obsessed with mermaid books when I was a tween.
“Huh?” Micah shakes his head with amazement. “She doesn’t care,” he mutters.
“Shit, man, neither do we. You’ll find that none of us are like those assholes who made you feel worthless. King Lucas and his queens have been trying to stamp out that ridiculous prejudice against humanoid shifters for years,” Hunter tells him. “No one in the service gives you a hard time, do they?”
“No, but General Bryson doesn’t tolerate any of that crap. Anyone who did have issues was dishonorably discharged.”
“That was due to my dad’s orders,” Gryff replies.
“The problem is the voices of the few with issues are basically louder than anyone else’s. Most of us animal shifters don’t give a shit, and our new queen comes with an even blanker slate. Look at her, does she seem disappointed that you’re a mer?” Brodie is laughing. “Hell, I don’t want to tell her what I am now. I bet she’ll be nowhere near as excited.”
“What are you? Hang on, let me guess.” I study Brodie, and if I had to guess, I would put him as a golden retriever. He has happy-go-lucky energy, but I know there are no domesticated animal shifters. “I bet you’re a wolf. I can practically see your tail wagging,” I tease him, and he beams at me, though I remember one of the queens something earlier.
“Yup, you guessed it. Aren’t you a clever girl?” He winks at me, and I can’t help but feel proud of myself and a little turned on by his words of praise, so I turn my attention to Liam in the hope nobody notices it.
“Well, darling, are you going to take a guess at what I am?” He smirks at me, and I smirk right back, deciding I’m going to give him shit.
“Hmm, I know monkeys are especially promiscuous, so I’m going to go with a chimpanzee or maybe a gorilla.”
His mouth drops open in shock, and the rest of the guys burst into laughter at his reaction.
“You think I’m a fucking monkey?” He sounds hurt, and I shrug.
“Well, you all admitted to being manwhores, and they said you were the worst.”
“Oh, so you’re coming to us as a lily white virgin, are you?” He arches an eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest defensively. I feel a little guilty.
“No, but I haven’t had many past relationships. Being a baker is not very family friendly, and the ones I have been with all wanted me to change. I like who I am and don’t feel like I have to change to fit someone else,” I admit, and I see his anger soften. Liam is so bristly on the outside, but there’s an inner softness that occasionally breaks through.
“To be honest, this scares the crap out of me. We’re fated, but what if you don’t actually like the person I am? What if we’re mated, and we all end up completely miserable? I mean, you five have been together for years, but Micah and I are going to change that dynamic. What if it doesn’t work and we end up fractured instead?”
All of my fears come writhing to the surface, and instead of bottling them up, I share them. Hunter did say communication was the key to a healthy and happy bond group.