QUEEN

  PARA-MILITARY RECRUITER™ BOOK 16

  RENÉE JAGGÉR

  MICHAEL ANDERLE

  DON’T MISS OUR NEW RELEASES

  Join the LMBPN email list to be notified of new releases and special promotions (which happen often) by following this link:

  http://lmbpn.com/email/

  This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2024 by LMBPN Publishing

  Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  A Michael Anderle Production

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact support@lmbpn.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN® Publishing

  2375 E. Tropicana Avenue, Suite 8-305

  Las Vegas, Nevada 89119 USA

  Version 1.00, February 2024

  ebook ISBN: 979-8-88878-812-7

  Print ISBN: 979-8-88878-813-4

  THE QUEEN TEAM

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  Dave Hicks

  Zacc Pelter

  Wendy L Bonell

  Jeff Goode

  Diane L. Smith

  Kelly O’Donnell

  Paul Westman

  Dorothy Lloyd

  Jan Hunnicutt

  Editor

  The SkyFyre Editing Team

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Author Notes Renée Jaggér

  Books from Renée

  Books By Michael Anderle

  Connect with the authors

  CHAPTER ONE

  “It’s your mother,” her husband told her.

  Crown Princess Julia Pendragon’s world shifted. The fabric of her reality tore, leaving an irreparable hole in her universe.

  Her grip tightened on Taylor’s hands until her fingers stung. The mountain trembled with the force of the cheers of the thousands of dragons assembled outside, celebrating their new young queen, Eglantine. The sound seemed hundreds of miles away compared with the look in Taylor’s eyes. It screamed a truth that Julie would never be ready to hear.

  “My mother?” she whispered.

  Taylor wrapped an arm around her and led her down the rocky tunnel carved through the heart of the mountain.

  “Taylor, tell me,” Julie croaked.

  “Shh.” Taylor kissed the side of her head and held her tighter. “We need to step away from the crowd.”

  He was right. Thunder already rumbled in the sky above them, the sound muffled by the mountain. Julie’s emotions were triggering a storm. She tried to take deep breaths and calm herself, but her heart galloped like an untamed unicorn in her chest.

  Taylor led her into the nursery, a huge cave dripping with lichen. The hole that had recently been blown in its ceiling admitted cool blue light from the bioluminescent fungi that grew far above their heads on the roof of the Deep. There was another thunderclap, and dark clouds gathered in the hole, blotting out the light.

  Julie sharply halted, seized Taylor’s arm, and turned him to face her. “Taylor, tell me.”

  Taylor took her hands again. “I’m so sorry, my love.” His dark eyes were soft. “Your mother is dead.”

  The thunder stopped in mid-roll.

  “What?” Julie whispered. Dark clouds boiled above them.

  “She died peacefully in her bed a few minutes ago.” Taylor caressed the backs of her hands with his thumbs. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”

  “Mother’s dead?” A sob tore through Julie’s words.

  “I’m so sorry,” Taylor repeated.

  Julie’s bones turned to water. Her knees buckled, and she landed on them hard on the rough stone floor. Nausea clawed at her chest. She fought it back, then bowed her head and closed her eyes, reaching for the sixth sense that connected her to all other Lunar Fae.

  In her magical senses, the other fae were a constellation of power. Merlin, better known as Hat, given his chosen form, was a bright star by her side. Scattered in the tunnel, her honor guard shone fiercely: Lancelot, Guinevere, Gawain, Kaye, and Percival. More distantly, she sensed King Arthur and Morgan.

  She could not sense the brightest star of them all. There was a ragged hole in her senses where Esmerelda had been. The absence felt like an abyss opening at her feet and Inescapably sucking her in.

  “No,” she choked out. “No!”

  Nothing was more real than that absence. Not the shuddering of the mountain, the rain pouring into the nursery, or Taylor’s arms around her. He pulled her into his lap and rocked her like a child. Not even the sobs that ripped painfully through her body hurt more than her mother being gone. Queen Esmerelda’s absence was a black hole, sucking the importance out of everything else in the world. It swelled and surrounded her, and the stars in her senses winked out. Darkness replaced them.

  The thunder stopped, the clouds vanished, and the mountain’s shudders stilled. Julie could no longer feel the moisture in the air or the fault lines running through the earth below. Her mother’s absence was an aching void.

  “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you,” Taylor murmured. He cradled her, one hand caressing her pixie-cut hair, the other arm wrapped tightly around her torso. “We’re going to get through this.”

  The thought was laughable. There was no through. There was only the void, and Julie was lost in it. Nothing in her world would ever be the same. She was freefalling in a world without form or substance. She had been reduced to a quivering sack of bones in her husband’s lap.

  Taylor’s words were rough with grief. “I’m here with you, my love.”

  Julie’s shuddering sobs slowed. Nothing could alleviate her grief, but the truth of his words, combined with the warmth of his arms around her, felt like a ledge to grab as she tumbled through the void. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, filling her senses with the smell of the earth after rain.

  He hushed her, stroking her hair and pressing gentle kisses on her forehead. Julie’s face was soaked with tears, and her chest heaved with sobs. Simple exhaustion eventually made them stop.

  “We...” Julie cleared her throat. “We should go.”

  Taylor released her. She dragged her sleeves over her cheeks, but the tears still flowed. Taylor rose and gently pulled her to her feet.

  “Where do you want to go?” he asked softly.

  “Away.” Julie shook her head. “Anywhere but here. Eggy’s coronation... I’m going to ruin it.”

  “Oh, honey, don’t worry about that right now.” Taylor rubbed her arms.

  “This is her coronation.” Julie swallowed. “She’ll feel what I feel. If I get farther away, it’ll be less intense. I can’t do this to her.” She met Taylor’s eyes. “I can’t let Eggy feel this way.”

  Taylor’s face crumpled, but he regained control in seconds. “Okay, baby.”

  Armor clanked, and the hiss of steel on steel announced a sword being drawn. Lancelot jogged into the nursery, his naked blade in his right hand, the left alive with silver flames.

  “Princess!” he cried. “Are you okay?”

  The rest of the High Magic Division was close on his heels, all armed and tense.

  “Julie.” Guinevere’s shoulders sagged under her cape. “We thought you were⁠—”

  “Your connection with us was severed.” Lancelot sheathed his sword.

  Are my powers gone? Julie wondered, then hated herself for the thought. Why would I worry about my powers? Mother is gone!

  I’m sorry, Julie. Hat’s words were as heavy as tombstones.

  “What’s happened?” Kaye asked. “What’s wrong?”

  My mother is dead. The words stuck in the back of Julie’s throat.

  Taylor held a hand out to the HMD. “We need to get back to the Eternal Palace right now. Queen Esmerelda passed away,” he told them calmly. “Can you arrange an emergency portal?”

  “Someone has to explain to Eggy,” Julie croaked.

  I’ll get in touch with Alugon and tell him everything. Don’t worry about Eggy. He’ll handle it, Hat promised.

  “I’ll get the portal-maker and the rest of the honor guard.” Percival jogged away.

  The other fae moved around, talking, but their voices tinny scratched at the edge of Julie’s hearing. Her heart slammed against her breastbone like a wrecking ball. Agonizing cramps ran through her belly.

  Taylor didn’t ask if she
was okay. He kept an arm around her, anchoring her world, and led her to the stone cradle in which Eglantine had lain when she was in an obsidian egg the size of a watermelon instead of the vibrant young dragon being crowned at that moment.

  “I’m missing her coronation,” Julie whispered.

  “She’ll understand. We’ll watch the video,” Taylor promised, sitting her down on the cradle. “Her grandfather is out there with her. She’s not alone.”

  Julie numbly nodded.

  Five werewolves spilled into the nursery, panting and whimpering, tails hanging low and ears to the sides. Isaiah put his front paws on the cradle and clambered into her lap despite weighing more than she did. Julie wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his thick, silky fur. His cold nose pressed her ear.

  “The portal-maker’s here.” Taylor rubbed her back.

  Isaiah jumped down, and Julie lifted her head. Korin, the dwarf on her honor guard, had the tiny device. She activated it, and a round magical portal appeared in the air in front of Julie, its edges faintly shimmering.

  Julie’s heart stuttered. The portal opened onto the landing in Queen Esmerelda’s tower. She was looking at her mother’s bedroom door. She’d often knocked on that door for advice over the past few weeks. Long afternoons were spent with Julie sitting on the end of the bed while Esmerelda was propped up on pillows, dispensing her wisdom about the kingdom, about being a fae, and about being a woman.

  “I can’t do this,” Julie whispered.

  Taylor took her hand. “Nobody can, baby. Nobody can do grief, but I’m here with you.”

  Julie met his eyes, remembering that he’d lost his parents only months ago. His eyes sparkled with tears.

  “Let’s go,” he murmured.

  Julie clung to him as she rose and stumbled through the portal. Once, portaling had made her dizzy and nauseous. This time, the spinning in her head had nothing to do with the magic that whisked her out of the Deep and into the palace she called home.

  Her boots crunched on rock, then on the palace’s smooth stone floor. Her honor guard spilled through behind her and the portal winked out, leaving her on the familiar landing that would never be the same.

  “Julia, baby!” someone cried.

  Julie’s heart twisted inside her. “Mom?”

  Her other mother Rosa stood at the edge of the landing. Her eyes were red, but her smile didn’t waver as she moved closer and held out her arms. “I’m here, baby.”

  Taylor let go, and Julie staggered to her mother and collapsed in her embrace. Rosa’s arms surrounded her, pressing her into her ample, squishy bosom, and Julie sobbed into her shoulder. The familiar fragrance of Rosa’s perfume, unchanged since Julie could remember, wrapped around her.

  “Shh, baby.” Rosa stroked her hair. “Shh. It’s okay. Momma’s here.”

  Julie tried to swallow her sobs, but they came faster.

  “It’s okay, baby girl.” Rosa held her tighter. “Don’t try to stop crying. Feel what you’ve gotta feel.”

  Julie didn’t know a paranormal could contain so many tears. Rosa’s blouse was soaked when Julie’s sobs ran out, but the terrible pressure in her chest had lightened enough that she could straighten up and breathe.

  Rosa cupped her face. “We’re gonna do this together, honey. I love you.”

  Julie pressed her hands over Rosa’s. “Love you too, Mom.” She swallowed. “She was your best friend.”

  Rosa’s lower lip trembled for a moment. “Yes, she was, but this is the way she would have wanted it to be.” She straightened her shoulders. “Do you want to see her, honey?”

  Julie balked at the thought. Taylor laid a hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s hard, love.”

  “It is hard, but think about it.” Rosa stepped back and gripped Julie’s hands. “I never got to see your father, and I wish I had. I wish I could have said goodbye. You might need that.”

  Rosa had walked through grief more gracefully than anyone else Julie knew. “I trust you, Mom,” she mumbled. “I want to see her.”

  “Okay, baby.” Rosa nodded at the door. “She’s right through there. Dylan’s with her. Do you want me to come in with you?”

  “No,” Julie croaked. She smoothed her ornate overcoat, aware that, somehow, it had gotten smeared with dirt. She had no idea how. “I want to be alone with her.”

  “Okay, honey. Go right ahead.” Rosa summoned a smile.

  Julie let her go and turned to the door. Out of the corner of her eye, Julie saw Taylor enfold Rosa in his arms. She laid a hand on the doorknob and froze for the longest five seconds of her existence, summoning more courage than she’d ever needed to ride into battle before pushing it open.

  At first glance, Esmerelda’s room was unchanged.

  Rich sunlight poured into the bedchamber through the stained-glass windows that surrounded the walls. The beams, dyed aquamarine and turquoise and scarlet by the glass, created colorful pools on the four-poster bed in the middle of the room. The silk canopy had been tied back. The elaborate nightstand by the bedside held several well-thumbed books, a box of tissues, a half-glass of water, and a couple of pill bottles. Esmerelda’s tablet was charging beside the tissue box, ready for another day.

  The room was no different, but the air Julie was breathing had no oxygen. The colors felt distant. If she hadn’t felt Esmerelda’s absence in the lunar field, Julie might have thought she was still alive. Her mother lay as she always did, straight and still, propped up on her pillows, hands folded over her thin stomach. Her glowing silver hair spilled over her pillows like moonlight. Her features were smooth and composed, eyes closed, a quiet smile frozen on her bluish lips.

  Blood had begun to pool in Esmerelda’s body, leaving purple stains like bruises on her elbows and neck. They were not the only sign that Esmerelda was dead. The frozen face was peaceful but had a waxiness that stopped Julie’s breath. When she tried to inhale, it felt like she was breathing broken ice.

  In the comfortable armchair next to the bed on which Julie had sat so often huddled a tiny brownie, lost in the cushions. His small hands rested on Esmerelda’s arm, and his head was on the bed, hair mussed, tears silently rolling down his cheeks.

  Julie hadn’t thought it possible to hurt more, but seeing Dylan made fresh agony tear through her chest. She edged nearer.

  “Dyl,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  The brownie slowly raised his head. Tears streamed over his plump, freckled cheeks.

  “Listen,” he whispered, his voice raw.

  Julie tilted her head. One window was open, and a cool breeze floated into the room, bringing the sound of a jubilant crowd with it. Music, laughter, and chatter blended like a bright thread entering a world drained of its color. Glasses clinked, and a cheer arose, applause thundering in the courtyard outside the queen’s tower.

  “She wasn’t sleeping,” Dylan murmured, stroking the queen’s arm. “I was the last person who saw her alive. I came in to check on her, and she was awake, lying quietly, listening to the party outside.”

  More tears stung Julie’s eyes.

  “She listened to her people celebrating their freedom.” Dylan smiled despite the tears pooling in his dimples. “I asked her if she wanted tea. Do you know what she said to me?”

  Julie shook her head dumbly.

  Dylan’s face twitched with the effort of controlling his voice. “She said, ‘No, thank you, Dylan. I have everything I want.’”

  A sob escaped before Julie could stop it. She cupped a hand over her mouth, struggling.

  “She lived to see her hopes come true.” Dylan stood on the chair. “She’s with Luna now. I grieve not for you, my precious queen.” He extended a small hand and rested it on Esmerelda’s waxy cheek. “You are safe now. I grieve for we who are left behind.”

  He bowed his head and planted the tiniest, most delicate kiss on the queen’s cheek. Slowly and stiffly, like an ancient brownie, he lowered himself from the chair and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him.

  Julie stumbled to the chair and fell into it. She reached for Esmerelda’s arm, but when her fingers met the skin, it was cold and terrifying. Julie snatched her hand back to her chest, and the sobs came faster. She doubled over, forehead resting on the bed.