The Seduction of Jac Frost (by Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 118

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Jacqueline watched in awe as her father beat the Bear King into the dirt. Literally.

“Remind me not to piss him off,” Wraith said from where he stood behind Hugo peering over his shoulder.

“He took her mate and hurt her,” Bar said as he moved to wade through the spring to kneel next to Jacqueline’s throne uninvited. “In my opinion, he is showing incredible restraint given that he is still living.” He looked at Bjorn, “I don’t think he’s hitting him hard enough.”

Bjorn rolled his eyes as he moved to sit on the stump Bar had previously used and pulled Dana to his lap, “ignore him, mate. He has decades of rage in his soul.”

“He’s going to kill him,” Dana whispered as King Jack still hadn’t pulled a punch.

Bjorn covered her eyes, “then don’t look.”

“Isn’t he your father?”

“Did you see him running to help me when I got stabbed in 41

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the chest?” Bjorn asked bitterly. “He stood there and watched me bleeding without an ounce of sympathy. I truly believe he thought if I died, he could stay in power forever.”

“That’s awful,” Dana frowned. “He’s your dad. Why would he do that?”

“Things are different in royal families.”

“Not that different,” Jack spoke up. “My father would never let me die to keep his throne.”

“Yet, he didn’t even blink when Jacqueline evaporated

Jacinta.”

“Jacinta tried to kill her more than once. Justice is justice,” Jack grunted. “At least she let her go quick and without torturing her.”

“Enough,” Jacqueline called out to her father. “King Jack of the Northern Realm, your anger is duly noted, and the

Queen Mother will take it into consideration as she exacts a

punishment for this fool.”

“Make it hurt,” King Jack stood proudly as he lifted his bloody

battered fists and leveled one more kick to the man laying on 2/11

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his side on the ground wrapped up still in vines.

“Oh, I feel she’s going to hit him where it hurts.”

Wilder and Rafferty moved to join Bar, bending on one knee

next to the throne. Wilder leaned closer to Bar, “it’s colder

than usual.”

“I believe it’s because our Queen is pissed off and she’s

actually throwing off frigid air,” Bar gave a grin. “It’s coming

off her the way I throw heat.”

Rafferty nodded, “at this rate her entire head of hair is going to be blue. Pretty sure that’s a new streak.” He pointed at Jacqueline’s hair.

“Who are all these women,” Wraith cut in again.

“Temple high priestesses,” River said as she moved to take his hand and pulled him closer to the edge of the water. “When

we are in a sacred place, where the Queen Mother is going to be letting her presence be known through her priestesses, we always are on our knees.”

“But it’s Jac.” Wraith frowned.

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“She is the Queen of Kings and Queens, and she is powerful and as sacred as the water which pools around her. When we are in her house, her temple, her realm, we give her the respect she is due. When we are outside of this space, we don’t stop giving her that respect.” Fawn shot Winika a look as she explained to her new son–in–law, “it seems some of us are slower to learn the basics of the respect which should be afforded to such a divine creature as our Jacqueline.”

Winika slowly trudged towards her husband and took his

hand, “I am sorry. I am so sorry for all of my blindness and

my belief that the Queen Mother would understand that I

just wanted to protect them both. I love both of my daughters

so much and I knew, in my heart, that Jacinta’s punishment

would be her life and I didn’t want to see her die. I knew the

Queen Mother would keep Jacqueline alive and I foolishly

let it taint my common sense.” She looked at Jacqueline, “I

am sorry. I was wrong. I was very wrong and I know you are not ready to call me mother, and it may be that you are never ready to do so, but for as long as I am alive, I am your servant.” Winika dropped to her knees and lowered her gaze to the ground. “I will spend my life making restitution and

repenting for the mistakes I have made.”

Jacqueline nodded once fighting the emotion in her heart at the words. “Your words are noted.”

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“That’s cold.” Bjorn laughed but then when Jacqueline’s eyes flicked to him furiously he held his hands up defensively, “rightly so. I get it. You and Bar are a perfect match, though, that’s for sure.”

“Dana, did he tell you how he convinced Bar’s mate’s very

own sister to be the one to give her birth control instead of fertility medication?”

“Hey!” He pointed at Jacqueline, “be nice.”

“You started it,” Jacqueline narrowed his gaze at him

and then smirked, “Dana you and I will need to have a

conversation about your own fertility. I don’t need birth control or special medications. I have a direct link to the

creator of life. If you feel you aren’t ready for children for a

long time, you know, while you’re waiting to adjust to being

mated to a bear, having an extended life span and being surrounded by everything from bear shifters to fae and all

the other magical beings out there, I can personally make that happen for you.”

Dana grinned, “cool.”

“Hey, we need an heir!” Bjorn protested.

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“You’re lucky you have a mate,” Dana countered with a smirk

and then she boldly got off Bjorn’s knee and moved to kneel

next to Wraith, River, Fawn and Hugo. She leaned her head closer to River, “how does one become a priestess. I feel like I want to be Jacqueline’s right hand.”

“We can talk,” Jacqueline winked at her and then gave a loud

dramatic sigh. She turned her head back to the king who

was watching through one eye, his other one now swollen

shut, with a split lip and bruised jaw. Vines were wrapped all

around his body, including gagging him and squeezing him tight enough he could barely make a noise. She looked at Bar, “you have something you wish to say to him before I give

the verdict.”

Bar nodded, not moving from his spot where he kneeled next to her. “I am disappointed in you. All of my life, you raised me to believe duty to the throne, to the crown, to our realm and our people came before our own desires and feelings. From birthday celebrations I was not allowed to attend because it was inappropriate to flaunt my wealth and my gifts to those less fortunate in our kingdom to the hours upon hours of training you made us endure to learn our history and where we came from, you insisted that our individual wants meant nothing in comparison to the crown.”

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Oberon wriggled against the vines which were forcing him from his position laying on his side into a kneeling position again in front of the throne.

“From the time I was born, you quoted to us how our lives were not our own, but that duty bound us to the people we were meant to serve. You forced this duty at such lengths that when my mate died, while I grieved and I suffered, you demanded I put my feelings and my broken heart aside for the kingdom. You wanted me to serve as Bjorn’s vizier. You wanted me at his side as his security, as his voice of reason and as proof the kingdom was solid. You refused to acknowledge my pain as my own and called it the kingdom’s mourning.”

“What an asshole,” Wraith snarled.

“What happened to you?” Bar asked his father. “What happened to the man who saw his crown as duty to his people? When did you become so consumed with power and greed that you forgot the purpose of which you were meant to serve?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter though, does

it? You’ve lost your purpose as the king. The Realm of Bear Shifters deserve so much more than a king who thinks only of

his own wants.”

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The waters of the spring started to swirl, and the priestesses began to chant lowly.

Bar sighed, “the king who once put the kingdom ahead of everything and everyone is now putting himself ahead of the realm.”

Bjorn rose from his seat and moved to stand over his father. “You accused me of treason. You were going to arrest me on grounds of treason because I would not help you further your own selfish gains. You wanted to imprison the mate of your son, the son who lost his first mate, simply because you thought you could get more. Like my brother, I am disappointed. The man I idolized and looked up to as the example of what is right, is now the epitome of failure.”

The water sloshed against the banks of the pool as the chanting of the priestesses grew louder.

Bjorn turned and faced Jacqueline and then dropped to one knee, folding his forearm over his chest and lowering his gaze to the ground. “Whatever the plan is for our kingdom, Queen of Kings and Queens, I am but your servant. Crown or no crown. Kingdom or no kingdom, all I want is to make things right. I want to be the being the creator made me to

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1. be. I will be a good mate. I will be a good brother, if I am allowed and most importantly, I will be the champion of the Queen of Kings and Queens.”

“And if you are not given the crown? If you are removed from your position as king?” Jacqueline asked bluntly.

Bjorn didn’t falter, “all I ask is that you do not take my mate from me. I can live without anything else but her. Please.”

“He speaks the truth,” the high priestess said solemnly.

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The water shifted higher into an arc of a wave and washed over Bjorn drenching him from head to toe.

He remained kneeling, eyes downcast, soaked to the skin, shivering from the frigid water.

“King Oberon of the Bear Realm, the Queen Mother has searched your heart and finds it lacking. You are removed of your crown. You are no longer the king. Ending your life would be too merciful and instead you will be stripped of your title, your wealth, your liaisons. You will be moved to the realm of the Southern Fae where you will live your life humbly and without power. You will be forced to watch your sons flourish and grow in ways you never dreamed possible. 9/11

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Your grandchildren will be powerful in immeasurable

amounts. You will be nothing more than a man who can shift into a beast.” Jacqueline intoned coldly. The water lifted and spun in a movement reminiscent of a waterspout and spun the man around and then spat him on the ground. “Queen

Fawn, you are entrusted to watch over the actions of this

beast and to bring it to your temple priestess if he steps a

paw out of line.”

“Yes my Queen.” Fawn nodded reverently.

Jacqueline turned to Bjorn, “you are hereby named King Bjorn of the Bear Realm. Your reign is under the strict monitoring of the Queen Mother, and your brother will be the one to hold you accountable to your people. Stray from the path which you have promised to follow, and it will all be stripped from you.”

“I understand my Queen,” Bjorn nodded as a single tear

rolled down his cheek. “I look forward to my brother once again being in my life and I entrust my life to his control.”

“Then there is only one last thing to do here.” Jacqueline

waved at her priestesses. “Bring them forth.”

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priestesses made a single line and reached for both Wraith

and Dana.

“What is happening?” Wraith asked curiously but not

stopping as the priestesses pulled him into the water.

“You are being blessed.”

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