Sleeping Beauty (Not Quite the Fairy Tale Book 7)(24)

Rupert smiled.

“Well?”

“Statues, sir. The statues next to the throne. They… move.”

Poor souls.

Before the traitor could regain his wits, a panicked guard rushed in, fear emanating from his every pore.

“What now!” Stephenson practically screamed.

The guard only said one word, half whisper, half cry.

“Dragon.”

One second passed before they all started to run.

Rupert got to his feet, shaking his head. He walked out as they’d left the cell open, hands still tied behind his back.

When he’d reached the first statues at the bottom of the tower, he asked, “Has the whole thing been filmed?”

The automaton wasn’t equipped with vocal function - an older model, no doubt - but it inclined its head.

Rupert turned and moved his wrists. “Can you help with this?”

The machine fiddled with the bonds until his wrists were free.

He could have stopped the whole thing quite easily. One word and the men who’d come to target him would have been stopped. But this wasn’t about taking care of one lot of enemies - it was a necessary reminder to everyone who’d presume to fight him.

He was probably not the best leader in a world he didn’t quite understand yet. He’d try his best, but it would take time. None of that mattered. This was his domain. His Kingdom. And attempting to take it off his hands was pointless.

“Film their arrest, then broadcast the whole thing worldwide,” he ordered.

“Access denied,” replied a metallic voice, coming from inside the walls somewhere.

He laughed at himself again. “Right. Sorry, I forgot. Just film it.”

He was still master of this castle, to the eyes of its guardians, but an order such as broadcasting anything could only come from the Queen.

Catching a shadow, he turned to the window, his mouth hanging out.

“Are you filming this?”

“Affirmative.”

Good.

The black dragon landed in front of the castle and a single rider dismounted, looking fierce and fearless. A rider with long blonde hair and the most sensual mouth he’d ever seen.

The instant Aurora touched the ground the dragon vanished in a puff of green and black smoke, and in its place stood the woman he’d waited for since his awakening.

“I’ll be damned.”

Aurora had somehow found Maleficent. Fuck, had she actually gone through the bloody thorns, all by herself?

If he hadn’t been completely in love with her already, he would have fallen right there and then.

Rupert ran to the entrance and opened his arms, caging in both women. Mal sighed. “Must you do this?”

“I must.”





Epilogue





“I’m Queen,” Rory repeated numbly.

“The commands were successfully transferred last night, as advised,” said the machine which had trailed her every step. She ignored it, focusing on Rupert, who nodded for emphasis. “Yep.”

“So that mean you’re not King.”

“I’m not King.” Not yet. He would be once he married her, of course.

She nodded like that made sense to her, before deciding, “I’m asleep. There was something wrong with the mushrooms last night.”

He laughed, turning to Maleficent, growing somber. “You look exhausted.”

“I’ve barely slept,” she confessed.

For a hundred years, she’d not rested, attempting to find a counter-spell in vain.

“What of Aurora? Anything you can think of?”

The Fay closed her eyes and shook her head. “She’s safe, for now. I’ll carry on searching, I swear.”

Rupert saw her guilt plainly in her features. For the first time, he said what he should have told her long ago.

“It’s not your fault, you know.”

She might have spelled Marina, but that was because he’d let the Queen’s rule of terror get to that point. He’d made every mistake, could he fault his friend for attempting to rectify them?

“It’s not about whose fault it is. She’s a little girl and she’s lost in limbo. I will save her.”

He wasn’t going to argue with that - it wasn’t like he didn’t want Mal to do her best to bring his Aurora back to life.

So he just nodded, telling her, “just take care of yourself, too.”

Mal didn’t remain long, thankfully, for as much as he liked her company, he had better things to do right now.

With Rory’s authorization, their surveillance footage was distributed, solidifying their rule. Those who wished them harm were under lock and key. He’d done his best to see if there was a way to help his daughter. Right now, nothing mattered more than locking Rory’s pouty lips under his. So the moment Mal disappeared, he did just that.

God, she felt so perfect in his arms. Rory pushed against his chest, and he immediately took a step back, frowning. What had he done? But she just turned to the robot that hovered next to them.

“Could you please get lost?” she asked a little breathlessly.

“My locating program makes that impossible, Miss Stephenson.”

“Leave the room until she calls you back,” Rupert clarified.