Blackstone Ranger Scrooge - Alicia Montgomery Page 0,67
me at the pub.”
Arabella cleared her throat, obviously not liking being ignored. She looked meaningfully at Cam.
Cam felt his stomach drop. Due to protocol, he would have to introduce Arabella before J.D., something his mate wouldn’t understand. “Your Majesties,” he began. “This is Lady Arabella Stepford-Price.” Beside him, J.D. practically fumed. “She was gracious enough to accompany my grandmother on her long trip.”
“Your Majesties,” Arabella fawned, going down into a deep curtsey. “What an honor it is to meet you. It’s a shame we had not met back when Cam and I were—”
The death glare he shot Arabella managed to shut her up. “And,” he continued. “This is Ms.—”
“J.D.?” Queen Sybil’s jaw practically dropped. “J.D. McNamara, is that really you?”
“Hey, Sybil, don’t you look so fiiiiiine,” J.D. joked. “I mean, Your Majesty.”
The queen broke away from Aleksei and pulled J.D. into a hug. “Oh my God! It really is you!” She laughed as she stepped back to look at J.D. “I didn’t recognize you in that dress and the makeup. You look gorgeous! Not that you’re not—I mean, no offense, I meant that in a good way.”
“None taken, Sybil,” she chuckled. “You look pretty damn—er, darn nice yourself. Your Majesty.”
Arabella’s nostrils flared. “I didn’t realize you were acquainted.”
“Her Majesty and I go way back.” She put an arm around Sybil. “So, I hope you’re not drinking and diving, now that you’re a queen and all.”
Queen Sybil smirked. “I’ve learned my lesson.” The king shot her a questioning look and quickly, she explained to everybody how J.D. had rescued her when she was a pre-teen.
“Ms. McNamara,” King Aleksei began. “If it were not for you, my mate would have perished, and we would not be here tonight.”
“What? Pshaw.” She waved a hand at him. “Anyone would have done it.”
“Not just anyone,” Sybil said. “No one at that party cared. Except you.”
“Even though I did not know you or my queen back then, it seems I owe you a debt,” King Aleksei insisted.
“Do you need a second Christmas tree?” The queen joked. “By the way, not that I’m complaining about seeing you, but what are you doing here?”
“Ah, my dear grandson has left out an important detail about Ms. McNamara,” Natalia interjected. “She is his mate.”
“Mate?” For the second time that evening, the queen looked flabbergasted. “You and Cousin Cam?”
“It’s fate, isn’t it, Your Majesty?” Natalia declared proudly. “It is meant to be. She saved the queen’s life long ago, and now, she turns out to be the mate of your cousin.”
Sybil squealed in a very un-queenly manner. “Ack! This is so cool.”
Aleksei’s mouth quirked up. “It is definitely fate. Congratulations, cousin. We must toast to you.” Without even looking at them, one of the dragon guard flagged down a passing waiter, who distributed flutes of champagne. “To Cam and J.D.!”
“Cam and J.D.!”
Everyone took a sip of their champagne, though Arabella’s lips barely touched the bubbly liquid as she sent poisonous looks at J.D. His mate, of course, shot her her best cat-that-ate-the-cream expression.
Sybil gathered J.D.’s hands in hers. “Join us for Christmas dinner tomorrow here, please?”
“You mean, I don’t gotta eat Chinese takeout or pizza? Sure, we’ll come.”
“We can catch up as well, cousin.” Aleksei put his hand on Sybil’s waist. “Until then …”
“Wait,” Natalia said. “Please, Your Majesty. I must speak with you now.”
Oh no, Cam thought, not this again. “Babushka, this is not the time.” He reached out to put a hand on shoulder. “We can speak with Their Majesties tomorrow.”
“Bah,” Natalia brushed his hand away. “Time is running out. Who knows if the clues are still fresh at this point?”
“Cam, let your grandmother speak,” J.D. said, and Natalia smiled at her gratefully.
“Fine.” He let out a huff and shot Aleksei an apologetic look.
“What is it, Princess Natalia?” Aleksei asked.
“Remember what I told you? Of your Uncle Sasha? I have more news.” Natalia told them about the dragon that had been spotted. “So, Your Majesty, don’t you think it is worth investigating this claim?”
Aleksei thought for a moment. “Have you seen this dragon yourself?”
“I … No. It was only relayed to me by a reliable source. But I know it.” A hand went up to her heart. “I can feel it. The dragon and Sasha are connected.”
“My dear aunt,” Aleksei began, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I understand that after all these years, the loss of your—our dear Sasha has saddened you. But from what you have told me previously, you have been disappointed by these clues and