uninvited

chapter fifteen

unmarked

They had kings and queens and a whole royal family. No voting, they didn't get to select who ran their country. Nope, they came by their kings just like they came by their mates. They were born with certain marks.

A crest.

The last three kings had been father and sons but the one before that had been an orphan female. Queen Euphrates. Her mate was King Cleon.

England had royalty, so it wasn't so farfetched. And it wasn't like the king had all the control, just most of it. He had advisors. Other royals and some of the smartest people in the world helping him.

Not much different from having a president, she supposed.

Jess didn't know how she was supposed to learn any of this when she was starving to death.

They didn't know her, or they'd know that was a bad thing. A hungry Jess was a moody Jess. Or at least that is what Julian and her mom always said.

Thinking of her mom, she grabbed her necklaces. The long silver one with the feather had been her mom's favorite. She had worn it any time she was dressed in jeans and not dressed for the office. Her second necklace was a black leather cord with Danny's army man hanging from it.

Julian was right. She should cling to the people who were worth clinging to.

Her uncle Chad had given her a thin diamond tennis bracelet that she'd never cared for. Too nice for her tastes but she'd never let him know it. Now it meant something. He'd been a good man, and she wanted to remember him. For Michael, she had a black friendship bracelet that some girl had given him. Baby Rue was harder to find something for. In the end, she'd found one of her little pink earrings.

Aunt Sarah had her ears pierced as soon as the kid was old enough. She'd never said why but Jess had a feeling it was because she'd been tired of people thinking her daughter was a boy. As an infant, she'd had the slowest growing hair. And no one could wear pink all the time.

So now her right ear had an extra hole. It had hurt like a mother and would probably get infected.

When they were dismissed, she gathered her things. She didn't have far to go, only one classroom over.

Julian was waiting in the hallway with a grin and a bag of chips.

She couldn't help it, she squealed. "Where did you find those?"

"I found where they put all the vending machines."

"It's no wonder why I love you to death."

"You just want my chips."

"Yes, I do."

Laughing, he held them out of her reach.

That would have earned him a gut punch, but she'd just noticed they had company. She was more worried about her bag of chips getting confiscated than getting in trouble for acting up in the hallway.

She grabbed them and stuffed them in her bag then zipped it for good measures.

Talk about feeling like a shrimp. They towered over her. It also sucked that she was the only plain jane around right now.

"Hey, boys. Better hurry. Wouldn't want you late for class."

"After you, Jessalynn."