Arlen's POV
Brynn rode with me back to Dreake. I'm still debating whether I should announce to the kingdom I have found my mate. Brynn has still not accepted our bond yet, though she is starting to at least trust me. She'd have told us all to p**s off and taken a bus out of town if she didn't.
In the end, I'm thankful Brynn accepted my offer to stay with me. I just hope I can convince her to stay forever.

"How many of your kind do you have in your kingdom?" Brynn asked me quietly, staring out the window.
"There are about 500 people living in Dreake, but there are an estimated forty thousand Faes in the United States that I govern." I don't miss Brynn inhaling shakily and taking deep breaths.
"Do you need me to pull over?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"I'll be fine." She stared at me nervously.
"I think you will find that my kind is more accepting than you know, Brynn. We cherish our mate bonds and we respect the mate bonds of others. One of the most absolute laws among us is that if your mate commits infidelity or you have a Fae or other being who is threatening your bond, you can kill that person and it will be self-defense." Brynn snapped her head to look at me.
"What happens if a Fae cheats on their mate?" Brynn asked me.

"Infidelity can kill a Fae. It is one of the few occasions a Fae may kill one of their own kind." I told her.
"Have you ever had to intervene with couples who cheated?" Brynn wanted to know.
"I have. About twenty years ago when I first became King, I had a Fae who killed his best friend because he caught him and the Fae's mate in bed together. The Fae said he marked her and claimed her as his mate, however his mate said he never marked her and that his friend was her true mate. Well, the woman was human and pregnant. I couldn't command her to show me if she was marked. I couldn't discern if she was telling the truth and the one who was murdered died a horrible death. Even though the Fae claimed it was self-defense, it was so violent that I felt I had an obligation to protect my subjects. I banished the Fae to the Bahamas and didn't learn the truth until the child his ex carried grew up and began searching for him. The human lied through her teeth to me and in fact is sitting in a human prison now for trying to have her husband killed."
"That's heartbreaking! What kind of woman would do that to not only who was her soulmate, but to her own child!!" Brynn whispered, staring at me with emotion in her blue eyes.

"Things worked out in the end. The Fae reunited with his daughter and got a second chance mate, who just gave birth to twins not long ago. But I really struggled when I learned the truth. Even though he is a good friend of mine and has told me he doesn't hold the banishment against me, I still lay awake at night wondering what I could have done differently." I trailed off at the memories from so long ago flooding me.
"What did you mean by she was marked?" Brynn asked me.
"Faes mark their mates on their lower backs. It's like a birthmark, though different faes have different shapes. Emma's will be a circular shape since Jason is a light Fae. Yours will be a crown since I'm royalty." I explained to her.
"So you brand your mates?" Brynn said. I don't miss the edge in her voice.
"It's not a brand. The mark carries magic that radiates over the Faes body to let others know they are off limits. The mark has other purposes too, like when Faes mate that mark helps with conception if it is that woman's time of the month." I told her.
"If I accept you, you can mark me, but I can't mark you?" Brynn stared at me.
"Unless you decide to become a Fairy yourself. It's more common to have Faes mated to humans or other species than people think. The Fae I was talking about is mated to a wolf and has her mark on his neck. Just a few months ago, a Fae with a human mate came up with the solution months for a blessed tattoo. They put it in a visible place like the wrist or forearm and it is blessed with magic."
"So that an unmated Fae can sense that person is off limits." Brynn said. My mate is catching on quick.
"Exactly. Brynn as much as I'd love to see you as a Fae, I won't force you to turn into one or to bear my mark." I told her and meant every word. All of this must be my mate's choice and hers alone.
"I have so many more questions but I'm afraid if I ask right now, I'll have a panic attack." Brynn brushed her red hair out of her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked so beautiful right now it was taking every sense of self-control I had not to park the car and just kiss her all over.
"Don't ever hesitate to ask me anything." I told her and smiled at her.
"Have you ever had Faes who tried to lure someone from their mates?" Brynn asked me.
"I'm dealing with that right now. I have a female Fae hitting on mated men and causing disruption left and right." I said, unable to help the disgust in my voice.
"What will you do about it?" Brynn asked me
"I've already threatened her with banishment. However I have to wait until we get back so Jason can look at her computer and phone." I explained what had happened and how Jason is with computers.
When we arrived at Dreake, I linked Jason to take our ladies into the mansion through the back doors. Once he got them secured in a private room he came to my office. I went into detail about how Kelli got a text from Denver Chase to meet for a rendezvous and almost got vaporized by Merri, Jason looked at me with total shock.
"You secured Kelli's devices?" He said.
I went to the small vault in my office and brought the devices to him. Jason immediately got to work and within minutes told me where the number that text Kelli last night originated from.
"It was definitely from a burner phone. Whoever text her tried to hide the location but I got around it. Your Majesty, that text came from somewhere here." I f*****g knew it!!
"Take guards and search Kelli's home inch by inch!!" I snarled out. I've had it with Kelli DeMaio. Jason got to work as I waited in my office. I didn't have to wait long for Jason to come back with another phone.
"We found this phone hidden in a bowl on top of her kitchen cabinets, King Arlen. It's dead but I have some chargers I can use." Jason pulled a charger out of his desk and turned it on and immediately gagged in disgust.
"F**k she's got some more nudes on here! She deleted the messages but her text log confirms she sent something to Denver's phone." Jason took the phone I had in the vault and compared the times and number, and stated they matched exactly.
"Let's make absolutely sure no one is setting Kelli up. Dust it for her fingerprints. We should have them on file." Jason got to work and an hour later, we had confirmation that Kelli indeed handled the phone. I linked the lead guard watching Kelli to bring her to the boundary and Jason and I went to meet them. Kelli looked at me with undisguised lust and I almost vomited right there.
"Kelli DeMaio, we found the phone. What do you have to say for yourself?" I watched her carefully as she raised her chin.
"What phone!?" She snapped. Jason dropped the phone from her kitchen on the ground right in front of her. Kelli kept a straight face though I didn't miss her twitch.
"I've never seen it before." She said defiantly.
"This is the phone the message from Denver Chase originated from. Your fingerprints are all over it as well as other racy photos you've been sending to other Faes." I kept my tone controlled.
"WHAT!? I'M BEING SET UP!!" Kelli hysterically screeched out and tried to run, but Jason used his magic to stop her.
"F**k you Coltrane!" Kelli strangled out.
"I've been going back and forth between banishing you, or letting Merri incinerate you. Decisions, decisions." I scratched my chin. "Jason, what do you think?"
Jason stared hard at her. "I'm nervous having someone that will go to these lengths of obsessive psychotic behavior around here, Your Majesty. She has threatened too many bonds and this time took it way too far. It is ultimately up to you, but I say let Merri end her because who knows what this woman will do next." Kelli broke down in hysterics and I linked Merri to come to the boundary. She came a couple of minutes later and eyed Kelli with complete hatred.
"Merri, we have discovered that Kelli sent that message to herself to get around my decree I would banish her if I caught her flirting with mated men again. I have decided to let you end her if you wish, as is your right since she directly threatened your bond with your mate." Merri looked at us and shook her head.
"My way is too quick a death for her, and this vile piece of s**t doesn't deserve a quick end. But...." Merri smiled evilly. "Your majesty, I heard you disfigured the Witch Ruler not long ago? I'd very much like you to do that!" Merri clapped her hands.
Jason and I looked at each other and I knew we were thinking the same thing. As much as we'd love to see Merri kill her, banishment with a disfigured face will mean Kelli will have much less opportunities to manipulate others into getting revenge on us and the kingdom.
"F**K YOU MERRI HASTINGS YOU EVIL F*****G B***H!!!!" Kelli screamed out in terror. Merri got right in her face and slapped the s**t out of Kelli.
"That's the worst thing I can wish on a woman like you! When the next mated man you set your sights on gets a gander at your jacked up face...MAYBE YOU'LL THINK TWICE!!!" Merri screamed right in Kelli's face.
"Please King Arlen, just kill me! I'M NOTHING WITHOUT MY FACE!" Kelli howled in desperation.
"The Faes you put in jeopardy have spoken and do not wish you dead!! You are being banished, but we will also make sure you are no longer a threat to anyone else! This is your punishment for trying to destroy cherished mate bonds created by our Goddess, for direct attempts on the lives of Merri Hastings and Denver Chase and for DEFYING ME!!" I emitted my black glitter from my hands and threw it in Kelli's face. All of us watched as Kelli's face all practically melted in front of us and she hit the ground in sobs.
"GET HER OUT OF MY SIGHT!" I bellowed at her. The guards grabbed Kelli DeMaio and her belongings and escorted her to the boundary. I turned to Jason, whose face was ashen. I looked to see what was upsetting him and saw Emma and Brynn standing behind us. Emma had her arms around a trembling Brynn who had tears running down her face. F**K!!!
"Brynn wait, let me explain...." She screamed and ran off into the forest.