by Leia King
“I am not so naïve as to think there wouldn’t be. Just not the child. Nor my daughter and her husband. You know the pain of losing your mate. I could not do that to her. And I doubt even you could stomach killing one of your sons.”
“You understand that Nathanial will not survive this?”
“I have no qualms about that. He has always been a thorn in my side.”
“You also understand that my son, Luca, will need to take Cora for this plan to succeed?”
Vazra grimaced. “Yes. The less I hear about that, the better.”
“I understand. It is the only way to drain her power. If we do not, she will be able to unite the realms.”
“She is the only one who can from the White Realm side.”
“Yes. And, once I kill Nathanial, there will be no one else strong enough to join with Ryan to summon the power needed from the Dark Realm side. As long as we are able to prevent the initial unification of the two realms, there will be no need for anything to happen to the child. His part only comes into play once the realms have been united. His hybrid nature, being of both the white and dark, burdens him with the destiny of ruling the people of the realms as one. Only a hybrid creature can facilitate peaceful coexistence between the realms.”
Vazra nodded, indicating that he was on board. He folded his arms across his chest and regarded her curiously. “What is this information you have for me? When we last spoke, you claimed it was of the utmost urgency.”
“Marella is my sister.”
He shook his head with disbelief. “She is my right-hand woman, Oriana. She has been, since you were forced to go into hiding two centuries ago. She cannot be your sister. She cannot be her.”
Oriana smiled cruelly. “Oh, but she is.”
“Why are you telling me this now, after all this time?”
“Because, I believe she may have finally figured out what the two of us realized so long ago.”
“That Nathanial is her true mate,” he murmured, still shaking his head. He remembered looking into it with her. They’d discovered that the sibling of the great white sorceress was destined to the Vampire King. Although, Cora was now also a great white sorceress, the timing hadn’t matched. Nor did she have a sibling. It had provided him with some relief. Well, until he’d learned that Ryan was his daughter’s true mate. Although, it was better than Nathanial, Ryan was still a dark creature.
“I had to wait until the two of them connected. I have reason to believe that has now occurred. She was in the Dark Realm with him and she was far too at ease in his company. Plus, you saw for yourself how she defended him at the Royal Court meeting earlier.”
“I need to be certain that they have connected. I cannot accuse her of betrayal and high treason without proof. She is such a high-ranking member of my court.”
“There are ways for you to be certain.”
Vazra could see by the look in her eyes that she already had a plan. “What are you suggesting?”
Oriana smiled maliciously. “We use Nathanial’s greatest weakness against him.”
“His greatest weakness?”
“Yes. One that he cannot control.” Her eyes shone with victory. “Sunlight.”
4
Nathanial watched from the castle turrets as Ryan interacted with his son.
The two of them were down in the courtyard, a good two hundred feet below. Nathanial had to hang back at such a great distance to ensure that Ryan did not sense his presence. He did not want to disturb their father-son time. But he also had to keep any eye on the Wolf King. He was concerned that Ryan would renege on their already fragile alliance, following the emotional impact of his mother’s unprecedented visit. While she certainly did not deserve his sentiment, she possessed a talent for manipulation. In fact, he knew well that she actually took pleasure in it.
When would that devil woman stop ruining his life?
Just her brief presence in the Dark Realm had caused so much damage. It had jeopardized his Her fragile alliance with Ryan. It had his advisors up in arms. It had forced his sweet angel to return to the White Realm, while pregnant with his child.
The latter was the worst consequence by far. It was utter agony being away from his pregnant mate. Just knowing she was not within his field of protection was almost too much to bear. Forcing himself to remain in the Dark Realm had been a true exercise in self-control.
But, by all things dark and holy, if anyone dared to lay a hand on Marella, he would tear their hearts out slowly and make them watch as he crushed their lifeforce before their very eyes. It would be the slowest and most excruciatingly painful death imaginable. There would be no mercy. He would unleash the full force of the monster within.
A disgruntled growl from below cut into his anxious thoughts.
He peered over the turrets to see the little wolf pup growling at his father.
Ryan was standing over him, trying to coax him back into human form. “Orion. Shift back for Daddy. You’re safe with me. No one will hurt you, while I’m breathing. Shift back now.”
Orion? That was the child’s name?
It still had not been announced. Ryan and Cora had been keeping it a closely guarded secret. It had become obvious that they were intentionally holding off on officially announcing his birth. They must have realized the significance of doing so, that he would then become vulnerable to magic wielders.
Nathanial watched as Orion bounded onto Ryan’s lap in a flurry of excitement, making Ryan laugh.
“Aside from your mother, you’re the first to disobey me. Obviously her trait. I was worried about you inheriting that from her. We’ll work on that, Son.”
Nathanial smiled at their loving interaction.
Ryan repeatedly tried to convince Orion to shift back. After a while, he blew out a breath of agitation, and shifted his weight. “All right. Let’s try another tactic.”
He began to emit a series of low, calming wolf growls.
His son responded with a tiny one of his own.
As Ryan continued, the little wolf pup went wild, bounding all over Ryan. He nuzzled against him, slapped his paws against his legs, then licked him all over.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way, for now,” Ryan said.
Nathanial watched, stunned, as Ryan shed his clothes and abruptly shifted into wolf form right there in the courtyard. He stifled a laugh as he watched the wolf pup jump all over Ryan, rubbing himself in his father’s thick mane of white fur.
After a while, Ryan scooped him up in his paw. It was a paw more than four times the size of the little wolf-pup. He pulled him close and laid his paw lightly on his back. It took mere moments before the pup let out a contented yawn and fell asleep against Ryan’s fur.
Nathanial unsure how much time had passed before Ryan shifted back to human form and pulled his clothes back on. He tiptoed around his son as he dressed. But as soon as he shrugged his leather jacket back on, the wolf pup let out a disgruntled growl, noticing he was no longer nestled comfortably in the crook of his father’s arm. Ryan scooped him up with one hand.
“I was going to carry you to bed. So much for that idea. Daddy can’t stay in wolf form for too long here. The air is making me a little sick, so I can’t hold it for long.”
At those disturbing words, Nathanial left his hiding place. With a burst of speed, he leapt down into the courtyard in front of them.
“The Dark Realm is still making you sick?”
“You heard that?” Ryan asked, glancing around. “Where were you? I didn’t sense you.”
“It matters not. It is concerning that you are still sick. Sicker now than before, it appears. You said you cannot maintain your wolf form for long? You should be getting better, not worse.”
Ryan looked at him uneasily, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say. “When you and me are close by, I don’t feel it as much.”
“I am Vampire King of the Dark Realm and you are the rightful Wolf King of the Dark Realm. We are always stronger together. It has been that way
for centuries, Ryan.”
“But how? Without me or my father around all these years, how are you not weak?”
“I compensated for such a loss by dabbling in magic.”
Ryan nodded. “Right, yeah.”
Nathanial folded his arms across his chest. “Is there anything else you can tell me about this sickness you have been experiencing?”
Something flashed in Ryan’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly that Nathanial could not figure out its meaning. All Ryan offered was a shrug. Then, he told him, “Marella thought it might be exacerbated because me and Cora are apart. She said bonded mates both suffer if they’re apart for too long.”
Nathanial’s entire body tensed. “What? Marella told you that?”
“Yeah. Why? What’s wrong?”
“It works both ways?”
“Cora’s fine. I’ve communicated with her several times.”
“She is a special case. Her own power is so great that it will sustain her.”
“Then who are you—shit! You’re worried about Marella?”
“Yes,” Nathanial all but growled.
He had no experience with being a mate to anyone before, so he had never heard of such a thing. But Marella had clearly done her research. Perhaps to watch out for Ryan. How could she have neglected to tell him? Well, of course, he knew why. She was well aware that he would never have allowed her to leave, had he known there was a possibility that being away from him would make her ill. Marella! How could she put herself and their child in jeopardy like that? He did not care if he fell sick. But his love and his daughter? They were all that mattered.
He realization then, just how much Marella actually feared Vazra’s wrath. She believed the consequences of him finding out about the two of them, had she not gone back, was far more of a threat to her and their child than the sickness being apart from her mate would cause her. It infuriated him on so many levels. He could protect her. He could protect her from anyone and anything. He was the Vampire King!
“She is my mother’s sister, Nathanial,” Ryan said, disapproval clear in his tone. “Whatever you’re doing with her, you need to stop.”
“It is not what you believe it to be.”
“So, you’re not fucking her then?”
“It is more than fucking, as you so eloquently put it. Much more, Ryan.”
Ryan frowned for a moment, before Nathanial saw the realization hit him. “You’re her mate.”
“Yes.”
“This is too fucking dangerous.”
“I do not deny it, Ryan.”
“Because of Vazra.”
Nathanial caught a flicker of something in Ryan’s eyes as he’d uttered Vazra’s name. “You do not trust him either?”
“I’m not an idiot. It’s plain as fucking day. He’s a world-class manipulator. But that’s only a threat, if his agenda doesn’t mesh with ours. He wanted me to form an alliance with you. At the time, I wasn’t exactly on board.”
“Oh, I was well aware of how you felt about me.” He cocked an eyebrow. “And now?”
“Now, I want to know why the fuck he wanted me to ally myself with you and take my seat beside you as King of the Dark Realm.”
Nathanial’s brow furrowed. Several moments passed as he thought on it. And then he had it. Of course. “He plans to kill me.”
“What?”
“All his talk of uniting the realms. Why would he need you for that? I am already here. And let us not kid ourselves about him being concerned with the wolf uprising here. Thus, bringing you back here for that was not his true goal. It is what he knew you needed to hear, to give you motivation to ally yourself with me, a man you had so much hatred for. Yes, he must plan to kill me. As his daughter’s husband, he thinks you easier to manipulate and control. Through her. With me gone, he believes he would face no resistance in doing whatever he wished with the Dark Realm. Even destroying it.”
“I’m not that weak-minded,” Ryan protested. “I wouldn’t let him take our realm.”
“Our realm?” Nathanial asked, surprised at Ryan’s choice of words. It was the first time he had ever acknowledged the Dark Realm as his kingdom as well. He had been so hesitant and resistant thus far.
“Yes,” Ryan confirmed. “Our realm. In honor of my father, I’d defend it to my last breath. He wouldn’t have wanted the Dark Realm to fall.”
“He would not,” Nathanial agreed. “But, as your mate, Cora does possess a power over you that no other being could possibly hope to.”
“Then we’d better make sure he doesn’t kill you then.”
“Even if he does, there is another,” Nathanial revealed.
Ryan blinked hard. “You’d better not be talking about Luca. Because, I swear to fuck—”
“No, of course not. I have another heir.”
“What? Who?”
Nathanial lowered his voice so low that Ryan had to step closer to hear him, even with his wolf hearing. “Marella is with child. My child.”
“What?” Ryan exclaimed.
“A truth that must remain shrouded in secrecy at all costs, you understand?”
Ryan hesitated.
“I am sure Orion agrees.”
They locked eyes.
Ryan growled at the underhanded threat.
“Marella is my family. The only sane one left. I won’t risk anything happening to her.”
Nathanial nodded his thanks. “And I will not breathe a word of your child’s name.”
“Maybe one day we won’t have to threaten each other to force an agreement, huh?”
“An optimistic outlook.”
5
Luca cursed and struggled against his restraints for the umpteenth time.
He was trapped against the damp brick wall behind him, his wrists and ankles confined by cuffs made to withstand any vampire’s strength. Michael was positioned a few feet to his left, suffering the same frustration.
“Will you shut up?”
Luca’s gaze snapped to his and he snarled, “Next time, check that your magic actually works in the realm we’re trying to take over.”
“How was I to know that Nathanial had put wards in place to block the type of magic that I wield?”
“Underestimating my father was your first mistake.”
Michael scoffed. “You’re one to talk. He had you on your back, a stake just inches from your heart.”
“He is strong!”
“Yes, I picked up on that after he threw me through a hefty stone wall.” Luca watched him scan the prison anxiously. “We’re in purgatory. Left to hang here for eternity. We will waste away here. No blood. Only weakness. And with the inability to die, because of our cursed immortality.”
“You are so defeatist without your magic,” Luca commented. He pulled at his restraints again. “We are not going to spend eternity here.”
“And what is your great escape plan?”
“I’m working on one.”
“Then you’d better move that along. If you haven’t realized, we’ve been imprisoned here for several days now and no one has come here. Not even your father. No torture.”
Luca knew exactly what Michael was getting at. If Nathanial wasn’t going to torture them, it meant only one thing. “He’s going to kill us.”
“He only stopped before, because of the shock of your mother’s sudden reappearance. I doubt very much that he would hesitate again. Nathanial isn’t known for being merciful with those who challenge him. Cornelius is proof of that.”
“Then call forth his magic and get us the fuck out of here!”
“That’s your plan now, is it?”
“You see a problem with it?”
“Yes, you fool! I cannot call the magic of the Dark Realm to me. We are too far away from the castle, from everything. This prison is carved into the Mountains of Exspes, located at the very edge of the realm. Nathanial sent us here on purpose, to prevent me from calling upon his dark magic. Don’t you think I would have already done it already, if
it was a viable option?”
“I can help with that,” a soft female voice spoke.
They both turned their heads towards the sound of the voice.
Oriana suddenly passed through the wall of their cell and stood before them, a wry smile on her face.
“Mother,” Luca gasped.
“Luca,” she greeted unemotionally. “I assume you are not enjoying yourselves here,” she said, eyeing the both of them bound to the wall before her.
Luca snarled. He wasn’t in the mood for her games.
“Calm yourself!” she thundered. “If you desire your freedom, that is.”
“What? You’d leave me here? Your own son?”
“I will have no issue with that if you fail to accept my terms of your release.”
She was still the cold bitch he remembered. “You saved me. Why?”
“You are integral to my agenda.”
“And what is this agenda of yours, Oriana?” Michael asked.
She smiled, looking overly pleased with herself. “Simple. To murder Nathanial and take the Dark Realm. I will not allow the two realms to unite. My terms are that you share this outlook and agree to assist me, no questions asked.”
“I believe our agendas mesh very nicely,” Michael said.
Oriana looked to Luca for his agreement as well.
She was lying about something to do with her plan. Her pulse had been erratic as she’d spoken about it. But beggars couldn’t be choosers. He needed her help. And, so he agreed, “Yes. Now release us, mother.”
6
The marketplace bustled with activity.
It was basically what the human realm would deem a city center. It was crowded and busy. The creatures of the Dark Realm sold their wares, drank merrily in the surrounding taverns, and enjoyed various forms of entertainment.
A particularly familiar brothel caught Ryan’s eye. He smiled to himself as he recalled the night a lovely redheaded dark witch had made him into a man. What was it with him and witches? The power, probably. He enjoyed a challenge and those wielding magic were the only ones who could give him that. As Wolf King, he was far stronger than any of his own kind, and most other supernatural creatures. But the one thing he lacked was magic, which gave magic wielders one-up on him. Sure, he also enjoyed a submissive woman as much as the next guy. Having them on their knees, or on their back, prepared to do whatever he wanted commanded, was a rush. But it got old.