The Veiled Monarch

by Shae Bryant

  "Raina..." Leo looked at me, "What's going on? I've never seen him so mad."

  I put an arm in front of Leo, "His blood boiled too fast. Back away slowly and if I tell you to run. Just run."

  Leo was stopped by the sound of laughter. Faulkner leaned his head back against the wall, laughing at Vince. "Put me down, Vincenzo. I want to discuss something. I don't want to harm anyone."

  "What?" Vince squeezed Faulkner's neck, causing a few of the bones to crack.

  Faulkner coughed, "Do you want your girlfriend to see you do this, Vincenzo? Think about it."

  "I'm not..." I shut my mouth when I caught Vince's gaze.

  Technically, we weren't anything. If someone wanted to be honest about it, we were only sleeping together. We went out a few times, but we were friends, right? Vince's eyes told me that I was wrong.

  If I were honest with myself, I'd have known it long before that moment. We had become fast friends, ignoring the fact that we spent time together under the guise of needing to figure out issues with our respective communities. So many of those talks devolved into conversations that had everything to do with us and little to do with our groups.

  I had started to learn his little quirks and nuances. For instance, he was a notorious blanket stealer, and he never put dirty dishes away. He hated TV with a passion, but found music to be fascinating. I knew his favorite colors, his favorite foods, which car he preferred to drive on a specific day...

  I practically lived at his house. Brutus even had his own bowls in the kitchen, and his own toys. I enjoyed coming from work to see Vince waiting by the pool.

  The blood in Vince's eyes was so strong that his irises had disappeared in a sea of red. But, he was still searching for my answer. What would I say?

  "I uh..." I cleared my throat, "No. I don't want to see him do something like that."

  The blood rushed out of Vince's eyes, and he started to let Faulkner down. Judging from the look on Vince's face, the two of us had just gotten into an official relationship.

  "There's a good man." Faulkner grinned, "Calm down that blood a bit for her, hm? Now then, I heard Leonardo..."

  "Leo." Leo grumbled.

  Faulkner cleared his throat, "Leo...talk about meeting Mister Stuart. Is this true?"

  "Yes." Leo nodded.

  Faulkner raised his eyebrows, straightening his shirt while he walked to a chair. He lowered himself down into the seat, smirking at Vince, "Oh Vincenzo. Stuart is after your son. We both know what they'll do if they get to him. I say that we have a deal to make."

  "A deal?" Vince crossed his arms, "You're in no position to make one."

  Faulkner chuckled, "Really? I think I am. You see, your little sun torture chamber showed me the light — so to speak. I want to live. You want Stuart. I know what Jacob wants and I know his plans. You could still kill me right now, but then you'd know nothing about Jacob or what the Iron Oath is doing. You need me. To protect them."

  Vince's hands opened and closed into tight fists. He looked between Leo and I both. Faulkner was right. He knew everything they were doing. He would be able to keep Leo and the rest of the Non Humans out of their clutches. If Vince killed him, none of that would happen.

  "Very well." Vince sighed.

  "Oh good!" Faulkner jumped from the chair, "Which room am I in?"

  My jaw dropped open, "You're letting him live? You are letting him stay here? Are you joking? Is this happening? Faulkner! The Iron Oath's attack dog! The man young Druids are raised to be afraid of. You are letting him live!"

  Faulkner leaned towards Vince, "I get the feeling she doesn't like me."

  "Raina, I have no choice!"

  I was fuming. I grabbed my bag and keys, "Unbelievable."

  "Where are you going?"

  "Work!"

  "Are you mad at me?" Vince asked.

  "Yes! And him too!"

  "Hrmph." Faulkner crossed his arms, "I was the one being tortured. You left me there."

  "I should have staked you when I had the chance!" I slammed the door behind me.

  The drive to work was peppered with loud, angry music and my heavy breathing. I was so mad that I could have staked the both of them. I thought sure that Vince would allow Faulkner to feed, so they could at least have a fair fight. He should have ended him there in the house. Instead, he's let him live. Not only did he live, but he was helping him!

  Of all the people in the world, Vince knew what Faulkner had done. He has witnessed over two centuries of the bodies that man left in his wake. Was Faulkner right? Did we need him? Of course, he was right. We needed him or we were all sunk. That didn't make me feel any better.

  I stomped into The Veiled Monarch offices, slamming my bag on the desk. Catherine turned slowly and looked at the bag then me. "Are you OK?"

  "Oh no." I waved my hands, "I am not OK."

  "Did you and Vince have a fight?" She leaned forward, ready to hear all about it.

  I straightened up a little when she said that, "Does everyone know about this?"

  Louis' voice chimed in behind me, "Everyone knows. Here's your coffee. Good evening."

  "You have to be kidding me." I buried my face in my hands.

  "So did you fight?" Catherine asked again.

  I frowned, "No! We didn't fight. We're an item now. I guess we're the last ones to find that out!"

  Louis laughed, sitting a coffee mug on the desk, "So what happened?"

  "You both aren't going to believe this." I slid into my chair and prepared to tell them the events of the evening.

  While I was telling Catherine and Louis how Faulkner was now part of our communities, Leo was riding to Chloe's house in Hialeah. He had called her while Vince and Faulkner were busy arguing. When Chloe heard what happened, she urged Leo to come to their home. Someone needed to explain the story to her parents. It may as well be the person who witnessed it.

  Chloe led him to the back yard where Erin and Brian were sitting around a small fire pit. They both looked fairly casual in their lawn chairs with a beer in the cup holders. But, both of them had their worried eyes on Leo from the moment he walked in.

  Once Leo sat down, Erin stared him down, "Leo. Is it true Faulkner is still here?"

  "Yeah." Leo nodded, "He's at my house right now."

  Erin and Brian both grasped each other's hand. They heaved a collective sigh when Leo confirmed their fears. Faulkner was still in South Florida and now he was with Vince Moretti. Leo tried to calm them down, explaining the events of the night to both of them. He included the conversation with Vince and how he agreed that the communities here need Faulkner right now.

  Brian sighed, "He's got an ulterior motive. He always does. Except it benefits us for the time being, so Vince is willing to let it go."

  "We need to talk about this with..." Erin looked at Leo, "Can you excuse us? I'm sorry."

  Chloe grabbed Leo's hand when he started to walk into the house, "No. Not this time."

  "Chloe, he isn't part of the pack." Brian felt sympathy for his daughter, but he also wanted to protect his own.

  "Dad, he's involved." Chloe walked Leo back to the fire pit and made him sit down, "And there's something I think he and I need to tell you guys. Something we've been talking about."

  Leo tapped his hands on the arm of the chair, "Yeah... I guess we should tell someone."

  "What is it?" Erin asked, "Are you both OK?"

  Leo ran his hands through his hair, letting out a deep breath, "Look, I know a while ago I told Isaac I wanted to turn. I know that was for all the wrong reasons. I have reasons now, and they're different. I know people will think this is because of Chloe, but I promise it isn't."

  Brian leaned forward on his chair, resting his hands on his knees, "Then tell us what it is."

  "This is for me. If Chloe broke up with me tomorrow, I'd still want this. If all of you moved away and never spoke to me again, I'd find the new leader and talk to them. Every time I meet one of you, we're instant friends. I love what all of you h
ave. I want to be with you all more than I do anyone else. I can't wait to ride with you guys, I can't wait to come over here and be around everyone. All of my friends are in your community now. Sure, I wonder what it's like to hunt and shift, but for the most part...I just want to be a part of this."

  Erin smiled at him, "What you're telling me is that you have a need to be part of a pack. You just can't explain exactly why."

  "Yes!" Leo nodded, "That!"

  "What about your Dad?" Brian questioned.

  Leo smiled, "I thought about that. Nothing will ever change Vince being my Dad. I'm almost nineteen. I have to make my own choices. This is what I want for me. I don't know if I even want the Moretti fortune anymore. I want to finish Vet school and make my own way in life."

  Brian looked between his wife and his daughter. He already knew his decision on the matter, but he wanted to gauge their reactions. Erin was leaning back in her chair with a knowing smile. She appeared to share his thoughts. Chloe sat on the edge of her seat, holding Leo's hand.

  "No court would deny you, Leo." Brian chuckled.

  Leo closed his eyes, letting his body finally relax, "You're serious? You think that I could?"

  "Yeah I'm serious." He nodded, "I'd bring you in."

  Chloe made a noise after hugging Leo, "See? I told you they'd agree with me!"

  "Oh God. I'm so relieved." Leo grinned over Chloe's shoulder.

  "Listen Leo, we're going to work on this." Brian rested his chin on his fist, "Not yet. Your Dad is going to flip his shit when we talk to him. Right now, I'm afraid he'll blood craze if we tell him. Let's wait a little, OK?"

  Erin patted the chair Leo was sitting in, "Stay here for now Leo. Until we talk to your Dad, you can see how we operate."

  Further South, I was on my way back to Vince's house. What I wanted to do was go to my home in Miami Lakes and pretend that nothing happened. I had gotten angry and stormed out. Now that work was over and I had some time to calm down, I felt a little bad about things.

  I could not imagine what went through Vince's mind. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If Faulkner lived, we'd still have to deal with the Iron Oath. If he died, we'd have nothing; Leo would certainly not remain safe. The rest of us probably wouldn't either.

  I parked my car in an empty spot. Vince's Tuscan was missing. The Oldsmobile was still in the driveway. I had a fifty/fifty chance of walking into a house with just Faulkner. Or perhaps they had both left together. That would be the best case scenario.

  The colored lights that illuminated the garden in the driveway were on. So was the light by the front door, but the rest of the lights inside had been turned off. Brutus' claws were clicking excitedly on the tile when I unlocked the door.

  I petted him and received my happy welcome home from my dog. I turned on the hall light, thinking that I was alone. Then, I saw a shadow move across the deck outside. Vince. He kept the lights off when he was upset.

  Brutus and I both made our way outside. The cool breeze from the intracoastal waterway greeted me along with the sound of soft music from the speakers. Vince sat on a chair to my right, staring at the empty pool through steepled fingers.

  "It's a good night to brood." I started.

  Vince rolled his eyes, "If you are here to yell at me again, I don't need to hear it."

  "No Vince I..." I sighed, "Yes I'm mad. You can't fault me for that. But, I'm not mad at you. I'm just...mad!"

  He pursed his lips, "As am I. It is a nice night to sit and brood. You may as well join me."

  I sat on the edge of his chair, forcing him to move over a little, "He left?"

  "Yes." Vince put an arm around me, "He's gone to find a donor. I sent him to The Veiled Monarch. At least he can't get into too much trouble with Louis and Catherine watching the monitors."

  "He's really staying?" I asked.

  "He is. If you don't want to stay any longer, I understand why."

  I shook my head, "I guess I'll deal with him. I deal with you every day, don't I?"

  "Why do you have to be so difficult?!" He shook his head, but a smile was starting to form.

  "You like it."

  "Mmm. I suppose so." Vince leaned back on the chair, crossing one leg over the other. He pulled me a little closer and sighed, "I'm going to kill him, Raina. I promise you that. It just isn't the right time yet."

  "You have to keep Leo safe. I get it." I leaned against him, offering a smile.

  "I have to keep you safe as well."

  I smirked, "Everyone knows, by the way. Catherine finally admitted it to me at work tonight. So did Louis. I guess we're the last to figure it out."

  Vince kissed the top of my head, "I believe you mean you are the last one to figure it out."

  "That means I'd have to admit I like you."

  "If only I were so lucky!" He laughed, moving his legs to make more room for me. "I'm sorry all of this is happening. To all of us. I had hoped I would never have to deal with it again."

  "We'll figure it out." That was all I was able to offer.

  Both of us sat there by the pool in silence for the rest of the evening. We didn't have to talk. Everything that we needed to say was already said by the shifting in the chair or the glances we exchanged with each other. There was so much uncertainty over what would happen next. One thing was for certain. The Iron Oath was not gone. And neither was Faulkner.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  We Fight Back

  For the next two weeks, Faulkner enjoyed his new lease on life in South Florida. He went where we pleased and utilized all the luxuries The Veiled Monarch offered him. Vince and I both kept a wide berth, allowing him to do his own thing. We were all waiting patiently for him to give us some sort of information on the Iron Oath.

  We didn't know Faulkner was busy finding Jacob and the last remains of the Iron Oath in the United States. He was quietly stalking them, waiting for one of them to mess up. Then, he would have them and so would we.

  He managed to track them to another State, but he wasn't able to find their exact location. It was unfortunate, because Jacob's sights were still set on South Florida. With Faulkner out of the picture, Jacob thought that he had the upper hand.

  He walked into a bare office one morning stirring a cup of coffee. A woman in her early thirties followed behind him. Like Jacob, she wore an Iron Oath uniform, but her rank on the lapel showed that she was below him. She held a notepad in her hands, waiting for Jacob to have his coffee, so she could show him the reports.

  Jacob glanced at the woman, "How is he, Kristin?"

  "He's fine." She smiled, "He needs a nap."

  "I'm glad you took the babysitting part of the job." Jacob took the notepad from her, walking towards his desk while he glanced at the screen. "Hm. No changes yet. He's happy and comfortable, right?"

  Kristin nodded, "He is. I'm treating him like my own child. Except for the part about talking to animals."

  Jacob took a drink of his coffee, "Hm... What would you do if your son was a Druid, Kristin?"

  "The same thing we're doing now. We'd watch him closely and convince him to help us."

  "You understand." He smirked, "Of course you do. You're one of us. I wish everyone else understood this too. We're not here to hurt people. We're forced to. What we want to do is help them."

  "Non Humans don't understand, Jacob!" Kristin lifted her chin, "They don't know why we want to bring them back to the way they were. When we all shared powers."

  Jacob closed his eyes, resting his forehead in an open palm. Kristin was talking about ancient documents that the Iron Oath had passed down for ages. Eventually, the documents were lost. Their contents had become an oral tradition passed through the generations of Iron Oath families.

  They detailed the beginnings of the Non Humans. Back when the world was still full of mysticism and — some say — magic. When Humans were also able to utilize this same mystery that Non Humans eventually harnessed. Two groups formed. The group who believed the mysteries were simply par
t of them separated from the group who believed the mysteries could be harnessed and tapped into.

  As the groups went their separate ways, they began to live their own ways. The first group started to forget about the mysteries, thinking that it would simply remain with them. They became fully Human and forgot about their past. The second group continued to explore and embrace the surrounding mysteries. They tapped into what was offered to them and eventually, one emerged that would give the rest of us a name — the first Non Human.

  The legend says that the first had the abilities of all three. They were the one to give the abilities to the rest. Long after the Non Humans forgot about the first, they still watched over them. Some say the first is still alive and wandering the Earth.

  The Iron Oath not only believed this legend, but they insisted that Humans could take this power back. They believed the stories of our origins and spouted them as fact. They also believed that young Non Humans could easily tap into this innate ability that had been in all of us since the world was young.

  This was why Jacob and his colleague Kristin Torres were so intent on the young Druid they had been observing. He was being kept like any other child should be, with all the amenities a boy of four could want. But, he had no interaction with other children. He was scared, missing his family and stuck in the clutches of the Iron Oath.

  Jacob looked at the reports on the boy, shaking his head, "I had such high hopes for Chloe Neason. And Catherine Kleyman...? She could have been in the palm of my hand."

  "She was Human then." Kristin reminded him.

  Jacob scoffed, "We could have turned her ourselves. Faulkner would have done it. Now, Leo Moretti. He was interesting. His Father's response was very intriguing. We should look into it."

  "The last time we went after Vince Moretti, things ended poorly for us. We have to be more careful now, Jacob." Kristin looked at the floor when she reminded Jacob of a very large stain on their record.

  "We won't make that mistake this time." Jacob waved a hand towards Kristin,"Go talk to Faulkner."

  "Didn't he disappear?"