“On today’s agenda, there are only two items.” Keto held up two fingers. “Just two, but be warned, they are major.”
“These young bucks.” Lord Tethir turned to Lord Izul and they both had a chuckle.
Keto bristled. He wanted to put the males in their place but at the same time he needed their vote. Keto cleared his throat. He looked at each male in turn, silently conveying his displeasure. Unlike some of the other species, they worked on a far fairer system. The king was not a dictator. His councilors could oppose him. Thankfully he’d been working with these males for months. He’d already begun to prove himself as a leader.
Some of the males shuffled in their seats. One or two picked up their beverages and took tentative sips. All eyes were firmly on him.
“As you all know, I am searching for my queen. I’m expected to take a mate within the next few weeks.”
“Two weeks, my lord.” It was Paten’s turn to hold up two fingers. “Your subjects are beginning to wonder. You’ve met with all of the highborn females and have yet to show interest in any of them.”
“They are all quite lovely, I assure you.” He needed to tread very carefully. Several of the females were the daughters of the males who sat before him. “We need to think things through from a political standpoint though.”
He caught a couple of quizzical looks and a frown or two.
Keto pulled in a breath. “I think it would be a good idea to take a mate from another species.”
Azul choked on the sip of water he swallowing. There were a couple of shouts. The rest of the males stared back at him, like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Lord Tethir gave a tiny, discrete nod, his bushy eyebrows bobbed up once in thought.
“We should align ourselves with the other species and what better way to do that than for me to take a non-elven mate? Our numbers are few. We are not as strong or aggressive as the others. We need a strong partnership cemented with blood.”
There were shouts against. The males spoke amongst themselves. One or two of the males argued for Keto’s proposal, one or two against and the rest were clearly undecided.
“The idea has merit.” Paten was still deep in thought. “Which species though? The dragon shifters are the strongest.”
Keto tried not to show his shock. He hadn’t expected Paten to be this open to the idea. “The dragon shifters may as well not feature, they are not very involved with the goings on outside of their territory.” Keto had rehearsed all of the possible comebacks. At least, he thought he had. “Also, most of their females are not fertile. They would not be willing to part with one who is capable of bearing children ‒ I can assure you of this.”
There were several nods.
“What about the shifters?” Azul asked. “There are thirteen alphas. Thirteen.” He raised his brows. “Their numbers are growing at an alarming rate. If we were to go down this route, they should be looked at as a potential partnership.”
“What about keeping our blood pure?” Tethir looked angry, his eyes were narrowed, his face red. “We are elves, ancient and true.”
“I am the king ‒ my blood and my seed are strong. The key will be to mate someone of importance but of a lesser standing. That way, our elven heritage will come through.”
Tethir shook his head. “I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
“Think of it as strengthening our blood. My offspring will be stronger, faster, have better senses.”
“You put down your own species,” Tethir snarled.
“The boy … our king,” Lord Paten bowed his head, “is merely stating the obvious. We are weaker as a species. It is a fact. Bringing strength would not be a bad thing. It is something I have thought on myself.”
Lord Tethir pursed his lips, he looked like he was deliberating the idea.
“I say that we should look at the shifters, if this is the route we are going to take. They have superior senses,” Lord Paten said.
Keto shook his head. “I have given this much thought. The problem with the shifters is that there are thirteen alphas. Which pack do I choose? If I choose one over the other, will that create enemies with the other twelve? It is complicated and a slippery path.”
“That only leaves the vampires,” Paten said. “Esral is already mated with the vampire prince. We have a solid relationship and—”
“I disagree,” Keto blurted. It hurt him to say it, but he had to do it. “Esral might be mated to Xavier but there has yet to be a child from the union. It is something that we are trying to find answers for. I am sure that a solution to the problem will be found soon but until they procreate, we have nothing solid. I will take a vampire female as my queen and get her with child as a matter of—”
“Forgive me, my lord.” Azul narrowed his eyes. “What if elves can’t procreate with other species?”
“Of course we can.” Keto rolled his eyes, trying hard to come across as indifferent. “It is the vampire male who is the problem. A female needs an elven male to stimulate the growth of her garden.”
“That may be so, my lord, but we can’t be sure.” Paten shook his head. “It is a good idea, but too risky.”
“Yes, I agree. I still think a shifter would be better ‒ if we were going to have you mate cross species, but we can’t take that chance. I agree with Lord Paten.” Azul picked up his water and took a sip.
His heart began to race. This was getting away from him. “Other species have been successful. In fact, all of the other species have successfully cross-mated and reproduced.” There was a desperate edge to his voice.
“We are not the other species,” Paten said, distaste in every word. “What if your vampire queen does not get with child? You will be forced to set her aside or step down. What then? If you set her aside it could cause a war.”
“Unless you would be willing to step down, my lord?” Emra asked. There was a glint in his eyes. The male had a son who would be a potential candidate for king if Keto stepped down.
“Are you saying that the choice lies with me?” Keto asked, taking the opportunity.
“No, that’s not what he’s saying,” Paten said.
“It sounded that way to me,” Keto interjected. “I wish to take a vampire female as my queen, just to be clear, I have the perfect candidate in mind. It is a sure-fire way to ensure a longstanding relationship with the species. The shifters might be many in numbers, but they are divided. I will get this female with child once we are mated. It is not something I am worried about. Not in the least.” A knot formed in his stomach and his brow felt sweaty. Thankfully, his voice rang true.
“I do see merit in such a union,” Paten said, almost to himself. Keto’s heart soared. He couldn’t relax yet though. The council still had to vote. “However …” Paten added.
Keto had to hold back a groan. Irritation and frustration ate at him.
Paten went on, “Our king would need to agree to set the vampire female aside should she not become pregnant within the first year.”
“A year and a half,” Keto blurted, his voice a deep rasp. “I wish to get to know my queen for the first few months before she is swollen with child,” he quickly added, berating himself for saying anything at all. Increasing the timeline showed that he didn’t have faith that Charlotte would become pregnant. It showed weakness.
“Or …” Azul raised his brows. “My lord would have to step down.” That damned twinkle was back. The male would like nothing more than to have his son take his place.
Keto glanced around the room. Many of these males had sons who would stand to gain from his failure. It was something he could use to his advantage. “Yes, I agree to those terms.” It was more than fair, besides, he knew things would work out with Charlotte. His female would soon be filled with his son … or daughter. He didn’t mind. Excitement surged through him.
“You would have two years to produce an heir,” Azul added. “Two years to give your people a male child.”
Fucker! Keto clenched his jaw for a mo
ment. “Now you are pushing your luck.” Keto narrowed his eyes at the male. “One and a half years to get my female with child. Those are the terms. All I have to prove is that a union will result in a child … and the possibility of a future heir. That is all!”
“Very well.” Azul’s eyes were bright. Many of the other males sported the same glint. They were hoping he would end up stepping down. Let the fuckers hope all they wanted.
“Also,” Paten narrowed his eyes. “You would still have to uphold our traditions. The female must still have her thorn.”
Why couldn’t this just go as planned? Fuck! It was two steps forward and five steps back. “Vampires do not have thorns, Lord Paten.”
The male’s eyes widened.
“However,” Keto went on before Paten could interject. “I assure you that, as per tradition, I was her first.”
“You said was. You were her first … were …” Then he smiled, a sly dirty smile. “Oh,” he cleared his throat. Quickly sobering up. “I see.”
“Everything is above board.” There was an edge to Keto’s voice that he hoped conveyed to all his councilors that they’d better not fuck with him. “Like I said. I have thought this out. It is what I want and what is best for this kingdom in the long run. I hope you will all see it my way. I agree to the terms as spelled out already.”
“Good!” Paten clapped his hands. “Let us vote,” he said. “All in favor, raise your hands.” The male raised his own hand first. Funnily enough, out of all of his councilors, he believed that Paten was agreeing to the union for all the right reasons.
Every male barring one put their hands up. Emra had two daughters. The male had nothing to gain should Keto’s mating succeed or fail. It didn’t matter. He had the majority vote. He had to stop himself from doing a fist pump.
“I must say, my lord,” Azul spoke under his breath, drawing his attention. “I saw a couple of those vampire females at your crowning ceremony, I get why you would want one.” The older male grinned. “Very tantalizing.” He winked. It was alarming to see. At the same time, it gave him hope. Maybe these old council members weren’t beyond seeing things in a new light after all.
Keto smiled back. He didn’t say anything though. He was too excited. Too fucking over the moon to do anything but grin.
“That raises the second item on our surprise agenda,” Lord Paten said, clapping his hands together. I, for one, am intrigued to hear what else you have in store for us.”
Keto forced himself to calm down. This meeting wasn’t over yet. “I’m going to jump right in and say it. First a reminder that this meeting is about change.”
Some of the males nodded. There was definitely more of an air of relaxation around the room. Not for long! “There is great inequality amongst males and females of our species, specifically highborn females.”
Lord Paten’s face turned a dark shade of red and his hands clenched. “I respectfully disagree. What are you proposing?” His eyes were narrowed into tiny slits.
“Highborn females have little to no say in who they mate. They are expected to keep their thorns intact, while the highborn males of our species can do as they like.”
“Again, my lord,” Lord Paten looked like he was brimming with anger, “what do you propose? That we allow our highborn females to rut at will? What would become of our species? It is the breaking of the thorn that binds a male and a female.”
“I thought it was love,” Keto growled. “It should be love that binds two people. Not rules and regulations.” It slipped out. Even though he believed it wholeheartedly, it wasn’t something a male like Paten would understand. It wasn’t hard fact.
“Love.” Paten rolled his eyes. “Ridiculous! So you propose our females can run around and do as they please when they please. That they can rut and mate whomever they want?” Paten pulled a face. “Despicable.”
Keto sucked in a deep breath. He waited for the murmurs to die down. “I would never propose such a thing,” Keto kept his voice even. “I said that I wanted to see equality. I realize that changing the way we think as a species will take time. Such a radical change would be too much to ask.”
Azul nodded, as did some of the other males. Paten sat as still as a marble statue. The male had three sons, all highborn. Two of the three were unmated.
“I propose we even the playing field. If highborn females are not permitted to rut freely then neither should our unmated males be allowed the privilege.”
The whole room erupted. To his astonishment, Keto found himself loving every minute of this. He was going to enjoy bringing about change. Altering mindsets. He knew he was going to have a fight on his hands. It didn’t matter, the biggest fight of all was already won. He couldn’t wait to tell Charlotte. To take her in his arms, to spend forever with her.
“Let me explain my thinking,” he shouted. Keto paused for a few seconds while the councilors composed themselves. He had to bite back a grin. Some of the males looked shell-shocked while others seemed interested. Yes, all was going to work out just fine.
Chapter 23
Charlotte paced from one side of the room to the other. Where was he? He should’ve returned hours ago.
He’d read her messages and had finally answered one.
I’ll be there soon.
Four words. That was all. What was she supposed to do with that? Did he not want to let her down over the phone? That had to be it. No, she couldn’t allow herself to become negative, maybe it was good news. It might be. It had to be. Please let it be good news.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She’d had enough of this room. These four walls. She grabbed her phone and quickly typed a message to Keto.
I’m going for a walk.
A message came through within a few seconds.
I’m almost there.
Her heart was beating out of her chest. Her throat felt tight. Her stomach was knotted. Minutes felt like hours. Where was he? Where the hell was he?
The door banged as it opened. Keto was there. At long freaking last. He filled the entire frame. His eyes were bright, his face otherwise impassive.
The air caught in her lungs. For a few seconds all they did was stare at one another. “And?” Her voice hitched.
He didn’t say anything, just swallowed thickly and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Tell me already … I’m dying here.” She clasped and unclasped her hands.
Keto closed the door and strode towards her. “I love you, Charlotte. I fucking love you so much.” He cupped her face and kissed her lips.
“Oh my god!” she shrieked, as he pulled back. “Are you serious? You did it? You actually did it?” She jumped into his arms, hooking her legs around him.
Keto caught her. “What? You didn’t think I could get it right?” He feigned shock. “Ye of such damn little faith.” He laughed. It was a rich, deep sound that seemed to pour right out of his soul. “Here I was thinking you were excited to finally hear how much you mean to me.” He kissed her again.
“I do believe in you … Your council though …” she pulled a face, “not so much; and I am excited to hear how much I mean to you.” She smiled. “I love you too.” Her face was an inch or two away from his. “My scrawny little elf,” she murmured.
Keto laughed. “Do you know how much I worked out after you called me that?”
She leaned back slightly, giving him the once-over. “Believe me, I can tell.”
“I can’t wait to introduce you to my people. Present you as my future queen.” He grinned. “Esral is going to be thrilled. She’s been looking forward to my Blooming ceremony … our Blooming ceremony. She likes you.” He tucked some hair behind her ear. “I hope you’re ready for a whirlwind of activity. We’re going to be very busy over the next few weeks … months …” He raised his brow. “Years.”
“Sounds amazing. I’ve come to realize that I like keeping busy. I still can’t believe it.” She hugged him. Putting her cheek to his, feeling his heart pound against hers.
&
nbsp; “I will be introducing you to my people tomorrow evening.” He brushed his lips against hers.
“What?” She raised her brows. “So soon?”
“I don’t want to give those fuddy duddies a chance to change their minds or to bring further conditions to the table.”
“Wait …” Worry flooded her. “What conditions?” She felt herself frown.
“Nothing to concern yourself with. We’ll introduce you to my people tomorrow evening. You need to go for a dress-fitting in the morning.”
“Are you sure it’s nothing serious?”
“Definitely. Did you hear what I said about your dress-fitting in the morning?”
She nodded. “Yes, okay. Will I have to wear one of those long flowing dresses? The ones with the flowers and leaves sown into them?”
Keto nodded. “You’re okay with that right?” He looked unsure for the first time. “We still have many traditions. You’ll have to leave your job, the vampire castle …” He got that look in his eyes. One that told her he was worried. “It’s not something I thought to ask if you were okay with. I just assumed—”
“I get to be with you.” She kissed him softly. “I get to be your mate. To wake up with you every day. I get to carry your heir … our babies. That is if I can become pregnant,” she paused, “I still worry—”
“Well don’t, it’ll all work out just fine.”
She pushed the worry aside. Charlotte had to smile, she was filled with such excitement, such joy. “I get to have it all then and with the male I love. I won’t have to give up a single thing. Besides,” she cocked her head, “we can visit the castle regularly, can’t we?”
“Yes, of course. Although I might have to do something about that road.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“It’s worse,” he grumbled, pretending to be put out.
“Okay, so there are lots of things to do.”
He nodded. “It can all wait until tomorrow though. Right now, I need to make you come.” His voice turned husky. He gripped her tighter and started walking towards the bedroom.
Wanted By the Elven King (The Chosen Series Book 7) Page 16