by Tiana Laveen
“Exterminate them.”
“Exactly! That terrible bite is their claim to fame. I don’t know what the hell Venus is, but she should have been dead.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure. “I also have no doubt now that my brother trained her. This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. She’s a threat. Something must’ve spooked them. They hesitated perhaps? I need to see this Turned Vamp for myself, but at this point, it may be far too late.”
“I am sorry, Victor, for not asking for clarification and permission before carrying out my plans. I thought I was following your instructions to put a little fire under her since Whiskey reported back to me that his conversation with Alexandre went absolutely nowhere. I am to accompany Alexandre in Paris, but a day later, after I finish up a few things. You and I can meet in secret and discuss what to do. I want to make this up to you. What can I do?”
“What you’ve done, Fawn, is irreversible. However, we can still try to salvage this.” He took another deep breath then lit a cigar. “I need for you to testify against Alexandre here in France, in front of the Council. No more interventions, no handouts, no sneak attacks, no hiring hitmen, nothing. We are dealing with this head on.”
“Testify? I can’t do that! He’ll kill me!” she said in a shrill voice, the first time he’d heard her behave in such a way, demonstrating any shred of sentiment. “Right now, he has no idea that I’m involved, Victor! He even hugged me two days ago and gave me a diamond necklace, thanking me for my hard work organizing his wedding.”
“Well… I think you need to calm down. You’re becoming emotional. That’s so unbecoming.” He cackled. “Now you listen to me, and you listen good. That is the only way we can remove him from power and if you think I give one strip of a shaggy shit about you being out of my brother’s good graces, you’re sadly mistaken. If you want to be by my side, you have to earn it! That is what a Queen does! She sacrifices her comfort for the greater good! Now prove to me that you’re worthy. This is your last chance.”
“Don’t you understand? If this doesn’t work, being out of a job will be the least of my worries…” She sounded so pitiful, so pathetic.
“You’re in too deep now. If you don’t do it, dear, I will make you regret it for the rest of your days. And trust me, those days will be short-lived. Doesn’t matter if you’re killed by me or my brother, each death will be especially heinous and painful. This way, you’d have my protection, or you can always go out on your own and take that gamble. You’re so fucking smart, right? The solution is obvious. Au revoir.”
He disconnected the call and stormed back out of his office…
Alexandre sat at his dining room table, sipping dark, rich blood from a black and crystal wine glass, while Whiskey and Bruce loaded up the van with their luggage to head off to the airport. He twirled the glass slowly back and forth, watching it wash up on the sides like the ocean upon the surf and sand. At the other end of the table sat his Bloodline, Venus, and across from them both was King Zhang Wei and his bride, Syà, from China.
“Syà, I fear, though my soon-to-be wife has not stated it, she is lonely and in need of friends such as yourself.” The woman nodded and smiled gracefully. “I will not speak too much on her behalf. She is fully capable of articulating her own thoughts.” He winked at her, and Venus winked back. “But she’s had a difficult time, and I want to make this as stress-free for her as possible. Thus far, it’s been everything but that.” He took another sip of his drink then placed it down.
“That’s understandable. It’s difficult to make it alone,” Syà stated. “Venus and I spoke last night. She’s lovely, inside and out, has a good head on her shoulders, and a strong grip… quick reflexes. I think she will fit in just fine.”
“Thank you.” Placing a ringed hand over the other, he continued with his spiel. “Thank you both for coming all of this way.” The couple bowed their heads and nodded. “I hope that you found your room comfortable and that all of your needs were tended to last night.”
“Your facilities and munificence were more than sufficient. My wife and I are happy to assist you, Lord Marseille. Under your leadership, France has been quite generous with us, an adversary during times of strife, but now a consistent ally.” The man stroked his long, braided beard. “It was the least we could do. When I was alerted that you needed my support, Syà and I dropped what we were doing and immediately arranged the speediest way to arrive. May I be honest?” The man placed his glass down and gave him a serious look.
“Of course.”
“Alexandre, there have been rumors floating about for over a year that you had been neglecting your duties. I never believed that; your service spoke for itself. Regardless of whether you were planted on Parisian soil or not, your leadership was topnotch.”
“Thank you, Zhang Wei.”
“I am at a loss for words that Victor would betray you in this way. In China, the consequences for his actions would be swift. However, after you and I discussed it in further detail this morning, I understand that you must tread lightly or you will fall right into his trap… to make you appear crazy, incompetent.”
“He is banking on my fiancé’s temper,” Venus spoke up, shifting her weight in her seat. “I’ve been working on my mate regarding that, helping him remain as calm as possible in times like this. He is waiting for Alexandre to explode.” Syà nodded in agreement. “He continues to do many, many things behind the curtain. This last episode apparently was the final straw.”
“Victor is a bitch,” Syà stated matter-of-factly, causing several bursts of laughter. “It’s true. He could never run a Parisian boutique, let alone the entire country of France. In Paris, he was walking around pretending to be in charge… He’s been driving everyone crazy. Victor was initially elated when Alexandre left; we all saw it. No one wanted to say anything, it was seen as disrespectful to come to you about your own brother… a noble Pure Blood and second in line to the throne… especially since there was nothing he’d done per se, to put the country at risk. Yet.”
Alexandre nodded in understanding.
“The Russians, Japanese, Cambodians, Turks, Egyptians… we all talked.” She waved her hand lazily and rolled her heavily-lidded eyes. “Here is my theory. He never believed Alexandre would find what he wanted here.” The woman glared at Venus, then at her husband. “Making jokes about the prediction of your Sorcier Cadieux, as if it were some fairy tale. Venus, Alexandre has the gift of desires and fears… a very powerful gift.” Venus nodded. “And he uses it wisely. I believe Victor was jealous of that, though he has his own talents, but Alexandre was the one that seemed more highly favored by your constituents. Honestly, we took to Alexandre’s personality much better.”
“Victor was enjoying his time there, throwing his weight around, telling everyone that since Alexandre wasn’t there physically, everyone had to answer to him… as if you were dead,” King Zhang Wei interjected, shaking his head in disgust while his wife cocked her head to the side and her pupils turned amber, her fangs partially descended in repugnance.
“When he found out that you had possibly found your mate, he was concerned that you would return with her to Paris, I believe,” Syà stated. “And then when he was told she is a Turned Vamp, he became enraged… but just that fast, he realized that was his way to take your place, that perhaps a blessing of sorts had fallen into his lap.”
Queen Syà slowly got up from her seat and rounded the table, approaching Venus. Placing her hand on her head, sliding her long, sharp fingernails along his sweetheart’s arm, she sized her up. Then, Syà caught Venus’ chin in her grip. Venus’ fangs extended and she hissed, a sound that reminded Alexandre of a hundred rattlesnakes suddenly appearing in the room.
“Easy, baby… she’s not trying to hurt you.” Alexandre sat back, crossed his legs, and watched.
“Alexandre, this is remarkable…” Queen Syà stated with a toothy smile and lighthearted chuckle. “Have you seen the stars in you
r bride-to-be’s eyes?”
Alexandre’s brow rose and he got to his feet. He made his way down to join them. Venus stared at Syà, then at him, confusion and curiosity in her expression.
“I … I’ve looked at this woman a million times over in our short time together.” He fell to his knees beside her and peered into his mate’s eyes. “I’ve never seen that before, until now…” It was true. Very small, white dots gleamed within her pupils, not oval or round, but shaped like five-pointed stars.
“Sometimes it takes someone else to point it out. You do know what that means, right? This is amazing!”
“I don’t understand? What’s amazing?” Venus questioned.
“Venus, you’re pre-chosen.” Syà turned to Alexandre. “She was sent to you from a prayer, a curse and a dream. Three, by three, by three.” His heart began to pound in his chest.
King Zhang Wei got to his feet. “How exciting! A true Bloodmate!” he exclaimed, his voice booming.
“What are you talking about?” Venus asked. “What does this all mean?”
“It means that your mother was into some powerful stuff! That’s what it means! She sent out the prayer, and you were already cursed due to being in bondage… that was two down, one to go! Alexandre, did you have a dream?”
This was not how this was supposed to happen… He’d been planning to tell Venus in his own time, but now the door was wide open, and there was no turning back. He dropped his head for a spell.
“Yes and no.”
Venus snatched herself away from the woman’s grip and popped up from her seat. “What is going on, Alexandre?! What is she talking about?! What do you know that you’ve been keeping from me?!”
“King Alexandre, you must tell her!”
“Syà, please!” King Zhang Wei ordered. “You are overstepping the boundaries! It is not our place!”
Syà hissed, but said nothing further.
“Alexandre!” Venus backed away from them all, fire in her eyes. “What does this Chinese Pure Blood vampire, who has never seen me a day in her life, know about my mother?! What is going on?!”
“Your mother practiced Hoodoo!” he explained, not even certain how to make it make sense, how to make it plain to her.
“My mother dabbled, but she was no witch!”
“We never said that she was… and even if that were true, would it have been so bad?” Syà stated coolly before returning to her seat.
“She didn’t have to be a witch, Venus. This has nothing to do with sorcery or spells, it has to do with the power of her faith, Venus… Prayer—the original incantation. Your mother believed wholeheartedly in the prayers she uttered, my Love. I did not dream it until recently. Right before we met in person, I dreamt of you, but someone saw you years before that. My Sorcier Cadieux did, at least a century before you were even born! He saw you in his vision!” Venus’ chest heaved up and down. “He saw your mother and the brief life you had with her. She gave her life away, exchanged it, so that you would have a future. He told me that my mate, the one promised to me, the one that would help me rule all of France and bear my children for future generations, was born from rich Carolina soil that her mother toiled herself and then was dipped in the Hudson river, baptized beneath the standing, large green woman with the torch.
“He said her skin was the color of fire-hot bronze, her hair a vast wreath of tight, dark curls, her heritage the oldest of the entire land, and her bloodline rich. He said you were brave, resilient, beautiful… and you were something I am not: kind.”
Venus’ eyes watered. He knew her heart was breaking, but what could he do? Only the truth was acceptable now; he could protect her from it no longer. The woman paced back and forth, running her hands along her black leggings, turning in various directions as if trying to collect her thoughts. No one said a word for several minutes. They all respectfully gave her space.
“My mother prayed that I’d be… turned? How could she? How could she do something so… so cruel?!” She looked them all in the eyes, her gaze bouncing from face to face, searching for an answer.
“No, that’s not what happened. She prayed that you’d be free, my Love…” Alexandre approached her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. “I was going to tell you, but I held back because I knew you may not understand yet. I know how you felt about your mother, about her tragic death. I didn’t want to bring you any more pain. You’ve had enough.” His eyes watered and out poured a bloody tear. Venus’ lips trembled as she reached upward and wiped it away with a gentle swipe of her knuckle.
“Venus, Sorcier Cadieux predicted your arrival. Your mother gave your soul away to save your life. But you earned it back,” Syà explained. “In my culture, prayer is important, too. It is strong. Powerful.” Her eyes turned dark as she balled up her fist. “Your mother was a warrior. When she could no longer fight with her hands, she fought with her prayers, her words, with the fresh blood of your birth. While you were covered in that blood, she said those verses. That new lifeblood of a newborn baby and her mother could be felt, heard, smelled, tasted in the air and almost touched by our kind. Someone heard your mother’s prayer. Someone who respects blood, someone who understood her pain. My dear.”
Syà approached her and gripped her chin once again, looking into her eyes. “Who turned you? We must know. You’re not what you think you are and your husband-to-be, your king, could lose everything if his brother, who is also powerful and cunning, gets his way. This is about more than leadership. It’s so much deeper than that…”
“Syà, I wish I could, but I cannot tell you! I swore! I made an oath. It could put her in danger.”
“Syà, I’ve already spoken to Venus about this. I’ve accepted that she made a promise and I am no longer pushing her to reveal it. She is loyal, as she proved time and time again, and I wish to have no part in making her anything other than that. Especially when it comes to me.”
“Very well then, we will simply do the best we can.” Syà released her, clearly disappointed, and went back to her seat. She drank from her glass and looked around at everyone. “Venus, do you know why Alexandre called us specifically? Of all the Pure Blood monarchs in the world, he called us… Have you questioned why?”
“Yes, I want to know why.” Venus walked back over to the dining room table and took her seat.
“Because Count Marseille was there for us when few others were. A little under a century ago, our monarch was under attack from the Japanese Emperor over a deal gone bad. Our nation had fallen ill due to a local poison, a disease that only affected us, and it wiped out over half of our army. We were outnumbered. We were being slaughtered by the Japanese due to not being able to properly defend ourselves. We just didn’t have the manpower. Alexandre came in with his army that his family had trained themselves, and fought right beside us. The war ended three days later, with few casualties on our side. Japan retreated. Decades later, we made peace with Japan, in part due to Alexandre’s negotiating skills.
“It’s time we assist him in his time of need. Despite that setback, we are some of the fiercest warrior Pure Bloods in the world. The Marseille Clan has an established reputation of being the strongest and fastest in all of Europe. Alexandre comes from a long line of soldiers who ruled with their brains and their brawn. My husband, King Zhang Wei, also has a similar background. My maiden name is Huang. The Huang Clan was also known to be ferocious, even to this day. I was fighting from a very early age.
“Our parents arranged our union, but we work as a team, and care for one another. With this merger, our bloodline is now the fiercest in all of China. Our children are soldiers, all seven of them. We fight to the death!” In a flash, she snatched her sword from behind her back and hit the table with the tip of it. At first, all seemed well… until the damn thing split in two, falling apart as if it were merely a stack of cards.
“Damn it. I just had this shit replaced!” Alexandre burst out laughing, half teasing. “Fucking on the table… br
oke it. Invite friends over, now this! Are you going to fix this shit, Zhang Wei and Syà? Or is this just a magic trick that has an unfortunate, unclimactic ending?”
They all burst out laughing, a welcome reprieve from the pain his blood bride was certainly feeling. Syà placed the sword back where it belonged.
“My wife likes to show off, Venus.” Zhang Wei grinned. “But she can back it up.” He patted Syà’s hand. “We are here to help you both. We will be travelling to France together as character witnesses and whatever else you need, Alexandre.”
“Thank you.”
“Due to these new circumstances, I propose we also have the wedding as soon as possible while in Paris.” Syà stated with a smile. “Leave everything to me.”
Just then, Bruce and Whiskey walked back into the room.
“You’re all settled, Boss. Oh and uh, Alexandre, I hope you don’t mind, but I called a few other of your friends too and explained the situation. They are prepared to meet you in Paris.”
“Thank you, Whiskey, for thinking ahead.” The truth of the matter was that Alexandre detested asking for assistance, but Victor could not be taken lightly. There was no telling what other tricks he had up his sleeves.
Moments later, they’d all changed into more befitting attire, the weapons cast aside, and piled into the SUV, on their way to LaGuardia Airport. He took Venus’ hand and kissed it. The sight of her made him breathless. She was the most beautiful creation he’d ever seen, and the stars in her eyes shined bright.
“Maybe you can be a light in my dark tunnel.” He looped his arm around her and brought her in for a kiss. “I produce no light. I was born from cold, dank darkness… but you’re the sun, Venus.”
“I’m not the sun, baby. I’m Venus. I am the second farthest planet from the brightest star in the universe. Being second isn’t bad. I’m second in command, like a mate.” He smiled at her words. “Venus rotates in the opposite direction of all the other planets. She does her own thing. That’s called independence, making my own choices, going my own way. Fearless. Never followed behind nobody. Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty, but being beautiful is only skin-deep. It’s what’s in here…” She pointed to her mind and heart. “Your strength, your courage… all of that makes you truly magnificent.