Dark Prince's Enigma

by I. T. Lucas

  Kian shrugged. “Harem politics, I guess. Mothers have a great influence on their sons, especially when the father is distant and has many wives or concubines and many children. History is full of rulers who were assassinated by their sons with the encouragement of their mothers. Then there is the rivalry between the mothers and between the sons for preferential positions and for succession.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Syssi shook her head. “I can’t believe that you are justifying him.”

  “I’m just playing devil’s advocate. Navuh is saving himself a lot of headaches by keeping the sons separated from their mothers. In fact, he is removing the main incentive for them to murder each other.”

  “How did you arrive at that conclusion?” Annani asked.

  “As long as he doesn’t choose an heir, no one knows which son it is going to be. Usually, it’s the first born to the chief wife, but since only Navuh knows who was born to whom, and he keeps rotating his sons between positions, he can keep it to himself for as long as he wants and have them all jumping through hoops to please him in hopes of being chosen.”

  Syssi waved a dismissive hand. “He could have compelled them not to kill each other, and he could have even compelled the mothers to only say nice things about him to their sons. That would have been a much more merciful solution.”

  “I think he is doing it because he wants to hide Areana’s existence,” Annani said. “She is a goddess, and she glows. If the sons grew up in the harem, they would have seen that and figured it out, even if she did not tell anyone who and what she was.”

  “What does he do with the daughters?” Syssi asked. “With so many children, some of them must have been girls.”

  Another tear slid down Annani’s cheek. “My guess is that he sends them off to the Dormant enclosure when they are still babies, same as he does with the boys. But unlike the sons, he doesn't acknowledge the girls as his.”

  56

  Magnus

  “Come on, Magnus.” Anandur slapped his back. “You can’t stay in the house until the wedding. It’s bad luck. Besides, as soon as the bridesmaids show up, they are going to kick you out anyway. Wonder says that they are planning a mini bachelorette party for Vivian while she gets ready.”

  Magnus shook his head. “It’s after three o'clock in the afternoon, and the wedding is in six hours.”

  The guys had been trying to persuade him to have a bachelor party, but he’d declined. For starters because everything had been so rushed that there had been no time, and secondly because he didn’t see the point in having one. He could have drinks with the guys whenever he wanted. Except, it seemed that his former partner had disregarded his protests and had organized something anyway.

  Anandur grinned. “Plenty of time to smoke a fine cigar and down a bottle of the finest whiskey.”

  “Where?”

  If it was at one of his friends’ homes, he had no problem with that, but he wasn’t leaving the village. The drive alone would eat up at least an hour of the time remaining until the wedding.

  “My house. Grab your tux and whatever else you need and leave your lovely bride to have her pre-wedding fun with her friends.”

  “Let me check with Vivian.”

  He found her soaking in a bubble bath with a glass of wine, a hydrating mask smeared over her beautiful face.

  “Are you having fun, love?” He crouched next to the bathtub and pressed a careful kiss to her lips, which were the only part of her face not covered in muddy gunk.

  “I’m nervous.”

  He arched a brow. “About the wedding?”

  “No, about meeting the goddess.”

  “Annani is awe-inspiring, but not scary, and she loves presiding over weddings. I’m very honored that she chose to preside over ours. It was a nice surprise.”

  Vivian smiled. “I think of it as my reward for helping catch Lokan. She wouldn’t have come to our wedding if not for him.”

  “That’s true.”

  “The bubble bath is so relaxing.” Vivian closed her eyes and sighed. “But I should get out. The girls are going to be here in less than an hour.”

  “About that. Anandur is trying to drag me away to his house, saying that I shouldn't be here while you are getting ready.”

  “He is right. It’s bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her wedding gown before the ceremony.”

  He chuckled. “When were you going to kick me out?”

  She reached with a soapy hand and cupped his cheek. “I would never kick you out. I planned on getting all the girls into our bedroom and getting ready in there.”

  “I would have seen you coming out.”

  “I was planning on calling Anandur to come get you and escort you to the banquet hall.”

  “I love you.” He leaned and kissed her again. “We can still do that. Are you okay with me going to Anandur’s and leaving you alone in here?”

  “Of course. I love you, and I always want you near me, but having fun with your friends before the wedding is part of the tradition.”

  “It’s a silly one, but fine.” He pushed up to his feet. “I’ll see you at the altar then, my love.”

  “Parker may want to join you guys later. Is it safe to send him to Anandur’s?”

  He chuckled. “The only travesty he might witness is Anandur doing his stripper act, and the only danger in that is that the kid might pee his pants from laughter.”

  Vivian smiled. “I’ll tell him to take a change of underwear with him. And if you can, record the act for me. It must be hilarious.”

  It was, but Magnus wasn’t about to show his wife a recording of another guy stripping, even as a joke.

  ”I’ll think about it.”

  In the bedroom, he packed his stuff in an overnight bag, grabbed the suit bag with his tuxedo, and walked out to the front porch to join Anandur.

  His friend clapped him on his back. “I told you that she wanted you out of the house.”

  “Not really. Vivian had something else in mind, but she is okay with me getting ready at your place.”

  As they took the steps down to the walkway, Ella rounded the corner and frowned. “Where are you going?”

  “I was told that it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony. I’m going to Anandur’s.”

  “Oh, good. I was scared that you and Mom had a fight and that the wedding was off.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “First thing, we never fight. And second thing, even if we did, I would never leave even if she tried to kick me out. I’m not ashamed to admit that I would have groveled and pleaded until she forgave me.”

  Smiling, Ella stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Magnus MacBain. You’re awesome.”

  It wasn’t the first time Ella had told him that she loved him, but the words still grabbed his heart and gave it a twist.

  “I love you too, Tink.”

  Since Parker had started calling her Tinkerbell, the nickname stuck.

  Anandur pretended to sniffle. “I’m so touched.” He swiped his thumbs under his eyes, wiping away imaginary tears. “And jealous.”

  Ella walked over to the redhead, reached for his neck, and pulled his head down to peck him on the cheek. “I love you too, but not as much as I love Magnus.”

  He ruffled her hair. “It will do. Are you going to keep the pink?”

  “As long as the Russian is still looking for me, I have to. But I might keep it even after that. I like it.”

  Anandur’s expression turned serious. “Lokan claims to have some dirt on Gorchenco. We can have him off your back by threatening to expose it.”

  “I heard. But did Lokan tell you what it was?”

  “Not yet. We were busy getting the island’s location out of him, and then Annani arrived and opened a whole new Pandora’s Box.”

  Magnus frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “She thinks that Lokan is the son of her half-sister Areana, who
Navuh has been hiding in his harem for the past five thousand years.”

  “What made her think that?” Ella asked. “Does he look like her sister?”

  “You’ve seen him. He looks like a softened version of Navuh. But from what he told us, there is a lot of circumstantial evidence to support that belief. He really might be Areana and Navuh’s son.”

  Magnus rubbed his hand over his goatee. “That’s bad news in so many ways.”

  “Why?” Ella asked. “Do you think Annani would wish to free him because he is her nephew?”

  “That’s one possibility, and that’s a huge problem for obvious reasons. But what I was thinking was that as the son of a pure-blooded goddess and the most powerful immortal ever born, Lokan could be as powerful as Annani.”

  Anandur shook his head. “If that was true, he would have dethroned his father a long time ago. From what he told Kian, Lokan felt quite powerless in the Brotherhood. Navuh’s charisma and his power of compulsion is the glue that holds it together. Lokan thinks that without him, the Brotherhood would fracture into many warring militias, and that would be a disaster. They would wreak havoc on the world.”

  “Personally, I think that something good is going to come out of this,” Ella said. “The Fates have worked long and hard to bring this about. They must have a plan.”

  Anandur waved a dismissive hand. “The Fates are fickle, and they might be just messing with us for their own amusement.”

  Ella’s eyes widened, and she put a finger on his lips. “Don’t say things like that. You might offend them. Say that you’re sorry.”

  Rolling his eyes, Anandur acquiesced. “Okay, I apologize. The Fates have been wonderful to us lately, gifting many with true-love mates. But what I keep wondering about is why did they wait for so long? Where were they for the past five thousand years?”

  Ella shrugged. “Some plans take longer than others. Perhaps they had to wait for certain players to be born, or for the circumstances to be just right, or maybe they’ve been busy helping others. It is not our place to question them.”

  57

  Vivian

  Flanked by her bridesmaids, Vivian trotted out of the house on her high heels, dreading the long walk to the pavilion. She would have worn flats and taken the heels in a bag to change into them later, but the dress was too long for that and would have dragged over the dirt.

  Gripping the skirts in both hands, she was about to step off her porch when the sound of an electric motor made her lift her head.

  “Surprise!” Ella clapped her hands. “Your chariot has arrived, Mom.”

  The cart used to deliver groceries and other heavy loads from the parking lot had been decorated with white ribbons and flowers, and a bunch of balloons had been tied to its back. Behind the wheel, Julian looked impressive in a tuxedo and a top hat.

  “This is beautiful. Whose idea was it?”

  “Mine,” Ella smiled smugly. “You kept worrying about having to walk in your high heels and getting blisters by the time you made it to the banquet hall, so I figured you needed a ride. But a bride can’t arrive in just any old thing. So, Julian and I appropriated some of the decorations and used them for the cart.”

  “Thank you. This is perfect. We should do that for your wedding as well.” She looked at her bridesmaids. “Who is riding with me?”

  “I think you should ride alone,” Ella said. “Julian is going to drive slowly so we can walk behind the cart.”

  It seemed like a good solution because only two more could fit in the cart, and it wouldn’t have been fair to the others.

  Which reminded her that the goddess was staying in the next house over and would have to traverse the same distance on foot. “How is the goddess getting to the wedding? Personally, I think she should arrive on a palanquin, carried by four Odus, but since it’s too late to get one of those, maybe Julian should come back and offer her a ride?”

  “First, we need to get you there.” Ella took her elbow and helped her up into the back of the cart. “I’ll call Amanda on the way and ask her opinion.”

  “Ready?” Julian glanced at her over his shoulder.

  “Ready.”

  As the procession snaked along the path, Vivian tried to listen to Ella’s conversation with Amanda, but could hear only every other word over the electric motor’s hum.

  “What did she say?” she asked when Ella hung up.

  “She loved the palanquin idea and said she was going to use it for the next wedding. Annani is at Kian’s house right now, and the walk from there is short, so it’s not a problem.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know that.”

  “They are heading out right now, so we might meet her at the elevators.”

  Talk about butterflies.

  Vivian preferred to meet the goddess at the altar. She couldn’t imagine being stuck with the Clan Mother inside a small space like an elevator and having to come up with clever things to say.

  Thankfully, when they arrived at the pavilion, there was no one there, and they all crammed into the two elevators.

  “I think everyone is inside already,” Ella said. “Are you ready for your grand entry?”

  “As ready as I’m ever going to be.”

  Giving her the thumbs up, Julian went ahead and opened the double doors to the banquet hall.

  Two by two, her eight bridesmaids walked in, and then it was just her and Ella.

  Threading her arm through Ella’s, Vivian waited for the bridal march to start, signaling that it was time for them to enter. When it did, she took in a deep breath and started the measured walk they’d practiced.

  The doors parted, held open for them by two Guardians who dipped their heads in respect. The rest of the force lined both sides of the broad aisle leading to the altar.

  They were magnificent in their black tuxedos, two walls of powerful males and one female. Kri too was wearing a tux, and she was rocking the look.

  Vivian couldn’t help wondering how they’d managed to get so many tuxedos so quickly, but those random musings dissipated the moment she lifted her eyes to the altar.

  None of the men looked as striking as her Magnus. Her heart swelling with love, she smiled at him and then at Parker who was standing next to him, looking very grown up in his own tux.

  As she and Ella neared the steps, the goddess ascended the altar from the other side, and Vivian’s step faltered.

  Even though she’d been forewarned, and even though she’d seen Annani’s portrait at Dalhu’s exhibition, Vivian realized that no description and no painting could’ve done the goddess justice.

  The unearthly beauty, and the immense power emanating in tangible waves from the small glowing figure could not be captured in a portrait.

  Wow, Ella sent through their link.

  Wow indeed.

  As they climbed the three stairs to the top of the altar, the goddess smiled and spread her glowing arms.

  “The Fates have blessed us with three wonderful new members, Vivian, Ella and Parker. Welcome to my clan.”

  An ear-splitting round of applause erupted, lasting until the goddess turned her palms out to signal for her people to hush down. “It is my greatest pleasure to preside over Vivian and Magnus’s wedding, and hopefully, Ella and Julian’s will follow soon.” She glanced at Ella and winked. “It will give me an excuse to come visit again. So do not wait for too long.”

  Ella bowed her head. “Yes, Clan Mother.” She moved to the side, joining the other bridesmaids.

  Magnus stepped forward and took Vivian’s hand. “You look stunning, my love. No bride could be more beautiful.” He turned and motioned for Parker to come closer. “Come stand by my side, son. This is a family affair.” He looked at Ella. “You too, daughter.”

  This hadn’t been planned, but Vivian thought that it was perfect.

  As Ella stood by her side, the goddess lifted her arms again. “I had a nice speech prepared, but I am very pleased to discard it and make a new one to bless this beautiful joining,
of not just these true-love mates, but of a loving family. May the Fates smile brightly upon this joining and bathe your home with love and happiness.” She looked down at the crowd and beckoned for someone Vivian couldn’t see to come up. “Edna, please join us and bring the adoption papers with you.”

  Holding a thick stack of documents, the judge climbed up the dais and stood to one side, so her back wasn’t turned to the goddess or to the family.

  Julian produced a pen from his pocket and handed it to Magnus. “Good luck to you all.”

  Edna handed each one of them a packet. “To save time, let me summarize. Parker and Ella, by signing these papers, you accept Magnus as your father.”

  Parker took the pen from Magnus and scribbled his signature. “Here. It is done.” He handed the papers back to Edna.

  Ella was next.

  Smiling at Magnus, she took the pen and signed on the dotted line. “I couldn’t have wished for a better dad.”

  Edna took the forms from Ella and added them to Parker’s. “Now it’s Mom and Dad’s turn. Vivian, by signing these papers, you give Magnus permission to adopt your children.”

  “As Ella said, I couldn’t have asked for a better mate or father for my children.”

  A slight pang of guilt had accompanied her words. Josh had been a great dad, and he had loved his kids unconditionally, but he was gone, and Magnus loved her children too.

  The Fates had been harsh on her and her family, putting them through one misfortune after another.

  Magnus was their reward.

  Taking the papers with her, Edna stepped down, and the goddess lifted her arms once again.

  “By the power vested in me as this Clan’s Mother, I pronounce Vivian, Magnus, Ella, and Parker as one happy family. You may kiss the bride, Magnus.”

  58

  Carol

  As soon as the ceremony was over, Carol pushed through the crowd to congratulate the happy family so she could slink out without feeling guilty about it.