by Tiffany Wood
I was still watching Lord Payano. He was still seizing. He grew fur. I try to link with his mind and manage a small connection. I pull at his pain and fall to the ground myself. My father has seen what I’m doing and shakes his head to my mother.
“This child is not yours to bond with.” They were trying to distract him. In a second the transformation would be over. As Lord Payano lets me bear some of his pain, I send him some of my energy; he was going to need it for what he was planning.
There’s a howl heard throughout the house. “What, no, it can’t be.” Zachaeus quivers. At the top of the steps stood a magnificent wolf like no other I had ever seen. Silver fur streaked with black covers his massive body.
He sends out a mental command and everyone bows to him in obedience. “You dare defy me child. I am your alpha! You will obey me in this form or any other I may take!”
Zachaeus still has a hold of Sara, but he’s trembling in his father’s presence. “I, Crowned Prince Ezequiel Payano, son of Crowned King Joshua Payano of the Taurs Hawks Clan, ascend the throne of my clan. My absence is at an end and I take my place as rightful King. Zachaeus Payano, I command you to release my granddaughter. For your insolence, I banish you from the clans. My word is law as I am the descendent of Zakarius Lucaynan, original leader of the wolves. Let me give you a history lesson. Zakarius had twelve sons, who each had twelve sons. They were bestowed individual clans as their colonies grew. They married the most beautiful she-wolves who bore them strong beautiful children. This process went on for five generations. In the sixth generation, the clans decided that we needed to purify the royal houses and it was decided that each generation that followed, one house would marry the offspring of another. They mapped out which families would join and when.”
“This leads to the prophecy that says my next heir will marry into the Knight Wolves Clan.” He was showing everyone his wisdom matched his strength as he sent waves of memories to all of us. “Now release her! Sara, come to me sweet heart.” She attempts to stand, but he hasn’t let her go.
In a single bound, Lord Payano is on top of him. “You dare to still defy me.” He digs his claws into Zachaeus’ shoulder. When Zach still doesn’t release her, he grabs Zach’s throat in his mouth. He shakes Zach around like a rag doll and throws him toward the door.
“You think you have won old man, but you haven’t. She will come to us. Even if she mates with this boy, she will come to our side before the end. You should have accepted my offer child.” Zach growls while holding a hand to his bloodied neck. He glares at Bane to tell him he had failed him miserably. They stumble out the door and Seth closes it.
I run over to Sara. “Are you okay?”
Her grandfather steps between us. “My dear, I’m afraid that I have expended too much energy tonight. I will not be able to change back.” He turns to me and takes my hand in his mouth. He brings it to Sara’s “I, Ezequiel Payano, son of Crowned King Joshua Payano of the Taurs Hawks Clan, name Sara Payano, as the next rightful heir to my clan. As she has already chosen her life mate without my help, I name Damian Lykaios, son of Crowned Prince Curtis Lykaios, as my successor. Do you understand the responsibilities that come with this honor?”
I knelt down in front of him, “My Lord, I understand and accept all of the responsibilities you are bestowing to me. I would be honored not only to be your successor, but to take your beautiful granddaughter as my life mate if she’ll have me.” I knew the rituals well. He was performing the ceremony now before all of us.
“Seth Kumara and Chance Valera, honored members of the Knight Wolf Guard, will you bear witness to this joining of families?” Zeke states.
They kneel down before him, “It would be our honor Lord Payano.”
He looks to the top of the stairs. “Regina Ashtabula, honored member of the Taurs Hawk Guard, will you bear witness to this union as well.”
She descends the stairs and kneels before him, “My Lord, it would be my honor to bear witness to such a wonderful union.”
He moves to the staircase and takes a ribbon off of the banister, “Lady Katrina, if you would do me the honor of completing the ceremony.” He places the ribbon in her hand and she smiles as she wraps it around our wrists.
“I, Lady Katrina Lykaios, am honored to offer my son Damian’s hand to Sara, granddaughter and only heir of Crowned King Ezekiel Payano. May their union be blessed” She steps back and smiles.
“Damian, Sara. I share with you the memories of past unions.” He opens his mind to us and shows us the final step of the royal union. Sara looks into my eyes and I hers. I let my open lips brush against her neck. I press them down and bite down with my lips. As the suction begins, my fangs extend and break into her flesh. She turns her mouth to my neck as I’m doing this and follows my lead. She mimics what I’ve done and I feel her fangs extending for the first time. I slowly release my bite and lick her neck and again she mimics what I’ve done. She looks up at me and I see the ecstasy in her eyes. “Sara, it’s time for you to complete your transformation. We will all bear witness to this and if you need more assistance than Damian can give, we will help. You need to transform completely this time.” Her grandfather was ready for anything.
Sara’s POV
I had just bitten Damian and it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. “I’m ready.” Damian looks into my eyes and I search his mind, I know if I can access that memory again, I’ll have no trouble transforming. “I love you, Sara Payano Lykaios.” He used his last name with mine. We were married in the eyes of the clan. I begin to shake. I fall to the floor on my hands and knees.
I roll to my side, “I love you…Damian Lykaios.” I seize so hard I lose my breath. Damian is beside me holding me as I lay on my side. I feel my pain leaving me and going to him, he’s absorbing more than he needs to, but I feel that he wants my first time to be easier than his was. I feel my bones cracking like they are breaking. I’m transforming. I feel my grandfather’s thoughts and energy flowing to me. “Grandpa, stop. I don’t want you to go.” I am crying uncontrollably as I transform.
“My child, I will never leave you. My memories will be with you always. Let me give you my strength. You will need it in the upcoming battle.” Flashes come to me. “Sara, I need to tell you one more thing. The reason they want you. Your mother…she…was a dhampir.” As he completes his sentence, he is gone. I can still hear him in my mind as I reach into his memories, but I can feel that his life force is completely in me now. He’s really gone.
I roll off of the floor in my wolf form and, using the mind link, ask the only question I can think of, “Uh guys…what’s a dhampir?”
Pictured from left to right: Author Tiffany Wood, her mother, Ruth Motter and her sister Jaime.
Tiffany Wood is the author of the Escaping the Throne Series. Born in the U.S., she currently lives with her husband and three children in Western Pennsylvania. The most important thing to her is family.
Tiffany spends her free time reading and writing. She finds that these hobbies are not only a passion, but an escape and wants to share that escape with the world.
For more on Tiffany Wood, check out her webpage: http://www.wattpad.com/user/anikaparker
Table of Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgement
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen