by Anna Santos
“It was a delightful coincidence. Shane was one of his friends who supported his determination to leave and be happy with his soul-mate. At the time, my father was not pleased with the idea of my brother leaving and giving the crown away. However, George couldn’t be king if he was married to another species. Mentalities were different then.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“Shane is like a brother to me. Grandpa is really happy, and I’m also really happy that Shane is your mate. So don’t worry about it. No one will be against you two living your love. And Shane is also really happy.” Eric smiled, trying to get a smile from me. “You shouldn’t be mad at him.”
“I can’t help but to feel disappointed with him. He should have told me his suspicions about knowing my father and that I had family here. He shouldn’t have followed me.”
“We were all waiting for the DNA results. Besides, Shane just shared with us his suspicions last Sunday. We didn’t even know that you were alive until he shared his findings. He didn’t want to share you with anyone! He didn’t even tell us that you were a chaser. He was protecting you and did not want to betray you. He would never do that to his soul-mate. To him, you are the most precious thing in the world. He even kicked my ass this afternoon for wanting to meet you after I got the results.”
“Yes, I know.” I actually smiled after hearing that. It also helped to know that Shane had kept my secret safe from them until he knew it was safe to tell them. I had been too hard on him.
“So don’t be so hard on him. He didn’t have an easy life. Did he tell you how he met your father and came to live with us?”
“We haven’t talked much about our pasts,” I said, nibbling my lip with curiosity.
“You will have a lot of time to do that,” Eric whispered gently. “But I can tell you some details that will make you comprehend why he understands perfectly your pain and your loss.” I nodded, dying to know. Eric started to speak with his sweet, calming voice. “You see, it was your dad who saved Shane from slavery. He was still a pup. He’s actually a bit older than me, about two years or so. Shane’s family was killed, and he was taken prisoner by mercenaries along with the surviving members of his pack and his dad. There were some vampire lords who enslaved werewolves to work in the mines and build their towns.”
“Slaves?” I asked, unable to conceal my shock and disgust at such barbarian acts.
“Yes, it was really common. Vampires were greedy and searching for riches. Many packs that came here looking for a new place to live were dismembered and the survivors sold for labor work. He was only thirteen when his whole life was torn apart by the mercenaries who slaughtered and raided his father’s pack. Most of the women were raped and killed or taken to be sold as sex slaves. Most of them actually took their own lives rather than be taken and raped.” I gasped in horror. Eric nodded with empathy, understanding that it was not a pretty description, but it was the sad truth. “His younger brothers were killed because they were not strong enough to work. His father’s other surviving members were taken to be sold. They never got to the market, though, because your father saved them on the road. Not all vampires were bad at the time. You are just like your father. He couldn’t stand injustice and the wrong use of power. He would have been a wonderful king.”
“I know he was a good person. So, Daddy saved Shane’s life?”
“Yes. And Shane, after that day, followed your dad everywhere. Especially because his own father was broken and died shortly after his mate’s death. Werewolves break apart when their soul-mates die. Shane was left alone in the world. No direct family that he knew was alive. So our family took care of him and the rest of the pack,” Eric said, sharing parts of Shane’s life that made me realize that we truly had a lot in common.
I became really emotional, understanding now why it was so important for him to protect the king and his family but also to protect me. I was his only family. Before I met him, I had Kevin and Jason. Shane had no one, and he didn’t want to lose me. I didn’t want to lose him, either. There were still a lot of things I needed to know about Shane. There were many sad events that he had faced alone in life. We needed to talk, and we needed to forgive each other.
“So, you see, Shane thought all this time, while he looked for you and your brother, that he owed your father his life and that he would defend his kids with his own life if he must. If he loved you before he knew that George was your father, now he probably worships the ground you walk.”
I furrowed my eyebrows and made an unpleasant grimace at my uncle’s last words. Talk about pressure!
“Oh, come on!” he teased, amused by my face. “You let him mark you—it is not like you don’t feel the same way he does about you.”
“I do,” I whispered, feeling a blush on my cheeks.
“So, forgive him and forget all of this. No harm done, therefore you shouldn’t be mad. Besides, your grandpa already thinks you are going to marry Shane and give him great-grandchildren.”
“What?” I asked, shocked, while Eric was laughing, amused.
“It is not like anyone of us can do it. Sasha is mateless and I’m mateless. So the pressure is all on you and Shane,” he said. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. I was only twenty-three. For an immortal, it was a really young age.
“Okay, forget I said that,” Eric suggested, still appearing amused by the look on my face. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“He followed me.” I shared the thing that was hurting me the most about Shane’s attitude. “I can’t help but feel betrayed.”
“He was just worried about you. Besides, he… was trying to tell you everything tonight.”
“What were you doing at James’s house, waiting for me?” I asked, intrigued.
“James called. He told me what had happened—the missing files and the invasion of his home, along with Shane accusing him. I got worried too. Then Shane called me and told me everything. Dad had also called to tell me to go and pick you up and bring you immediately to talk with him. I’m sorry you had to find out about us like that.”
I looked away from my uncle’s eyes. I felt an overwhelming awareness of mixed feelings. I wanted to save my brother more than anything at that moment. I had to postpone my talk with Shane. There were important things to tell my grandfather and a boy’s life to save. “I will talk to Shane after we save my brother.”
“Your brother? Is he alive? I thought… Shane said… We all thought that there was only you left.” He was astonished now, and I kind of felt bad for not telling him sooner. I had told only Shane. I was planning to tell my grandfather and uncle when I was face to face with them both.
“Well, it’s a long story. I guess Shane didn’t tell you on the phone. He told grandfather, though.”
“Maybe Dad forgot to mention it to me. He was just really impatient to see you.”
“Well, Kevin is barely alive. But I will explain everything when grandfather and you are together, to spare us time.”
“Okay, we are almost at the palace, anyway,” Eric said, pointing outside where I noticed two large iron gates opening automatically to let the cars in.
Did he actually say palace? My eyes widened with incredulity. In front of me, bathed by the moonlight and golden spotlights pointed at the rocky walls in the garden, stood in all its majesty and gothic beauty a big palace! I guess a normal home wouldn’t suit a king.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Anna
When I got out of the car, the initial shock of seeing the palace was overshadowed by my urgency to see Shane. I wanted to run into his arms and hold him tight. I was feeling sad over what my uncle had told me about his past, and I really needed to hug him! Even if I ignored him afterwards and pouted because he was being a creepy stalker, I didn’t like being mad at him, but there were things that a couple shouldn’t keep secret. I was also to blame in that regard, but I didn’t go and investigate his life. I’d trusted him. He hadn’t.
I should sc
ream at him, call him an idiot, and have him beg me for forgiveness. He should properly apologize for investigating my life behind my back! I didn’t know how he would do that, but... I was still resentful. Resentment wasn’t as strong as disappointment, though. After standing really still with my back to the palace and staring at the driveway up through the palace gates, I noticed that there were no signs of Shane arriving. He wasn’t coming.
Why wasn’t he coming? Was he mad because I’d ignored him and gotten upset with him? Was he really leaving me alone there, with my uncle whom I had just met, and all those Men In Black look-alike guys.
I bit my lip then my cheek, and then I just looked at my uncle, defeated. He was quiet beside me, also looking down the dark empty road.
“Where is he?” I asked, frustrated. “You said he was following us.”
“He was,” Eric reassured me, and then he motioned toward the last car behind us to get the attention of the driver. “David, do you know what happened to Shane?”
The driver, one of his bodyguards who was also dressed in an MIB suit, came out and gave a respectful bow before replying, “He was following us, but then, when we were near the palace, he turned around with the emergency lights on and drove back to town. I heard them calling him on the police radio. Some kids were having a fight with another group of unknown people. It’s probably just some pack rivalry, your majesty.”
I sighed in frustration. Wouldn’t the confusion end that night? And couldn’t Shane send someone else to fix that problem? I knew he was the sheriff, but I needed him right now. I would feel a lot more secure with him by my side. I should reach him on our mind link.
I stopped my thoughts and gazed at my uncle. Eric had cleared his throat and gave me a boyish grin when he got my attention. His eyes sparkled every time he smiled. He was really handsome and seemed more like my brother than my uncle. We looked as though we were the same age. For a two-hundred-year-old vamp, he had a really harmless presence and nice manners. It was as if his title and social position hadn’t affected his personality at all. He also radiated confidence in the way he spoke and tilted his head to look down at me. He was really tall!
“What?” he asked, intrigued as to why I was staring at him. He leaned his face closer to mine, and I giggled at the face he made when he furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips in a brooding stare. “Why do you stare at me as though you are seeing someone else?”
“You really look a lot like Dad,” I confessed. He moved his lips, pouting a bit, like he doubted it.
“I’m so much more handsome than George,” he added, making me laugh. “I’m joking. I know we are similar. I don’t mind. Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
“Good! Now, the king is waiting for us inside. We shouldn’t make him wait. Shane can join us after he takes cares of whatever is happening in town.” I nodded, agreeing. I was a big girl; I could handle the meeting with the king, who was also my grandfather. “When you see him, you can call him grandpa. He will like that.”
“Do you and Dad look like Grandfather?” I asked. I wanted to be prepared this time. Just imagine if my grandpa was the spitting image of that monster Alaric? I would freak out again!
“I guess,” he answered.
I frowned and sighed, looking at my cell phone. I wanted to call Shane. I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t want him around me. Would he think I didn’t want to see him? I might have been mad, but I wasn’t so mad any more. We would talk, and the secrets would be erased. I would check on him later, after I talked with my grandfather. We would have a proper conversation, with my nerves calmer and my rationality sharper. I needed to get a grip on my feelings. I was becoming bipolar: one moment I wanted to shout at him, and the other I wanted to hug him and never let him go.
“Shall we?” Eric asked from the huge, black, gothic front door beneath a small portico. Someone had opened the door for us to go in.
I followed my uncle inside. The sumptuous décor took my breath away. I barely noticed the ceremonial greeting taking place with the tall, serious-looking man dressed like a butler. He was holding the door and bowing to us, eyes on the floor.
My eyes, on the other hand, were on the huge hall and the two curved, cantilevered staircases that rose from the east end of the grand foyer. That was the first thing that I noticed. The first floor that had a long corridor with alcoves filled with huge paintings of Roman gods in shiny, baroque, golden frames. The hall was laid out as an oval; an enormous central bronze and crystal chandelier hung from the glass cupola over the entrance and spread tiers of light in flame patterns. The ceiling was as beautiful as the rest of the hall, because it had surrounding frescos of what seemed to be nymphs and animalistic shifters that told some tale that I didn’t recognize and didn’t have time to ask about.
I stepped onto the white and black marble floor which reflected the chandelier’s light and followed my uncle, who was already climbing the first row of stairs. I didn’t have time to fully take in how, near the downstairs landings of each staircase, there were doors that went somewhere else in the palace and that at the middle of the arch beneath the stairs was a huge glass door that gave entrance to a ballroom. I was too mesmerized by the paintings and the velvets that hung on the walls and screamed baroque style. There was a rich variety of styles inside the palace which made it unique and actually less pretentious than most palaces I had seen during my visits to Europe with my parents.
“We have to go upstairs. Dad must be in the library. He is often there,” Eric explained, stopping a second so I could catch up with him.
The house probably didn’t amaze him anymore, since he lived there. I was just hoping to memorize the way to the library, so I wouldn’t get lost if I had to leave alone.
On the first floor, we followed a long corridor illumined by small chandeliers on the walls; it had doors on both sides and many paintings of landscapes with rivers and mountains. At the very end of the corridor, Eric opened a door that was bigger than the others and gave way to the library.
If the hallway was amazing, the library was just a dream come true. It was huge; it would probably take up an entire building, because I noticed it even had some curly stairs going down to my right. What hit me first when I entered the room was not exactly the decorations and the bookshelves, but the smell. It smelled like oak and linen, not musty at all. It smelled like books, but not like old, dusty books. Besides, the library itself was a work of art from ceiling to floor. There were frescos on the ceiling, surrounding the small crystal chandeliers, and the walls had even more works of art and columns and statues of Greek gods, plus even some contemporary art as decoration.
There were rows of bookshelves, perfectly aligned and categorized by theme and century. Books with leather covers and hard paper ones filled the shelves. I even spotted stacks of parchments out of the corner of my eye. It would be a dream come true for any book affectionate or historical researcher. They could spend years inside there, overwhelmed by the variety of books and their antiquity.
After traveling through the jungle of bookshelves and their corridors, we arrived at an open space that had a twin-pedestal mahogany desk with a rectangular top inset in green tooled leather. It was filled with books and papers and had a modern desktop computer. On the opposite side rested a black velvet armchair. No one was sitting in it, much to my disappointment. Guess Grandpa had not waited for us and perhaps had gone to bed.
Eric didn’t seem surprised by the absence of the king like I was. He just turned right and smiled, as though he knew something I didn’t. I turned to him, frowning, and he pointed at the back of the room. There he was with his back turned to me, staring at a seriously big painting of a lady dressed like a queen. The painting was big—two times bigger than Eric! It covered half the wall of the library.
"That is my mom,” Eric whispered, not wanting to disturb the silence there. “Dad likes to stare at her.”
I acknowledged his words and gazed at the woman in the painting.
She was beautiful without a doubt. It was an old painting with a lot of influences of the Romantic period, because the painting tried to convey both the majesty and innocence of the queen. The landscape had a light blue sky with shreds of clouds, and the queen had a soft smile on her pretty face and pensive, profound brown eyes. She had her hands on her lap and had been painted in a seated position, wearing a silk white dress. Her brown hair was loosely braided and piled on top for a Victorian look.
I was supposed to look like her, but I just thought that the resemblances were her lips and the shape of her face. And maybe the nose. I had a rather small, turned-up nose. I liked my nose. So, instead of seeing my grandpa first, I had my first meeting with my grandma’s painting.
My grandfather was the next person I analyzed. He had his hands folded behind his back. He was wearing a silk white banyan, very king-like, with nice silver brocade and rich gold embroidery on the sleeves and collar. They may be his casual clothes at home, but they were enough to leave me impressed by all the mystery around him. He also had a signet gold ring that attracted my attention for its simplicity.
The vampire king seemed to notice that he had company, and when he turned to us, all I saw was a tall, well-built man in his mid-forties with a friendly but sad face covered with a white, stocky beard. He didn’t look like an old dying man; he was really handsome and distinct. He had some wrinkles around his eyes and forehead, but nothing that would say he was perishing fast or that he had grandchildren my age. He had aged nicely. What made him look older was probably the white of the beard that contrasted with his wavy, blond, shoulder-length hair. He had nice blond hair and deep, kind eyes—sad blue eyes. Summing up, he looked older than the rest of us, because age had taken possession of his once immortal body. However, aging had given him a distinct and honorable look. He was a rather pleasant man to look at and didn’t look like a grandfather at all.
When he saw me and Eric, his attitude, once gloomy and thoughtful, changed, and he drew up a smile as he walked toward us. I don’t know why I did it, because I’m not a hugging person, but I walked to him and, when we met halfway, I hugged him. It was not a shy hug; it was a strong, firm hug, like I had known him all my life and had missed him dearly. That was my father’s dad! I could totally see my dad in his smile. He was definitely the one who reminded me the most of him.