by T. S. Ryder
“We don’t want them to actively attack the humans. They are our food source, and without them we’d all die. But we do need to defend our people. If that means having them turn the human hunters into the hunted and killing them before they have a chance to kill any more of my coven, then so be it.”
At this, all four of the Council nodded their head slowly and exchanged glances with each other. Hope fluttered in Calissa’s heart. Would they finally agree to deploy the Council Guards after the coven had been being hunted for so long? After so long of being denied the help they so desperately needed?
“Give us a moment to speak alone,” Arjin said, as he looked around at the other three. “There are… logistics that need to be discussed before a final verdict can officially be reached.”
With that, Arjin, Angulic, David and Viktor all marched out of the office one by one and disappeared behind the door into the hallway.
Chapter Nine
Calissa stared at the door for a long while after the Council had departed, barely daring to breathe.
“What do you suppose they are talking about out there?” she asked, barely taking the time to spare a glance at Lee. She didn’t want to miss their initial facial expressions when they walked back into her office.
“It’s hard to say, really,” Lee admitted, though, realizing that only made Calissa all the more anxious, he rested a hand against her shoulder and squeezed it gently.
“Hey. Look at me,” he said, tilting her chin with a finger, smiling as her eyes finally met his own. “It’ll be OK. This is the most they’ve listened in a long time. I bet you they agree to help.”
“And if they don’t?” Calissa asked, her eyes wide with anxiety. If they didn’t agree, then the blame for the coven’s deaths would fall directly onto her shoulders as the new coven monarch. The very thought almost made her sick.
Lee took her hand and pulled her to her feet before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. “Well. If they don’t, then we figure something else out,” he said, his telltale confidence shining through. “They are not the only force in this world that can hunt down humans. If need be, we go to others. To werewolves and fairies, witches and the dragons themselves. It’ll be ok.”
Calissa just nodded and buried her face against his love-marked neck with a shudder. “I just hope it doesn’t have to come to that. So many more vampires will die.”
“I know… I hope it doesn’t come to that, either,” Lee admitted. “But, if it does, we have other options.”
Calissa nodded, her arms tightening around Lee for a brief moment, though she immediately jerked away when Viktor and Arjin stepped back into the office. The other two were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are the others?” Lee asked in surprise, having never remembered a time when the Council members hadn’t appeared as a full unit of four in his life.
“We told them to head out to the car. We won’t take much longer here.” Viktor said, as he handed over a sealed roll of parchment to Calissa. “My dear Lady Calissa, I’m pleased to finally be giving this to you and the coven of the Northern Isles.”
With that, he and Arjin both bowed slightly before they departed once more, this time leaving for good.
Calissa then just stared at the rolled parchment in her hands, holding it as though it might become a living creature and bite her. “What should I do with it?” she asked, wishing Lee was still prince so that he’d have to be the one to open it instead of her.
“Open it. There is nothing to be afraid of,” Lee encouraged.
“Nothing to be… Lee! Our entire life, the lives of the vampires under our control – the life of our child! – depends on what is written in this!” she said, appalled by his indifference but empowered by his calm.
Calm that crumbled away when her words finally sunk in.
“Our child?” he asked in hollow voice, sounding exactly as shocked as he looked... and Calissa herself felt no better. She didn’t intend to blurt it out this way – but, damn it, she wasn’t sorry because she knew she was right!
Leaving Lee to deal with the revelation on his own, Calissa took a deep breath, broke open the wax seal and began to read what was written in a soft voice.
“As decreed by the Lords of the Vampire Council, Arjin, Viktor, Angulic and David,” she paused, glancing up at Lee for moral support before continuing, “We hereby grant permissions to the Guards of the Lords of the Vampire Council to dispatch to the Northern Isles effective immediately. Once there, they are to defend the coven members of the Northern Isles Coven to the death, and shall attack any suspicious humans they come across, especially if these humans—Lee! Lee, they’re sending help!” Calissa all but sang as she jumped up from her desk and launched herself into Lee’s arms.
As if expecting her reaction, Lee swept Calissa up off of her feet and spun her around with a laugh that filled the room with a blissful warmth. His lips met hers in an adoring kiss just before he set her back down on her feet.
“How long have you known?” he asked, and Calissa, swept away by the good news, found herself baffled by the question. “Lee... I just found out,” she replied, giving him an odd look, and he laughed.
“About the baby!” he exclaimed, grinning wildly, and she couldn’t help laughing with him. “Not too long,” she told him, smiling, “I just couldn’t find the right moment to tell you.”
“Well, I can’t think of a better moment than this,” Lee chuckled and kissed her again. “I’m so proud of you!” he told her as their lips parted again, resting his forehead against hers. “I knew you could do it. I knew you could convince them!”
Calissa giggled, a blush faint on her pale cheeks. “I didn’t do it alone, you know. I had your help.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Lee protested. “I just stood here. You’re the one who did this. You should be proud of yourself. I know I’m proud of you,” he whispered, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You know, Calissa… I have a question for you,” Lee said suddenly. An intense fire that took Calissa’s breath away had filled his gaze when she met his eyes.
“Yes? What is it?”
Smiling, Lee took her hand in his own and dropped down to one knee, his eyes never leaving hers. “I know it’s late, and we’ve already tried this once before… but I truly love you. I love you more than I love life itself,” he said softly, his lips pressing kisses against her knuckles.
“Wh… What are you saying?”
Lee smiled up at her, his very heart in his eyes. “Calissa, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest creature in this world by becoming my mate?”
For a moment, it looked as though Calissa was about to cry, but then she threw her arms around him, effectively knocking them both over onto the floor. “Of course!”
With that, Calissa kissed him deeply, and her heart fluttered happily against her ribs. The sense of despair and frustration she’d been harboring in her very soul for so long had finally lifted, and for once, everything felt as though it’d be ok.
Epilogue
Their wedding was set on the night of the full moon in the middle of September, and Calissa couldn’t have been happier. Lee had allowed her to go all out with this wedding, ordering thousands of crimson and black rose petals to decorate the backyard of the manor along with thousands upon thousands of tea lights that bathed the yard in flickering light.
Her wedding dress weighed a ton. It was handcrafted black lace with a train almost as long as she was tall, and thanks to her rapidly growing baby-bump, a little tight in the waist.
She absolutely adored it.
Yet, even if she hadn’t had all that, even if she’d only had her normal clothes and the middle of a summer day, her wedding day would have felt perfect.
“Are you almost ready, Lady Calissa?” Viktor asked her, as he offered his arm to her, a small smile on his pale lips. He’d offered to escort her personally down the aisle on her wedding night since the Council Guard had uncove
red a plot by the humans to destroy the Council itself. It seemed that humans were an even bigger problem than Calissa and Lee had originally thought.
Smiling, she nodded her head and looped her arm delicately through his, not wanting to catch the lace of her long-sleeved dress on the cufflink buttons of Viktor’s suit.
He nodded at the pair of younglings to open the backdoors to the yard. Music started playing with the visual cue of the doors and a hush fell over the vampires in attendance as they all got to their feet and turned to look at her as she began the long, slow walk down the aisle.
She told herself not to look at the end, to focus on getting to the altar before she took her first glance at Lee, but the second the altar was in view she couldn’t help herself.
Lee stole the very breath from her lungs the second her eyes found him. He was handsome, dressed in a simple black suit with a long, flowing set of velvet robes around his shoulders. His eyes were all for her, and a tender smile was on his face, so different from the cocky, playful attitude he showed everyone else.
Time seemed to both slow down and speed up as the music ended and she stepped up onto the altar beside him.
“You look beautiful, my princess,” he whispered, reaching out a hand for her to take before they faced the crowd and the Council.
“And you look dashing, my prince,” she whispered in return, just as Arjin sliced a long, shallow gash along first her wrist and then Lee’s.
“Under this full moon, on the 13th day of September, Lee Dameron and Calissa Gerber have chosen to join together as a blood bound pair. The Council has recognized and approved of this joining personally, and wish the couple the happiest of lives for the centuries to come.”
With that, Lee pulled Calissa into his arms in a rough hug and pressed a kiss to her lips full of all the things he felt for her. Love. Affection. Adoration. Lust.
Calissa couldn’t help but shed a few tears of genuine happiness. If this was how life was supposed to be, she’d gladly live it. After all, she had a new mate to look after, a child born out of their love to raise with him, and a coven to run. With the Council on her side, and the threat of the humans eradicated, nothing was about to stand in her way.
*****
THE END
About T.S. Ryder
If you’re in for hot-as-hell vampires and shifters, you’re my girl. There’s nothing paranormal that I don’t like or write and I’ll give it all I’ve got to bring beasts and hot men (preferably both :) ) to life for you.
I love writing stories about sexy and protective alpha males and the strong women they love. My stories are always full of steam and I generally throw in a fair amount of action.
So kick back, get comfortable, grab some chocolate and tea and fasten up your girdles for some extra smoldering hotness. Enjoy!
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