by L. C. Davis
"And all that's happened to us this past year was within your mission parameters?" Victor asked.
"Gaia is more laid back than the Patriarch was," Clarence muttered, lighting a cigarette.
"So why did you fall?" I asked warily.
"Like I told you. Him," Clarence said, nodding in Hunter's direction.
"Bullshit," the young wolf cried. "Don't blame this on me. Why the fuck would an angel fall for some random werewolf?"
"You're not random," he said matter-of-factly. "I've known you all your life. I was your guardian."
Hunter froze. "My what?"
"Your guardian angel. The spirit assigned to all living souls at birth," he murmured. "I thought I could do a better job down here as a wolf, but it seems that wasn't the case. You being..." he hesitated and for the first time since he had known him, he seemed unsure. "Your condition threw me off."
"My condition?" Hunter scoffed. "So you knew I was transgender. All this time I've been agonizing over how to tell you, and you fucking knew?"
"I didn't know until I knew," said Clarence. "When I fell, all memories of my celestial nature were suppressed. All the bonds I made here, all the experiences I had, those were real."
"So what happened to the original owner of that meatsuit you're wearing?" asked Sebastian.
"Evan was killed by a hunter. He did some things in this life that would have earned him a few unpleasant reincarnations, so I offered him a deal."
"A deal?" Hunter grimaced. I could tell there was something more he wanted to ask, but instead he muttered something unintelligible under his breath and wedged himself between Sebastian and the couch. "You still lied, even if you made yourself forget it. Just tell us what has to happen so things can get back to normal around here."
Clarence sighed. "We'll table the discussion. For now," he said, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray on the table. I noted with a pang of grief that some ashes from Ulric's last cigar were still in the tray. He was the only one who could get away with smoking indoors without hearing a lecture from Clara. I guess she had long since given up hope that it would work on him.
"What does this mean?" I asked. "Gaia is really okay with Sebastian and Victor leading the Kingdom of Night?"
"Someone has to and they've proven themselves worthy," Clarence said, gesturing towards the ceiling. "Whatever happened in the aether, the bond is sealed."
"The mark bond?" I asked, rubbing my hand.
"That and the bond between them," he said pointedly. "Just out of curiosity, what exactly happened up there?"
A hush fell over the room. Sebastian was finally the first to speak, casting a glance in Victor's direction. "So, is this like a what happens in the aether stays in the aether situation, or --"
Victor silenced him with another kiss. Hunter and I stared in equal shock while Clarence let out a groan of displeasure. "Shit," he muttered. "I was afraid that's what it was."
When Victor pulled away, he was wearing his signature smirk and he wove his fingers with Sebastian's before grabbing my hand. "He's ours and you're both mine," he said matter-of-factly. "Anyone who has an issue with it can take it up with me. Apparently I'm the king of the vampires now."
"I have an issue with the way you worded that," Sebastian said gruffly, wiping his mouth. It was easy to tell from the color in his cheeks that his protest was just for show. "And I ain't goin' around calling myself King of the Wolves. Even I'm not that gay."
"Victor, do you mean it?" I asked hopefully. "We can be together, the three of us? I mean really together, not just with the two of you trading me off and resenting each other?"
"That's it. I'm out of here, and you're coming with me while you still have a shred of innocence left for me to protect," Clarence muttered, grabbing Hunter's hand to pull him to his feet. "If you weirdos think you're getting more than one wedding gift out of me, you're wrong."
Victor rolled his eyes before settling his gaze on me. "I mean it. We've all been fighting destiny long enough. Maybe it's time to embrace it. One species is too much for either of us to manage alone, let alone two. Sebastian and I have always been stronger as a team. If we have any hope of setting this right, it has to be together."
I laughed because if I didn't, it felt like the joy in my heart was going to bubble over and drown me. I threw my arms around both of their necks and nuzzled Victor's cheek, then Sebastian's, marking them both as my own. "I'm so happy. I never thought I could be this happy, or feel this whole."
"Me either," said Sebastian, drawing an arm around his waist. He glanced up at Victor with a lopsided grin. "I guess this solves the need for a custody agreement."
"Oh, I don't know," Victor mused, slipping a finger through Sebastian's belt loop to pull him closer to the both of us. "I think there are still a few formalities we can work out in a contract. He is a handful, after all."
"That he is," Sebastian agreed.
As I stood pressed between them, bound not only by the bond I shared with each of them but by the one that now united the three of us, I realized that I had been right from the very beginning. Victor and Sebastian were equally matched opponents, but together they were absolutely incorrigible. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Chapter 33
REMUS
I rose early the next morning, which was hard to do when surrounded by two Wolves who growled and clung whenever I moved too much. When I finally managed to extricate myself and pull on my robe, I moved quickly up the stairs and out into the garden.
Clarence was already standing over the open grave in the center of the garden as the first rays of sunlight streamed in through the lattice. My heart skipped when I saw that the grave was empty, but Clarence was alone and staring out onto the hillside.
"Remus, go back inside," he said in a warning tone without moving a muscle.
I stepped forward and squinted into the distance. There was a figure on the hill beneath the Lodge, but it was too tall to be Arthur and his hair was much too dark. I sniffed the air but the smell of sunlight was gone, a reminder of the fact that my vampire nature had fully moved on to Victor.
"Prentice," I whispered.
"I said go inside," Clarence growled.
Before we could argue any further, something ran past us in a flash. It took only a moment before I realized that it was Victor and took off after him, barely intercepting him at the base of the hill. Clarence had warned us that it would take a while for his true nature to set in, but his reaction to Prentice left no doubt that it had.
"No!" I cried, pushing him back. His skin was pale in the sunlight and his eyes were bloodshot with thirst. I knew what it was like to catch a hunter's blood on the wind, but seeing him this way was something I had failed to adequately prepare myself for. "Victor, please, control yourself."
"Where is he?" Victor snarled, ignoring me. I didn't recognize his voice.
"I don't know," Prentice said in a somber tone. He looked Victor over with unmistakable curiosity. "So it is true. You're a vampire now."
"The vampire, as far as you're concerned," said Victor. "But I've still got enough wolf left in me to tear you apart if you set foot in this territory again."
"That's not very neighborly," Prentice mused. "Haven't you heard? We're supposed to play nice now that the parents are away."
"You're pushing it," said Clarence, putting himself between Prentice and the two of us. "You can't show up here."
"Relax. I'm not here for you," he said, nodding towards the grave. "There's a new order of things and it falls to me to preserve them. As long as you keep your house in order, I won't have to clean it up."
"You expect us to believe that?" Victor growled.
"Frankly, I don't care what you believe," said Prentice, shrugging. "The Patriarch is gone for the time being, but I've still got my marching orders. With the thousands of rogue vampires that have just been reintroduced into the ecosystem, you're a bit low on my priorities list, anyway."
I frowned. "The Patriarch said you'
d stop hunting."
"Wrong. He promised that we would no longer pursue the extermination of your kind, hybrid," Prentice said matter-of-factly. "That is a promise I intend to keep, personal feelings aside. However, I am perfectly within my rights as the leader of the Family to continue hunting supernaturals that violate the natural order. Considering the fact that there have been forty-seven global vampire attacks that we know of since yesterday, the newly appointed vampire king could use some assistance from the professional slayers." He turned to Victor with a grandiose bow. "At your service, your majesty."
Victor's lip curled back in a silent snarl. "You'd just better hope you remain useful."
"I'm just here to collect what's mine. The Family won't be the one to break the truce, but rest assured, we will settle any conflict that arises," Prentice said in an icy tone. It was hard to believe he was the warm, lively professor I had known just a year ago.
"If by what's yours you mean Arthur, he isn't here," said Clarence, folding his arms.
"That's impossible. He couldn't have risen before sunrise," said Prentice.
Clarence shrugged. "The boy's done a lot of things he couldn't."
"You really don't know where he is?" I asked, struggling to find a hint of deceit in Prentice's face or tone. All I found was increasing irritation.
"Of course not," he spat.
"Maybe he woke up early to get away from you," said Victor. His control was impressive, as always.
"If I find out you're lying, that you harmed him," Prentice began, his fists clenched at his sides.
"Do you really think I would let them do that?" I asked. It was the first time he had met my eyes in a long time and it was a struggle not to look away. "You can think whatever else you want about me. Call me an abomination, a whore, but do you really think I'd let them hurt Arthur after everything we've been through? After everything he's done for me?"
Prentice watched me for a long while. So long I could feel myself withering under his scrutiny. His fists finally unclenched at his sides and he looked over the hill. "If he returns on his own and you harbor him, I will consider it a violation of the treaty between our kinds."
Victor and Clarence both stared him down. "What do you intend to do with him when you find him?" asked Victor.
Prentice's expression turned unreadable. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was capable of pain. "He will not be harmed," he said, his voice steady but rough.
"You get that all out of your system before when you tortured him?" Clarence taunted.
Prentice's gaze turned to flame. "I wouldn't expect a deserter like you to understand, but all that I did was for him."
"Yeah, sanctification of his soul and all that," Clarence said, rolling his eyes. "You know, Upstairs they care less about who you fuck and more about who you fuck over, right?"
Prentice seemed about to respond, but didn't. "If he comes here, you will bring him to me," he said firmly. Then he hesitated.
"What?" I asked softly.
Prentice's eyes met mine and he seemed torn between rage that I dared to address him and wanting to ask a favor. "Tell him I'm sorry," he said stiffly, like the words hurt. I found myself wondering if it was the first time he had ever uttered them. "For everything."
"I will," I said, watching as he began his descent down the hill.
He froze at the crest of the hill and turned around. "Oh, and Remus?"
"Yeah?"
"There are crueler monsters than hunters in this world," he said with a dangerous smile. "Selene was proof of that. I am admittedly curious to find out whether you'll be better or worse as her replacement."
With that, he walked away for the last time. I stared after him, still reeling from the fact that he had used my name.
Chapter 34
REMUS
"Congratulations, you...three," said Alex, his arm draped around Val's shoulder. They had come all the way from the temple with Hunter and Clarence just to attend our combined mating ceremony and Victor's and Sebastian's coronation as pack alphas. Even though the spell Hunter had put on Alex would only last for a short period of time, I could tell that Alex and Val were making use of every moment. Hunter's skill had grown exponentially under Alex's tutelage and his mentor was reaping some much-deserved benefits.
"Thanks," Victor said proudly, giving Alex a firm handshake. He looked down at their clasped hands before letting Alex's fall away. "Still hard to get used to shaking hands with a ghost."
"Try fucking one," Val said in a quaint Southern accent that belied the vulgarity of her words.
Sebastian was hanging back and had been ever since the newly minted couple took their turn to congratulate us. He was still uncomfortable about seeing his friend and mentor's wife with another man, but after Billy's abandonment, even he wouldn't say anything to jeopardize the long-awaited peace the lovers had found in each other.
"Still no word from Billy?" asked Victor, likely to preempt Sebastian.
"No," Val said, growing somber. "I've tried to reach him to tell him that Alex isn't really gone, but I'm not sure how he'll take the news when he gets back."
"Give him time," said Sebastian. "He's stubborn. It might take him a while to come to terms with the fact that his brother's one of the things he hunts, but he will."
"I wish I could be so sure," Val said softly.
"He will," Sebastian said confidently. "That's what brothers do."
Val's eyes filled with tears and she gave him a shaky smile, squeezing his hand. "Thank you, sweetheart. That means a lot coming from you."
"Mind if I steal your date for a dance?" Sebastian asked, turning to Alex.
"Sure, I'm about to head over to the refreshment table to make up for months of not eating and I don't think she needs to see the carnage," Alex teased, making his way through the crowd of wolves and vampires who had gathered to celebrate with us. It was a tentative step towards mended relations between our kinds, but it was a start. It seemed like every wolf from every pack in the northwest region was gathered in the Bergendorf ballroom. Sarah and Saban waltzed past us even though the pop song playing hardly warranted such formality.
The vampiress paused, giving me an approving wink. "Save a dance for your mother!" she called as Saban whisked her away. With him around to keep her in line, I felt a little better about the prospect of unleashing Sarah on the world. While I was sure she still would have preferred taking the power into her own hands, being the mother-in-law of the vampire king seemed to be a close second in her book.
"I will," I said with a laugh before turning back to Victor. "Looks like it's just you and me. Would it be out of line to ask you to dance now that I'm a proper vargr modir and all?"
"Absolutely," he said, sweeping me into the dance floor. "Good thing there's never been anything proper about you."
"That's true," I said with a giggle, letting him take the lead. "Then again, there's hardly anything proper about a werewolf and his vampire brother sharing a mate and the title of alpha, never mind sharing a bed."
"No, nothing proper about that at all," he agreed, spinning me around in flagrant disregard of the music. "Fun, though."
"Oh, yeah." I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes. The rhythm of Victor's heart proved to be a far better rhythm to dance to. "You know what's funny?"
"Hm?" he asked, his hand pressed into the small of my back, warm and reassuring.
"I used to be afraid of so many things. The hunters, the moon, even you and Sebastian. Now the only thing I'm afraid of is waking up to find that none of this is real. That it really is just a dream, that nothing in real life could work out so perfectly."
"You and I should know better than anyone that a dream can be every bit as real as the waking world, pup," he said, stroking my back.
"I guess you're right," I murmured, looking over his shoulder. So many people had come to celebrate our union, but there was one person I longed to see more than all the others.
"Looking for Arthur?" Victor looked
down at me with a knowing gaze.
"I keep hoping I'll turn around and he'll be there," I admitted. "Do you think this is going to last? The truce between the kingdoms, I mean."
"Who knows? As long as Arthur is missing, Prentice will be more intent on finding him than reigniting war," he said thoughtfully. "I'm sure of that much, and I intent do enjoy the peace with my mates for as long as it lasts."
I looked up at him sharply. "You've never done that before."
"Done what?"
"You called us both your mates. You usually just say, 'My mate and brother.'"
"Huh," he mused. "I guess I did."
I grinned up at him. "I like the sound of it."
"So do I," he admitted, pulling my head back against his chest. "Just don't tell Sebastian. He still thinks this is an equal footing kind of deal."
I snickered. "It isn't?"
"Please. Sharing a mate and a pack is one thing, but if there's anything I won't share it's control. He'll learn his place eventually."
"Is that so?"
"I tamed you, didn't I?" he asked, gazing down at me with a twinkle in his eyes.
I sighed and nuzzled his chest as I swayed with him in our own little corner of the dance floor. "It's finally here, isn't it?"
"What's that?"
"Our time."
His laugh rumbled in his chest, as warm and pleasing as his purr. "It is. It took long enough to get here, but now that it is, it's forever. I'll make sure of that."
"Me, too," I murmured. He fell silent and I lost myself in his heartbeat again. It slowed and took on a slightly different rhythm, barely enough to notice.
"Mind if I cut in?" Victor asked in a voice that wasn't quite his own.
When I looked up, I found myself staring into eyes that didn't belong to Victor at all. They were the same steel grey color, but there was a warmth in them that Victor himself just wasn't capable of. No vampire was.