The Lost Duke

by Kristen Gupton

  He smiled and held out his arms toward her. Thana quickly ran the short distance between them and cinched her arms down around his waist, standing on her toes for a kiss that Keiran eagerly greeted her with.

  When the kiss broke, he stepped back slightly, keeping his hands on her shoulders and looking her over. “How are you doing?”

  Thana felt her cheeks go red immediately, wondering if he could see some change in her already or not. She realized it hadn’t been that long in terms of her pregnancy’s progression since he’d left. The urge to tell him had been eating at her since she’d found out, but there were other things more pressing to discuss.

  “Keir, so much has happened since you left,” she said.

  His head cocked to the side and one of his brows quirked upward. With his senses knocked back after weeks of fasting, he had to rely on her informing him the old fashioned way. “Well, tell me.”

  Thana took his hand and pulled him toward the thrones at the head of the room. She pushed Keiran to his seat before landing in hers, leaning over the arm of it to be close to him.

  Keiran landed with a grunt, his rear sore from all the riding he’d done since leaving. He leaned toward her in return, curious what could have happened to get her so worked up.

  “All right.” Thana got situated and met his eyes, worry and excitement reflected in her expression. “Something very horrible happened while you were away, but something wonderful, too.”

  “Start with the bad, and hopefully the good will make up for it,” he replied.

  Thana nodded and reached out for his hand. “The white demon that attacked you near your coronation returned.”

  His eyes widened and panned to the side as his mouth pulled into a frown. Immediately, guilt surged through him for not finding a way to end the demon back then.

  She watched his reaction before pressing on. “There were smaller demons, too. We even found one in the castle, and Corina took it to Father Beezle. He told her there was an infestation of them around the town.”

  “I never thought they’d be a problem after Peirte’s death,” Keiran said, shaking his head. “I supposed they’d just dissipate back into the forest afterward.”

  “Father Beezle suspected they were Peirte’s,” Thana replied. “Regardless, they were in town along with the larger one. My mother encountered it, and she sent it after me in an attempt to spare her own life.”

  His attention snapped back toward Thana, his anger instantly boiling up. The ache above his canines set in, his fangs almost instantly making their appearance. “I know she raised you, and I’ve tried to be somewhat diplomatic about it, but I’m not afraid to say right now that I honestly despise that woman.”

  “She’s not exactly my favorite person anymore, either,” she admitted, tightening her hold on his hand. The presence of his fangs no longer affected her. “Mercifully, when that thing came looking to attack me, I was in the cathedral to meet with Father Beezle.”

  Keiran stopped her, his head cocking to the side. “Why were you meeting with him? Was it about the demons?”

  Thana filled with anxiety. She didn’t know how to tell him, and before she thought of a good way to do so, the words were blurted out. “Corina took me down for a motherhood blessing.”

  One brow slowly lifted up, his mind struggling to gain traction on those words. “I’m assuming it wasn’t for Corina.”

  She tensed up and offered an awkward smile. “No, Keir. For me.”

  It hit Keiran in the center of the chest, a feeling he’d never experienced before. He slid out of his seat and moved to kneel before Thana’s, placing his hands on her lower stomach.

  She reached out with her hand and ran her fingers through his hair. “That was the good news I had to tell you.”

  Keiran gave a weak laugh and looked up at her, not sure what he was supposed to say. “I’d rather learn of this first, I think.”

  “Are you happy about it?” she asked, a nervous waver in her voice.

  He smiled and gave a nod of his head, letting his hands slide down to her knees. For the moment, he forgot about the demons and everything he’d gone through. “Aye, of course! I think you’ll make a wonderful mother. I’d imagine Corina was ecstatic with the news.”

  Thana laughed, and closed her eyes briefly. “She was the one who figured out I was carrying in the first place. I think she’s just as excited about it as I am.”

  Keiran rose up enough to give her a kiss before retreating back to his seat. “It’s great news. I really needed something like that.”

  Thana reached out and reclaimed his hand. She was relieved to have the news out in the open, but her smile soon faded away. “I wish the rest of the story was as bright.”

  As quickly as his excitement had boiled up, it began to recede as he saw her expression darken. “Go on, then. You were in the cathedral in town.”

  “Aye.” Thana leaned back into her seat. “He’d put a spell on the building to make it a sanctuary from the smaller demons. Fortunately, it was enough to keep the larger one from getting to me. It killed several guards outside, however.”

  Keiran slouched back into his seat and tried to calm his resurging temper before he went on a tirade about Sorna, demons, and everything else. He had to remind himself that it had worked out on some level as Thana was alive. “That’s horrible. I thank God you survived.”

  “Thank Father Beezle,” she said, feeling a sting in her eyes. “He figured out what the demon was and what it was after. He alone stopped it. He had to invoke magic, but he managed to cast that horrid monster back to where it came from.”

  He let out a long breath, feeling his spike of rage abate a little. “Then I owe him a profound debt for saving you and our child. I’ll need to go into town immediately to thank him.”

  She swallowed hard, feeling the first tear break loose and run down her cheek. “You won’t have to go that far, he’s here.”

  His brows knit as he saw her tears, and he leaned in closer to her. “Why is he here? Why are you crying?”

  “He was hurt during his fight with the demon,” she whispered. “His injuries were too severe for the church’s healers, so I ordered him brought here. Father Beezle is in Laron’s quarters.”

  Keiran subconsciously understood what that meant, his heart tightening in his chest. A mournful wave washed over him, and he fought back his own tears. “I should go see him.”

  Thana nodded and stood up, pulling his hand as she’d refused to let go of it. “Yes, you should.”

  They walked together the short distance to Laron’s quarters, finding the door open. Laron was inside, having just finished up the dressing change. He looked to see the king had returned, and he moved out to meet them in the hallway.

  “I’m relieved to see you,” he said to Keiran, offering up a tired smile.

  “Thank you.” Keiran glanced into the room to see Father Beezle lying on a cot, covered with a blanket. “How is he?”

  Laron looked back over his shoulder and frowned before meeting Keiran’s gaze. “Not doing well, I’m afraid. He was pierced through by a large shard of stone. Even a man a quarter of his age would have a difficult time recovering from such a wound. Honestly, it should have already killed him a week ago. Infection has set in deeply, and none of my medications or Corina’s herbal cures have stopped it.”

  Keiran felt a lump form up in his throat, his fears confirmed. “Is he in much pain?”

  “Corina’s narcotics have taken the edge off of it, but he’s such a calm man, I can’t really know how much he’s simply able to hide,” Laron replied.

  The vampire hung his head and closed his eyes to try and push his emotions back into check. He reached out and patted Laron’s shoulder as he stepped around him and into the room.

  The aged priest had been worn out by the misery of getting his wound’s dressings changed, and he’d fallen asleep immediately thereafter. It was a fevered rest, however, and as Keiran’s boots scuffed on the floor, his eyes opened.r />
  Pained or not, upon seeing Keiran standing at his bedside, Father Beezle broke into a sincere smile, and he weakly managed to hold out his left hand.

  Keiran moved to sit in the chair at his bedside, and he picked up the priest’s small hand into his own. “Randall, I just returned and found out what happened.”

  His ice-blue eyes peered at Keiran half lidded. “I was so hoping you’d return before I had to go.”

  “I’m glad I made it,” Keiran said, again fighting the lump in his throat. Being this close, he could easily smell the stench of the infection tearing through the priest’s body. “I owe you so much for saving Thana, and the child she is carrying.”

  “No, it was my honor and privilege to go through what happened.” A serious tone grew in his voice as he pushed up further into consciousness. “I got to witness a profound testament to my faith, and to see in such clear terms that what I have always believed is real, Keir.”

  Father Beezle’s optimism persisting to this length was endearing but expected. Keiran managed up a smile in response. “Well, I still do give you my gratitude.”

  “Then perhaps you will do one small thing for me,” he asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

  “Anything at all.”

  “My mule,” Randall said. “He’s very old. Will you see he gets taken care of? No one else in the church can ride him, and I’d hate for him to be sold off to some uncertain fate.”

  Keiran almost laughed. It seemed so unimportant compared to all that had happened, but the priest was strongly bonded to the animal. “I’ll have him brought up to be kept with my horses. I can see that he’s out in pasture as much as the weather allows.”

  “Good, that was the last thing I was really concerned with. He deserves a peaceful retirement after all these years of service,” Randall said, his eyes closing lightly. “Thana’s been so good, sitting here and reading to me since I came to the castle. Can you tell her she won’t have to do it anymore, and thank her for me, would you?”

  Keiran hastily reached up and wiped a tear away, understanding well enough. “Aye.”

  “I need to sleep now.” Father Beezle slowly pulled his hand away from Keiran’s and placed it at his side.

  The vampire nodded and stood, leaning down to kiss the old man’s forehead. He remained there and watched, seeing Randall’s chest wasn’t rising or falling with his breaths anymore.

  Father Beezle had slipped away as peacefully as one could hope. While people had died around him before, Father Randall Beezle was the first person so dearly close to his heart to go.

  * * *

  Upon returning, Jerris had pulled away from the group, and immediately began to hunt down Magretha. It took him a while, but he finally caught up with her as she was leaving the servants’ dining hall.

  When she saw the redhead, her face lit up with a smile, and she blushed deeply. “Sir Jerris! I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to become a guard to take your place.”

  Jerris’ cheeks went red as well, exaggerated by the color of his hair. He went up close to her and drew a deep breath, all of his pre-rehearsed lines fading from his memory as he prepared to speak.

  Magretha folder her hands and waited. It looked like the guard had something he wanted to say, though she tried not to get her hopes as to what.

  Come on, Jerris! Say something good, his brain inwardly yelled. It suddenly felt like his mouth had gone as dry as his courage, and he stammered. “M…M…Magretha, I did a lot of thinking while out on this journey.”

  She gave a small nod, her eyes widening in anticipation. “Aye?”

  “Aye,” he said back, looking to the side. “I found myself… missing you a great deal, and I decided when I got back that I might ask if you were at all interested in being my wife?”

  His last words had come out so quickly and jammed up together that she stood there, her mind working to decode what he’d said. Not wanting to get ahead of herself and say something embarrassing if her comprehension was off, she asked, “What?”

  His cheeks went from red to near purple in his anxiety. Jerris did his best to slow down and annunciate more clearly. “Would you be interested in being my wife?”

  Magretha’s mouth fell open, and her head spun momentarily. She pulled it together and reached out to yank Jerris into an embrace, crushing him in her arms against her full chest. “Of course!”

  Jerris broke into a lax grin, perfectly happy to remain where she’d put him. “Thank God for that.”

  * * *

  “Corina?”

  The old woman turned around from the dishes she’d been washing and spotted Keiran standing in the doorway. She hastily dried her hands off and went to him.

  He embraced her and kissed her cheek. “Father Beezle just passed.”

  She pulled back and looked up at him, seeing how red his eyes were. Tears came to her as well, but she’d been preparing for it. “He isn’t suffering anymore. That poor, dear man.”

  “Aye.” Keiran looked down at the floor, feeling incredibly awkward.

  Corina shook her head. “When did you get back?”

  “Just a short while ago,” he said. “Thana told me what happened with the demon, and I went to see Randall right away. I was able to speak with him briefly before he went.”

  Corina nodded knowingly. She was much more experienced in watching those close to her die at her age, though it still impacted her deeply. She lifted a corner of the apron she wore to dry her eyes.

  She realized Keiran was looking for some distraction from his emotions, so she offered him a different path of conversation. “And your journey? Have you all returned safely?”

  “All who left here made it back,” he replied, moving away to go take up one of the work stools near the kitchen’s island. “Queen Adira’s intent in sending the invitation wasn’t as benign as I’d hoped.”

  She walked to the opposite side of the island and set to making him up a plate with the leftovers from the midday meal. “Is that so?”

  “Aye. She intended to throw me into captivity,” he said, watching her work. “She wasn’t keen on a vampire ruling Tordania.”

  Corina slid the plate before him and then leaned forward on the counter. “But you managed to escape, obviously.”

  “It wasn’t simple, but yes. She threw Jerris, Kanan, and I in her dungeon, but we escaped with the help of one of her guards, who she also jailed.” He picked at the food, though his mourning over Randall had killed his appetite.

  “I suppose that family’s misgivings toward vampires would explain her doing so.” She would have been more animated over the news, but with Father Beezle having just passed, it didn’t seem appropriate. “Did you learn anything about your mother, or were you too busy trying to save your necks?”

  “I learned more than I could have ever imagined. Corina, does the name Garhan mean anything to you? Did my mother ever mention him?” His eyes lifted from the plate before him.

  Though Ilana had shared a good deal with Corina while she was alive, never had the Alerian woman mentioned that name. She shook her head.

  Keiran looked down at the plate again, picking up a small bit of bread and tearing it into even smaller pieces. “My mother had a child before she came here. Illegitimate, sired by Athan against her will.”

  Corina straightened up and covered her mouth with her hands. She couldn’t believe Ilana hadn’t relayed something that important. However, if it had been hidden from Turis Lee before their marriage, her life might have been in danger if it had ever been revealed.

  Her hands slowly lowered away, her eyes remaining wide. “Is that true? How long before she came here did that happen?”

  “A decade,” he said, reaching out for a wine bottle resting on the counter. He took a drink from it before continuing. “Also, Ilana was the eldest in the family, not Adira. She surrendered her birthright to become queen to intentionally stop Athan’s son from claiming the throne. I think it was really what drove her here in pursuit
of Athan.”

  It made sense, but Corina was still reeling. “My God, she kept all of that to herself. Here Kanan and I thought we knew so much!”

  “Perhaps my mother felt keeping that back was going to help protect Garhan,” Keiran said with a shrug. “Regardless, Adira’s hatred of vampires is so absolute that the moment she was crowned, she had my half-brother imprisoned and left him to rot.”

  “But if he was Athan’s son, he would have been like you,” she whispered, more pain pouring into her thoughts at the memory of her own dead child. “If she kept him imprisoned without blood…”

  “He’d gotten blood at some point.” Keiran took another pull from the wine bottle. Despite the conversation, his sadness over Randall was making it difficult to go on.

  “So, is he alive?” she asked.

  Keiran opted to spare her the morbid details, and he simply nodded. “Alive and he aided in our escape. Garhan and a woman, Mari, have come here with me. They needed sanctuary from Adira, and I offered it to them.”

  Corina drew in a long breath. With her affection for Ilana still in her heart, to know her other son was safe gave her some comfort. There was a question that she had to ask, however. “It’s your castle, and you have every right to decide who stays here. If Athan is his father, however, how much like him is he?”

  “Well,” Keiran paused and took another long drink, feeling warmth rising to his cheeks. “He looks quite a bit like Athan, though younger. I can see much of myself in him, though. He’s only had one meeting with Athan during his forty years, and that wasn’t until we were on our way home. I trust him.”

  The old woman knew she needed to defer to Keiran’s experience with his newly-found brother. “Very well, then. I suppose we can manage to get two vampires taken care of around here instead of just one.”

  Keiran moved to stand up, leaving the food on the plate moved around a little but mostly uneaten. “I know he’ll appreciate it as much as I do. I don’t know what his long-term plans will be. I know this is short notice, but I was hoping we could have a dinner tonight in honor of Father Beezle and to welcome Garhan and Mari.”

  She gave him a smile and nodded. “It shouldn’t be a problem at all. How many would you like this planned for?”