by Eve Newton
“You don’t want him to?”
“No. I don’t want his first to be out of spite to me.”
“Oh? And yours wasn’t out of spite to me?” he asks wryly.
“It wasn’t,” I say sadly. “Maybe the second, but it’s not the same.” I add, “After five hundred and seven years it’s different. And now? We were supposed to be a family. All of us,” I stare pointedly at him for a moment, before I drag my eyes back to the road. “It all went to shit, and I hate it.”
“I will talk to him,” he says shortly, but ignores the rest of what I said. I don’t push it. Now isn’t the time. But, I will and soon.
I glance at him, but his eyes are forward. I smile, as I know he will talk to Devon to stop me feeling unnecessary pain. I feel a stab of selfishness but push it away. I am too old and have too much history, too much pain under my belt to feel such an emotion. I live to my own ends. Come and see me when you have lived a thousand years of my life to judge.
We hit the strip in silence, and I pull up to the hotel and casino that we learned Xane owns and runs, the SUV hot on our heels, unfortunately having caught us up. We are a few minutes in front of the others so we take our time getting out. The valets all rush forward to be the first to get to the car and the lucky winner grins in delight.
“Nice ride,” Xane says from behind me and I turn with a winning smile. “Liv, it’s wonderful to see you again so soon,” he says.
I turn back to glare at the valet and snarl, “Look after it.” He gulps with a nod.
Turning back to Xane, he looks faintly amused as he says, “You look fantastic. Much more in line with how I thought you would.” He leans over and kisses both of my cheeks and holds his hand out to CK. “Constantine. Good to see you again. I trust you finished off your evening without incident?”
“Of sorts,” he says shortly, applying way more pressure than a friendly handshake calls for.
Just then the limo pulls up and everyone piles out. Devon is still avoiding giving me eye contact me wraps his arm around that girl in a possessive move, which is clearly to show his indifference to me. I have to say it’s pretty bold of him to have brought her here, being surrounded by Vampires, Shifters, and Demons. She looks nervous and so she should be. I wonder then if Devon’s hold on her is to protect her. Who the fuck is she and what the fuck is he up to with her?
“Come.” Xane takes my arm and I grab CK’s hand. He leads us through the casino and up a flight of stairs. He stops and turns around, looking at everyone in question.
“They are with me,” I say. “Except her. She isn’t one of us,” I add, rudely gesturing to Jess. I keep my eyes off Devon, but I can sense his on me. Well, the choice is his now whether he picks her or me.
He leans down to whisper in her ear, “It’s okay. Go and check in. I’ll come up when we are done.”
She nods. “Okay, baby. I love you.”
I grimace at her but am pleased to note that he doesn’t say it back. Not even his classic brush off of, ‘love you back’.
I feel a bit better about this. He doesn’t really care about her. He is doing it to piss me off, and now I know it. CK grabs my arm, then dismisses Phil and Ty and they wander off much to my relief.
Xane, sensing an atmosphere, but fortunately not commenting on it, turns back around and continues up the stairs. He looks mighty fine today. I cast an appreciative eye over him, dressed in a black Nico-type suit and a black shirt with no tie. He looks gorgeous. Oh, bad, bad thoughts, which, unsurprisingly, CK picks up on and growls low in his throat at me. I smile at him innocently and he glares at me.
Reaching a large office that looks out over the casino, Xane offers me a seat. He sits behind his massive desk and smiles at me, “Introductions, please.”
I nod. “Constantine, you already know.” I turn and gesture, “Lincoln Anderson, Scott Matthews, Sebastian Gautier, and Devon Savant. Business, Admin, Legal and Finance,” I add. Yes, it turns out that Sebastian is a lawyer and a damn good one. There’s no need to add that he doesn’t work for me but as he does work for CK, I suppose, by proxy, he works for me. “Everyone, this is Xane Draconis, House of Dracul and Demon Overlord,” I say, gesturing at the Demon behind the desk.
He inclines his head and says, “I wasn’t expecting such a formal meeting.” He gestures to everyone.
“It isn’t. I like to have my bases covered – just in case of…questions, contracts, witnesses,” I add with narrowed eyes.
“By bringing the inner circle? It’s a savvy move,” he narrows his own eyes and scrutinizes me.
“You seem surprised,” I say, slightly affronted.
He chuckles. “There is definitely more to you than meets the eye,” he murmurs.
I hear a soft snickering coming from behind me. If I knew who it was, I would smack them.
“So, tell me, have you ever been to my Kingdom?” he asks.
“No, not unless you count the cave type affair where I got my Powers.”
“Cave type affair?” He laughs and says, “There are many of those. We will go. I will take you in a bit but right now, I am more interested in what your plans are.”
“Why don’t we start with what you would like my plans to be and we’ll go from there.”
He looks amused and says, “Okay, I’m happy for you to be our Queen. We don’t have an issue with it due to your Dragon heritage.” He pauses to let that sink in: accepted only because of my Dragon heritage. “However, I would…prefer…it if you left the day-to-day running of the Domain to me.”
I don’t even have to think it over. “Agreed. For now,” I say.
He looks surprised, clearly expecting a harsher negotiation, but what do I know about ruling a bunch of Demons? “Well, that was easy,” he comments dryly. “I was expecting that to go a lot differently.”
I smile. “I still have a lot to learn about your kind. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to jump in with both feet. You may continue to run your Domain without interference, but you will keep me apprised. I don’t need to know the small stuff but anything, say, a ‘six and over’ I want to know.”
“Agreed. Weekly staff meeting?” he asks, with a wink.
“Done.”
“Excellent. I wish all of my negotiations went as smoothly. Can I take you there now?”
I glance at CK, who nods. Better to get it over with and then we are free to do as we please.
“Sure, but a quick question first. Does time move differently there?”
He looks curiously at me. “That’s an interesting question, but no. Same as here.”
I nod briskly. “Good. That time shift in the Dragon Realms is a real bitch.”
He laughs out loud. “I know what you mean. You’ve been then?”
“Twice and a trip out due next week,” I say, sensing Devon’s interest in that but ignore him.
“Be sure to say ‘hello’ to your mother from me. It has been too long since we saw Her.”
“I will. We?”
“My family. I’m taking you to see them now. My own mother is dying to meet you.”
“Well, let's not keep her waiting.” I stand with a smile and CK follows suit. Everyone has remained silent and impassive during our little meeting and I’m grateful that they have let me sort this out without interference. Any questions or concerns will be dealt with later by tacit agreement.
“Come and find me when you get back. There is that thing you promised me that I’m anxious for,” CK murmurs to me.
“I won’t be too long. I’m quite looking forward to seeing what you brought.” I kiss him lightly and turn to Lincoln. “Fill everyone in.”
“I will do.” He hugs me and whispers, “Be careful, V.A., okay?”
I nod and smile at Scott, who is looking fairly concerned and mutters, “I’ll catch up with you later.” I nod, getting his meaning that he has things to tell me. I gaze swiftly over Devon who is looking at me curiously. Probably wondering if I’m going to speak to him. He is also probably more than int
rigued with our new addition. I ignore him and direct my attention to Sebastian and jokingly say, “Keep him out of trouble till I get back.”
He laughs. “Where’s the fun in that?” He comes to give me a quick squeeze. “Hurry back. He’s already getting moody,” he murmurs in my ear. I see Devon’s eyes go cold. He has clearly met Sebastian in the limo on the ride here and knows exactly who he is. I snicker as I look at CK. He isn’t looking very pleased, mostly because Sebastian hasn’t let go of me yet. “Maybe when you get back, we can try again,” he says with a salacious wink. I shake my head with a smile. I step back and let Xane take my hand.
He Astraports us down into The Underworld.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO
“T hey are very protective of you,” he remarks once we have landed in a very grandiose entrance hall. All dark-paneled wood and Windsor carpet. Not exactly what I was expecting.
“Yes, they are. To the point of annoying,” I say, looking around.
He chuckles. “You should be happy. You are very lucky to have them.”
“I know. I am. I love them all. This is your home?” I ask in slight disbelief.
“Not what you were expecting?” He snickers as I shake my head. “It is my family’s home,” he adds.
No sooner as he says that, a man and a woman appear in front of us. She is stunning: tall with dark upswept hair and the bright blue eyes of Xane. The man is an older carbon copy of Xane. Must be his parents.
“Xane, darling. How lovely of you to drop by.” She kisses each cheek.
“Mother,” he says and shakes his father's hand. All so formal.
“This is our new Queen,” he says, placing his hand on my back.
I feel terribly self-conscious as they curtsy and bow in front of me, standing here in my very un-Queen-like black mini dress.
Mrs. Draconis is dressed in a long, flowing black gown – picture, Gothic and beautiful – and looks far more fitting then I do. Mr. Draconis looks just like how Xane did when he first appeared. Cape, sword, long boots. It’s a strange sight. I feel like I have been transported back several hundred years. I wonder idly if perhaps I have? Time travel could be a possibility.
“Liv, this is my mother, Xanthe, and my father, Xerxes.”
I shake their hands noting the trend with the ‘X’s’
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say.
“It is such an honor to meet you,” Xanthe gushes. “We are thrilled that you have come to our home.”
I smile. Wow, talk about a warm welcome.
“Have you joined together yet?” she asks Xane eagerly.
He rolls his eyes at her. “No, Mother. We only just got here.”
I raise my eyebrows at the ‘joined together’ remark. What exactly does that mean?
“Well, be sure you do. It is important,” she says sternly, and he nods grimly.
It’s quite amusing, actually, to see the badass Demon being told off by his mom.
“Why don’t we leave you two alone,” Xerxes says. “You probably have questions,” he says, his piercing blue eyes on mine.
“I do. I’m trying to play catch-up and I fear I don’t know much about your history. My mother threw me in at the deep end I’m afraid.”
Xanthe giggles. “Yes, Tiamat likes to leave others to sort themselves out. She believes it is the making of oneself.”
Sounds about right.
“Well, I hope that I do her proud.”
“I am sure you will, my dear. Xane will be delighted to fill you in on our history and perhaps you two can get to know each other better as well.” She smiles at me. “I’m so glad that you are here.” She embraces me and I hug her back.
Xerxes inclines his head and off they go again.
“Wow, they’re nice,” I say with a smile.
“To you, maybe,” he grouses, and I laugh at him.
“How do Demons age?” I ask.
He looks startled. “Just full of odd questions, aren’t you?”
“It’s a valid query,” I say in a huff.
“Yes, I suppose it is. I am eight hundred and sixty eight years old. My parents are both fifteen hundred years.”
“Are you immortal?”
“No, we die eventually, around three thousand years.”
“Oh, okay. I have seen the power you wield. You reach your apex quicker than we do?”
“By ‘we’ I’m going to assume you mean Vampires and not Dragons,” he says with a pointed look. “Yes, we do. However, I, as first-born son to an Overlord and now Overlord myself, I’m the most Powerful of all Demons. I’m able to do things that others can’t,” he says proudly.
I nod as that makes sense. “So, tell me your history. Are you born or made?”
“Born. Come this way.” He takes my hand and leads me over to a massive painting at the foot of the stairs. It is of a huge black Dragon. Not unlike Tiamat, or me, but with bright red eyes.
“This is Dracul. He was your mother’s son.”
I stare at him wide-eyed but stay quiet, wanting him to continue.
“Before your mother was cursed, he was born to her a Prince. But as you know, the Dragons are ruled only by females and so he would never rule the Dragon Realms. He came to the Earth Realm and fell in love with a human. They had a child and that child was the first Demon. Once some of the other Princes heard of this, they too abdicated. There were six in total and they came here to The Underworld, to rule and start a new race. They each had many children and so the population began.”
I stare in wonder at him and ask, “So we are linked by my Dragon heritage. Six Dragons. Six Houses, then?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Is Dracul still alive?” I ask hesitantly.
He shakes his head. “No. As it turned out full-blooded Dragons cannot live for extended periods outside of the Dragon Realms. The atmosphere is different, almost toxic to them. Five died and the sixth went back home and survived.”
“Oh,” I say sadly.
He doesn’t seem too concerned though and carries on with his tale, “So, the families are expected to have many children. I, myself, am the oldest of twenty-one.”
“Twenty-one? That’s a lot.” I quake in my Louboutins at that. I freaked out when CK mentioned having just one. And that isn’t even a child I will bear myself. Mrs. Draconis is one brave lady.
“So how many children do you have?” I ask.
He walks us up the stairs, hand-in-hand. “None. Yet. I am, however, the proud uncle of fifty nieces and nephews.”
“How come you don’t have any of your own?”
“I’m not so inclined. I like my life Earth-side. I like my freedom. It is my mother’s greatest wish for me to settle down,” he says with a sigh.
“And how does that work?”
He laughs. “Not like the Vampires. We are free until we choose to unite ourselves and then we remain true to that chosen one.”
“Forever?” I ask in horror. This whole true-to-one business is really a ridiculous concept in my opinion.
“Yes, forever.” He looks at me slyly. “My mother is delighted that you have been made Queen and aligned yourself with our race. She thinks you will make the perfect wife for me and the perfect mother for her grandchildren.”
Err, what?
I stop dead in my tracks. “There are three things wrong with statement.” Holding up my left hand, I say, “First things, I am already married.” I hold up my right hand and say, “Secondly, I am promised to another, if and when, my marriage ends and thirdly, children? I am a Vampire. We don’t procreate. At least not in that way.”
“Nice ice,” he snickers at me. “Keep your pants on. I said it was my mother’s wish. Not mine. Although, it is worth pointing out, you are not just a Vampire. Not anymore. Your ability to bear children may depend entirely on with whom you are trying to procreate.”
He pushes open a heavy door and leads me inside as I gape at him.
Come again? With whom I am trying to procre
ate? What the fuck does that mean?
Before I can ask, he lets go of my hand and flicks a switch. I find myself in a gorgeous library and office, not unlike my own at home in Los Angeles.
“Come,” he says. “We need to join together.”
“Err, yeah. What exactly does that entail?” I ask warily.
He laughs and says, “Nothing that will offend your little Vampire sensibilities. We need to do a ritual.”
“A ritual? What for?”
“You are Queen of The Underworld. A conduit for us all. Do you really not know any of this?” he asks in bewilderment.
“No, I told you Tiamat handed me the Powers and sent me on my way. Everything I know I have learned by myself.”
“Okay, then. We need to do a ritual which will activate, for lack of a better word, your Demonic Power.”
What? This is crazy. But there again, I suppose Lincoln and I did the whole Pairing thing when he made me his Alpha mate, so I guess it’s not too crazy.
“Okay, where do you want me?” I ask, clapping my hands together decisively.
He leers at me. “Now that is a loaded question.”
I glare at him. “I thought you had no interest in me.”
“In marrying you,” he says. “I never said I wasn’t attracted to you.”
“Oh, please. Let’s not do this. I have enough on my plate as it is,” I sigh.
“Mm, yes I’m aware. I sense three but I suspect there are more on your plate than that,” he says, moving closer.
“That’s for me to know. Now back up and tell me about this ritual,” I snap at him.
He holds his hands up and steps back, saying, “Can’t blame a guy for trying. Especially with a Vampire. And especially with you.”
“My sire would beg to differ. And what do you mean ‘especially me?’”
“Ah. I see. Interesting how you mention your sire and not your husband. And your reputation precedes you, my dear.”
Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound very good.
“My husband isn’t prone to ripping people’s heads off,” I say, having the pleasure of seeing him blanch slightly. “What have you heard?”
“Yes, well, I’m sure I can hold my own,” he says confidently. “Only good things, I assure you,” he adds with a wink.