Claimed Beauty (The Cubi Book 2)
Page 25
“Are you sorry we gave you life?” Roardon asked.
“No, I’m just sorry about the circumstances.”
“This can wait,” Geodin said, taking Daniel’s hand. He looked at her and nodded. “Lord Roardon, we didn’t just summon you here to be told that a Halfling of yours had been collected by a hunting party. Information like this is not usually something we deal with, as you well know.”
“Yes, Grand Lady.”
“We summoned you here to be told that your son, Daniel, is our Prince.”
Roardon froze, staring agape. “Oh, shit,” he finally whispered and covered his mouth.
“Daniel, I would advise you to at least make friends with your dad as you need as many allies as possible until you rise to take the throne. By the look of the red specs in your eyes, I’d say that will be sooner than expected. Something good came of Seldon only being allowed to feed from you.”
“Yes, Grand Lady,” Daniel said and took Seldon’s hand.
“Geodin, My Prince,” she whispered.
“Daniel,” Daniel whispered, grinning.
“About that. You will be given a new name here.”
“What will it be?” Daniel asked.
“You may choose your own name,” Grand Lord Ildon said. “It will begin with Nol.”
“Sovereign,” Daniel said, nodding, and Seldon smiled proudly. “And my surname will be that of Lord Roardon, correct?”
“Echleo-Nil,” Roardon said.
Daniel smiled at Seldon. “Same as yours. Will you chose my name?”
“Me? If that honor should go to anyone it should be your father,” Seldon said, not missing the grateful look on Roardon’s face.
“You’re the one raising me to this world.”
Seldon certainly didn’t miss the look of shame from that comment. “That’s a very disrespectful comment to your father’s face, Daniel,” Seldon said. “You have to remember that the way we do things are different from the human world, and we do them to survive. Do not disrespect your father for following the rules and laws of our kind.” Seldon left no doubt that he was in fact scolding Daniel for his disrespectful tone. Prince or no Prince, Daniel had just phrased Seldon’s role as the one raising him to the Cubi world, and that was what Seldon was doing by correcting him.
Daniel nodded and turned his attention to Roardon. “I’m sorry for my snappy comment. That I’m both confused and sad about all the changes around and in me shouldn’t be aired like this.”
Roardon smiled at what even Seldon would call a sincere apology. “Apology accepted. I hope you will allow us the opportunity to get to know each other.”
“Have you ever looked in on me?”
“In a manner of speaking. But I’ve never seen you. Each Lord who goes to procreate outside the House of Dahlidin—now the Kingdom of you—has Minglers looking out for the offspring. We’re not allowed close before you’re ready to be empowered because we would want to be closer to you once we know of you.”
“Were you told I disappeared two weeks ago?”
“Yes, and I have been worried.”
Daniel nodded, looking at the table, thinking.
“May I suggest we share the honor of naming you?” Seldon asked. Daniel looked up, mulling over Seldon’s idea. Then he smiled and nodded.
“Good,” Grand Lord Ildon said. “Shall we move on to inform the young Prince of what we know and what the laws say about a Prince?”
“Yes, please,” Daniel said.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sitting across from his biological father, Daniel had needed time to process it. The fact the guy wanted to attack Seldon had not warmed Daniel to him, and he wondered if he instead shouldn’t feel the opposite. Shouldn’t he be happy that his dad would defend him?
Seldon had been right in scolding him for being disrespectful. Daniel wanted to show his father that Seldon was not to be disrespected, but instead Daniel managed to disrespect him in front of the entire Grand House through his own actions. He would do better, he vowed and paid attention as Lord Ildon moved the meeting along.
“As you have not been schooled yet in our history, please stop us to ask questions if you need clarification, My Prince,” Ildon said.
“May I have some paper and a pen? I might need to take a few notes,” Daniel asked, feeling ridiculous for asking.
Geodin looked over her shoulder, and Daniel saw a purple-eyed woman leave. Daniel caught Caledon looking at him. The Lord smiled and mouthed nerd, making Daniel smother a grin.
“It will be brought to you,” Lord Ildon said and continued. “Since the time of Nil-Kardin, the first Queen, Grand Lords and Ladies have been the advisers and caretakers in the monarchies. When the next Prince emerged, he was young, like yourself, and Nil-Kardin decided that the responsibilities of the Kingdom should lie in the hands of the Grand Council until the Prince came of age. The higher you rise in energy, the more responsibility you will gain sovereign rein over. Until then you may comment. Upon becoming a green-eye, you will be publicly crowned Prince, and you will take a seat at every Grand Council meeting where we will ask your opinions and debate them with you in order to also teach you and share with you our knowledge.
“No matter your level of energy, you are always and should always let us know if you disagree with something.”
Lord Ildon left off there for another Lord who stood, bowed his head at Daniel and introduced himself as Grand Lord Neardon.
“In the beginning of your new life here as the Prince of this Kingdom, there will be many changes. It is our objective to make these as easy on you as possible. You will be given an apartment suitable to house you and your staff—”
Daniel snapped his head around to look at Seldon. He wasn’t leaving him, right?
“I will not be leaving you. For at least four hundred thirty-six years.”
“So you’re coming?”
“Yes.”
Daniel smiled and turned to look at Neardon again. “I’m sorry for the interruption. Please continue.”
“No need, My Prince. Please ask questions when you have them.” Neardon smiled before continuing. “Every Lord and Lady of the Grand Houses will be at your disposal, but you are of course allowed to choose your own advisers. It is, after all, natural to form closer bonds with some rather than others.”
Daniel put down advisers on his pad and Caledon followed by a question mark.
“The Grand House also wishes to tutor you as it is our objective to help you become a good king.”
Daniel put down Geodin under advisers, remembering her statement about a good King being one who knew the entirety of his Kingdom on every level. He also contemplated the essay he had almost finished for Caledon about his thoughts on the way the House worked and the way he had seen everybody cooperate and take pride in their job at making the House of Caledon work. And that’s when the nerves kicked in at realizing he was actually attending his first lessons to become a king.
Seldon put an arm around his shoulder and leaned in closer, making Daniel feel safer and less alone.
The Grand Lords and Ladies continued, one by one standing up, introducing themselves, and informing Daniel of something new and different. As they talked, purple-eyed Cubi came in and served lunch for Daniel and Seldon’s children while placing a variety of drinks on the table, ranging from coffee and tea to juice, soda, and something Daniel had no idea what it was. He stuck with a soda with his sandwich, feeling a different hunger slowly rise on his skin.
“Do you have any questions at this time, Daniel?” Geodin asked.
“Yeah. When will we be moving?”
“Tomorrow.”
Daniel gaped. “I have to find people before tomorrow?”
“No, we’ll help you. Our staff will help you, too.” Geodin smiled and patted Daniel’s hand. “It would be wise of you to choose someone, temporary is fine, to help you through this first time.”
“From the Grand House?”
“Preferable.”
“I will be at your service,” she said and smiled proudly. “It is also necessary for you to think of dosers because both you and Seldon have to be dosed as often as possible, preferably daily from now on by a purple-eye to raise you as fast as possible.”
“I’ve been Seldon’s primary doser for almost thirty years, and I’d like to continue that,” Caledon said.
“A primary to your own Sire?” Roardon asked.
“I dose all my sires,” Caledon said, looking slightly defensive. Roardon just shrugged.
“Will you be mine, too?” Daniel asked to get them back on subject.
“Oh shit, cub,” Caledon said, laughing. “I’d love to, but I think I’d need help sometimes.”
Daniel nodded, thinking Caledon would be very busy if he had to dose them both. Then again, they could do that with the three of them. That could be fun. That was the hunger talking.
“I’ll volunteer to help,” Geodin said and winked at Daniel who remembered that with the change to Seldon’s sentence he would no longer be forced to be the only one to feed Daniel. And Daniel’s bigger hunger, because he was so young, meant he needed more than Seldon and Caledon could provide if they were supposed to function with their responsibilities, too. One thing was that Daniel wanted to feed as much as possible on Seldon, another was that he couldn’t.
“I’d like that,” Daniel said and rubbed the skin on his neck.
“Hungry?” Seldon whispered, leaning in.
“Getting there,” Daniel replied quietly.
“Then let’s hope we’re done, soon.”
“I do have another question,” Daniel said, looking around the table. “When will it be announced that the House of Dahlidin has a Prince?”
“Tonight. But your identity will be kept for a while still, for you to settle in,” Ildon said.
“Thank you.”
“Shall we cut this short?” Geodin asked. The Grand Lords and Ladies agreed, and everybody stood. Geodin handed Daniel a folder. “In here are phone numbers and where everyone in your Grand Council lives. We have included a list of questions. Take your time to answer them. It’s important you give each one thought.”
“I don’t have a phone,” Daniel said, but accepted the folder.
“I do, and you get to use it, too,” Seldon said, fishing it out and punching something into it. He then handed Roardon the phone. “Would you add your number so Daniel can find you when he needs you?”
Roardon smiled and took the phone to add his number. “I’m Lord of the Eighth House under Grand Lord Neardon. I’ll show you around one day if you’d like.”
So far, the only House he had been in was Caledon’s, and he wondered if there could be that many differences. “I’d like that,” Daniel said, remembering something he also wanted to know. “Do you have Cubi born children, too?”
“Yes. Six. Four girls and two boys. All empowered. When you are ready, you can meet them.” Roardon handed Seldon his phone back. An awkward silence followed, and Daniel busied himself by looking in the folder.
“How about I follow you back, and we take care of today’s dose,” Caledon suggested.
“Yeah.” Daniel looked at Roardon. No way was he going to call him Dad anytime soon. “I’ll see you soon, I guess.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” Roardon smiled and stepped back as if excluding himself from the following conversation, but he didn’t leave. Daniel hugged Geodin. She laughed warmly and hugged him back. “I’ll see you tomorrow when I come by with people to help you begin your move.”
“Okay, thanks.” Daniel then bid the rest from the Grand House farewell.
A new mark had been painted on the door to Seldon’s apartment—this one not an angry red but green.
“What does it say?” Daniel asked.
Seldon smiled. “Vindicated.”
“Good.”
“We better go so you guys can get dosed,” Marcadon said, squeezing Daniel’s shoulder.
“Will you be helping us move?” Seldon asked.
“No, I have my orders for tomorrow,” Marcadon said.
“And I’ll be leaving tomorrow with my team,” Rosadin said.
“I'll help,” Talidon said. “After noon because that’s when my shift ends.”
“See you tomorrow then,” Seldon said and hugged his children. They left, and Seldon unlocked the door.
It felt strange to enter the apartment now. Tomorrow they’d be relocated to another, bigger apartment. Maybe one the size of Caledon’s. Daniel hadn’t even seen all of it the day he was there and the breeder George had shown him some of it.
“Seldon,” Daniel said, stopping in the hallway. Seldon stopped and turned to face him. “Are you sorry you have to leave your apartment?”
Seldon took a deep breath and glanced at Caledon who seemed to read between the lines that his presence wasn’t needed for that conversation, so he continued down the hallway and turned toward the bedroom. Seldon turned to Daniel again and put his hands on his shoulders.
“I hate moving, but to be honest, all the gross things that have been smeared on my door and that damn mark then…I don’t know, this place feels sullied somehow. So no, I don’t mind. But more importantly, you moved in here with me. Now I move in with you. If you want, we can make a home together.”
A smile stretched uncomfortably wide on Daniel’s face, and he hugged Seldon tightly. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Now, let’s go get dosed.”
Meraki P. Lyhne is a Danish author who mainly writes contemporary paranormal MM and MMM, some with a HEA, some with a HFN, and some with white-knuckling cliffhangers.
Meraki P. Lyhne is also published by eXtasy Books
To learn more:
www.merakiplyhne.com
www.extasybooks.com/meraki-p-lyhne
Also by Meraki P. Lyhne
Chronicles of an Earned
Anchored in Stone #1
Two Sides of a Coin #2
Marked by Shadow #3
Saving Starfish #4
Chronicles of an Earned is a series where you’ll meet the entire spectrum of the paranormal. Where good and evil isn’t black and white, where Angels can be wrong, Demons not always the evil ones, and where witches, warlocks, and wizards aren’t as clear cut as general culture has you believe. Here, historical and mythological facts are twisted but kept as reliable and true to their sources as possible.
All this with a side dish of hot and sweet MM.