Rule

by Alaska Angelini

  “You sure you don’t read minds, too? I was just about to take you there.” Something flashed over Gina’s face, but she stepped back, spinning to head to one of the doors to the left.

  “Two weeks,” Margo mouthed, watching Gina go.

  “Two weeks?”

  “The request. Put it in in two weeks.” She stepped closer, keeping her tone barely audible. “Aetas is making a mistake. Dehlia can see the outcome. She’s told me, told him, but he refuses to listen. Two weeks, resubmit and seek his council. Do not bring your mate. Come alone and I will stand at your side.” Her eyes rose to mine. “In the meantime … rule. Take Master Delacroix’s position and show Aetas what you’re capable of. It’s still not too late to stop this, but I fear if we prolong much longer, it just might be.”

  I nodded, feeling adrenaline race at the thought of dethroning Marko. He wouldn’t stand for it. It didn’t matter who I was. But I did have the right. I had the power and the blood-status. As for the physical strength … the thought that it would come to that left me sick.

  The door opened and Gina waved me in her direction. I stood straighter, embracing who I was meant to be. If Aetas needed to see a ruler, I’d show him what it meant to lead. “Prepare me a guard,” I whispered to Margo. “Aetas mentioned enforcers. The stronger, the better.”

  Her nod had me turning and heading toward the door Gina stood in. I took deep breaths, pushing my thoughts away as I headed inside the large room. I didn’t trust her to not try to read my fears. With as powerful as she was, I didn’t doubt she would at least try. Until I knew where she stood, I couldn’t trust anyone.

  Three white dresses were laid across a large bed. I swallowed, licking my lips as I looked at them. Tradition. This would be the last time I ever wore white. The color made my think of the past. I could almost imagine the silky material of each one covered in dark crimson.

  Two were elaborately decorated in diamonds. The third was just white silk, low on the shoulders with long sleeves. I pointed, not speaking a word as I pulled at the laces of the dark green dress I wore. I stepped free, glancing down at the black flats still on my feet.

  “Shoes are in the closet,” Gina said, gesturing to the far side of the room. “There’s also an array of crowns. You’ll know which one to take.”

  I slid off the flats, walking nude to the closet. Where once I would have been self-conscious, I felt nothing now. Nothing, but who I was, dragged me forward.

  Light flooded the space and the closet was even bigger than the bedroom. Shoes lined the back wall, where fancy dresses hung to the left. They were covered in plastic, but somehow their beauty still shone through. As I took in the entire right side, glass cases, housing crowns of different sizes and stature, filled the length. Some were plain gold bands that looked to rest on the forehead, much like the one Margo wore. Others were filled with gems and diamonds that were meant to sit high on ones’ head. There were tiaras, wreaths that twisted and turned, filled with branches of jewels. Where some were what was to be expected of royalty, others were black and jagged in their appearance. Eerie and fitting of who we were.

  The more I walked along, the faster my heart raced. There was a calling … an internal ache, I couldn’t understand as I inspected them. Gina’s words came back and I suddenly understood what she had meant. I had no choice in this matter, my vampire did. My blood. Thousands, maybe even millions of years of who I was was searching and seeking out my worth. My path…

  Footsteps had me coming to a stop and my hair tickled my waist as I looked over my shoulder to take in Gina’s expression. She looked just as nervous as I felt. And she had reason to be. This was more than it appeared. My crown would define me, but what would that mean?

  I turned back scanning over the cases. My eyes stopped on a platinum band with rubies, only to move three more crowns down to one of a darker color. The charcoal grey had my pulse increasing until the beat slammed into my chest with unbelievable force. There was no diamonds, no gems or clusters of shiny, fancy decorations. It was a crown with pointy ends. A symbol of a leader. But it wasn’t for show or prestige. It was of glory and death. For fighting while signifying who you were. And it was mine.

  My hands were shaking as I lifted the lid of the glass case. The moment my fingers touched the smooth surface, my powers surged, hugging my insides in a glorious sense of self. But it was anything but happy. It was my evil, my darkness, thriving in its own silent battle cry. I was ready to lead. To project who I was not only from the inside, but now in appearance too. My city had no idea what to expect, but they’d see soon enough. Everyone would know who I was and they’d fear me.

  I lifted, placing the crown on my head, surprised when it slid perfectly into place. It was meant for me. A part of my makeup. Perfect for every aspect of what my life would stand for.

  I turned, watching true, unadulterated fear lace Gina’s eyes as she sank to her knees. Regardless whether she was one of the strongest vampires or not, I was going to be more. I’d always been, and her expression confirmed it. They all had reason to bow. Every single one of them. I could rule. I could take Aetas’ spot when the time came, but not with Hunter being turned. Suddenly, I knew I couldn’t allow that to happen. No matter the cost.

  Gina stood, her head still slightly lowered as I approached. We walked silently to the bed where my chosen dress sat away from the others. Her hands were trembling as she removed the plastic and took the gown off the hanger.

  “I will notify Aetas of your … choice. I’m not sure if Margo told you to resubmit your request but I advise you do so. One week,” she breathed out, uneasily.

  I stepped into the dress, allowing her to pull it up and adjust the laces. I blinked past her words. “Margo told me two weeks.”

  I gasped as she jerked at the laces hard, securing them, and spinning me to face her.

  “One week is the earliest. Resubmit and he will not be able to deny you. Not now,” she rushed out. Her eyes rose to the crown and she immediately took a step back. It was followed by more steps until she was spinning for the closet to grab a pair of white flats. I could tell she wanted to escape me and I wondered why.

  Gina once again sunk to her knees, placing them on the ground before me.

  “Mistress Gina?” The address asked every question I wished to know. When she rose, she fiddled with her dress nervously.

  “Darkness means to lead. The lighter the color, the further away from power one wishes to truly be. Your vampire picked the darkest. It picked his crown.”

  “His?” Confusion had me glancing at my reflection in the mirror. To deny that I was growing even more powerful from my appearance was a lie. I was, and I knew it had to do with what was now decorating my head. Whether it was feeding who I was just by being connected to me, or it held remnants of the previous owner’s energy, I wasn’t sure.

  “Aetas,” she hissed. “It was his centuries ago. Before he chose another. You’re following in his footsteps. Dehlia would say it’s a sign of what she’s seen. She’ll stand with us to state your case, although I feel as though she’s your biggest support.” Gina’s mouth clamped shut, only for her to lower her voice. “Not here. I will accompany you and Margo to your city.”

  I nodded, allowing her to lead and open the door. When I walked through, Margo and another female vampire’s heads jerked from the group of men they were speaking to. The red haired woman’s arm locked onto Margo’s bicep and she took gasping breaths.

  “I saw this,” she said, loudly. “I told you.”

  Margo reached up, leading the woman closer to me. Her expression was fearful, yet almost in awe.

  “You must be Dehlia,” I said, stopping before them.

  “Yes. I…” She threw a glance to Margo and then Gina before she turned back to me. “It was the gold crown with the rubies or this one. I saw the contemplation in my dream. You weren’t sure which one you were going to choose, but you reached for the throne. You reach for this one. You wish to lead us?”

&n
bsp; I scanned the women’s faces, so young, so vulnerable in the moment. But they were anything but weak, and ancient. They were the best. The strongest of our kind and they’d back me. I could tell they wanted to.

  “I was meant for this. I will rule.”

  “Not if Aetas has his way,” Dehlia said, looking over her shoulder as if someone was there. “You know what he wishes to do?”

  “I do, and I’m sorry, but I can’t allow the human to take my spot. He tried to kill me. That alone warrants his death. Aetas cannot overlook that. There are rules, laws, aren’t there?”

  The women grew quiet, telling me all I needed to know. I clenched my fists knowing the time to talk about a solution wasn’t now. Not under this roof.

  I moved my attention to the group of men standing a little ways off. My guard. My protectors.

  I may have not needed them when it came down to defending myself, but their presence was exactly what I did need. It showed my true status. They were there to prove a point and I’d need the impact if I was going to stake my claim where it belonged. Over the city … over Marko.

  Chapter 22

  Marko

  The cloud of fear perfuming the vicinity around me as I paced a small section of the heart of the city was something I was getting used to when dealing with the vampires under my leadership. Cort and Ronny constantly shifted on their feet as their story poured from them in a gush of stumbling words.

  “Slow down,” I bit out. “What do you mean Boyd took the human? And what’s this about drinking blood?”

  Cort ran his fingers through his short hair as he tried to catch his breath. “We wanted to come back last night, but it was impossible. It was too close to sunrise for us to make it by the time Boyd, or the man, left.”

  “Stop right there.” My hand rose and I glanced at the table of members who were still in the middle of their feeding. Although they were occupied, I knew they were listening to every word that was spoken.

  “Hunter. He came through the tunnels under the base like you suspected. He killed Abbot and he was giving us a hell of a fight. Even broke Ronny’s neck. Well, Boyd got to him before I could and out of nowhere, Hunter bit his neck. He was feeding, like one of us. That’s when I noticed something wasn’t right. Boyd’s scent changed and it was like it wasn’t him at all, even if it did look like him. He just stood there, letting Hunter drink his blood. That’s when shit started to get … weird.”

  I blinked past the words. I knew Hunter held Sayer’s blood. Of course, he’d crave the substance, even if he wasn’t one of us.

  “Hunter started yelling, screaming, like he was in pain. He started to go crazy, throwing himself in the wall with all of his strength. Boyd just started laughing. He was…” Cort swallowed hard. “No disrespect Master, but the power Boyd had, it was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It … scared me. I…”

  Sweat was beginning to bead on my skin. Aetas. Had it been him? There wasn’t too many more vampires who was more powerful than I was.

  “What happened next?” My hand gripped tighter to the back of my chair.

  “Boyd…” Ronny threw a look to Cort, but continued. “He started speaking some sort of language we’ve never heard before. It was as though Hunter understood. Like, he was following orders to whatever he was saying. He stop being aggressive to himself and stood at attention. Like a soldier. Boyd would say something and he’d react with some sort of movement. It was like he was being programmed or something. I don’t know. We kept quiet and in the background until they left.”

  “And their leaving!” Cort’s eyes were wide. “They just disappeared into thin air. Just, gone. Humans can’t do that. Not even with a master at their side. It wasn’t right. Nothing about what went down last night was normal.”

  “You may go,” I bit out. “Don’t speak of this again or you won’t have a tongue left when I get done with you.”

  The vampires went rigid before they nodded and practically ran away. I pulled out my chair, glancing at the worried faces of my members. “Meeting after we finish.” My words were quiet, but I knew they heard. I sat back down, staring ahead in a daze. My mind was running a million miles a minute. Hunter did mention Aetas showing him Tessa. That meant he had his sights set on Hunter, but what were his intentions?

  My jaw clenched. I didn’t understand any of this. Aetas had said I had time to take care of Hunter on my own, but he hadn’t given me that. It made me shake my head, pissed. Was he letting Tessa get her revenge? If that was the case, I could be okay with that. She deserved to see him suffer, but damn, I wished I could see it too.

  “Master.” Anastasia’s eyes shot up to the ceiling. “We have guests. Unexpected ones.”

  My hands pushed against the table as I rose. “Who is it? Do you know?”

  “They’re coming through the house. I’m … not sure. Such power,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “Margo.” Even though I knew she couldn’t see what was before her, her eyes jetted back and forth, wildly. “So many. I…” She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to bring her attention back to me. “It’s a group. Margo for sure, but a few are member worthy. One in particular holds a different sort of power. She’s to be watched very carefully. Her entitlement. It’s great. So much so,” she said, shuddering. “I can’t read her.”

  Anastasia didn’t have to say another word. My bond pulled, tugging at me internally. My chair flew out as I jumped to my feet and I couldn’t stop the excitement that surged through. The beat of my heart was positively thrumming in my chest.

  “She’s back,” I whispered. “My mate is who you feel, Anastasia. That’s Princess Tessalyn. She’s come home.”

  Slowly, the members rose. The shock and fear on their face made my vampire thrive. It made me proud. The need to rush toward the stairs all but killed me. Although I wanted to, I held my place at the head of the table, waiting. Watching. What greeted me wasn’t what I expected.

  A mass of men, eight to be exact, poured from the stairs, two at a time. They halted, separating to allow Tessa to get in between them. Black eyes of the enforcers took in everything. They were in their vampire form, never allowed to escape their monsters while they did as instructed. Usually they were meant to take out threats in specific cases, but here, they played more of a role. They were guarding royalty. From what, I wondered? Tessa wasn’t in danger here.

  Vampires and slaves cowered as the guards flanked Tessa, Margo, and Gina. Although I was confused by the other members’ arrival, I only had eyes for my beautiful mate. She’d left me here in a white gown. Now she was back wearing another. Could it mean what I hoped it would?

  I broke from the table, heading to the center of the room to meet her. A smile came to her face and I could see the impatience. She wanted to run, and fuck if I didn’t want to either. Was she here for good?

  “Princess Tessalyn.” I grabbed the hand she extended, bowing the top half of my body as I placed a kiss on her knuckles. The scent of her skin nearly made me moan. I couldn’t stop myself from flipping her hand over and placing my lips against her wrist, too. The pointed end of a dagger pushed into my throat and I stiffened.

  “He’s not a threat,” she said, sternly.

  The blade disappeared and I rose, glaring at the vampire to her left. His dark skin and darker eyes left him looking more menacing than I had thought when I’d first taken a glimpse.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, smiling. “They’re a little overprotective. That’s a good thing.”

  “Yes,” I said, reaching for her hand. “Better protective than not enough so.” I glanced at Margo and Gina, feeling the leader in me snap into action. “Please, let us get another table. Had I been expecting you, I would have made it formal. Have you fed?”

  “Yes,” Margo said. “We wish to speak with you alone. Then we will go.”

  I clenched tighter to Tessa’s hand, going to lead them to the back, when she planted her feet.

  “Talking can wait. I do believe we were disturbed dur
ing a very special day. If it’s alright with you, I think I’d like to pick up where we left off. I mean, everyone’s already here.”

  My smile couldn’t have gotten any bigger. I searched her eyes, nodding through the happiness I felt. “I’d be honored.”

  “Margo.” Tessa turned toward her and I didn’t miss the unspoken words they seemed to somehow communicate. It had me looking between them curiously. Had they gotten so close since the last time I saw them? And there was something else. Power. Yes, Tessa had soared in strength since we’d been separated. Maybe even surpassing me. It had me looking over her again as if she were a stranger. My eyes stopped at the crown on her head and I felt my fingers break from hers.

  “Who gave you that?” I whispered.

  The underlining of anger, I couldn’t hide. There was something about the energy that came from her crown I didn’t like.

  “No one gave it to me. I chose it. It belongs to me.”

  I swallowed past the need to pry or argue. Fuck, I’d just gotten her back. The last thing I needed to do was pick a fight. I just wanted what was best for her. This new entourage, the new crown, it was going to take some getting used to. The crown I might be able to deal with, but the enforcers… Maybe they’d leave once she settled in. Even though I thought it, I wasn’t so sure. Something was different. I tried not to think about it as I blocked it away.

  I turned to the room, knowing they felt the call I was emitting. It was one of pride. One of finalization. It was time Tessa and I made it official and nothing was going to stop us this time.

  Margo took her place in front of us, grasping Tessa’s hands as she leaned forward, whispering in her ear. As she nodded, Gina moved up to her side. My finger laced with Tessa’s the moment she broke free of the Axis member. She faced me, letting happiness shine through her eyes.

  “We gather here tonight in a moment of joining. In a beginning that marks not only a great new era, but an alliance between two people that will undoubtedly go down in history.