by Sunny
For a moment, there was only the sound of my sharp, indrawn breath.
“With that one drop of blood,” the Queen Mother said, “Blaec took a strong Queen and made her even stronger. With the High Lord of Hell’s powerful backing, I changed and reordered things to what they are now, forming courts out of mixed-clan individuals. I created High Court and the High Queen’s Council and established stable rule, putting a stop to all the squabbling. It was a secret Blaec and I have long kept. A secret shared only by his children, Halcyon, his son, who lends his support to High Court in Blaec’s place now, Lucinda, his daughter . . . and now you.”
“If no one else knows,” I asked carefully, “why are you telling me this?”
“Because I’m old, my dear, old beyond my natural years.” The Queen Mother was the only Monère who looked old among us, the only one who had wrinkles. White hair was common after hitting your second century, but not wrinkles; Monère skin remained relatively unlined, leaving you looking thirty-five until you died. The Queen Mother had been the exception to this rule. Now I knew why.
“I hoped you would be my successor,” the Queen Mother said, astounding me even further. Before I could say anything . . . even think of anything to say, she continued speaking. “But then you began developing demon traits and my hopes were dashed. But now, my dear, it seems we both have a second chance.”
“Queen Mother,” I began with a calm that quickly evaporated, “there’s no way in hell I can take your place.”
She chuckled. “No way in hell . . . Ah, but you are wrong. It is because of your connection to Hell and its current ruler, Halcyon, that makes you the natural choice as my successor. What I accomplished would have been impossible without Blaec’s strong backing.”
“I don’t want to be the next Queen Mother.” It wasn’t quite a wail, but it was real close. “You’re not going to die soon or anything like that, are you?”
“Child,” the Queen Mother said with gentle amusement, “I have been dying for many years now, but it is a slow, ongoing process, not imminent, if that’s what you’re asking. As to being the next Queen Mother . . . what if I gave you another choice? A choice to make your own path?”
“What choice?” I asked cautiously.
“What I chose for our people was the best solution for that time. But, alas, time has moved on, and the world around us has changed while we have not. We’ve been stable, but stagnant. Tell me, Mona Lisa. If you could change the rules, would you choose to do so?”
I cursed not being able to see her face. How honest could I be here? “Queen Mother . . .” I said, pausing.
“You may speak frankly with me,” she encouraged.
“The rogues . . . how the Queens kill off their strongest men—that I wish most to see changed.”
“And how would you change this?”
That was the kicker. “I don’t know. If I could, I would offer them all shelter, but Lord Thorane warned me about—”
“Building up an army out of proportion to your territory. Yes, I asked him to warn you thus before you collected any more powerful men, as you seemed inclined to do, at quite a rapid pace. What, however, if the breadth of your territory suddenly expanded?”
“Beyond Louisiana? Did any of the neighboring Queens die?” I asked, alarmed.
“No, all the current territories and Queens are quite stable and in good health, at the moment. I am confusing you with this roundabout talk,” she said, chiding herself, and paused a moment to gather her thoughts and words. “We always knew that one day we would be discovered. It was simply a matter of time with all this new technology. The choice we are faced with now is whether to use this opportunity to make ourselves known to the world or to sweep it under the rug once again, as we have always done, and continue on with our secret existence. I leave the choice up to you.”
“Me?” My voice squeaked.
“Yes. We’ve determined the male to be a rogue by the name of Jarvis, who fled his Queen three years ago. The girl, however, appears to be human. I’ve asked the DC territory Queen to hold off taking any action for the moment, but that situation cannot hold for long. Both Jarvis and the girl are being taken to a hospital, accompanied, or rather surrounded, should I say, by human law enforcement. What I need to know is if you are willing to serve as our Monère ambassador.”
“Wait . . . wait. You want me to introduce the Monères to the rest of the world? Why me?”
“Can you think of any other Queen able to do so?” Her tone was quite dry.
Okay, put that way, I could see her point. “All right, I agree most of the other Queens are too arrogant.” Beyond arrogant, actually. “But what about the more reasonable ones, like Mona Carlisse?”
“Not as disastrous as the others,” the Queen Mother granted, “but aside from the fact that she is still recovering from the ordeal of being raped and enslaved for over ten years by outlaw rogues, Mona Carlisse’s contact with humans is too limited. She has only the most basic concept of human law.”
“What about my mother, Mona Sera?” She was the territory Queen of Manhattan. “From what Gryphon told me, she has plenty of business dealings with humans. Some politicians, too, I gather.”
“Mona Sera, who abandoned you at birth because of your mixed blood? Who drugs her people with aphrodisiacs and prostitutes them out for monetary gain and economic influence? To have her represent us? I think not,” said the Queen Mother coldly. “I’d sooner trust our peoples’ welfare to a rabid mongoose than to her.”
That put paid to that suggestion plainly enough. “Why does it have to be a Queen? What about the Morells? They spent almost twenty years living among humans.”
“As rogues. They’d be swatted down like flies, assassinated by the first Queen who didn’t like our secrets being made public.”
My voice thinned, became a little bit shrill. “And I won’t?”
“You are the High Prince of Hell’s chosen mate; his mantle of protection over you is more substantial than you realize. The threat of possibly endless torture and punishment during afterlife is a potent deterrent for even your most hateful enemy.”
“That might cover the Monères, but what about the threat from humans themselves?”
“You will have to charm them.”
I huffed out an exasperated breath. “That’s not even close to being funny.” It was ridiculous what she was asking me to do. To risk. “I have absolutely no training for this.”
“You have the best training among us. You have lived among humans all your life, are familiar with their byways and laws, and—what no other Queen or Council member can claim—you are part human. Part human and part Monère. No one else can bridge our two worlds better, Mona Lisa.” Her voice grew softer, though no less urgent. “No one else has a more valiant and generous heart. Trust me on this, when I say there is no other among us that can serve as a more fitting or more ideal representative.”
“And if I don’t? If I select the other option of sweeping this all under the rug?”
“Then the rogue and the girl will be discreetly killed, and a concentrated effort of eliminating other troublesome rogues will follow.”
She gave me a moment to process this before continuing. “You have an opportunity to change things, my dear—our rules and laws and very way of living. Under the current individual court and territory system, there is no room for males who become too powerful for their Queens, other than to desert and become outlaw rogues, or risk being killed. A great waste of talent and strength, not to mention Monère lives. The problem before was there was no useful purpose for them to serve. But that can all change if the Monère come out publicly.”
“How?”
“That is for you and I to decide and negotiate.” The canny Queen Mother knew she had a hard-and-fast grip on my interest now. “I cannot risk the other Queens.”
“Only me,” I said, smiling wryly.
“I value you more than any other Queen,” she said, her voice clipped. “That is the h
ardest part for me, to give you this choice. I am only willing to allow this risk for the greatest possible gain. Plus, you have proven to be a survivor. I am trusting in that. But enough. For practical matters, I can send only you and those of your people who are willing to tread this path with you out into the public eye. If none are willing, I will send some of my own men.”
“So it’s only going to be a handful of us.”
“Not if you can entice others to join you,” she offered ingeniously. “There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of outcast Monère living among the humans, outside of our society.”
“You’re talking about rogues,” I breathed, suddenly seeing where she was going with this. “And how would I go about enticing these rogues to put their necks alongside mine on this chopping block of a public outing?”
“By granting them full pardon and allowing them to become part of an official court once again.”
I laughed, amazed and appalled, excited and entranced by what she was proposing. “So you would have outcast rogues serve as Monère representatives. How utterly practical. Okay,” I purred. “Let’s bargain.”
TWENTY-THREE
THE BARE BONES of it all fell into place within hours: an hour on the phone with the Queen Mother, another hour talking to my own people, one more hour to pack what we would be taking with us. Then we were on our way to the airport.
Amber met us there.
My greedy heart gave an exultant cry as our car pulled up next to his in the short-term parking lot of the airport. “I didn’t know if you were coming,” I said, stepping out of the car.
“When you asked me to build with you what my heart never dared dreamed for or imagined would ever be possible, how could I not?” he said as I flew into his arms.
We held each other tightly.
“The risk . . .” I said against his chest.
“Is one we are all willing to take for that glorious possibility of maybe . . . just maybe,” he rumbled against me.
“Like, just maybe we can pull this crazy thing off,” Quentin finished dryly.
“Hey, pup.” Amber released me and swept his approving eyes over the rest of our group. “Glad to see you’re coming, too.”
“You kidding? Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Quentin said, smiling. “My timing in leaving Mona Maretta couldn’t have been more perfect. Makes me almost, like, prescient.”
“Or just damn lucky,” Dante muttered, messing up his brother’s hair.
“How could I not come,” Quentin said, eyes laughing as he ducked away and smoothed down his glossy locks, “after you jumped on board? Had to make sure my big brother stayed out of trouble.”
“And where our two sons go,” Nolan added, his big arm around his smiling wife, “Hannah and I go, too.”
Dontaine’s gaze met Amber’s. “Like you, Lord Amber, my place is beside our lady.”
Amber’s eyes rested last on Chami, standing beside Thaddeus.
“Nope, I’m just the driver,” Chami said to the silent question in Amber’s eyes. “I’ll be staying behind, watching over everything.”
“Ah. The new master at arms?”
“That would be Tomas,” said Chami.
Amber made a sound of approval. “A good choice.”
Chami grinned. “My sole charge will be to keep an eye on our new young master here, Lord Thaddeus.”
Thaddeus blushed and made a face. “Don’t call me that.”
“It will be your title,” I said without sympathy. “Get used to it.” It had been part of my agreement with the Queen Mother, after speaking with my brother. That Thaddeus would rule over the Louisiana territory in my place, and Amber’s as well, which would recombine back into the single original territory. It had been a shock to the Queen Mother, learning that a male could draw down the moon’s rays and Bask. But a small shock, quickly absorbed, among all the other jarring changes about to occur.
“Until she can find a replacement,” Thaddeus said now in clarification. “Then I can join you guys.”
“Not allowed until things settle down and stabilize,” I said firmly. That had been the one thing we had argued most about. “We’re about to shake up the world, Thaddeus. It will be dangerous enough coming out as the first male able to Bask. First let the Monères get used to you, then we’ll consider the rest of the world.”
“How long do you think it’ll take for things to settle down?” my brother asked wistfully.
“I don’t know. A year at the earliest, if we’re lucky. Heck, we might stumble at the first step—getting legal rights for the Monère people—and come crawling back here before you know it.”
“Won’t happen. You won’t fail,” Thaddeus said with the blithe assurance of youth.
“I pray not,” was my soft reply. Gathering our luggage, we made our way down to the terminal for private jets.
I was taking Hannah and Dontaine away—a healer and my master at arms—but I wasn’t leaving Thaddeus wholly bereft. My brother had some healing ability himself, his control of that useful talent coming along rather nicely after training under Hannah over the past months. Steady, faithful Tomas would be taking up Dontaine’s mantle, a good responsibility for the older warrior who had been underutilized, really. I’d had an abundance of older, powerful Monère males—some of them had been rogues, in fact, like Aquila—who would continue overseeing the business side of things. Rosemary would capably continue in her role as chatelaine, with her Mixed Blood children staying safely here with her. Jamie had wanted to come, but as with Thaddeus, I had deemed it too dangerous at this initial stage. The strong pull of Wiley, the young and wild Mixed Blood boy Tersa had taken responsibility for, kept her anchored safely at home.
Last, but not least, there was Chami, my very talented, deadly chameleon. I trusted Chami to keep my brother safe. I knew that he, Aquila, and Tomas would guard Thaddeus with their lives—he was as precious to them as to me. Their unique hope.
The Queen Mother and Lord Thorane were already aboard the private jet, waiting for us. We knelt in the aisle and entryway in respectful genuflection.
“Rise,” said the Queen Mother, her presence as commanding in the small airplane as if she had been seated on her throne. “Ah, a wise selection,” she noted astutely, taking a quick inventory of my people.
“And very fortunate, on my part,” I said, “that they are willing to venture forth in this matter with me. The Morells are already quite familiar with human society, as is Dontaine, my master at arms, who supervised most of the businesses in New Orleans under his former Queen’s rule. And Amber—”
“As a Warrior Lord, is the perfect male to beckon forth frightened, disenfranchised rogues out of hiding, serving as the ultimate example of what they could be.” The Queen Mother’s eyes glinted with approval.
“So we hope. Amber has agreed to relinquish his current territory to head up the new District Court we hope to form.”
“I do not know if that serves as an advancement or regression in status, Lord Amber,” the Queen Mother said with a small nod.
“Advancement, most certainly, Queen Mother,” Amber replied, bowing his head low. “I wish to thank you on behalf of all the lost warriors out there for the opportunity to serve you in this extraordinary way—for the blanket pardon you are willing to issue them.”
“It is a matter clearly close to your heart,” she said with kind observance, “but do not thank me yet. It is good that you believe so fervently in this cause. Hold on to it tightly. It will sustain you during the hard road ahead as you carve this new path for us. Though we will not be visible, be assured that you have my gratitude and High Court’s full support in this matter, as much as we can render.” Her voice grew dry as she glanced at me. “Though I do wish you hadn’t made us go through all the trouble of dividing your territory into two parts, only to recombine them once again, a few months later. Try and plan better in the future.”
“Yes, Queen Mother,” I said meekly.
“Chameleo,” the Q
ueen Mother said, addressing Chami by his full name.
Chami paled beneath the Queen Mother’s scrutiny and gave a courtly bow. “At your service, Queen Mother.”
“That was my next question, in fact—who will you be serving? Do you stay or do you go?”
“I will be staying with young master Thaddeus, honorable Queen Mother.”
“Ah,” she said. “A good choice.”
Her glance fell on my brother, and I took the opportunity to introduce them. “Queen Mother, Lord Thorane, I would like to present to you my brother, Thaddeus Schiffer.”
Thaddeus bowed, imitating Chami’s courtly gesture. It came out endearingly clumsy.
“An honor and pleasure to meet you, Queen Mother, Lord Thorane,” Thaddeus murmured.
“Everyone please have a seat,” the Queen Mother said. She gestured Thaddeus to the chair across from her; Lord Thorane, the only one she had brought for this secure and private conversation, remained standing behind her. As a courtesy, the rest of us took seats near the front of the cabin where Lord Thorane could easily see all of us.
“I am glad we are able to meet, rushed though our time must be,” the Queen Mother said graciously to Thaddeus. “Pray tell me, now, in your own words, how you came to discover your ability to Bask.”
She listened intently while Thaddeus awkwardly recited the past events. His first experience with Basking had been when outlaw rogues had snatched me to replace the Queen I had freed from their enslavement. I had drawn down the moon’s rays.
Surrounded by Monères, feeling the tug himself, Thaddeus had instinctively pulled down the moonlight as well, to the amazement of us all.
“You shared this light with others?” the Queen Mother asked.
“Yes, with the rogues who were standing nearest me,” Thaddeus answered.
