The Royal Flush (Knights of the Darkness Chronicles(Book Three))

by Simmons, D. N.

  Natasha’s father leaned forward, keeping his eyes on the two vampires. “I see my daughter here is going to try to avoid the issue, but I’m curious”

  “Dad,” Natasha silenced her father in a hushed voice. “Don’t embarrass me.”

  “Whatever do you mean?” her mom asked, feigning innocence.

  Natasha smirked.

  “Fine. Mom, Dad I wanted to tell you in person that Darian, Xavier and I are in a relationship. Now, I know that may be very confusing and difficult for you to accept. You’re both pretty old school and my relationship may seem unconventional to you, at best. Even I think I’m still getting used to the idea, but it’s my choice to be with them. I hope you can understand that I’m pretty happy, make that extremely happy, and I just hope that you can accept our being together.” She exhaled a long breath.

  “Well, that was a mouthful,” her mother stated.

  “Yes it was,” her father agreed.

  “Who are you trying to convince, your father and I or yourself?” her mother asked.

  “Mom, it’s not like that, I’m just nervous right now.”

  Her parents stared at the three of them for a few seconds, then her mother spoke.

  “Well, I’m not going to lie to you, Tasha. This is extremely unorthodox. I’m a bit uncomfortable with the fact that you’re engaged in this type of relationship.”

  “Mom”

  Her mother held her hand up. “Let me finish.”

  Natasha sat back against the cushions of the booth, silent.

  Her mother continued.

  “Natasha, as you know... we’ve wanted nothing but the best for you. We both want to see you happy and healthy. If you feel that you will be happy with these two young men, then I’m going to step aside and let you live your life. Besides, lord knows it takes at least five men to make one good one these days.” Her mother chuckled at her own joke as did Natasha.

  Darian and Xavier looked at Natasha, one eyebrow raised.

  “What? It was funny,” she whispered in her defense having noticed their questioning expressions.

  “I mean no harm. But I will say this, do not mistreat my baby girl,” her mother, Marian Hemingway, warned the two vampires.

  “Of course not, Mrs. Hemingway,” Darian said reassuringly, adding his signature charm.

  “Good, as long as we have an understanding.” Her mother blushed slightly having sampled a bit of Darian’s allure. She was beginning to see why her daughter was dating both and not just one of the men.

  Natasha’s father began to speak. “Well, I’m not so sure I like this.”

  “Franklin, let the girl make her own decisions. This is her life. I believe I spoke for the both of us earlier. Now let’s order.”

  “You always do this, I think I should have my voice heard, I am her father.”

  “I don’t always do this.”

  “Oh you don’t?” Franklin looked at his wife. “I can name about ten times this week that you’ve ‘spoken for the both of us’. If I’m not mistaken, isn’t that how we ended up going to see that horrible play your friend Betty’s son starred in?”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake. Go on, then.” Her mother smiled.

  Natasha chuckled as she gestured to her parents.

  “Ah, my wonderful parents. Twenty plus years of marriage and they’re still together,” she teased.

  “I tolerate him,” her mother, Marian, smiled lovingly at her husband who winked.

  “I simply tune out ninety-five percent of what she says,” the father joked. “That’s the only way any man can live with the Hemingway women, you two would do well to remember that.”

  Xavier laughed softly, Darian only smiled.

  “But back to what I wanted to ask.” Franklin grew more serious. “I would like to know how do you feel about my daughter. Do you think that you can make her happy? Do you think that you can create that life of stability and family that she deserves?”

  Darian exhaled, one eyebrow raised as he considered the questions. Xavier answered right away.

  “Yes, Mr. Hemingway, I do. We do. We love your daughter very much and if it’s within our power, we will give her exactly everything that she deserves and desires.”

  “Well, I like that in him,” Marian stated.

  “I would have to concur with my companion, Mr. Hemingway. Your daughter is loved and will be well taken care of, I promise,” Darian added.

  “I hope so, she’s still Daddy’s little girl,” Franklin said as he settled more comfortably into the booth. “This kind of relationship is still very disturbing. What’s up with you two, I don’t know too many men willing to share one woman.”

  “Dad, you’re embarrassing me,” Natasha whispered to her father, her face slightly red.

  “I need to know.” Franklin looked at both Darian and Xavier. “Besides, you’re the one bold enough to place yourself in this kind of relationship. You shouldn’t be so shy when people question it.”

  “You and Mom aren’t just regular people,” Natasha said.

  “You had to know these questions were coming. Perhaps you shouldn’t have tried to avoid them by having us attend this very public and swanky restaurant,” her father stated.

  Xavier chuckled under his breath. He had warned Natasha that a public venue was probably not the best location to meet her parents. She had claimed they’d be less inclined to embarrass her if they were in public. From the looks of things, she was wrong.

  Natasha nudged Xavier with her elbow and he stopped his silent laughter, regaining his composure.

  “And besides,” her mother chimed in. “The night’s still young. We haven’t even begun to tell them about the time you ate”

  “Mom!” Natasha shushed her mom in a strained whisper.

  “Hold on now, wait a minute. I want to hear this little tale.” Xavier smiled.

  Marian looked at her daughter. “I’ll just save that story for another time. I really do want to learn a little bit more about you two. My husband makes an excellent point.”

  Franklin looked at his wife. “Oh, and here I thought you covered both of our concerns,” he teased.

  “Well, not all of them apparently,” Marian admitted.

  Just then, the waiter returned to take their orders.

  Natasha told the waiter what she wanted then closed the menu, handing it to him. He finished jotting down her order then he wrote down her parents’ orders before walking away. As the time passed by, her parents continued to ask Darian and Xavier questions, getting more acquainted.

  “Mr. Alexander, if you don’t mind my asking, what do you do for a living?” her mother inquired.

  “I don’t mind at all. I do have several business interests including a nightclub located downtown called Desires Unleashed. Have you heard of it?” Darian asked in his most charming voice.

  “I have. Oh! Now I know where I’ve seen your face before. You were on the news a few months back, right?”

  “Mom.” Natasha looked at her mother as if to say, stop embarrassing me!

  “Natasha, it’s quite all right.” Darian smiled. “Yes, that is true. It was a terrible ordeal, but justice was brought to the real criminals. I was still saddened by the death of Annette. She was a lovely young woman.”

  “I see. I was also very extremely saddened to hear about her death. She was a wonderful person and very much like a sister to Natasha.”

  Darian nodded. “She was.”

  “If you’re the owner, that would mean you’re also a vampire, am I correct?” her mother asked as she tossed a glance at her daughter whose face was now quite red.

  Xavier smiled. “Natasha, surely you knew this would come up.”

  Natasha looked at Xavier but remained silent.

  Darian nodded.

  “I am, we both are.” He gestured to Xavier.

  Natasha’s father shook his head, but stayed silent as well.

  Her mother continued. “So I’d be correct if I said you drink blood to survive?
”

  “Mom, can we not go there. I wouldn’t be with them if I thought they were evil. Yes, they drink blood, they have to in order to survive, but they don’t harm humans.”

  “Fine, I’ll take your word for it.” Her mother looked at the two vampires. “So, here I was thinking that you were both young men?”

  Xavier gave her mother a charming smile. “It really depends on how you want to look at it.”

  “I see. So exactly how old are you?”

  Darian answered for both himself and Xavier, revealing their ages. It was something he didn’t normally do which was the reason why his rivals had trouble gauging the extent of his power. But for the sake of pleasing Natasha’s parents and building a bridge of trust, he gave in.

  “I don’t need to mention how this opens up a brand new can of concern, but I’ll mention it anyway,” her father added as he looked at his daughter. “Natasha, are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

  The waiter returned with their meals. He sat their plates in front of them on the table. Natasha remained silent, waiting for the waiter to leave before answering her father. They thanked the waiter before he walked away. The succulent aroma of the food assailed their nostrils making their mouths water. Natasha began to cut into her filet mignon, taking bite size portions of the food and savoring every bit. Darian and Xavier watched her eat with a small amount of fascination.

  “I’m waiting.” Franklin took a swig of his wine.

  “Yes, Dad, I know exactly what I’ve gotten myself into. Don’t you think I’ve thought about this? Listen, I’m happy. Please can we just move on. I’m happy.”

  “How can you be happy if you don’t even want to discuss it?” her father asked, leaning forward to gain a better visual on his daughter.

  “Because I know you. Please trust that I’m making the right decision for myself. Mom, Dad, you know I love you and your concerns are very important to me, but I’ve made my decision. Nothing is going to change my mind.”

  Marian looked at her daughter, then her gaze shifted to the two vampires. “Please tell me more about yourselves. My daughter may have complete trust in you, but I’m sorry, I’m not as confident or at ease as she is.”

  Xavier nodded. “I understand completely. Any loving parent would be concerned about their child in such a relationship.”

  He began to tell her parents a little about his history, where he grew up, his family and how he became a vampire.

  “Oh my,” her mother put her hand to her chest, amazed by Xavier’s tale.

  “That’s some story. Fascinating really, but what I want to know is what are your intentions towards my daughter? Do you plan on turning her into what you are?” Franklin asked.

  Darian decided to answer her father’s concerns. “You needn’t be concerned. Neither Xavier nor I have any intentions of turning Natasha into a vampire. But in all due respect, if that would one day become her decision; I would not turn her away.”

  Mrs. Hemingway placed her fork on her plate with a resounding clink. “Oh, I don’t like that at all”

  Darian held up a hand, silencing her.

  “If it is Natasha’s choice,” he said respectfully. “Mrs. Hemingway, I will not harm your daughter nor will I allow any harm to come to her. Please understand that your daughter is safe with us and loved.”

  He kept his temper in check, as he was not accustomed to having to explain his actions or his intentions to anyone. Let alone to humans, but Natasha’s parents were an exception, one that he would have to bear.

  “I most certainly hope so,” Mrs. Hemingway stated.

  Xavier and Darian graciously answered the multitude of questions her parents asked, in hopes of easing their anxiety. Natasha’s parents noticed how calm their daughter was in the presence of the two vampires as they answered their questions. With a glance at each other, Marian and Franklin Hemingway decided to cease their prodding, having obtained the answers they were looking for. They each prayed that their daughter understood what she was getting herself into.

  “Well, I thank you for your honesty,” Marian said. “That puts me more at ease, that and the fact that my daughter doesn’t seem the least bit frightened to be in your presence. We’re going to have to trust that she’s making the right decision for herself in this case.”

  “Thank you, Mom. Trust me, I am,” Natasha said. The three humans began concentrating on their dinners instead, deciding to change the discussion to other non-personal topics.

  During the meal, Darian leaned over towards Natasha’s ear and whispered.

  “As I watch you eat, I wish I could remember the taste of food,” he confessed sadly.

  “I wish you could enjoy this meal with me,” Natasha said as she looked at Darian and Xavier.

  Her mother looked up from her plate. “It’s a shame that you can’t taste this because it’s delicious. It’s no doubt that food has changed a great deal since your time.”

  Darian chuckled, flashing her mother his signature smiledimples and all--enchanting her. He discussed the various foods that were around during his time. Xavier revealed more tales about Chicago in the early twenties when he was still a member of Al Cantone’s gang which seemed to interest her father a great deal. After finishing their meals, the five continued to converse until they were ready to leave. Darian paid the bill leaving a generous tip as Natasha walked her parents to their car.

  “Thank you for coming; I really wanted you to meet them. I’m so happy that you’re so cool about this,” she said as she kissed her mother on the cheek.

  “I’m not cool about this at all,” her father Franklin said with a huff. “They never did answer my other question.”

  Natasha frowned. “You asked them about a million questions. Which one didn’t they answer?”

  “Don’t get smart with me, young lady,” Franklin lightly scolded his daughter, who nodded. “I wanted to know how they could share one woman?”

  Marian looked at her husband. “Let’s leave that one alone, honey. We have to trust her decision.”

  “You sure you’re not just saying that because they charmed you?” Franklin cocked one eyebrow, looking at his wife suspiciously.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Marian blushed slightly.

  “Sure… ridiculous. I saw you in there grinning from ear to ear when you were asking them about their views on history and oh, what was that? Right… the cuisine during ‘his time’,” Franklin teased.

  “Well, they were charming.” Marian smiled.

  “Take a hint,” she murmured playfully as she turned towards her daughter. “I just hope that you’re happy and that you know what you’re getting yourself into, Natasha. They seemed like great men and I do believe that their feelings for you are genuine. I just don’t want to see you hurt, that’s all.”

  “I know, Mom, but it’s not like they’re bloodthirsty demons hunting the city for innocent, virginal victims. It’s not like what you see in the horror movies. I know what I’m doing. Please try to keep an open mind about this. They love me the way that Dad loves you and vice versa. You don’t have to worry about me.” Natasha smiled at her parents, hoping they wouldn’t worry about her.

  “Very well, Tasha, I love you and call me later,” her mom said.

  Her parents gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek before climbing into their car. Natasha watched them drive away, feeling a sense of relief that the encounter was finally over, with at least some success.

  “Are you ready to go?” Xavier asked her. She walked towards the two men and all three climbed into the limousine.

  “Do you believe that they are comfortable with you being with us?” Darian asked Natasha.

  “They just need some time to adjust. I wouldn’t worry.” Natasha smiled at her two men.

  Darian settled into the cushions. “I think the night had a very interesting beginning. Can’t wait to see what else is in store.” He smiled as he gazed at Natasha. “I liked your parents.”

&n
bsp; “Thanks.” Natasha grinned widely.

  “The waiter was very polite,” Darian stated with a wolfish grin.

  “A year ago, you would have flirted with the waiter and probably a lot more,” Xavier teased Darian.

  Darian continued smiling; his dimples emitted a boyish charm.

  “Ah, I know... what a loss for him. I’m sure I would have been his greatest pleasure.” He chuckled softly.

  Xavier glanced at him and shook his head.

  “Darian, Darian, Darian,” he muttered, lifting his hand gingerly to brush a jet black lock from lover’s eyes.

  Natasha smirked. To her, Darian was oozing self-confidence, possibly too much of it, but who could tell? She wondered if he was ever this vain in his human life, she decided to let curiosity kill the cat.

  “Darian tell me something... tell me about your life when you were still human,” she requested.

  He looked at her, his head tilted slightly. Xavier placed one arm on the back of the seat and twirled his fingers through Darian’s long, wavy, jet black hair as he peered into his lover’s breathtakingly handsome visage.

  “What do you want to know?” Darian asked, intrigued.

  “Well, tell me something you haven’t already told me about your past. For one thing, were you always this arrogant and vain in your human life?” Natasha asked boldly.

  Darian smirked.

  “What is arrogance and vanity, if not confidence? I am confident in who I am, I have always been. There is nothing that I fear. There is no one person that I fear. By that same token, there is nothing that I can’t accomplish with the mere wish to do so,” he stated flatly.

  Natasha fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I disagree. There are some things that you can’t do.”

  “At this point, those things are out of my reach. However, if I really desired to do them, I would find a way. I do not say these things to annoy you, I say them because they are true,” Darian said.

  “Let me ask you this, does it bother you to be in a closed relationship?”

  It was a bold question, this Natasha knew. But she needed to know the truth before she could make her next move.