Reign of the Vampires
Page 28
“How many stayed?” asked Melton.
“About two-thirds of them chose to stay, with the understanding that they’ll be allowed a say in the decision of to whom they will go. As of right now, ten have made arrangements with members of my coven.”
“How many are left?” Sherman asked.
“Two hundred and eighty-two, not counting the ten,” she said.
The kings looked at each other in astonishment.
“Two hundred and eighty-two? How is that possible?” asked Melton.
“I have no idea, but there you have it. Of the two hundred and eighty-two, there are one hundred and fifty men, and one hundred and thirty-two women. Thirty of the women are too old for breeding. Forty of the men are suitable for guardians. The others would make good workers, companions, or blood slaves. They’ve been getting to know my house slaves over the last week, and have already begun to become accustomed to our laws, our ways, and which positions they might prefer. We are prepared to go the extra step to train them and have them evaluated by skill to maximize satisfaction for both master and minion.”
“Minion?” asked Melton. “Humans aren’t minions.”
“Humans haven’t been minions, it is true. But then again, humans have never been given a choice before, either. Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned much about the humans of our world.” Danika looked over at William. He’d shown her how to see humans as people once more, and for that she was grateful. “One is that they are dying out. Killed by slavers. Killed in childbirth. Killed trying to escape. In a hundred years, there’ll be hardly any left. Then what will we do? I may supply Savor, but it doesn’t mean I want to live on it forever.”
“But making them minions?” asked Melton.
“Yes. Make them minions. Give them pay, rights, and allow the ones who want to, to have families. We regulate their diet, their exercise, and their sleeping habits. Wouldn’t it be better if we helped them with reproducing, as well? The way to do that is to allow them more freedom.”
The kings stared at her, letting her words sink in. It was Sherman who spoke. “We cannot make this decision. It will have to be approved by the Council. But your words have truth in them. Do you think you’re capable of taking this all on by yourself?”
“I’m not alone in this endeavor. Neeman, Mason, and the trackers have offered to help train the guardians in advance. William and I are more than capable of helping them adjust to our schedules, as well as our laws, and any assistant type of duties.”
“And what of your company? With Chase gone, how do you plan on running that? We depend on your products more than we’d like to admit,” said Vinton.
“I have thought about that at length, and I’d like to ask Lance, the head of my marketing department, to become my President of Operations, and his wife Sinya to be my second-in-command of the coven, with William as my third.”
“Is that wise with someone so young?” asked Vinton.
“I believe that William is capable of helping both Sinya and me with the duties of running our growing family, as well as being my personal assistant.”
“I think, Lord Danika, that you might underestimate what all of this is going to take to be successful,” said Melton.
“And might I humbly suggest, Your Highness, that you underestimate my ability to do it.”
Sherman smiled and nodded his head in agreement. “Touché. Well, I believe that our presence here is no longer needed. So I will now be returning to my own mate for some much-needed rest.” The three kings stood, and everyone bowed before them. “Be sure to keep us informed about the progress of the humans in your care. We will speak with the Council and let you know of their decision. And please be sure to let us know when the selection process begins. I myself am looking for a new blood slave.”
“Of course.” Danika smiled.
* * * *
The rest of the evening was a haze to Danika, as coven members came forward to pledge their blood to both her and Mason. Lance and Sinya were most overwhelmed by her show of faith in them. But how could she not, when they were the first to stand up for her? Everyone was filing to their rooms for the night when she saw William waiting for her in the corner of the atrium. Danika told Mason to go, so she could speak to William alone.
She walked toward William thinking about how to word what she needed to say to him.
“You didn’t have to make me your third, I would have stayed,” he said.
“I didn’t do it so you would stay, William. I did it because you are my best friend. I would have made you second, but I felt that with you still being in your transition stage, it’d be too much for you at once. You’re smart, you learn and adapt. I also did it because seeing all of those humans locked up in cages made me realize something. For too long we have seen humans as little more than cattle, and if that’s going to change, I need someone who was human not too long ago to remind me once in a while.”
William smiled. “And I thought it was just because of my charm.”
“I never got to thank you for helping rescue me, when Xenock took me.”
He shrugged. “That’s what friends do, right? I’ve never really had friends before. Not any who saw me for me, instead of using me for something.”
“Well, I can promise you that I won’t let that happen to you again. You’re too valuable to me.” She laid her hand on his cool arm.
William glanced at her hand, then up into her eyes. He had a sad look on his face.
“Mason’s a lucky man,” he said finally. Leaning forward, he gave her a peck on the cheek, then turned to walk out of the atrium.
“Do you want me to go with you while you feed?” She was confused.
“No, thanks. I’ll just get a Savor before heading to bed. Maybe tomorrow.”
She knew he was still feeling out of place in the new arrangement with Mason. But William wasn’t her slave. He was a vampyr and he was going to have to learn that. As well as learn to make relationships with the others. She hoped that his new position in the coven would do that for him.
* * * *
Danika lay on Mason’s chest, running her fingers across his runes. He had controlled the beast within him, but he’d also shown the beast to the Vampires. That was dangerous. He’d opened a door he could not close.
“What are you thinking?” Danika kissed his chest.
“Nothing,” he lied.
She rose up on one elbow and looked him in the eyes, cocking an eyebrow. It made him chuckle.
“I was just thinking about having shown myself to so many Vampires, and the repercussions.”
“What do you mean, ‘repercussions’?”
“Danika, haven’t you wondered why I stayed in this plane instead of leaving with my kind?”
“Yes, but I assumed you’d tell me when you were ready.”
Mason took a deep breath and rolled on his side to face her. “I didn’t come here on my own. I was kidnapped. He enlisted a fae to cast a spell pulling me from my plane to this one. My mother was killed by the man who kidnapped us.”
Mason hugged her close. “And for the last five hundred years I’ve wandered from place to place, never knowing peace. Until now. With you, I feel peace, I feel home.”
“So you really are old then,” she said. “No wonder you’re so good in bed,” she muttered.
Mason let out a booming laugh. He laughed until tears leaked from his eyes. When he got himself under control, he said, “The reason, my love, that I’m so good in bed is not because I have had so much practice; it’s because I’m half succubus fae.”
“Really?” Danika smirked. “Well, as a succubus fae, what can you do?”
Mason slid his hand up the inside of her thigh. “There are a few things I haven’t shown you yet.”
Danika gasped for air as Mason flipped her on her back and kissed a trail down to her navel.
“Mason,” she panted. “I love you.”
He stopped and
looked up into her eyes. “Lover mine, I love you, too.” Then he continued down her body.
Mason knew the disturbance he’d caused was a beacon to all the other demons like him. Soon they’d search for a way back to this plane, and when they did, they’d be looking for him.
But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was his beautiful, naked mate. And making her cry his name. Over, and over and over.
Rebekah R. Ganiere
Rebekah is an award winning author. Her novel Dead Awakenings, debuted in January 2014. Red the Were Hunter, the first in her Farielle Series, released in May and the second book Snow The Vampire Slayer released in September 2014. Rebekah is the VP of Communications of the RWA FFP Chapter as well as a member of her local Los Angeles and Orange County chapters. In her spare time when she isn't writing you can find her moderating on SavvyAuthors.com or hanging out with her husband, four children and her English Bulldog, rabbit, two bearded dragons, and three tortoises. The escaped snake has yet to be found.
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2014 Rebekah R. Ganiere
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: November 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-659-9