The Vampire King's Mate

by C. A. Worley

  “Agreed. It is not normal.”

  Kellan snorted and shook his head. “Not used to it, eh? I thought you had a brother.”

  “I do. We do not act so …” Viktor hesitated, debating how much he could trust the wolf. “We do not behave so informally. We have not been close since the last King’s passing.”

  The confession had left Viktor’s lips before he could even think to stop it.

  “You mean your father.”

  “Yes, that King,” Viktor grumbled, uncomfortable with the topic.

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, you’re the preferred sovereign.”

  “Pardon?”

  “You. Edward and I, as well as Theron, think you’re the better choice. Nikolai’s nature was worrisome.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “I could probably guess, not that it’s any of my business. Not much news of Prajna reaches beyond your border. You vampires are good at secret-keeping.”

  Viktor shrugged.

  “I met Nikolai twice, briefly, when I was young,” Kellan continued. “My father occasionally took me to Theron’s meetings. A few minutes was more than enough time to pass judgement on Nikolai’s state. He wasn’t just being an ass. There was something dark inside him, twisted. I think he was going mad.”

  Kellan eyed Viktor, who hadn’t responded. The Vampire King wasn’t exactly verbose. Kellan couldn’t blame him. Kellan was raised by two loving parents and, despite the heartbreak he felt over his father’s murder decades ago, his life had never been anything short of a blessing.

  He wondered what sort of life Viktor had lived. Certainly not a happy one. Those feeling blessed by the Goddess do not earn nicknames such as Heartless.

  Then again, Viktor had done what was necessary to secure peace for his people. Killing his father would have left a mark, but in the end, the entire kingdom was better off.

  Viktor’s reticence was indication enough he did not want to discuss Nikolai, so Kellan changed the subject. “Speaking of not my business, when’s the wedding?”

  Viktor froze, unable to take a breath for a moment.

  “Wedding?” he coughed.

  “Nora and I only did a binding ceremony, but if you’re going to do anything, no matter how small, I would request you include her sisters. They’re close and would want to be there for Eden.”

  Viktor thought how to construct his response. Wolves could smell untruths. He wasn’t prepared to share his predicament, especially not when Eden was still unaware.

  The truth was, he wanted to marry Eden. He simply couldn’t, not with how things were. Goddess willing, he’d be able to fix the mess. He was banking on his perceived loophole actually working.

  “If Eden and I were to ever have a ceremony, of course her family would be in attendance.”

  It was the absolute truth. He’d give Eden whatever she wanted if they could marry.

  “Good. I can’t wait to see where you live,” Kellan cackled, knowing it would rile the vampire.

  The Prajna had always been guarded about the location of the royal family’s residence. Kellan was dying to know where it was.

  “Very funny, wolf. You know I could port you there and you wouldn’t actually know where you were.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  “Are you always like this?”

  “Like what?” Kellan asked, not at all affronted.

  “Nosy? Incorrigible?”

  “Absolutely. Wolves are inquisitive, didn’t you know?”

  It was Viktor’s turn to chortle. The annoying male was surprisingly likeable. He reminded him of Luka, minus the bitterness.

  He’d never spent time with wolves outside of Theron’s meetings at the temple. Viktor had always thought wolves to be unstable, looking to tussle whenever possible.

  He hadn’t expected Kellan to be so entertaining or jovial. It went against the Burghard’s brutish reputation.

  Viktor wished the circumstances of their time together today were different. He’d never imagined any sort of extended family in his life. Eden waltzing into his world had changed that.

  “Would it make you feel better to ask me questions?” Kellan inquired.

  “No.”

  Kellan laughed.

  “Fair enough. There is one thing I did want to address, to make sure the air was clear between us.”

  Viktor’s right eyebrow rose.

  Kellan cleared his throat and blurted, “You do know I was to marry her, right?”

  “Who?”

  “Eden.”

  Viktor growled low in his throat. His claws lengthened as he fought his desire to lash out at the King of Wolves, perhaps remove his jugular and feast upon his marrow.

  “Easy, vampire. It wasn’t as if I wanted to marry her. It was arranged when she was just a babe. When she turned eighteen, I was invited to visit. That’s when Fate intervened. Nora swept into the room and my life changed forever, yours, too, in a roundabout way.”

  “And you thought it prudent I know Eden was your betrothed?” His words were curt but his claws did retract. The wolf would live to see another day.

  “I would want to know, if it was Nora. There should be nothing but truth between mates, no lingering secrets that might bring forth negative emotions. I wasn’t sure if Eden had told you and I didn’t want to risk any animosity between us over it.”

  Viktor resentfully acknowledged the truth of Kellan’s response—though it had nothing to do with the betrothal. The blood moon was tomorrow night.

  Even if he managed to get Bianca to agree to what he wanted, he’d still have to tell Eden he’d kept something from her. If he didn’t get Bianca to agree, Luka was in for the shock of his life.

  “Kellan—” he started when he heard movement.

  Both males jumped to their feet, scanning the tree line. One of Kellan’s men, Bran, burst through the foliage in a dead sprint. He shifted in the air and came to an abrupt stop ten yards away.

  “We found her,” he panted.

  “Show us,” Kellan growled as he hurriedly removed his clothing and shifted, bounding off after the other wolf.

  Viktor sprinted after them.

  For miles they ran, skirting the border between Prajna and Burghard. They weaved in and out of the underbrush, following the tracker at a rapid pace.

  Viktor could make out a very faint scent of wolf not belonging to any he knew. The trail was weeks old and disappeared in spots, but an unknown wolf had definitely been here.

  Eventually, the scent disappeared completely. Viktor could hear a running brook nearby. It would have been smart of Agatha to travel in the water where no scent could be traced.

  They followed the sound of the stream until they came upon a small waterfall emptying down into an oval basin. Halting on the ridge beside the water, Kellan and the other wolf shifted to human form.

  Viktor stopped beside them. Peering over the edge, he could see a bloated body at the edge of the shallow pool, two Burghards were standing a few feet away with their arms crossed.

  “Is it her?” he asked Kellan.

  Kellan raised a questioning brow to Bran who nodded slowly.

  “How did she die?” The Wolf King hissed bitterly, disappointed he was now unable to dispense justice for his wife’s attacks by one of his own.

  Bran glanced at his king. “We assume she drowned. There are no marks on her, nothing’s broken as far as we can see. She’s been dead a couple of days.”

  “I’m surprised scavengers haven’t gotten to the body,” Viktor remarked.

  “They wouldn’t have scented her. She was under a rock, just heavy enough to hold her down. We were lucky we came up this ridge. Alec caught the glint of her necklace under the water.”

  Kellan snarled in frustration. “She would have been strong enough to get out, even if she’d somehow fallen with a rock atop her.”

  “Not if she’d chosen to stay under,” Viktor interjected.

  “Suicide?” Bran huffed. “Not likely.”

>   “No, not suicide. Hypnosis,” Viktor deduced. “The demon is dead. The elemental is dead. Now the wolf. That leaves the one person who happens to be capable of hypnosis.”

  “The vampire,” Kellan sniffed and lifted his head, no longer interested in the body.

  “Bran, I don’t suppose there was any scent on Agatha, strong enough to identify who she was with?” Viktor knew the answer, but asked it anyway.

  “No. She’s been in the water too long.”

  They stood in silence for a long minute. Bran shifted restlessly.

  “My liege?” Alec called from below.

  “Alec.”

  “Your orders?”

  Kellan raised his chin and howled fiercely into the air. The other three wolves joined in, creating an ear-splitting chorus of song soaring out across the land.

  * * *

  Castra Nocte, Eastern Shore of Prajna

  “So you’ve been put on babysitting duty, then?”

  Yuri tried not to choke on the bite he’d just swallowed. He and Mariana were currently having lunch with Eden in Viktor’s private dining room.

  “My King requested I spend some time with his sieva this day. I was happy to oblige.”

  Mariana beamed. “Yes, we both were. Especially since Yuri said I could take you exploring today.”

  The male gave his wife a pointed look. “Only to certain areas, Mari, and with either myself or a guard.”

  “Yes, yes, I know,” she waved him off.

  Eden grew excited at the prospect of finally seeing her new home. “Thank you, Mari. Viktor failed to mention this before his departure. It’s a lovely surprise. I can’t tell you how boring it is spending day after day in our chamber.”

  “Do not let the people of Prajna hear you say the King is boring in his own bed chamber.”

  Eden’s head whipped around to see a smirking Luka leaning against the archway.

  “Luka,” Yuri warned.

  Luka lifted his hand, “It was only meant in jest, Yuri. I’m not here to cause problems. I only wanted to see how my brother’s sieva was faring without him. It is not easy for mates to be apart for long.”

  His eyes were on his boots when he added softly, “Or so I’ve heard.”

  His statement took Eden by surprise. It tugged at her heart, a complete contradiction to her first impression of the male. He looked almost vulnerable, hovering and unsure of himself.

  Was there more to Luka than the taunting display he’d shown in the throne room? Eden considered. His demeanor and comment pointed to the same thing. Apparently, Luka mourned the sieva he could not find.

  His tone was sincere, and she did feel a smidgen guilty over the way their last encounter had ended with Viktor’s hands around Luka’s neck.

  Eden wanted the gap between the brothers to be bridged. For Viktor’s sake, she would not be the cause of further discord.

  “It’s fine. Luka, please join us for lunch,” Eden asked him, patting the chair to her right.

  Luka, to his credit, appeared flummoxed.

  “I don’t want to intrude.”

  Eden disliked the insecurity of his tone. It was easier for her to handle someone she found deplorable. This did not sound like the same Luka she’d met last week.

  “Nonsense. We are basically family, now, and it is high time we begin acting like it.”

  Luka gawked at Eden. She wanted him to sit and share a meal with her, despite his disgraceful behavior at court. His brother was a lucky bastard, despite Luka’s previous assertion over the situation Viktor was in with Bianca.

  Clearing his throat and acting with more bravado than he felt, he took the seat to Eden’s right. One of the servants immediately brought an extra plate and served the Prince of Prajna.

  “Looks divine,” he commented, digging in. He could feel the three sets of eyes on him, likely waiting for him to do something unseemly.

  Luka supposed he’d earned their wariness. Acting out had become easier than dealing with the ugliness he felt inside. Eden didn’t deserve his animosity, so he’d do his best to reign in his antagonistic nature.

  She’d not been the one to bring forth the problems in Prajna. Goddess willing, she’d be the one to help end them. At least, according to Theron.

  Viktor wasn’t the only one who sought the priest’s counsel. Luka had meant what he’d said to his brother in the throne room. He had been travelling, researching, trying to find a way to break the contract without anyone getting killed. When he reached a dead end, he went to the temple.

  Theron didn’t have exact answers. Though, he did tell Luka to trust Eden, that she was the way forward. Luka didn’t see how, but he accepted the advice and returned to the castle to find her.

  He was surprised to discover she was in the private dining room and Viktor was nowhere to be found. His brother hadn’t once allowed Eden to move around Castra Nocte without him.

  “So, where is my illustrious brother this fine day?” Luka asked, curious what had kept Viktor from his sieva. He also wanted to break the group’s silent judgement of his presence.

  “He’s in the forest,” Eden replied, picking up her silverware again.

  “Doing what, hunting?” Luka scoffed.

  Eden paused, her knife and fork hovering over her meal.

  “Eden, perhaps—” Yuri started to say.

  “What in the name of Imperium would the King of Prajna be hunting?” Luka interrupted.

  Eden straightened in her chair, searching her mind for an appropriate response. Viktor never shared with her whether or not he’d told Luka about Sephtis Kenelm.

  Yuri knew. He’d seen the missive from Theron.

  Eden caught Mariana’s nervous eyes, shifting from Eden to Luka. Eden doubted Yuri’s wife knew the full situation. Yuri went to great lengths to keep her out of trouble.

  Since Eden arrived in Prajna, Yuri and Mariana had been her only companions outside of Viktor. Luka had yet to prove his worth, but he was Viktor’s only sibling. She wanted to trust him, to trust all three of them.

  Eden wasn’t Queen, nonetheless, she needed to act the part if Viktor wasn’t around. Trust should be earned, but there wasn’t time to forge such bonds in a short period of time.

  Viktor should have shared with her who knew the truth of what was going on. Eden should have asked him. It was far too easy to be distracted in their bed and she’d ended up putting her desires before what should be her due diligence with matters of state.

  It was very unlike Eden to allow her heart to lead her head.

  She laid her utensils down and pushed her plate away. Crossing her arms, she set her elbows upon the table, taking her time to show each of her companions her serious regard.

  “I find myself at a disadvantage,” she stated. “I realize, remaining circumscribed to the royal chambers, despite it being Viktor’s preference, has done more harm than good.”

  “It’s not safe, Eden,” Yuri insisted.

  “Yes, I know. I’m not saying I should be walking around and doing as I please. I’m saying I don’t know anyone here. Not really. And no one knows me. One must have interaction in order to build a foundation.”

  Mariana’s brow furrowed. “A foundation of what?”

  “Trust,” Eden replied.

  “What are you trying to say?” Mariana asked.

  “She doesn’t trust me.”

  Mariana snorted at Luka’s statement. “Do you really find that surprising?”

  Luka ignored the barb, staying focused on Eden. “What is Viktor hunting?” he asked again.

  “For goodness’ sakes, she just admitted she doesn’t trust you,” Mariana scolded.

  Luka’s dark head slowly swiveled menacingly towards Mariana. “Do you know what Viktor is doing in the forest?”

  “Well, no, but I hardly see how that matters.”

  Yuri patted his wife’s hand and shook his head. His sieva pursed her lips, but remained quiet.

  “What are you getting at, Eden?” Yuri inquired.
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br />   “I want a promise … no, I want an unbreakable oath, that you’ll not disclose, discuss, or share what I tell you in confidence with anyone under any circumstances, without my express permission.”

  “Done,” Luka promised. He didn’t need to think about it.

  “Oh, good show!” Mariana complemented Eden. “Yes, very clever to extract a contract from Luka.”

  Eden hid her grimace.

  “I’ll need one from you, as well, Mariana. And Yuri.”

  Mariana sputtered indignantly and Luka laughed, clapping his hands in delight. Yuri remained very quiet, stroking his wife’s hand with his thumb, thinking he may very well have to kill Bianca so the better woman could be Queen.

  Chapter 21

  Western Border of Prajna

  Viktor was restless. The longer he was away from Eden the more on edge he became. Couple that with the dead end they’d run into, and the impending blood moon, and Viktor was fit to be tied.

  “How much longer?” he asked.

  “They should be here any minute. They weren’t very far away,” Kellan replied.

  The group howl had been a summons for the other wolves to return to their king. Kellan was going to have them concentrate their search in all directions, spreading from the pool where they’d found Agatha’s body.

  Unfortunately, Alec and Bran had been the only wolves to scent both the Prajna who had attacked King Edward and the one who had been in the clearing where they’d found Isla.

  They would have to break into two groups and move in concentric circles. Any of them could scent a vampire, but they needed Alec or Bran to confirm it was the right one.

  After taking a closer look at the she-wolf, Kellan ordered the men to burn her body while they waited for the others. Agatha would not get the burial rites of her people. It was the only act of retribution Kellan could now extract.

  Viktor could feel the pain of disloyalty radiating from the wolf. He was taking it as a personal offense against him, not just against his people. Agatha had been a friend. Or so he’d believed.

  Viktor knew the feeling all too well. It would affect the wolf’s ability to trust—which might not be a bad thing considering there had been a murderous group of assassins on the loose.