by Crystal Dawn
“It’s saved me and my family more than once.”
“That’s why the goddess gave it to you.” Herk replied. ”Now when is your mother expecting us?”
“First thing in the morning. She wouldn’t relent and give us more time.”
“I’m not surprised. Impatience runs in the family.”
“You have a share of it too.” Pru observed. “Now let’s get back to sleep.”
They held each other as they slipped back into the sweet bliss of sleep. Next time they woke, it was morning and time to prepare for the visit to her mom. Normally she’d go to work, but Herk was free from responsibilities for now. This was a time he could spend with his mate getting to know her better and perhaps, seeding her womb. Now that he’d fully accepted her as his mate, the thought of her round with his offspring excited him.
The trip to her parent’s house went fast. He wondered if her mom would still be put out at not being notified right away. Regardless, they would know soon since they were pulling into the driveway. Pru showed him where to park and they headed in the door. Delicious aromas of breakfast foods combined to make his stomach growl fiercely.
“Our cooks are the best. At least you’ll not die hungry.” Herk swiveled quickly to look at his mate. “Just joking.”
”Very funny. You assured me she wasn’t mad at me only you.”
“That’s true but you’ve heard of death by friendly fire?”
“I believe you’re teasing me.” Herk replied.
“There you two are.” Maybelle said. “I’m delighted that you’re getting married. The wedding will be amazing, trust me.”
That was the start of hours of wedding and engagement talk. Herk thought he’d go deaf or maybe he just wished it. Pru promised she’d order his clothes and anything he needed and all he’d have to do was dress and show up. Her mother assured him she would make sure Pru took care of all his requirements for the events. Lucky him.
Chapter 11
Coming Together
Standing in the shadows just out of the way, he drew in a deep breath as he surveyed the event of the year. It might seem like he was a wimp since he wasn’t out among the others shaking hands and making connections as he once had. His gorgeous mate was doing all that and more as she glanced around the room sensing him but unable to determine exactly where he was.
He was dealing with the stress of the day even though this was a happy day. It was one of those that stood out in his long life. Not an easy feat to manage as long as he’d been around and with him being one of the richest and most powerful males in the world. That was still true even though he’d suffered some setbacks.
Life had surprised him in some bad ways. He was still trying to get over that and back on track. It was bad enough that even today, one of his happy days, had him close to a panic attack. His greatest hope was that it didn’t show. His daughter was beautiful and as she stood next to her fiancée, he saw them as the perfect power couple. They might be needed to fill in an empty position in another place for him.
Yes, his mate had taken over many of his duties lately, but she still hadn’t taken over the most important ones. He still handled those. As hostilities began to heat up, he would return to many of his duties. Maybelle might resist giving some back, but he could use her help as the position he was in would become overwhelming.
“Samston, so nice to see you tonight.”
“Royal, you old dog. Where have you been hiding?”
“I’m around, as always.” He replied even if it wasn’t true.
Now that he’d stepped out in the open, people headed towards him. It wasn’t that his mate couldn’t meet some of their needs, it was that he was somewhat like the king of their continent. His family was considered witch royalty and ran every continent in this world. Royal was considered the most powerful in his family since he was his parents first born.
Perhaps the pressure from all that responsibility had contributed to his breakdown. He was the oldest of four siblings. His younger brother led Africa. His sister led Eurasia. His youngest brother took Australia. In truth, Royal was supposed to have the Americas and all near islands. The problem was the witches in the Southern continent were rebellious and hard to control. A cousin ran Greenland and Antarctica had secrets no witches wanted to handle.
Each leader was handling their own area, but they would all need to come together with a plan for the world, not just certain parts of it. He’d put it off, but now he could do so no longer. His mate would be surprised and perhaps unhappy to have him back and taking charge. She had enjoyed her time as leader and he wouldn’t end it until tomorrow since she was enjoying Pru’s engagement party so much.
There were so many people here. Maybelle had invited all the right ones and added family and friends. Family and friends that weren’t important had been people he’d over looked in the last few years. It hadn’t been his intention, but it had been what had happened. Some of those people avoided him or just looked the other way as he drew near. Royal knew he had it coming and he accepted their slights as his due.
Others were just happy to be here enjoying the wonderful ball and the great food. The drinks ran freely and the talk was upbeat even with the coming wave of hostilities. One more daughter to mate and he would be through with this. The parents would provide for his grandchildren. Gertie worried him more than the other two had.
Royal felt like slamming his head into the wall when he thought of how he’d almost mated his Annie to Gertie’s mate. His mind hadn’t worked well at all then. Once mated, they would be stuck causing four people to be terribly unhappy. Thankfully his Annie didn’t take it sitting down. The few rebellious things she’d done had always worked out for the best.
Someday, Gertie and her mate would accept their lot in life and things would work out. He had to believe it. There was no way he could bear the thought of one of his princesses being unhappy forever. Right now his princess sat surrounded by all the handsomest males at the ball. She was beautiful, tall, blonde and blue-eyed like many of those in his family. His Gertie was the most like him, poor girl.
Strong and forceful, she had a hard time making friends because she tended to be bossy. Her beauty caused jealousy among those who were her age and single. No one wanted to compete with any of his daughters, all three were beautiful, but Gertie’s beauty was ethereal. Annie’s was sensual and Pru’s was exotic. No father could be prouder or have more to deal with.
As he handed off the responsibility for the care of his daughter’ one at a time, shouldn’t his load be lighter? It didn’t seem to be but that might be because he worried about the war ahead. Even with Maybelle handling things, he’d kept up with the ongoing state of things. Pru, Herk, Annie, Ram, and Gertie had all had recent missions. The enemy had come to them and tried to hide among them.
So far they’d kept them at bay sending them packing. Still from experience he knew they’d return. Eventually, an all out battle would be upon them. When that came to happen, who knew who or how many would be sacrificed in the name of freedom. Right now, he’d continue his way around the room to see what jumped out at him. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say.
“Royal.” Greeted Thornton Darknight, Vampire King. “I see you have another daughter settled to a secret being. That only leaves one for Darby. I’ve heard she’s his true mate, although it’s hard to believe since they both burn up the town at night.”
“Yes, well that will have to stop when they mate.” Royal replied.
“They will work things out between them, I suppose. What is she in your company?”
“She’s a lower level executive. Gertie supervises marketing and the mail department. Eventually she will move up.”
“I hope so. I like high level relatives.”
“Some things come in time. What does your boy do for you?”
Now Thornton looked nervous. “He works at the company.”
“Doing what?” Royal wished he’d researched this better.
&n
bsp; “He’s a representative.”
“A sales rep?”
“Yes.”
“How well does he do in sales? Where is he in the standings?”
“One hundred and twenty.” Thornton said softly.
“Out of how many?”
“One hundred and fifty.”
“Really? I guess you’re lucky he works at all.”
Thornton turned bright red. It was clear he wasn’t proud of Darby’s accomplishments for the company. The male should have left off questions about Gertie if he didn’t want questioned back. Now that he was himself again, he felt bad about promising Gertie to Darby. Something was wrong with their match though he couldn’t say what.
The vampire king didn’t stay long before he hurried off with some trivial excuse. Royal was glad to see him go. Unfortunately, Vasil Packmaster headed his way. There was no escape and they would have a talk that was long overdue. He wanted a good match for his son, Gregor, but all Royal’s daughters were taken.
“I see it is too late to get a match of the direct line. Even some of the others like little Sophie are already taken. Have you put me off so a match can’t be made?” Vasil asked unhappily.
“Nonsense. Would you rather they be mated and find their fated one and have to leave after offspring are born?” Royal asked.
“Would you allow that?”
“I had it pointed out to me by Annie’s mate who happens to come from a rich and influential family, that fated mates trump everything. What would you have me do?”
“Gregor needs a good mate. It would help him mature.” Vasil had given up any attempt to make his son look admirable. Now he just hoped to somehow redeem him.
“Is he here?”
“Yes, I made him attend.”
“I hope he will meet his fated mate and she will have ties to me or Thornton.”
“I’d prefer you. Thornton is too cold.”
Royal had to agree which caused worry for Gertie. It was said fated ones always matched, but her and Darby didn’t seem to. How could they when they didn’t even seem to like one another? He didn’t want to push up the engagement but feared Thornton would. Now he needed to help his friend Vasil find a mate for his son. Royal prayed to the goddess it would be his fated mate. That way he wouldn’t have to feel guilty for selling out a member of his family. Then again, as Gertie came to mind he felt guilty anyway.
“Good luck old friend.” He told Vasil as they each moved away to meet someone else they needed to talk to. It was turning into a long night.
“Royal?” He recognized the scent and the voice instantly. Witches had only slightly better senses than the average human. It was only because he’d been with this sweet female for hundreds of years that her wonderful scent hit him so hard.
“Maybelle.” He whispered as he breathed in hard.
“You’re doing better.”
“A little. I’m excited that Pru will be happy and worry about Gertie now. I just had Thornton run me down. It seems I can’t escape my bad choices.”
“There’s no way to. You three are the council trilogy. I can do somethings, but where they are concerned, it is all on you.” Maybelle admitted.
Royal pulled her into an embrace. “You make me stronger, my love.”
“Do I? Sometimes I have my doubts.”
He took her hand laying it over his heart. “Feel that? My heart beats for only you. Never doubt that.” He saw tears come to her eyes. It was those emotions the other two members of the council would hold against her but those emotions made her stronger than he was. Vasil wasn’t as bad, but Thornton could never see strength on a female. He was a sexist through and through. Not the best person to have as a father-in-law.
The more he thought about Gertie’s future, the guiltier he felt. At least he could share that guilt with the goddess who made the choice to begin with. Still, seeing what her life might be like was no pleasure for a parent who loved their child. Perhaps he could do something to help. Maybe if Darby was under his control he could teach him some life lessons. If Gertie worked for Thornton, she might be able to teach him to appreciate what a capable female could accomplish.
Yes, the plan began to form and soon would take shape. If he tried and failed, nothing would change. If he didn’t try, nothing would change. If he tried and it worked, everything could change. In this case change was a good thing. His girls were everything to him and Maybelle. This was worth a try.
“Pru, you are the most beautiful female here. Herk, nice to see you. Keep making my baby girl happy.” Royal commented.
“Daddy!” Pru blushed a becoming pink.
“I intend to make her the happiest female alive.” Herk admitted. Pru turned an even darker shade of pink. Royal smiled. If only this was all he had to worry about. It was enough, wasn’t it?
“I’d best cut this one off before they get to you.” Royal offered. Pru grabbed Herk’s hand rushing him out and appreciating his offer in the spirit it was given.
“Mother Fiori, how pleased I am to see you.”
“Where did the young ones go? I’m not here to see you, you old rooster.” Fiori said.
“You just missed them. I’m so sorry about that.” He offered.
“I just bet you are. My reading would have helped them.”
“Of course it would have.” Or at least it would have if it was on track. Her readings never were but they caused young couples many concerns.
“I’ll catch them at the wedding.” She said as she stomped off.
It was a relief to see that one go. Now he looked around for his sweet mate. Others were beginning to go now that they realized the engaged couple had disappeared. Some were too drunk to walk properly and a few were even crashed on the floor or in chairs. That made it a successful party and it was time to close it down. Finding a few young males, he had them help those unable to help themselves home.
This night reminded him of one many years ago. The night of his own engagement ball when Maybelle and he had shared their happiness with their families. A few of those beloved people were no longer with them. Others had moved away and were rarely seen. Many years passed changing everything and leaving little untouched.
Royal finally found his mate supervising the quick cleanup and sending things home with some of the younger ones. Food and flowers would be appreciated in their households as they were just starting out and had little mouths to feed. He waited until she was finished so they could leave. The major cleaning would be done tomorrow by their cleaning company.
“Did you enjoy the evening?” He asked.
“I was thrilled for Pru who found a good one. Two down, but I worry about the last one we have to go more than I worried about the other two combined.”
“I worry for her too, but I have plans that might help.”
“What might those be?” Maybelle wondered.
“If I told you, you wouldn’t be surprised.” He said with a chuckle.
“You know how I hate to guess.”
“Let’s make a little wager. We’ll each try to help Gertie and see who helps the most. Winner gets a ten day trip wherever they want to go.”
“You know how to make me feel competitive. You’re on, but we have to give our efforts time to take root.”
“Agreed. How long do you think yours will take?” Royal asked.
“At least three months, possibly six.”
“Let’s give it six months. That will give us time to put things into effect and see results.”
“It will also give us time to look forward to our trip. That will be a pleasure no matter where we go.”
Royal just nodded. There was no way to disagree with her. Dealing with Darby would be a complicated job, but worth it if the young male straightened out.
Chapter 12
Time Moves On
The ball had been amazing even with all the nosy relatives asking questions they should know better than to ask. Herk had few relatives there and mentioned many lived in their horse forms
and never left. Pru wasn’t a shifter so what could she say? It seemed balance was best in life but they must prefer their beast form.
It did cause her worry that her children might be that way. Of course Herk wasn’t so why would they be? Maybe it was the worries all newly mated had. She’d never met her mate before and everything was new for them.
Something more was up since she had a summons from her parents. It was rare to be sent for by both of them and she had no clue what they wanted. The ball had been two days ago and she’d started back to work this morning. Now she’d be leaving at lunch and probably not coming back today.
What did it all mean and was it about the war that would soon be raging all around them? Maybe they were getting a new assignment together? But that would be unusual since she and Janel had been partners for a very long time. She saw Herk as he stepped into her office handsome and with a big grin on his face. Clive was teasing and flirting with him, she could hear him.
“Time to go?” That was a stupid question but sometimes she couldn’t think straight when her mate was near.
“I’m a little early. It’s because I missed you.” Herk admitted with a smile.
“I missed you more.”
“You think so, do you?”
“Yes, no one could miss someone more than I missed you.” Pru assured.
“I’ll bet I at least came close. I thought I would pass out when I thought of you.”
“Well I thought of you all the time.”
“Oh for goodness sake you two. I declare it a tie. So give it up already.” Clive hollered from the other room.
They both dissolved into laughter. “It’s okay as long as it’s you I’m tied with.” Pru declared.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Don’t you two have somewhere you need to be?” Clive whined.
It was fun making Clive listen to them and their love talk. They decided to go when he began to make retching sounds. That was unappetizing and they were about to eat. “You’re in charge now, Clive.” Pru told him.
