Part 9 (1/2)
Chapter 18.
Lucian watched as the council exited the conference room, his nerves frayed. They had been screaming over his choice in mate for more than an hour. He had let them know in no uncertain terms that he was not going to allow them to choose his mate, and they had better get used to having a human queen. He would eventually turn her, but not for several years. She was still much too young.
He headed to his study to meet with Dominick and Colton about some information the man had gathered about the attempt on his life. He entered his study seeing Dominick leaning against the book shelf. His father was sitting on the couch.
”How bad was it?” Dominick asked.
”Really annoying. They are all very angry that I did not consult them. Not that I really care. They do not get to decide who I will mate with.” Lucian told him as he sat down behind his desk with a sigh.
”It is tedious when someone presumes to tell you what you need and want, when they know nothing about which they speak. Is it not?” Marcus said, taking a sip of the brandy he was drinking.
Lucian rose and crossed to the bar, making himself a drink. After the night he had it was a wonder he was not drinking it straight from the bottle. Six hours of arguing with twelve pompous idiots was enough to make any man go mad.
”You have no idea.” Lucian told Marcus, taking a sip of brandy.
Connor entered the room. Time for business, Lucian thought. Then he would be able to seek out his queen. Marcus rose from the couch, excusing himself. Conner began his report as soon as the door closed.
”There are disturbing rumors. There are a.s.sa.s.sins coming to the ball.” The man spoke.
”What do we know about them?” Dominick asked worry creasing his brow.
”There are actually several. There is the slayer queen, the Aurora,she is supposed to be at the ball.” Conner told them, which earned a snort from Dominick. Surprising Lucian. He looked at his friend in confusion.
”You find that funny?” He asked his friend.
”Yes, trust me when I say that particular a.s.sa.s.sin is more likely to take out our other a.s.sa.s.sin's than you.” Dominick told him. Lucian watched his friend for several moments. He was shocked that the man seemed to know who the Aurora was.
Dominick knew that he had surprised his king, but he knew without a doubt that Liza wasn't going to hurt Lucian. She loved him too much.
”Tell us the rest.” Dominick told Conner.
”There's to be a dark shaman and a dark jinn.” Conner informed them.
”That on the other hand is concerning. Jinn's are extremely hard to catch. They do not have a distinctive scent unless they are using magic. Will Morgana be here?” Dominick asked turning to Lucian.
”No, Liza does not get along with Morgana. She was planning to come until I spoke with her about our mating. Then she told me that she did not wish to cause problems, or deal with and I quote 'The drama that queen causes' whatever that means.” Lucian was puzzled by her wording. It was almost as if she thought Liza had already been a queen.
Morgana was a powerful witch. She was both a dark and light magic seamstress. She could use both, but was not inherently evil. She did not kill people or demons in her dark spells, only animals. She and Liza had never gotten along well. When he had dated Morgana when Liza was twenty, things had been very tense. He could see that Morgana being around with them newly mated and Liza still blocking the bond between them would cause issues.
Dominick was not surprised that Morgana did not want to cause drama. He was surprised however, that she knew who Liza really was. He would have to ask Liza about that later. Liza would be the first to protect Lucian, and Morgana could sense dark Jinn. So the two women would have to play nice for a short time. Both women cared for Lucian. Morgana had always known that Liza would end up with Lucian. She had told him so several years ago, he had not believed her at the time. It was why Morgana had never let things become too serious with Lucian.
He made a mental note to talk to Liza about inviting Morgana to the ball. ”We may need to ask her to be here anyway. The dark Jinn are nothing to mess around about.”
”Indeed. Only how I will convince her to come with their dislike for each other so strong I do not know.” Lucian told him grimly.
”Leave that to me. I believe I can work that out. Just call her in the morning.” Dominick told him.
Lucian watched his second in command closely. ”Do not cause problems with my mate, Dominick. I am having a hard enough time with her at this time without the added strain on our relations.h.i.+p.”
”I will not cause issues, Lucian. I know that the bond will drive you mad if left as it is.” Dominick told him. ”Now let's discuss the security for the ball and the information on the attempt from a few days ago.” Lucian settled in his chair prepared for another long hour of strategizing.
Lucian finally left the meeting forty minutes later, he walked across the gardens following the trail he sensed through the bond. He wanted to hold his queen. Only what he found when he crossed the garden almost broke him.
”I will tell him, but you don't understand. He will be out of control. He will freak and this will all have been for nothing.” His queen's impa.s.sioned voice reached his ears first.
”I do not agree. We should tell him. I will tell him if you are afraid.” He stepped closer seeing into the library. Vladimir was standing close to his queen. She was holding his arm with one hand, and it was obvious that they had been sharing an embrace. He wanted to rip the man apart, but he wanted to believe that this was not what it seemed.
”No, promise me that you won't tell him, Vlad. Promise.”
”Promise that you won't tell me what Vladimir?” Lucian mocked from the library's open french doors. Liza's reaction let him know that he was right. He almost went mad at the thought.
Liza gasped, jerking around to look at him standing in the doorway. He wanted to rip Vladimir apart. Liza was his. Yet the man thought he could meet her in secret, at night in his own library.
”This is not as it seems, Lucian.” The man had the nerve to try and wheedle his way out of this.
”Really? And how does it seem Vladimir? That my newly bonded queen is betraying me with the former king's brother.” Lucian sneered, his eyes glowing a deep fiery red. His rage so great he could barely contain it.
”Lucian? You know that I would never betray you.” Liza whispered, her lips trembled. He wanted to believe her. He truly did, but the evidence was stacked against them. They had been close and had obviously been embracing.
”I do not know that at all, kitten.” His voice was mocking and he looked at her as if she was a bug. ”I do not know that at all.”
”Stop, before you cause irreparable damage.” Vladimir growled.
”You dare with the position you are in to lecture me?” he demanded, losing reason. He moved, blurring towards the other vampire.
”Lucian...NO!” Liza screamed, trying to get between them. Only Vladimir shoved her out of his way. Stupid man, if he had not done that he might have lived. He would never harm Liza. No matter what she had done, he would still love her.
”Lucian, I am her uncle.” The man bellowed, causing him to stop with his hand inches from his throat, his blade drawn. ”I am sorry, dear. We must tell him.” He said looking at Liza ”She is descended from my half-sisters line. Liza is my niece, not my lover as you have a.s.sumed.”
Lucian stumbled back, staring at him in shock. ”She is...that is impossible.”
”No, my sister was human. My mother was a turned vampire. Liza is my actual blood relative. My last blood relative. We discovered it a few years ago. She lived with me for almost three months two years ago.” Vladimir informed him.
”That was where you were? Romania?” He asked, then he began to laugh. He had nearly killed his queen's last living relative. He had to get her to release the tight hold on the bond. It was going to cause him to truly go mad and hurt someone if she did not.
”Yes, I was in Romania. I was p.i.s.sed that you had been paying someone to stalk me.” Liza told him with a sigh. She knew that Vlad didn't agree with her about not telling him that she was the Aurora, but she knew Lucian. He would cancel the ball and she may not get another chance to kill Morvan. She had to kill him. He was killing her slayers and had already tried to kill her mate. She would not allow his evil to continue to infect the world.
”Liza, I am deeply sorry. I should have trusted you.” Lucian came to her taking her into his arms. Liza sighed, she was lying to him, just not about this. She felt her heart ache with the heaviness of the secrets she held within her. She wanted to tell him everything, but she knew better. Until he had seen her fight, he would never understand.
Allowing the bond to rea.s.sure him without letting it open completely she leaned into his arms. ”My love, I could never hold this against you. I should have told you, but I was afraid. I know that the two of you are not friends and I wanted to wait to tell you, but thought it would anger you. I did plan to tell you after the ball. I wish that you found out in a different way than this.”
”It is fine. I can handle anything except you with another man. That I cannot handle.” Lucian growled.