Chapter 63

Arthur frowned, confused. Why would the queen of the vampires be in the werewolf kingdom? More importantly, why would she think he knew where she was? He’d never even met a vampire until he went with Daphne to Brown Valley.

“What are you talking about?”

“We don’t have your queen,” Tom hissed. “Don’t blame us for her disappearance.”

“Shut the old man’s mouth,” she said, sharply.

Arthur’s heart lurched at the snap of her voice through the air. It was an order, but he didn’t know who it had been issued to.

The air stirred as if a gust had rushed past him.

“I’d like to—”

Tom flinched as a vampire appeared in front of him, his dagger pressed to his neck. He froze looking up into the cold eyes of the vampire looking down at him. There was no malice or anger. His gaze was placid like a lake.

He was just like all the other vampires he’d faced before.

Arthur felt the werewolves behind him get on guard, turning their attention to where the vampire had gone, but Arthur was more concerned about where the vampire had come from. The two vampires who had been standing on either side of Nicole hadn’t moved an inch.

The vampire who was at Tom’s throat had to have come from within the forest. How had they walked past any vampire without feeling them?

Arthur refused to turn back, watching Nicole’s face. She looked unbothered, but not malicious.

“Stand down,” Arthur growled.

“But—“

“I said, stand down!” He turned back to glare at them. Their eyes widened and he turned back around to see Nicole just in front of him with a dagger angled under his chin. He glared down at her defiantly.

“A word of advice, cub,” Nicole said. “Don’t bring people you can’t control to a negotiation and never turn your back on your enemy... You may end up dead.”

“I’ll kill you,” Arthur said, stiffly. “Before you can stab me.”

She tilted her head at an odd angle that made his stomach turn. There was something deeply unnerving about vampires in their stillness and mannerisms. He hadn't had a chance to notice it while fighting them, but seeing her was making him deeply unsettled.

“You really are his son, aren’t you? Maybe with my dagger at your throat the rest of your wolves will keep their mouths shut for the rest of the meeting. What say you?”

No one responded.

“You can be trained,” she said with an airy laugh.

She tilted her head sharply and a vampire he recognized stepped forward, carrying Daphne’s bag. Arthur’s stomach twisted with anxiety as he pulled out the little portrait of the lovely woman with Daphne’s face and golden eyes.

“The queen’s youngest daughter fled the kingdom before the end of the war. She fell in love with a human. Our sources say that she had a daughter.” The gasps behind him were immediate and horrified.

“As the war died down, it was clear that there was still too much danger in our lands, so she left with her human. The woman in this portrait was Princess Rose. She and her mother, Queen Lily, are dead making her daughter, Daphne, our queen.”

It felt like a spike of ice had been plunged into his back. Daphne couldn’t be a vampire. That didn’t make any sense. She was human. He’d never met a human, but everyone else was assured of her being human.

He heard Daphne telling him about why she had never been to a festival before. The people had believed them to be witches, but why? It couldn’t have been her eyes. Didn’t other humans have golden eyes?

“Your sources are wrong. My mate is human.”

“Her Majesty is only half-human,” Nicole said, glaring up at him. “And we are not wrong. Only members of the vampire royal family have golden eyes.”

Everyone started to murmur, nervous little gasps.

“Excellent night vision and a scent that attracts vampires,” Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “A royal half-vampire. She belongs with her people.”

“She belongs with me,” he growled. “She’s mine!”

Her lips twitched with the phantom of a smile, “You wolves are always after something you can’t have.”

He frowned. What did that mean?

“I will not give her to you,” Arthur said. “Whatever you’re planning to do to her, I won’t allow it.”

The man put the portrait back in the bag he carried and remained still. The rest of the vampires headed back towards the mist.

A whisper of sound announced Nicole’s movements back towards the stump and made Arthur grit his teeth. She turned her back and walked into the mists.

“Get back here!” Arthur huffed lunging after them. A dagger shot past his head, leaving a stinging red line and a line of arrows cut him off. He looked up, but he saw no one through the mists. The one who had jumped out of the woods and pressed his dagger to Tom’s neck rushed past him, quick as a breeze and several others darted out of the tree line and disappeared into the rolling mists.

“You have heard our demands,” Nicole glanced over her shoulder, her eyes glowing through the mist. “You have a week to meet us here before I make moves to take her.”

She narrowed her eyes and her eyes glinted with malice, “If she comes to harm before that, rest assured that I will carry through with my promise and put your head on a pike, cub.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Arthur growled. “You won’t take her from me.”

She said nothing and the lights of her eyes faded into the mists as the remaining vampires disappeared. He turned to Tom who stared into the mists, pale and clenching his jaw. He rubbed his neck carefully and his shoulders heaved.

“Tom,” Arthur growled. “You never mentioned anything like them. Who the hell is she?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty. I had thought her dead…” Tom looked down, “I have only met her once before with your father on a battlefield years ago.”

Arthur glared at the rest of them. None of them looked him in the eyes except Blade. With a growl of irritation, he shifted into his wolf form.

“We head back to Sharp Armor now.”

“We should be heading to the castle to get that vampire woman out of our lands!” One of the alphas cried.

Arthur turned on the man and got in his face, growling with a threat. The man bared his neck on instinct, submitting without Arthur saying much else. He glared at the man before backing off.

“Back to Sharp Armor. Now.”

They fell in formation behind him and he set a hard pace through the forest back to Sharp Armor. The sooner he could get there, the sooner he could leave and go to Daphne. He didn’t want to think about Nicole’s words or anything else, but her words rang true somehow. It would explain why the vampires had been grabbing for her but hadn’t seemed interested in harming her. Was her blood so special because she was only half-vampire or was it because she was descended from the vampire queen?

Questions spiraled through his mind until they reached the edge of Sharp Armor.

Then, Tom spoke, “Your Majesty, we have to hurry.”

“Hurry and do what?” Arthur growled before stiffening, smelling the faintest scent of Daphne in the air. He went to a guard. “Has Daphne come here?”

He nodded, “The luna went to Mamie’s house, Your Majesty.”

Daphne took the most unseen path through the castle towards the stables and drew her hood. It was risky, but by now Arthur and the others were far enough ahead that they wouldn’t hear her coming up behind them. She mounted the horse and took the side path through the forest towards Sharp Armor.

The guards greeted her kindly as she rode to Mamie’s house and knocked.

Mamie opened the door with a gasp, “Daphne? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the castle.”

“I couldn’t argue with Arthur about going,” Daphne said. “So I came. Have they started yet? Are they on the pitch?”

Mamie gave her a wry smile, “Excellent execution, but bad timing. Arthur and the others left a little over two hours ago to the neutral zone.”

“Two hours?” Daphne flopped into a seat, “You can’t be serious…”

“I am.” Mamie shrugged, “Probably for the best. The last thing Arthur would have wanted was for something to happen to you.”

She knew that, but wasn’t he being a bit overprotective? What if he was injured and needed her? She reached out along their bond and gasped as the feeling seemed to be closer than she imagined. She stood.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think they’re back—“

“They’re crazy,” Arthur yelled, cutting her off. She frowned and went to the door. His voice was tense and furious. “Even if Daphne is related to them, she’s—”

“She’s one of them!” Tom cried, “She belongs with them.”

“She belongs with me,” Arthur growled. “She’s my mate!”

“Maybe you just think she is because of some sort of power she has—“

Arthur growled and Daphne felt her heart lurch in fear. She tried to reach out to him through their bond, but the path was closed as if he was intentionally keeping her out.

“You know nothing about vampires,” Tom said calmly. “Their viciousness and dark powers… She’s a descendant of the vampire queen! See reason, Your Majesty! You’ve been fooled.”

She covered her mouth, stifling a gasp.

“She is my wife and—” Arthur cut off as the door behind him opened and he turned to see Daphne looking up at him.

“What?” Daphne asked and looked at Tom and the others. “What are they talking about?”

“You know,” Tom sneered. “You’ve tricked us all!”

Rex and Tom turned with a growl at her and Arthur stepped between them, the rumble of his growl overpowered theirs as he shielded her from their view. Daphne’s heart was racing. What were they talking about? She couldn’t be a vampire.

“Show my wife and luna the proper respect--”

“I cannot bow to a vampire!” Tom cried, his face flushed and his eyes furious.