Chapter 15

Ajax noticed that Avalina had a worried expression on her face as she stood looking out one of the windows. Deciding to check on her, he approached her quietly. “You ok?” he asked her softly.

“Yeah, it's just a lot, you know. Beings from another realm want Sophia so they can drain her blood or life force or whatever, all because she’s some sort of once in a thousand years special Lycan. She’s all I have left of my family. If I were to lose her...” she began as tears started to form.

Shaking her head she stopped going down that path and instead said, “Because of us, they're hunting your clan, a clan that has been wonderful and welcoming to us. Because of us, they're attempting to take members of your clan as they look for her. Just being here puts everyone at risk. I keep thinking that we should probably leave and take our problems with us so that no one in your clan is hurt further.”

“NO!” Ajax growled, causing her to look at him in surprise. “You leaving isn't going to stop the attacks. They don't know who the special Lycan is. All leaving means is that you’ll no longer have an entire clan to protect you. It leaves you vulnerable and if the Titans get ahold of Sophia then it means not only her death but the end of everyone. Besides...” Ajax began before pausing.

“Besides?” Lina asked softly as she turned to look at him directly in his beautiful eyes.

He took her hands in his as he continued, “Besides, I really don't want you to leave. The idea of you getting hurt twists me up inside. So, please stay.”

She smiled softly as she gently cupped his cheek. This man blew her away over and over again. The fact that he was so very worried about them deeply touched her heart. “Ok, we'll stay for a while. I just hope no one is hurt because we stayed.”

“That’s a risk whether you're here or not,” he muttered as he started to get lost in her eyes and he leaned into her touch. At the sound of people entering the room, Ajax tore his eyes away but refused to let go of her hands.

“Oh...” Sophia gasped as she saw them as she and Alia entered the room.

“Is everything ok?” Avalina asked.

“Yes, yes, don't mind us,” Alia smiled knowingly. Taking hold of Sophia's hand, Alia giggled softly as they quickly left them alone.

“I should go see if I can help them with lunch,” Lina muttered as she tried to hide her blush.

Tipping her chin up so that she was forced to look at him, Ajax said softly, “I look forward to seeing just how far this adorable blush of yours goes.” After capturing her lips in a soft kiss that was filled with gentle passion, Ajax went in search of his brother.

Avalina immediately started to fan herself. “Phew... ok... kitchen... lunch... yes, lunch,” she stumbled before she managed to gather her thoughts and head to the kitchen.

~~*~~

Theanna sat at her desk as she pondered while looking at her map of the Dark Realms, particularly at Tiamat, her mind going over everything they'd learned. Why would the Titans be so interested in Tiamat? Was the Chalice perhaps located there? She considered taking Ryuu and heading to Tiamat herself but she really didn't want to take him away from the females again. It was mating season and she prayed one of the females would birth a male this time. There had to be a better option. “Hezin,” she called out.

“Yes, my Queen?” Hezin responded as he appeared before her with a bow.

“The Titans seemed to be very interested in Tiamat. We both know it's just a desolate wasteland, now, but Chaos told me the Lycan Chalice was hidden somewhere in the Dark Realms. It's my thinking that the Titans suspect it to be hidden somewhere in Tiamat. I'm wondering if somehow Azorack was involved in some way. Unfortunately, I ate him so do you perhaps know of anyone who might be able to help us?”

“I have to agree with you, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Azorack was involved. Sidian was originally from Tiamat but he left to join the Queen's Royal Guard long before Azorack's great mistake.”

“Do you trust him?”

“Yes, my Queen. Very much so. He was among the first to declare you his Queen with a blood oath.”

Theanna nodded as she thought about that briefly. “Send him and two of your most trusted men to Tiamat to have them look for a hidden Chalice of some kind.

Unfortunately, I don't have a description for you, but my only guess is that it would be something that would obviously be for the Lycans. Hopefully, Sidian will have a fair idea of where to look.”

“If it's located in the remains of Tiamat, Sidian will be able to find it, my Queen.”

“Oh and Hezin, one other thing,” Thea added as she produced an envelope. “Please deliver this to Celia for me. Thank you!”

“Of course, my Queen. I shall return shortly.”

Nodding at Hezin as he went to do her bidding, she once again looked at the map of Tiamat. She could only hope that the Chalice was secured quickly. “If the Chalice is in Tiamat, what on earth was Azorack doing with it?” she asked herself softly.

“He was probably just hoarding it, my Queen. Azorack was known to hoard artifacts even if he didn't actually know anything about them. He figured he could use it to his advantage one day,” Amelia explained as she walked into the room with a tray of fresh coffee and a toasted sandwich.

“That really doesn't surprise me. Thank you for this, Amelia. It didn't even dawn on me that I needed to eat until I saw that delicious looking sandwich,” Thea smiled at her.

“Of course, it's my pleasure,” Amelia said with a smile as it became apparent that she was lingering.

“Is there something I can help you with? You just need to ask, sweet lady.” Theanna smiled as she waited for her to speak while she started to eat her sandwich.

“My Queen, I suspect there are spies about the palace and they wish to do you harm.”

“Unfortunately, that doesn't surprise me, but what makes you think this?”

“Several times I’ve found my personal papers and papers having to do with the running of the palace, nothing overly important, but I've found them different from how I left them. At first I thought I was mistaken but I decided to trust my inner self and purposefully set everything in a very particular way. When I returned to my desk, it had been moved. I’ve overheard a few that are still loyal to Innara. I've removed all those that I knew about but it's possible some slipped through.”

“And you believe those that are loyal to Innara are the Daemoni that Reniac is using as spies. I think you're correct. I thank you for talking to me. Damian is looking into things and you know that when I say he's determined it means he won't fail in rooting out the spies.”

“That’s true, my Queen. When he gets his mind set on something he has yet to ever fail.”

“Keep your ears and eyes open and let either myself or Damian know anything you discover. I thank you for your loyalty.”

“Yes, my Queen. Of course, my Queen,” Amelia smiled.

“Now, unfortunately, I once again have to go talk to the Princes. We need to make sure repairs are going as planned and of course they have 'concerns'. They always have concerns. I swear for a group of powerful Daemoni Princes they sure can get needy,” Thea sighed.

“That they are, my Queen. But I know that if anyone can whip them into shape it's you and Damian.”

Thea smirked as she replied, “Let's hope so.” With a smile she walked out of her office and headed to her throne room to meet with each Prince as they arrived. This was sure to be a long and tedious day.

~~*~~

Celia, Theanna's assistant at D Corp, was sitting at her desk working when suddenly Hezin appeared before her. In his human form, Hezin gave new meaning to tall, dark and lethal. He was nearly seven feet tall and pure muscle. His long dark hair that in the light showed streaks of dark blue, was pulled back with a leather tie. The dark blue in his hair matched the color of blue that his eyes were. Wearing all leather that couldn't hide all of his tattoos, Celia found herself staring. She knew he was a valued member of Theanna's Royal Guard for a reason.

Without a word, he handed her an envelope before bowing and once again disappearing

“Oh my lordy!” Merie said from across the room, fanning herself. “If only all the male visitors looked like him!”

Opening the envelope as she giggled, Celia read the note inside. Standing up, she immediately walked across the hall and knocked on Darius’ door. After hearing his response, she entered and handed him the envelope that was inside the note to her, “This was delivered by Hezin.”

Quirking an eyebrow up in surprise he opened the note and read it. What he read caused both eyebrows to go up. “Interesting.” Picking up his cell phone, he made a phone call. “Grant Samuels? Darius Deus calling. I’ve an urgent matter I need to discuss with you. How soon can you be here?”

Celia watched as Darius smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thirty minutes is perfect. I look forward to seeing you.”

As Darius ended the call, Celia commented, “The Head Guardian of the Magick Consortium, that’s not a common face around here.”

“One of the few that isn’t. They work with their own laws and regulations and enforce them strictly. They do for magick what we do for everything else.”

“Why not mention Thea’s request?”

“She specifically requested me not to.”

“Ah, I’ll send a message to her that simply says ‘30 minutes’ then. I see today is not going to be a boring day.”

“Is it ever?” Darius asked her.

Taking a second to think she finally admitted, “No, I can't say that it is, especially now that Thea is Queen.”