218

I was woken up by the shrill ring of my phone and it felt like I had just closed my eyes and fallen asleep. I turned on my back with a groan and stabbed at the answer button angrily. “Grey.”

“I’ve been thinking about our conversation last night and I’m still pissed off but Nova’s insisting we come to see you at the end of the week before we go home.” I could envision Nova standing next to him because he really wasn’t happy making this call.

“Great, you’ll be in time for Nicu’s funeral ceremony.”

“Shit. Make that the end of next week.” I chuckled as I heard something that sounded like a smack and Ryder’s low cursing as he fumbled with the phone.

“Whenever is fine. Gives Abby time to settle in here. We have to go to the ceremony. Dorin was killed too so she’s taking that very hard.”

“She needs to come home.”

“I’ve got her Dad, she’s safe here with me and Milo.”

“Yeah. We’ll talk again.”

No goodbye was said and the line went dead as I placed my phone back on the side table and turned towards Luciana. She had woken up and stared at me with her bright blue eyes. I smiled and my hand automatically went to her flat stomach.

“You told your father?”

“Last night. I want to tell you something and I hope you’ll say yes.”

“Doesn’t sound ominous.” She smiled as our fingers intertwined.

“After our daughter’s born I want to complete the bonding ceremony with you.”

“Wynter.” Her voice held so much sadness and she looked down as a foreign emotion overtook me. Fear.

“What’s wrong?”

“After Maya gives birth you’ll bond with her. I’d give anything to complete the bond with you but that’s just not in the cards for us.”

“Just say yes, Luciana.”

She finally looked up at me and I searched her eyes for a moment. I’d never before really feared anything. I was used to living under pressure, facing dangerous situations but until this moment I’d never been afraid like I was now. I was afraid of losing her.

“Yes.”

I pulled her closer to me and just held her. Her arms wrapped around my neck and I breathed out in relief. Typhon hadn’t mentioned the baby Maya was carrying and for a split second I wondered if it was mine, but it had to be. I’d been with Maya every day since that night we had slept together.

Confusion was also a relatively new emotion for me. I always had a plan and I always stuck to the plan, except for my arrival at the Winter Palace in Sinaia. There’d been no plan after that night with Maya, not a foolproof one in any way.

“Can I ask you something?” Luciana moved away from me and propped her head up on her hand.

“Anything.”

“Why did you kill Nicu?”

I swallowed and then decided she deserved to hear the truth. “I found him on top of Abby, his hand was on her throat and he was pulling his zipper down. I just saw red and by the time I realized what I’d done it was too late.”

“What if you get caught, Wynter?”

“I won’t. I trusted you by admitting what I did and it’s not something you can ever tell anyone. I won’t get caught, I’m too good at what I do but there will come a time when I tell the King personally that I killed his son.”

“Why would you do that?” Her voice had become louder as she frowned at me.

“Because I’m going to kill him too.”

“You can’t kill the King!” She looked at me like I was insane and any normal person would probably react to that, not me though, I relished the idea of taking his life.

“Seventeen years ago he signed a kill order that wiped out my father’s tribe and killed my mother, Milo’s parents and almost every single person I called family. He’s a tyrant and he needs to die.”

“I’m sorry about your family but killing the King will make you a traitor and you’ll be executed.”

“You’ll meet my sister today and the King will have a follow up plan for her. She’s the second woman in existence to bond with a dragoness. My mother was the first and that was one reason why the kill order was signed. I bonded with Echo when I was five and Abby bonded with Scylla when she was about ten or so. She’s a prize the King won’t let go of and the marriage between her and Nicu was a forced one. I’ve been planning to kill the King since I landed in Romania seven months ago.”

“That’s terrible. How can you even stand to be in the same room as him?”

“I’m patient, Luciana, always have been. At one point my father was exiled, it’s a long story but my mother followed him and he built up a whole tribe of supernaturals and if the King hadn’t been greedy we’d be ruling the whole of Florida by now.”

“I’d follow you anywhere too.”

“Even if I was a traitor?”

“Especially if you were a traitor.”

I smiled at her then and she pulled me closer for a kiss. The incessant beeping of my phone had me break the kiss off. “That’s Ivan. There’s probably something that can’t wait until Monday.”

“Go work. I’ll see you later.”

She pushed me out of the bed and I headed to the bathroom to get started on my day. I had no idea what Ivan wanted but it had to be important for him to be bothering me on a Saturday, at least he didn’t barge into my room like Milo did.

I found Ivan in the office looking anxious, something I hadn’t witnessed before. “Ivan.”

“Sire Wynter.” He bowed his head and ran a hand through his messy hair.

“What’s so important that it can’t wait until Monday?”

“The Elders want to see you. I’ve heard through the grapevine that Prince Nicu was killed and the Elders know you where there this weekend and they think you might have some insight as to what happened.”

“Why don’t you just come out and ask what you want to ask, Ivan.”

“Do you know who killed the Prince?”

“Yes, I do, the King doesn’t and he won’t until I tell him.”

“Shit, Wynter, don’t tell me anything else. Culpable deniability and all that.” I started to laugh as I sat down on the sofa and Ivan raked another hand through his hair.

“I can tell you though that Nicu isn’t the biological child of either the King or the Queen. They only knew he had died when the warrior patrols found his body.”

“They wouldn’t have taken him if he didn’t have royal blood.” I nodded my agreement. I had thought of that and the only other conclusion that I could come up with was that Gustav might have fathered him illegitimately. The King didn’t have any other siblings and that’s all that made sense to me since his sister had died years earlier in a car accident.

“I’m guessing we’re leaving to go see the Elders right now.” Ivan nodded his head at my question.

I sent Milo a text as Ivan and I drove into town and stopped in front of the Town Hall once again. I followed Ivan down the hall and down the stairs to the meeting room in the basement. It was sound proof, well hidden and we wouldn’t be disturbed there.

“Morning Elders.” They all turned to look at me and I was greeted warmly.

“Ivan brought us the news of the Prince’s death, is it true?” Elder Codrin Fieraru had wasted no time getting to the point of the meeting.

“Yes. His head was spiked on the palisade for everyone to see and it still took them hours to find him.”

“You don’t seem too sad.” Elder Valeriu Balan stared pointedly at me.

“I’m not. There are things I can tell you that will become public knowledge and there are things I can’t tell you because even though it’s been going well for the past three months, we have no oath bonding us together and I’m not trusting anyone with the information that I do have.”

“Granted. Tell us what you can and we’ll decide how to proceed from there.” Elder Gavril Sandu slid the bottle of bourbon towards me.

“Prince Nicu’s funeral ceremony will most likely be held this weekend. Two warriors were killed with him and the King has no further information on who or why and I doubt he’ll find it.”

Elder Andrei Nicolescu intertwined his fingers together. “But you know.”

I smiled and gave him a nod of my head. “Yes.”

“That’s the part you can’t tell us.” He was right again and my phone beeped but I ignored it.

Elder Marku Zamfir stood up and pulled a knife from his belt and placed it on the table. “That oath you mentioned was also the reason we called this meeting so urgently. We are all in agreement that you have shown us your true colours and we’re ready to swear our oaths to you.”

The blood oaths were powerful and I could feel it take a hold of me as each man swore their allegiance to me and I had insight into their feelings and emotions. A blood oath was never made lightly and one of the strongest bonds other than the bond with your bonded half.

I’d know if any of them betrayed me or lied to me and they’d know the same of me. I had respect for each region Elder that resided in Mintia and I knew they had been sent here because they didn’t agree with the way things were done by King Florin and that’s why I liked them.

“First things first. You all know I’ve given my protection to Luciana who lives in the castle. What you don’t know is that she’s twelve weeks pregnant.”

Elder Andrei looked at Ivan and then at me. “Who claimed her?”

“I did and I know what you’re all thinking but once Maya gives birth I’m taking Luciana as my chosen half, come hell or high water.”

“She’s a good girl.” They’d have insight to my intents and would also be able to tell if I lied to them.

“Next on the agenda. I killed Nicu when I found him on top of my sister. I’ve brought her back to Mintia with me but I’m worried about the King’s next move. He wants her because she has a dragon and you can all tell that I’m not lying.”

“I was hoping it was you.” I looked at Andrei and a new understanding blossomed between us.

“There is one thing you haven’t thought of as Duke.” Elder Marku grinned at me.

“What’s that?”

“His only living heir is giving birth to a child. A woman cannot ascend the throne but her royally titled husband can. Florin will have no choice in naming you the Prince of Dragons and naming you as his heir because one day his grandchild will sit on that throne.”

“I guess it’s time I tell you the rest of the story.”

They sat in shocked silence as I told them everything. From Ryder’s exile that sent him to Florida, the attack on the island right up to Typhon’s tale of my destiny. I’d already killed Gustav and Prince Nicu and lastly I told them about Typhon’s last message to me.

“There cannot not be a Royal Family of Dragons.”

“It’s not going to be me that sits on that throne next. I don’t want to be King, I don’t even want to be a Duke. I have a destiny and an oath to my father to fulfil and that’s the plan I’m following now. They will die by my hands, it’s an order I cannot refuse.”

“There is nobody else suited to be King.” Elder Codrin emptied his glass after that statement and I knew he was right.

“What about Sorin Albescu? He’s the King’s Advisor, yes, but he’s a good man.”

“He has no heir, you said so yourself that his son, Dorin, was killed by Nicu.”

“He can have more children. My gut tells me that this is the way to go. Trust me, I’m better suited a hunter than a King.”