224 - Awake
“What are you doing? I said I wasn’t ready,” Valerick’s voice cut through the room, and Nicholas stiffened.
What was he doing out so soon? His hair was still wet, and the clothes he had put on looked a little damp.
He must have sensed something. That was why he had rushed out so fast. It was either that his senses were still really strong despite how long he had starved himself… or that Zezi was still—no. Lord Rosil already confirmed it, she was dead. She had not confronted Valerick about it yet because she knew that he would fight her on it.
Zezi was dead.
“It is for the—” Nicholas paused, catching a shift in the air. Then he turned sharply, and instead of Lord Rosil, whom he had let into the room, it was Irysi who stood by the door with the twins. Where was Lord Rosil?
What had happened while his back had been turned? When did Irysi get here?
His gaze quickly swept over Zezi to see if anything had been done to execute their plan, but there was nothing.
Irysi gave him a disapproving glance. That means she knew then. His heart turned cold. After Irysi had found him injured after Gwen’s attack those three months ago, they had decided to give a relationship between them a shot. Death was something unpredictable, and if they didn’t mark each other, maybe there was a way they could fool fate. It wasn’t something that held certainty, but they had discovered that it was something worth trying. After all, it was better to love and lose than not to have loved at all.
Nicholas wanted to risk it all; he wanted their relationship to be complete, and he was still trying to convince her to take that path with him.
With how delicate their relationship was, Nicholas had kept her out of his plan with Lord Rosil, knowing how much she disapproved of it. Now she had been caught in the act, and she certainly had something to do with why Lord Rosil wasn’t in the room any longer.
By the Blood, this was definitely going to put a strain on their relationship. He had much explaining to do later.
“I heard that you moved rooms and I came here as soon as I could, Your Majesty. It is a great thing that I made it here in time.” She said as she stepped into the room.
“Let me help—” Nicholas began to say as he moved closer to her, but she side-stepped him, rejecting his offer. Instead, he was left with no choice but to close the door.
“Get them out of here, at once! I don’t want them to see me.” Valerick turned away, running his fingers through his damp hair with a sigh.
“But your Majesty, they need you. You are their father, and I am certain it will be good for all if you would hold them. Right. Nicholas?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He stepped forward. “In fact, holding them is a form of preparation. You have always wanted a family, and Zezi, too. She will want to come back to a family that is together, not one that is so separated.”
“By the Blood, how long have I delayed her?” he muttered under his breath. Then he turned to Irysi, his gaze zeroing in on the twins. His heart softened when he saw them. Their two mismatched blue and black eyes called to him. They seemed to know who he was to them, and when they smiled at him, he felt forgiven, then felt guilty of a new crime.
How had he stayed away from them for so long? How had he allowed his guilt to stop him from being their father? Zezi would never have approved of this. Nicholas was right. She had probably stayed asleep even more because she was angry. After all, her stubbornness was something he knew very much of about her.
“My bats.” He walked towards Irysi and took them from her, carrying one in each arm. They felt warm, they certainly got that from Zezi. “I am so sorry. Forgive me.” They babbled in their baby tongue, and he smiled, the idea settling more with him that these were their children and the family they had wanted was here.
These were really theirs. Blood and flesh.
Then he rushed towards Zezi, laughter bubbling within him. “They are so beautiful, Zezi. You have made for us a beautiful family. I cannot wait for you to wake up and see them.” He pressed their tiny hands against her cheeks, his gaze shifted from them to her as if he was making an introduction. “Mother. She is Mother.”
They started patting her cheeks, and he pulled them away from her when it started to feel too much. “I heard little bats’ hands are painful,” He said to Nicholas and Irysi, and they smiled.
“It is time for their evening walk. They get grumpy when they don’t get the chance to go around the Castle’s garden and look at the sky, they like to watch the setting sun.”
“Really?” Valerick asked lowly, he felt terrible for not knowing all that about them. He was their father, after all. He should know. But he pushed them away for way too long. He was disappointed in himself, and he was certain that Zezi would be disappointed in him too. He had to try to spend more time with them and know them as fast as possible, so that when Zezi would return, he would be ready to fill her in on all she missed and they would recreate those moments together.
They would be a complete family.
“I will take them for the walk.” He stood up, planted a kiss on Zezi’s forehead. “I will be back, Love.” Then he turned to Irysi and Nicholas. “Irysi, you will go with me, and Nicholas will keep watch on Zezi.”
“I will stay and keep watch.”
Valefick scoffed. “ So you can invite Lord Rosil in? I can smell her on you.”
“She is my mother, we were talking earlier, that is why. But I wouldn’t dare to hurt Zezi.”
“Well, there is much I must learn, and you seem to be the best teacher. You will accompany me on this walk nonetheless, and Nicholas will keep watch.”
To protect Nicholas, Irysis said nothing. But she didn’t need to, her silent warning was as clear as daylight for him. Allowing LOrd Rosil in again would be risking more than he was willing to give, and it seemed that whatever Irysi had told Lord Rosil had kept her away.
Nicholas was keeping watch when Lord Rosil had stepped in. Quickly, he led her outside the room while he ordered the guards not to let anyone in, as he continued to steer Lord Roil away and convince her that killing her now wouldn’t be for the best.
“He must let go first, he has already started. Please, just give m,e more time.” He pleaded as they went further and further away from the door.
But that moment of absence from Nicholas had permitted the presence of Lord Faquard and the other Lords who were against Queen Zezi into the room. The guard at the door was part of their Movement and had let them into the room quietly.
Their plan was simple. Kill her and set her ablaze so that there will be nothing to trace back to them.
“If she wakes up and becomes Queen, the wolves will be our equal. No, we will be their slaves. Did you see what the King did to my son and his mate for her sake, despite their years of service to him? We must get rid of her at once.” Those had been the words Lord Fauqard had used to convince some vampires to join his movement.
Finally, they were here to get the job done: Lord Faquard, along with four other lords. It was more than enough.
There she was, sleeping and vulnerable. By the Blood, she doesn’t even have a heartbeat! She was as good as dead.
Why were they still keeping her?
They took a step forward when one suddenly stopped. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Another asked.
“A heartbeat.”
They all turned to the werewolf, but they could hear nothing.
“Focus!” Lord Faquard snapped. “Let us get rid of her once and for all. You pour the gasoline and you, ready the dagger.”
They nodded, but by the time they turned to her again, the werewolf was gone, and in a blink, darkness engulfed the room.
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