39__Undercover Queen

Rogan flew across the room and slammed so high on the wall he nearly hit the ceiling. Kamilla watched him drop and land miraculously on his feet with a groan of pain.
Viktor stood glaring at him, his hands itching to do more damage.
“What did you just say?” he asked, his voice a low growl.
Rogan’s blonde hair hung over his face as he stood panting. Slowly raising his head, he looked at Viktor with eyes of dark hatred and slowly smiled.
“Forgive me, my King. That was a slip of tongue. Today isn’t the day, Viktor. I’ll see myself out.”

The room was hot with tension as Rogan turned away from Viktor and disappeared from their sight.
Demetrius glanced at Kamilla and taking the rest of her bags, left the room.

“The bastard’s playing with me.” Viktor snarled, staring at where Rogan had stood.

Damon pushed back his bright hair in frustration. “He isn’t going to stop this time Viktor. He came here to break my loyalty. And he was determined.” Damon glanced at Viktor and they passed a meaningful look between them. “You know it’s impossible,” Damon said finally and Viktor gave him a single nod.

“I think he’s lying,” Kamilla said.

They both turned to look at her. Damon nodded. “He definitely is. He’s running his mouth to make us uncertain.”

“Last time he came to see me, he also tried to convince me to leave Viktor. He said I didn’t have to get caught up in the cross-fire,” she told them, pausing when Viktor’s glare darkened. “Obviously, I didn’t listen to him. But what’s clear is that Rogan has a huge grudge against you, Viktor. Why?”

“The hell if I know!” Viktor muttered, smacking a cushion off the sofa so he could sit. “Bastard has a loose screw. I didn’t even want this fucking Kingdom! Father shoved me away in England like a dirty rag for all my life just to leave me with this burden when he died! Bullshit!”
Kamilla shrunk back, glancing at Damon with wide eyes.
Damon shook his head at her and looked at Viktor. “Rogan’s an asshole, V. Don’t let him get to you. We’ll deal with him. Everything he said to me was bullshit, I know it.”
Kamilla slowly walked over to sit beside Viktor. “All that he’s doing… I mean, trying take Damon and I away from you, setting up that attack on the way to London—”
“You were attacked?!” Damon demanded, eyes wide. “Why didn’t you call?”
Viktor quickly waved it away. “We handled it, relax.”
Kamilla leaned over to Damon. “It was a pack of Werewolves.”
Damon’s jaw dropped. “What?! Wolves? Why? We have no bad blood!”
Viktor closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. “We. Handled. It.”
Kamilla leaned over again. “They were really actually Vampires! Cassius Vampires! After Viktor and I totally kicked their ass, the wolf exterior vanished and they turned into Vamps. Viktor says it was Sorcery.”
Damon’s eyes nearly popped out. “What?!”
Viktor jerked Kamilla back. “You’re going to give him a heart attack.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t call to tell me about this!” Damon complained, looking utterly betrayed. “Is this what our five-hundred-year-old friendship is about?”
Viktor groaned and stood, yanking off his jacket and throwing it onto the sofa. “Damon! Not now, okay. I said we handled it so let it go and come on.”
He turned on his heel and made for the door. Damon crossed his arms. “Where to?!”
Viktor spun around. “I’m going down to Cassius! I’ve got questions to ask.”

Damon made a face at Viktor’s departing back. “Yeah, right.” He glanced a Kamilla. “Questions, my ass. He’s going there to start trouble and make heads roll.”

With a snarl, Damon took off after Viktor leaving Kamilla blinking at them. “Hey! What about me?!” she yelled.
“You stay here!” Viktor yelled back.
Kamilla crossed her arms with a pout. Geez, after everything she’d done to help him, he was just going to leave her out like this?!

She bit her lip and steepled her fingers in thought. Viktor didn’t even know whether Rogan had goons waiting in the shadows to attack them or not, how could he so easily tell her to stay behind? What if they needed backup?
As for going to Cassius, wasn’t that where the sorceress who’d seen Charming was? Kamilla looked towards the exit. This could be her only chance to find out just what it was that linked Viktor to Cassius. So many answers could lie in the other kingdom and with Viktor’s current red-bull state of mind, Kamilla doubted he’d ask all the right questions. He probably couldn’t see much through the red clouding his vision.

Making her mind up, Kamilla grabbed Viktor’s jacket and slipped into it before sneaking off to the exit.
Sighing a huge breath of relief when she found both of the entrances to the castle open, Kamilla ran out into the breezy late afternoon.
The stone-paved front yard was empty and Kamilla made a sound of annoyance. They’d already left!
Throwing her gaze over to the side, she ran what felt like a mile to the side of the huge castle to look toward the stables. Kamilla smiled. Good thing she was a master at horse-riding.

Five minutes later she rode out on a glossy black beast who looked as temperamental as he was handsome. Kamilla had simply brushed his nose and the brute had loved her.
Riding out through the gates, Kamilla tightened her hands on the reigns as she followed the road she knew led to the gates of Onyx. If they’d gone too far and she got lost, well… that’s life!
Kamilla thanked God that the usual market routes were empty as it was a time when the Kingdom was preparing for their sleepless party nights of blood and mating.
Kamilla turned down a shorter route she’d taken when she’d first attempted to escape and smiled when she saw the large black carriage just exiting the kingdom. Hah. She couldn’t believe Viktor actually thought he could leave her behind.
*****************
Kamilla rode up beside the building and stroked her stallion’s neck as she gazed up the rocky hill, watching Viktor and Damon angrily stalk into what appeared to be the royal castle.
The streets of Cassius were strangely busy although it was already dusk and Kamilla got plenty of looks. She looked around nervously. Damn, she should have grabbed a cloak or something. The hood on Viktor’s leather jacket still left her face exposed.
She glanced around and bit her lip worriedly. The gates at the bottom of the rocky hill were closed. How the hell would she get through if she wanted to see the woman who’d seen Charming? Blast! The gates had just opened for Viktor and Damon’s stinking carriage, wouldn’t it open for her and her beautiful horse?!

“You’re from Onyx.”

Kamilla gasped in fright, trying very hard to not jerk her body as it would startle her moody brute. She stroked a gentle hand down his neck before slowly turning to the stranger’s voice.
A cloaked woman stood there. Kamilla eyed her from under her own hood. “Who are you?”

The woman pushed off her hood and smiled at Kamilla. It wasn’t a friendly smile, but neither was it cold. It was quite an oh-look-it’s-another-human kind of smile.
“I am Ursula.” She pointed at the castle on the hill. “I am the aunt of the Queen in that castle. I was waiting for you. You came here to see me. I knew you’d come so I waited.”
Kamilla swallowed. Was she getting played or was the older lady actually serious? If she was, it would make things much easier for Kamilla.
“What did I come for then?”

The woman looked sad. “Your King. You’ve come for your King. You want to know what ties him to the Kingdom he hates the most, don’t you?”

Kamilla shook her head and slowly climbed off her horse, gently tugging him in a shadowed corner with her.
“Nope, that’s not why I’m here,” she told the cloaked lady. “Viktor isn’t linked to Cassius, that’s impossible. I want to know what you know about… the other one.”

Ursula nodded. “Ah. The other one. The one of a gentle and kind bearing. He is alive within your King like that glowing white moon in the black sky.”

Kamilla leaned over to glance at the moon with a nod. “Yeah, uhm… I need to tell me what you know about him.”

Ursula tilted her head and looked intensely at Kamilla. “You and the other one… you’re connected.”

Kamilla blinked. “What? Me and Charming? What do you mean?”

Ursula shook her head, eyes filling with awe. “Oh, my. You’re the reason, aren’t you? The reason he exists.”
Kamilla jerked back. What was the woman saying?! It was like speaking English and having someone respond in ancient Russian.
“Look,” Kamilla told the lady. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Ursula came forward and took Kamilla’s free hand. “Tell him. Tell your King about the other one. They need each other. It’s the only way they’ll both be free.”
Kamilla slowly nodded and pulled her hand away. This woman was still of the enemy Kingdom. Kamilla couldn't openly discuss Charming with her. “Uhm... okay. So… before I forget, can you tell me why we were attacked the other day?”
Ursula stepped back and with a sigh, put her hood on. “That was only the beginning of war between the two. Your King must not restrict his power, he should fight back mercilessly otherwise he’ll lose. One must win.”
Kamilla tilted her head. “You-you know about Rogan?”
She saw Ursula’s mouth turn down disapprovingly. “Far more than I want to. He’s hard-headed. More evil than I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Kamilla jumped forward. “Do you know why he hates Viktor?! Tell me!”
Ursula turned to leave and gave Kamilla one final look. “He’s fighting for what is undeniably his. But he’s going about it very *very* wrong.”

The woman turned away and walked off into the night. Kamilla stood open-mouthed looking at her until she disappeared.

She blinked. “Huh?” Kamilla asked no one in particular. She glanced around. “What-what does that mean? What does… what does…”

No one in the crowds responded so Kamilla sighed and quickly climbed back onto her horse. This wasn’t making any sense at all! She bit her lip and glanced at the silhouette of Viktor’s carriage up the hill. Rogan was fighting for what was undeniably his? Kamilla remembered Rogan’s words and his clear resentment for Viktor. A feeling of dread crept into her gut. No way.
It couldn’t possibly be what she was thinking. Viktor was rightfully the King of Onyx. But where did Rogan fit in?

She glanced vaguely about the streets, through the crowds of drunks and euphoric youngsters and froze when her gaze fell on a head far too familiar. Kamilla sat up.
The blonde hair looked white in the moonlight as he disappeared into a tall dark building.

Kamilla shook her head in disbelief. Rogan was here too. What was he doing here? With a determined look, she turned her horse in that direction.
There was only one way to find out.