Page 52

Lucian

Present

When I awoke the following afternoon, all my muscles ached, but it was a good ache. A blissful sigh escaped me because the soreness meant my night with Kerainne wasn’t a dream. Then my chest tightened in a brief moment of worry as I rolled over and reached for the other side of the bed.

Instead of the cold feel of vacant mattress, my hand touched blessedly warm skin.

Kerainne’s soft hum of satisfaction filled me with triumph.

Although I had countless things to do, there was no way I was leaving her alone in my bed.

Not after all the years I’d longed for her to be there when I awoke.

She wasn’t the only beautiful creature in my bed. A fluffy black and white cat I’d never seen before slept peacefully below Kerainne’s feet. Though Xochitl only officially had two cats, she had many friends who visited. I wondered if I should feed it.

Kerainne’s sleepy voice pulled my attention from the feline. “What time is it?”

I looked at the clock and cursed at the intrusion of the outside world and my duties. “After two…pm.”

“Ugh. I don’t want to get up.”

“Then don’t. Let’s stay in bed until tomorrow. Or maybe next week.”

“You know we can’t do that.” She sat up and drew her brows together in mock severity. “We’re the grownups. We’re more obligated to be responsible than youngsters like Silas.”

“Silas is five hundred years old.”

“Exactly.” She stuck her tongue out and threw the covers aside, making my mouth go dry at her glorious, naked body.

Strange how nudity never affected me, unless it was her. The same desire reflected in her eyes as she gazed at my body.

I sprang to the other side of the bed and pulled her into my arms. “If I wasn’t still drained from last night, I would keep you here.” For now, it was enough to just hold her. “Do you still want to marry me?”

“Yes.” Kerainne lifted herself up on her toes as I lowered my head to kiss her. “When are you going to tell the matriarchs?”

“Today.”

Her eyes widened, but thankfully lacked the hesitation she used to have when we’d discussed marriage. “That fast?”

“I don’t want to risk losing you again.” My confidence faltered. “Unless you need more time?”

“No. I’d suggest we go to Vegas today and have a ceremony with a fake Elvis if we could get away with it.”

“What’s a fake Elvis?”

For some reason, the question sent her into a bout of hysterical laughter that woke the cat. When she recovered her breath, she promised she’d show me. “But you have to learn about the real Elvis first. Xochitl was never a fan.”

From context I guessed she was talking about music. “She’s been asking me to listen to Megadeth, but Razvan didn’t give me any of those albums.”

“Oh, Megadeth.” Kerainne sighed. “You’ll either love them immediately like she did, or hate them…but then gradually learn to love them if you spend enough time with her. At least Cradle of Filth was mostly a phase.”

I blinked at her. “I’m trying to follow, but…”

“Razvan has been doing well introducing you to some of the best Earth music,” Kerainne said, and before I could ask when she found out about that, she continued.

“But Razvan has had the benefit of spending over a thousand years on Earth. So he’s a very good curator and I’ll bet you have been very spoiled with such wonderful songs to listen to.

Xochitl was raised as a human and like all humans her age, she has a lot of things she loves because they resonated with her in that way things do with a developing mind, whether or not they’re objectively pleasant to listen to or not.

Razvan has done his best, but no one can take away those core artists that shaped her. ”

“Are you saying she has bad taste in music?”

“Not at all. Just some things will take more time for us to understand.” Her lips curved in an amused smile. “And I definitely acquired some questionable tastes of my own during my time on Earth.”

“Like this Elvis?”

“Oh, he was so revered in his time that people referred to him as ‘The King.’” Kerainne laughed. “But there’s some dark and unethical history there too. Anyway, I’m delaying us.”

I kissed the tip of her nose. “I don’t mind.”

Eventually, we made it out of the suite. The smell of food reached us and our stomachs growled in tandem. The cat paused in front of us and meowed for us to hurry up.

When we made it to the dining room, Xochitl looked at us, then turned bright red.

My face heated as I realized that she knew as much about what we’d been doing as we did about her.

Thankfully, no one brought it up. In fact, everyone seemed as hungry as we were.

We devoured our meal in silence. The vampires had a few more hours before they’d rise and visit the blood house in the city, so I was spared from Razvan’s wry commentary… for now.

When I couldn’t eat another bite, I rose and announced my intent to visit luminista to negotiate Kerainne’s and my betrothal contract.

As expected, Xochitl bolted to her feet. “So soon?”

“Yes.” I resisted the urge to step back under her forceful stare.

“Xochitl Goldmoon…” Kerainne said in a low, ominous tone that made me grateful not to be on the receiving end.

Zareth coughed awkwardly and tried to reach for Xochitl’s hand.

The little queen balked a little, then turned back to me. “I don’t think you’ve groveled long enough.”

I couldn’t fight back a smile. “Bold of you to assume I’ll ever stop groveling. In fact, I’ll be able to grovel even more when we’re married.”

Xochitl’s lips twitched with the beginning of a smile. “Can’t you just move in together?”

“That’s not our way. You of all people should know the political ramifications of romantic entanglements when you’re a royal,” I reminded her. “Didn’t you and Zareth have to have six ceremonies?”

“Five, but…Okay, fine . I get it.” She pouted at me, but her eyes were warm even before she turned to Kerainne. “Mom, are you sure this is what you want?”

“Actually, I wanted to elope in Vegas today. With Elvis officiating.”

“Mom!” She gasped in mock horror while her bandmates burst into laughter.

I took that moment to escape and make another attempt to visit with Tanis.

While I wasn’t looking forward to hearing about Mephistopheles and his horrible patchwork world of stolen land, at least I could remain under the same roof as her for a little while longer.

I didn’t know the luminite very well. He and his family were merchants in Medicia.

They wove many fine tapestries and carpets that I probably walked on and saw back when I was courting Kerainne.

They also wove the silk of her wedding gown.

This time when I knocked, Tanis opened the door to his guest suite, eyes darting with a timidness never before seen in our kind. The way he brightened at the sight of me tugged at my heart. I should have made more of an effort to visit him sooner.

“Lucian!” he embraced me tightly. “How have you been?”

“Better,” I answered honestly. “Zareth wanted me to ask you more questions about your time in the Evil One’s realm, but if you’re not feeling up to it, we can skip it, have tea, and discuss whatever you’d like.”

Tanis pulled me inside his quarters. “I want to tell you. Which tea do you prefer?”

“Black with lavender.” I took a seat on his sofa and eyed him in surprise as he heated the water. “I was led to believe that you weren’t ready to talk about that place.”

Tanis shrugged and measured out the tea in steel infusers.

“I don’t want to tell Queen Kerainne because she’s suffered enough.

Princess Nikkita is out of the question for similar reasons.

They have family imprisoned there, after all.

That’s part of why I couldn’t speak when the Leonines from Luminista came down even though I tried.

But you…” He eyed me intently as he handed me a steaming mug.

“You’re a luminite from the home realm. You and the others in Luminista need to know what we Medicia luminites have been through.

And, more importantly, what’s at stake.”

Guilt curdled my belly, giving me a reason to delay tasting the tea. “I know I’ve been taught that Luminista is superior and mattered more than Medicia, but I promise, I take this all very seriously and believe that all of our people should as well.”

“Mephistopheles cannot create.”

“Yes,” I nodded, wondering why he was pointing out a well-known fact. “Which is why Qua’ al-fán is composed of stolen lands and magics.”

Tanis sipped his tea and continued. “He has to continue to force his prisoners to create for him to maintain the world. But doing so drains us. It’s killing us in ways we can’t be brought back from.”

“What do you mean?” The idea of dying and not returning to Luminista made me shiver.

“The luminites that Sylvis saw imprisoned in stone?” The tea cup clattered as Tanis set it back on its saucer. “Many weren’t imprisoned. That’s what happened to the ones who gave up. Mephistopheles just tells everyone he turned them to stone to make it seem as if he has more control.”

“I’ve heard legends that luminites who run out of things to create return to the elements.” My skin crawled. Everyone who repeated those legends spoke as if that were a noble, romantic thing to happen, but I never felt that way.

Tanis continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “He doesn’t only have luminites creating for him. He’s captured demons from the realm of Irkalla, though some are there voluntarily, hoping for a better life than the ones under their original overlords.”

“I wasn’t aware that demons could create.” Despite nearly a quarter century of studying, I knew very little about Irkalla.