Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Nikolai
Two days.
Two days of Claire in my bed, learning every inch of her body. Talking, late into the night, getting to know each other better. Food delivered to the door and nothing else mattering but the female in my arms.
I lie in bed wearing only a robe, Claire tucked against my side, naked. Her golden hair is spread across my pillow. The bite mark on her throat has healed to a pale scar, my claim, visible for the world to see. And on my own throat, the smaller, fainter mark is there.
I laugh quietly, remembering Mrs. Vasek’s face that first morning.
She’d knocked with a breakfast tray. I’d opened the door just wide enough to take it, but she’d seen Claire in my bed.
Mrs. Vasek’s eyes had gone wide. Her mouth had dropped open and then a smile spread across her cheeks.
“Claire is my mate,” I told her. “I’ve claimed her. She’s moving in with me as my Queen.”
Her hand flew to her heart. “Your Majesty...”
“Tell everyone.”
And she did.
Now sunlight streams through the windows for the first time in days. The storm has finally broken. The mountain passes will be clearing.
Which means the Council will be coming.
“Our peaceful bubble is about to burst.”
“The Council?”
“The Council.”
She traces the mark on her throat with one finger. “Whatever happens, we face it together.”
“Together,” I agree.
As if summoned by my thoughts, there’s a sharp knock at the door.
It begins.
I pull my robe tighter — I’m naked underneath and have no intention of changing that — and open the door.
Three robed, Krovenian Council Elders stand in the corridor. Elder Harkon, Elder Petra, and Elder Voss. Their faces are stern with disapproval, their mouths tight with barely contained fury.
“Your Majesty.” Elder Harkon’s voice drips with false politeness. “We’ve heard... disturbing rumors.”
“They’re not rumors.” I lean against the doorframe, deliberately casual. “They’re true. I’ve claimed a human mate.”
The Elders push into the room without invitation. Their eyes immediately find Claire, sitting up in bed with the sheet pulled to her chest, the bite mark on her throat unmistakable.
“This is an outrage,” Elder Petra hisses. Her lip curls with disgust. “You were engaged to Princess Serina. The Council approved that match. You cannot simply—”
“I can and I have.” I cross my arms. “The Blood Calling chose Claire. I chose Claire. I am lucky to have her.”
“The Blood Calling.” Elder Harkon scoffs. “A convenient excuse to take an elixir in order to bed a human servant. Disgusting behavior.”
My fangs extend. “Careful.”
“You know what happened to Aldric.” Elder Voss steps forward, his voice hard. “You know what this means for the kingdom. Civil war. Chaos. Death. Thousands of Krovenians slaughtered because a king couldn’t control himself.”
“Times have changed—”
“Times have not changed enough.” Elder Petra’s voice rises. “The noble families will never accept a human queen. Your children will be half-bloods. Abominations unfit to—”
“That’s enough.”
I move to stand directly in front of Claire, blocking their view of her. Behind me, I can feel her flinch at the word ‘abominations.’ My blood boils with rage, but I keep my voice cold. Controlled. “You will not speak of my mate or my future offspring that way. Not now. Not ever.”
I reach behind me, grab the other robe from the bedpost, and pass it to Claire. She slips it on under the cover of my body, and I feel her small hand press briefly against my back in gratitude.
“Then you leave us no choice.” Elder Harkon’s voice is ice. “The Council will convene. You will be removed from the throne. Your assets will be seized. Your mate will be sent back to whatever human cesspool she crawled out of.”
Another knock. Louder this time.
The door opens and Viktor strides in, followed by Sebastian and our cousin Maxim. All three look like they haven’t slept. They must have traveled the moment the passes cleared, riding through the night to get here.
“We’re not interrupting, are we?” Sebastian asks cheerfully, surveying the scene…me in a robe, Claire in another robe, three furious Elders. “Looks like a party. Sorry we’re late.”
“This is a private Council matter,” Elder Petra snaps. “You have no business here.”
“Funny.” Viktor’s voice is cold enough to freeze the fire in the hearth. “I don’t recall the Council having authority to remove a king without the royal family and noble input. And as Nikolai’s brother and next in line for succession, I have quite a lot of input.”
“You support this madness?” Elder Voss demands.
“I support my brother’s right to choose his own mate.”
Maxim steps forward, his arms crossed, his presence intimidating even among Elders. “The Blood Calling is sacred. It is the will of the gods themselves. You would deny divine will?”
“The gods didn’t choose a human—”
“Didn’t they?” Sebastian grins, all charm and sharp edges. “Seems like they did and who are we to argue with the gods? Sounds a bit blasphemous, if you ask me.”
The Elders sputter.
Viktor crosses the room to where Claire now stands beside me. To everyone’s shock — including mine — he bows his head to her.
“Welcome to the family, sister.”
Claire’s eyes fill with tears. “Thank you, Viktor.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Sebastian is insufferable and Maxim never smiles. You may regret this.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Another knock. Softer this time. Almost hesitant.
I blink with surprise and open the door to find Mrs. Vasek clutching a rolled scroll in her trembling hands.
Behind her, the corridor is packed. Kitchen staff in their white uniforms. Groundskeepers with dirt still on their boots.
Maids, guards, footmen. And beyond them so many faces I don’t immediately recognize them all.
Generals in military dress, their medals gleaming.
Security officers in formal black. Lawyers in their traditional robes.
Merchants, blacksmiths, farmers from the villages below who must have traveled through the night.
Every type of Krovenian. Every walk of life. All of them here. For me.
“What is this?” Elder Harkon demands, his composure cracking.
Mrs. Vasek steps forward. Her voice trembles, but her spine is straight and her eyes are fierce. “Your Majesty. We’ve brought something for the Council to see.”
She hands me the scroll.
I unroll it and find a petition. Signatures covering page after page after page. Thousands of names I recognize and names I don’t, all of them written in careful script.
“What does it say?” Claire asks softly, moving to stand beside me.
My throat tightens. “It says they want me to remain as King. They accept you as Queen. They accept our children, whatever they may be.”
“The staff started it,” Mrs. Vasek proudly explains. “After I told them about your mating, they wanted to do something to make sure we didn’t lose you as King over this. Word spread to the town, then to the villages. Everyone wanted to sign. We ran out of paper twice.”
A voice from the crowd, one of the kitchen boys, “King Nikolai made sure all of us get free healthcare now.”
Another voice, a woman, “He gave my son a scholarship to study in the capital!”
A gruff male voice, “The king is fair and there’s never been a hint of corruption.”
General Ulder pushes forward. He’s one of the most respected military leaders in Krovenia, a male who once fought alongside my father during a human war.
His voice carries across the room like a battlefield command.
“The army stands with the King. He has led us with honor. He has our loyalty and the loyalty of every soldier under my command.”
A woman in lawyer’s robes speaks up, “And the legal guild has reviewed the precedents exhaustively. There is no law that forbids the king from taking a human queen. The Council’s objections have no legal standing.”
“This is highly irregular,” Elder Petra sputters. “The Council—”
“The Council serves at the will of the Crown,” Viktor cuts in smoothly. “And the Crown is supported by its people. Would you go against the wishes of the entire kingdom, Elder Petra? Would you risk civil war not to prevent a human queen, but to remove one the people have already accepted?”
Silence.
The Elders exchange glances. For the first time, uncertainty flickers across their faces. Finally, Elder Harkon clears his throat. “There may be... a path forward.”
“We’re listening,” I say.
“The Council’s primary concern is succession. The throne has always passed through pure-blood lines. Half-blood heirs would be... controversial. Destabilizing.” He pauses. “But if the succession were to pass to a pure-blood line instead...”
The lawyer who spoke earlier steps forward again.
“If I may offer a solution, there’s an obvious answer.
The King can remain as well as his Queen, but in the event that the King passes away, his Queen is a dowager, and the succession does not move to their offspring.
Prince Viktor has a daughter. A pure-blood heir.
The succession could instead pass to her and her descendants. ”
The General nods firmly. “I second this proposal. The girl carries the royal bloodline. She would be acceptable to the noble families and the military alike.”
Viktor goes very still beside me.
“And if something were to happen to Prince Viktor’s line,” the lawyer continues, “the succession would pass to Prince Sebastian, and then to Lord Maxim. A clear, stable line that satisfies tradition while allowing King Nikolai to keep his throne and his chosen mate.”
The Elders confer in hushed whispers.
I turn to my brother. “Viktor. This puts enormous pressure on you. On Lily.”
Viktor’s jaw is tight. “Lily is four years old. She doesn’t need the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders.”
“She wouldn’t bear it alone,” Sebastian says quietly, all his usual humor gone. “We’d support her and you. Whatever you need.”