Chapter 16
Acheron
"Tell me you finally know something."
Frustration bled into my voice as I glowered at the pale faces of my Elders. I had given them Alice's hair a week ago, and the turnaround should only have taken a few hours. The fact that they kept delaying the release of their findings told me something concerning had been uncovered.
Styros stepped forward; uncertainty and nerves trickled through him. "We apologize for the delay, my King, but we had to be sure. Our findings were, quite frankly, extraordinary. We needed time to research further; to be absolutely sure before we brought it before you."
Hammon spoke up next. "As you know, King Artemis and Queen Sarai had two children. It was believed that they were also killed alongside their parents."
My brow furrowed as I recalled the tale that had been repeated to me many times over the centuries. "Yes. Their charred remains were found in the east wing."
"That was what was reported, yes."
I stilled; my gaze sliding among the solemn faces of my Elders. "I am sensing a ‘but’ here…"
Henk stepped forward, producing a large tome from under his arm. "The oldest, their daughter Amara, was killed. However, we have reason to believe that their youngest, Gallon, was spared."
My eyes widened at this reveal. I held out my hand, and Henk obediently handed me the records.
"This is one of the records we thought perished in the fire?" I queried, my eyes quickly scanning through the ancient scribe.
"Yes. Gallon had a bond-servant with whom he was very close. The BloodKin had captured his sister and threatened to behead her if he did not provide them with safe passage into the castle. He complied but also smuggled Gallon out a few hours before the attack."
"Gallon would have only been seven at the time," I murmured, my deft fingers flicking through the pages, rapidly reading and absorbing the information with quick-fire speed.
Henk nodded. "He was hidden within the human world by loyalists to the King and Queen. Even though the Treaty was in its infancy, they allowed a small group of humans to work with them."
I nodded. This was common knowledge. No one knew for sure why King Artemis chose to work with humans at all while ironing out the terms of the Treaty.
Even though a Treaty was commonly made by two agreeing parties, there was still a hushed prejudice against humans.
They were still viewed as our inferiors, so the agreement really was only for our observance.
Once our partnered humans died out, we immediately ceased working with them. Our word was bond, so we had no trouble in keeping our promise not to hunt or kill humans. That is, until recently. Until the BloodKin decided to rear their ugly heads again.
"Eventually, he married a human who was aware of what he was. They had a child who possessed strong abilities; however, Gallon made sure to shelter him. It was a lot easier to do back then. Eventually, his child had a child, and their child had a child—”
“I am aware of how procreation works,” I said as I continued to peruse the documents.
“We monitored them until about two hundred years ago," Styros continued. "By then, Gallon's blood and his abilities were completely wiped out, and had been for some time. We have since lost track of them, but then, we thought it did not matter."
"What happened to Gallon? And his child? Surely they were immortal."
Styro nodded, his eyes downcast. "They both killed themselves. They could not bear to be hidden away from both humans and Vampires, and at the same time watch their loved ones age and die."
My mind turned to Alice, and I felt my throat constrict. There was always a gnawing ache in my gut when I thought of my mate's mortality. It was something that often pricked at the back of my mind, the guilt and worry swirling inside me like a tornado of anguish.
"So, what does this have to do with my Alice?"
"The DNA that we tested—we had to be sure, you see—that was why it took so long. We tested the strands no more than twenty times."
A loud crashing sound fell between my ears, and I swore my heart missed a beat. Before my Elders could utter their findings, I knew. I knew what they were about to say.
"It appears that she is a descendant of Gallon.”
My chest heaved as I breathed deeply, the cloud of frustration clearing. Everything had finally clicked into place. "You are sure?"
"Not only are we sure," Henk confirmed, "but it appears that the blood of Gallon is strong in her. She is still very much human, but she resides in a dormant, altered state. We think that it is the reason she is the mate of a King—"
"Because she carries the blood of the most powerful royals. A bond-mated King and Queen."
Pride filled my chest, and I could not help the swell of male satisfaction that curved my mouth.
Even if Alice were a weak human, I would, of course, still be proud of her.
But knowing she carried the blood of King Artemis and Queen Sarai ignited the primal being inside me to roar. She was my equal in every way.
"Who else knows?"
"The Elders of Ameros and King Damon, of course."
"Did King Damon know? About Gallon?"
"No, my King. Only Elder Amos knew, as he was a relative of Gallon's bond-servant. He wrote the records and hid them. A lot of their staff had been paid off by Vladimir, so he did not know who he could trust."
"Keep it that way," I ordered. "If Vladimir finds out…" I could not even form the words, let alone think of them. The repercussions would be horrendous. I was so close to making Alice mine. I needed to tread carefully.