Chapter 17 Dagon
Dagon
Ihead into evening repast, grateful it’s being held in the residence today and not the formal setting in the Domum.
I can only stomach the slew of aristocratic vampire nobles for so long, and they’ve been coming—and staying on the king’s property—in droves since the war between us and the Sons became critical.
A quick scan of the room lets me know Annika isn’t here yet.
Instinctively, I check the bond between us, the one we solidified and accepted a few days ago, and sigh when I feel she’s not too far away.
I can’t even hide my smile as I take my seat near Ajax and Grace, Talon and Cassandra on the other side of the table.
Zachariah and Talia are at the opposite end, near the king’s assassins—Hawke and Avianna, Ransom and Olivia and their baby, Benedict and his witch Jocelyn, and Lachlan sits alone.
Valor must be running late to repast, just like Annika.
The king and queen are at the head of the table, lost in some quiet conversation that looks easy enough.
Which is a relief, since lately we’ve all overheard some of their more delicate arguments regarding their unborn child.
I understand the king’s fear—having a pregnant mate, let alone the vampire queen, would set anyone on edge.
We all saw poor Ransom go through it with Olivia, but looking at them now, it’s easy to see how their experience was worth it.
No one is denying that vampire children are close to miracles with how hard it is to conceive, but I support the king’s need for extra protection during this time.
It’s bad enough we’re at war, but being the queen makes her an even bigger target.
Like being a hunter’s mate.
Ice fills my veins and the room’s temp drops a couple degrees. I reel my power back in, checking on that mating bond another time to ensure my primal instincts that Annika is okay.
She’s fine. She’s safe in the residence somewhere. No doubt getting lost in a catch-up call with Daphne or checking up on Aurora and coaxing her to come to repast.
Warmth fills my chest. I love that female. Her heart is bigger than any I’ve ever seen, and she matches that fierce compassion for others with an equally passionate sense of loyalty. She’ll do anything for those she loves, those she considers family, and I’m somehow one of those lucky beings.
Another wave of doubt crashes over me. Her attachment to me is an immediate threat, but I decided the other night when we accepted the bond—I won’t let anything happen to her. Ever.
I wave off the talem who tries to pour some of the canned shit into my empty goblet.
He dips his head and moves down the table.
I’m still full and sated from my mate, a deeply intimate act I never thought I’d be privy to.
But now I am, thanks to Annika. Thanks to the once responsibility who did everything to drive me insane.
Thanks to fate tying us together in a way I’m still discovering.
When Olivia awoke us from stasis, it took a minute to adjust to the modern world and battles we’re facing.
But I never, not once, thought I’d wake up and find a mate.
And now, part of me knows that going into stasis was part of some grander picture, because despite the suffering that demanded it, it led me to Annika.
Alek stands up, drawing my attention as he looks over the tables in the residence’s dining hall.
There are some a few feet away, hosting a slew of rookie assassins who somehow snagged an invite.
Even that fucker Corbin, who joked about taking my mate to the queen’s ball.
Sure, Olivia had put him up to it to give me the shove I needed, but that prick agreed. He’s on my shitlist.
“I know times have been trying,” Alek says to the room.
“But I wanted to host this repast to give me some space to offer my gratitude for the family that has formed within this room. We’ve gone to war together, sometimes battling each other along the way, but ultimately, we’re stronger together and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather create and protect my future with than those of you that are here.
” He raises his glass, and I scoop up my water, holding it up in solidarity along with everyone else.
He’s a good king, and we’re lucky to have him in power.
“You have my gratitude. Especially as we continue to face the unknown—”
An explosion rocks the building so hard the entire room shakes.
There’s a microsecond of disbelief, a frozen moment in time where I look to Talon, Ajax, and Zachariah, a silent connection of brotherhood on how to proceed. The moment passes in an instant, and the room is a flurry of movement as alarms blare through the space.
“Where’s Saint?” Talon barks.
“Annika,” I breathe her name, unable to focus on anything else.
“Get the females to the war room!” Alek’s voice is a deafening command as he fires other orders at the assassins.
Olivia gathers Selene in her arms, not making any arguments as Ransom hurries her out of the dining hall and toward the war room.
I follow them out, instinct flashing my eyes to thermal in a blink.
“I know you can fight,” Benedict snaps as he pleads with Jocelyn ahead of me. “But I need you here. You have to protect that baby. All of them. Please.”
“With everything I have,” Jocelyn says, her lavender hair floating above her shoulders as her magic crackles in the chaotic hallway.
“Annika,” I say her name again, this time sending my panic down the bond.
“Where is your mate?” Lachlan asks as he skids to a stop next to me, Hawke shoving past him with Avi over his shoulder as he races toward the war room.
“I don’t know! Aurora is missing too.” And Saint. Where the fuck is he?
“Valor too,” Lachlan says, an edge of panic to his tone. He breathes through it. “Find her quickly,” he says to me, the king’s second-in-command giving orders as the king gets Lyric to safety.
“Have the palace grounds ever been breached before?” I manage to ask, my hunter instincts overtaking my mate impulses for a brief moment.
Lachlan meets my gaze, gives one shake of his head, then speeds out of sight.
“Fucking brilliant.” I take off, following the line of connection in my soul and around the corner—
“Dagon!” Annika’s voice sends a wave of relief crashing over me a second before she’s in my arms. “What happened?” she asks.
“We’ve been compromised,” I say, gently tugging her hand to guide her down the hallway. “You have to go to the war room with the other females.”
“What?” She yanks out of my grasp. “I can fight.”
I blow out a breath. “I know you can fight—”
“Where’s Aurora?” Saint’s voice is a lethal slice as he stops before us.
Annika glances over her shoulder, her brow furrowed. “She was right behind me,” she says, looking at the set of stone stairs she’d just come from. “We ran into each other heading to repast when the explosion happened.”
Saint spares me one look before he disappears.
Fuck. We need to regroup. We need to ascertain the threat.
I need to keep my mate safe. Nothing else matters.
The two priorities in my soul wage war on each other.
“Annika,” I plea. “Please. I can’t do what I do if you’re not safe.”
“But I—”
“Please,” I beg.
She must read something in my eyes because she relents, giving me a nod. “Go,” she says, looking down the hallway where I can see the war room, see Avianna beckoning the others inside. “Saint needs you. They all do.”
“I’ll take you,” I say, stepping that direction.
“I’m going,” she says, stopping me. “Go do what you do best.” She throws her arms around me, crushing her lips to mine in a quick, punishing kiss. “Come back to me in one piece,” she demands before rushing down the hall.
I take one breath, then another, feeling the mate instinct settle now that I know my heart is safe.
My hunter mind takes over, sharpening my primal instincts to a hewn edge as I race off in the direction Saint disappeared.