Chapter 31
Mate Out of a Monster
TITUS
Ioffered my General a mug of ale because I had found that difficult conversations were best had with libations. He took it and seated himself in the leather armchair across from me in my lounge.
Right on time, Delilah knocked politely before entering the room. I did not miss the sharp glare Cercies gave her upon arrival. I was a highly observant male, and I noticed immediately that the other two beings in this room were extremely uncomfortable with each other’s presence.
Understandably.
Not long ago, he had been all over my mate in this very room— right on this very coffee table—with his hands on her body. The thought of it still enrages me. How things had changed in such a short time.
“Thank you for joining us, Delilah. Please take a seat next to me, love,” I said.
Gods and Guardians, I had missed her.
She was freshly bathed and wearing a simple black dress, thank the
Guardians for that. If I had to go another minute smelling Cercies's
scent on her from dancing I was going to lose my mind.
She looked amazing in everything, but I still wished she would wear more red.
Even though I had held her and danced with her earlier, it hadn’t been enough.
I couldn’t wait for this meeting to be over so I could clock out as High Lord and spend the evening with my Pickles. Alone.
She crossed the room gracefully and took the seat beside me.
I cleared my throat.
“As you know, my servant and Delilah are quite fond of each other. I invited her to this meeting to act in the best interest of the handmaid.”
“Her name is Calpurnia, and I will act in the best interest of my mate… My Lord,” Cercies replied sharply.
From his tone I could determine that this meeting was going to end with something on fire. I exhaled an irritated breath.
“Alright then, General. Let’s get right to it. What is it that you want?” I asked.
His tone was direct and harsh. “I want you to convince the council to redact the Law of Flesh from Holy Law so that I may have my own mate and be free of my monthly obligations.”
He looked at Delilah with remorse.
My blood began to boil. I had assumed he would ask for a simple transfer for the servant.
But this? This was outrageous, he might as well have asked me for the moon.
I would do just about anything for my brothers—but not even a High Lord could overturn Holy Law.
I scoffed. “And how do you suppose I do that? Thousands of years of practice, and you think I can wipe it away in a day?”
“You are the most powerful Lord of Flame in history, are you not?” Cercies countered, arching a brow.
He knew exactly how to push my buttons.
I leaned in, resting my elbows on my thighs.
“Be that as it may,” I said as calmly as possible, “just mentioning such a thing is grounds for the council to overturn and execute me. Their army of Holy Guards would have the castle surrounded in minutes! I am willing to transfer her to your estate in Dragon’s Maw as a servant on paper.
Once she’s there, I don’t care what you do with her—just do not mark her. ”
“As for monthly obligations,” I said evenly, though my flames prickled beneath my skin, “I have yet to mark Delilah. But when I do, the last thing I want is the council sniffing around my private affairs.”
I let my gaze lock onto his.
“There will be no monthly obligations. Not from you. Not from Aurelius.” My voice dropped lower. Colder. “She is mine.”
“That’s not good enough!” Cercies roared, surging to his feet. Flames burst from his back in a violent arc, his chair skidding behind him.
I rose slowly.
Deliberately.
Just a fraction taller. Just enough. The air thickened between us.
“Why the hell not?” I asked, each word ground through clenched teeth.
“Because Calpurnia is my fated mate!” he shot back, fire licking at his shoulders. “You think this is about convenience? About paperwork?”
His chest heaved.
“She deserves to be worshipped,” he said, voice breaking with fury. “Not hidden. Not tolerated. Not reduced to a servant you ‘allow’ me to keep.”
His flames flared brighter.
“I don’t expect you to understand,” he continued, eyes blazing, “but she is not a secret arrangement. She is my equal.”
A small hand pressed against my leg.
I looked down into Delilah’s arctic blue eyes. She said my name and I was instantly disarmed.
Perhaps I had made a mistake inviting her. She had a way of softening me.
I retracted my flames and sat. He did the same. When the tension settled, I spoke.
“Brother, I never congratulated you on finding your fated mate. That’s incredible—a one-in-a-million chance. I am happy for you.”
“If you had not accepted the lifelong role of General of the Kingdom of Flame, I would be throwing you a feast in your honor. But here we are. You swore an oath of celibacy to this kingdom, and Guardians know we’ve all looked the other way.”
“But asking for your own mate? I just don’t see how it can be done.”
I studied the disappointment on Delilah’s face and decided I would rather swim in Mount Orid than see that expression again.
“There is one council member I can call a friend. The newest one—Antonias. I will run it by him off the record and see what I can do. But it will take time.”
“In the meantime, Calpurnia should get a promotion,” Delilah suggested, but it came out more like a command.
“What?” I asked, caught off guard and unaccustomed to females speaking in royal matters. Cercies even blinked as well.
“Since I relieved her of her handmaid duties to me, she doesn’t know what to do with her time while Cercies is away. Perhaps there is another position she can hold that allows her to travel with the General?”
I shook my head. “A royal position in the army? Sorry, princess, but females do not hold those positions here. Even if they did, there are none open.”
“Actually,” Cercies cut in, “the Nobel who fainted at the SkyGuard incident passed away this morning. He was a spy master. So, there is one position open as of today.”
I scoffed. “A female as a spy? You cannot be serious.” Their eyes told me just how serious they were.
“Spy masters often accompany me when I travel,” Cercies continued. “The position would be perfect. There is no law stating a female cannot hold it—only tradition.”
I stared at them.
We were discussing promoting a handmaid to spy master of the Kingdom of Flame.
“She is not suitable,” I argued. “She has little magic and folds towels for a living. How does that qualify her?”
“Pardon me, My Lord.” I turned.
Calpurnia stood across the room as if she had suddenly appeared!
How long had she been standing there?
“I have spent my entire life going unnoticed as a servant and listening to everything that happens in this castle,” she said respectfully. “Who is better suited to be a spy than someone no one sees? You did not even notice I was here.”
I had to swallow my own argument.
She made an excellent point. She could be an asset to be disguised as a servant in an enemy home or as an escort at a party to gather information and no one would ever suspect her. No one would suspect a female to be in the employ of the Kingdom of Flame.
“Calpurnia, how did you enter unnoticed?” I asked. She hesitated. Cercies nodded with encouragement.
“Sometimes,” she admitted quietly, “I can make myself invisible for short periods of time. Sorry I never told you Lila, I didn’t want to frighten you. I didn’t know it was a rare ability.”
Judging by the look on her face, Delilah clearly felt the same shock I did.
My stomach dropped and I looked to Cercies. He nodded in confirmation. If she had the ability to go invisible even for a moment then that meant… there’s no way. I found her starving and homeless on the streets because she had such little magic her own family and community rejected her.
“How can this be?” I asked.
Cercies slid a paper across the table.
“She showed me her invisibility power and I had to know…”
He continued. “I had her blood magic retested. Her level is high enough to be considered half-royal. Higher than Rexius’s. Nearly parallel to mine.”
He met my gaze.
“I analyzed royal blood markers. Titus… Nerot is her father.”
The air left my lungs. I had long suspected my father had scattered bastards across the realm, but I never imagined one would be here— in my service, under my roof, and fated to my General.
In hindsight, it made sense. They were both of royal blood.
Just as he had done with Aurelius, my father must have altered her blood magic results so no one would question her parentage.
Guardians. This was a mess.
I leaned back, resting my brow against my hand as I read the results.
Calpurnia was my half-sister.
“Nerot as in Lord Nerot your father? Cal is your sister!!?” Delilah asked.
“Half-sister technically, she does not have the magic markers of Titus’s mother.” My General answered.
“Who else knows?” I asked coldly.
“No one,” Cercies replied. “And it does not leave this room.”
For the first time, I truly saw the handmaid. The dark, auburn hair like mine. The amber eyes. My father’s freckles.
It was undeniable.
My mate rushed to Calpurnia and embraced her, they whispered through their emotions amongst themselves while I processed my own emotions.
Anger towards my father for being a piece of shit and always cheating on my mom, sadness for Prisca, she would never get to meet the sibling she always wanted. Fear, for what this meant for the throne and the ruling of my kingdom. What did this mean for the General of my army and my best friend?
Then I heard my mates’ voice, and it pulled me out from under the weight of my thoughts.
“She does not want a crown,” Delilah said gently. “She just wants a position that allows her to be with Cercies until they can be official.”
I exhaled. I had no reason to deny the request, especially with a blood magic level as high as my third in command. A simple spy master would normally be considered beneath a person with such high power.