Chapter 23
Rion
It was a relief for Rion to return to the underground palace with Westergaard and find Kitty sitting there as if she hadn’t just had a near death experience.
However, anyone who knew her, could tell she wasn’t herself.
He wanted to go to her and address the situation, but the current circumstances didn’t allow for it.
Not only would it embarrass her, but he needed to be there for Tobias.
Who knew what fresh Hell was about to go down.
They’d cut it so close in oathing Westergaard. None of them could have predicted how it would go, as this entire situation was unprecedented. It wasn’t until the last moment Rion realized they could lose it all. Thank fuck Will had turned up when he did.
With all of this circulating in his mind, Rion could not conceive a way for Tobias to take on Marquez and all of his entourage as well. They either needed more angels, or more mortal servants. If they chose to take on more servants, it meant delaying Marquez’s oath.
There was no way Tobias could take on more servants and still oath another original king in the same day. It would be a miracle if he could do one of those things within twenty-four hours of the oathing.
How long could they keep propping up Marquez with Lyla’s powers of winter? It was working for now, but if there was ever a moment Lyla was not there, or if the eighth lord used more force, what they were doing might not be enough.
One glance at the demon told Rion she was exhausted. Her hair looked as though it hadn’t been brushed in days, and her outfit was a shadow of its usual immaculacy. He approached her with caution, wary of igniting concern where it had not already taken root.
“Are you well?” He asked, his words reflecting the affection he held for her.
“I will make do.”
It was not the answer he had hoped to hear. “Is there anything I can do?”
She heaved a great sigh. “I do not think so. I must recharge before my power wanes beyond anything useful, but I am loathe to leave him as I do not believe he will last until I return.”
“How many episodes did he have in our absence?”
A shadow passed over her expression, as if she did not want to answer. “Nine.”
“I wish I could take your place,” he said quietly.
“Your abilities are the opposite of what we need.” she gave a wry smile.
“Use me,” Tobias said as he joined them. “You did it once before, when we were in the eighth realm. Do you remember? You absorbed the cold from my Undead energy.”
Lyla’s eyes narrowed. “I will not weaken you at your darkest hour.”
“This is hardly my darkest hour.” Tobias laughed quietly. “And besides, don’t you remember how it affected me the first time you did this?”
Rion certainly did. It was as though the male had been on some sort of performance enhancing drug. What if this was exactly what they needed to push them over the edge to potential success?
“Do it,” he said.
Tobias clapped him on the back. “Your instant support is a little unexpected, but I’ll take it.”
Lyla rested both hands at her hips and looked from one male to the other. “You are both in agreement? Interesting.”
“What are we agreeing on?” Will appeared beside them.
“Lyla needs to feed her inner demon. She’s taken from me before; I suggested she do it again. Then Marquez is not left unprotected while we sort our shit out,” Tobias explained.
“Good plan.” Will nodded “Last time you were so high afterwards. You fought like a machine against the creatures of the eighth realm; we could totally do with some of that in our evening.”
Rion’s brow furrowed. “However do you remember that? You were unconscious for most of that portion of the journey.”
“We don’t have time for chit chat. If Lyla is going to feed from me, I want to make the most of the after-rush. Let’s get started on the meeting so we can get to it.” Tobias turned to approach the dais and stopped. “Where did these other two thrones come from?”
Lips twisting into a smirk, Rion folded his arms. “You can thank Westergaard for that. Apparently, since we are a trinity, we require three. It would seem he does not want your ego to grow too large, hmm?”
Tobias stared at him incredulously. “Right. Whatever. We need to get started. Sit your asses on your thrones, or stand there, your choice.”
“Oh, I’mma be sitting on mine,” Will flashed out and appeared in the one to the left of the royal throne.
With a chuckle, Rion followed Tobias, where they both sat down in a far more dignified manner.
From a regular chair near the base of the dais, Westergaard grinned. “That is much more appropriate.”
“Thanks,” Tobias said with a polite nod.
Rion’s gaze panned the room. The mortal servants sat at the back of the room around a couple of large dining tables, feasting on a banquet to keep themselves in the best physical position possible for Tobias.
He knew they would have been eating constantly since they’d awoken that day, which was not as easy as one would expect.
Kitty sat on one side of the room with fifteen angels, six more than the previous night. Marquez and his five guards, whom Rion was amused to discover had not been provided with chairs, stood on the opposite side of the room.
In the center of the vast space, several more chairs had been assembled.
O’Brien, Althea, Derek, and twenty mortals sat, waiting for whatever came next.
For some reason, having everyone seated attributed the whole affair a measure of legitimacy, and further highlighted how pissed off Tobias was with Marquez.
Tobias sat up straighter and resumed a more formal pose as he slid into the role of vampire king.
“Last night was long and arduous, but we achieved the goal without losing anyone.
Tonight, will be no different. There is no room for fear among us; we will push forward with the courage and determination of a winning team.
I also want you to know that your contributions and sacrifices are every bit as appreciated as they are necessary.
You have my sincere gratitude, and your efforts will not go unrewarded.
“For now, I ask for your patience as we navigate this uncharted path forward. Before we begin, can someone tell me who these people are?” He gestured to a cluster of unfamiliar mortals.
“They came with Westergaard, a count of fifteen,” Rion stated.
Westergaard nodded. “These are my offering to you, Martelli. You can feed from them or take them on as servants, whatever you need.”
Tobias seemed taken aback, but he covered it quickly. “Thank you, it’s a generous gift. Tell me, were they chosen at random, or do you know them well?”
“They are all from my kingdom, loyal and respected by me. They’ve been among my feeders for many years. All are currently employed in businesses I own, and none have ever given cause for concern. They are here by their own choice.”
“Think carefully,” Rion advised silently. “Do not rush this decision.”
“We don’t have time for an investigation. Relax, all right? I am capable of assessing my own capabilities and making a decision.”
“Good to know,” Tobias said aloud. “Does anyone have anything of importance to report, before we continue?”
O’Brien stood and cleared his throat. “It has come to our attention that original kings Jong Su Kim and Inesh Patel have both expired.”
The room was abuzz with chatter for several moments before Tobias called for silence. “All right, this is not ideal, but there is no need to panic.”
“Is there a chance we can protect anyone else?” Westergaard asked.
Rion pressed his lips together and waited for Tobias to answer. For the love of all things Holy, Martelli, say no.
“Taking on Marquez is already more of a gamble than I’m comfortable making,” Tobias said, tension in his tone. “Obviously, if there is anything we can do, I’m all for that, but I won’t put my servants and subjects at risk to save the others.”
“Of course,” Westergaard nodded.
“You have allies among the kings?” Will chimed in.
Westergaard’s expression faltered for a moment, and he nodded. “I had an alliance with three others. One is already dead. If there was anything I could do for the other two, I would, but I understand. We are in unchartered waters. I will respect whatever decision the Trinity makes.”
“You defer to the Trinity? You are only oathed to Martelli.” Marquez seemed genuinely confused.
“If you do not see what is right in front of you, then you are a bigger fool than I thought.” Westergaard laughed.
Lyla approached the dais. “If you are able to take on Marquez as planned, I could help Westergaard’s allies.”
Rion took a long hard look at her, and the absence of her usual personal grooming standards. Her usually lustrous storm-colored hair hung limp down her back. Bags sat under each eye, and her pale skin was almost translucent.
“At what cost, Lyla?”
“You, better than anyone, know what it is like to be subservient in the eighth lower realm. It is bad enough my ex-husband created the Undead in the first place. Now he seeks to destroy them all? He will be eliminating more than the nine he made. This. Is. Wrong. If I can stop it, I will. I stood idle for too long, a spectator at his side, I will do this no more.”
Traumas long since passed stirred within Rion’s soul; pushed down below the surface but never forgotten. The eighth lord’s depravity delved deeper than he cared to remember and would never speak of. To Lyla, he nodded.
“Very well. I will not object.”
“All right,” Tobias announced. “Here’s what we’re going to do.
Rion, you’ll go with Westergaard to retrieve his allies.
If they are resistant, leave them be and return without them.
While you are gone, I will feed Lyla, and while experiencing the after-rush, I will take on more servants and feed from as many miscreants across Brooklyn as I can.
I’ll have twice the speed as usual; it shouldn’t take long.
Doing it this way will waste as little angel blood as possible.
We need to save as much as we can for oathing Marquez. ”
“This is crazy,” Kitty said, from her place among the angels. “You’re overestimating your capabilities, Martelli. Too many lives are caught up in this.”
“More servants equal more power, plus we have more angels than last time,” Tobias threw back. “Whatever happened to – I’ll be enough because I have to be?”
“How dare you throw my words back at me?”
“After last night, you can just swallow that attitude.”
“Don’t be an asshole!” She shouted.
“What happened last night? Have I missed something?” Rion’s brows arched as he regarded his sister. The outburst, while not uncommon for her, seemed a little over the top.
Now Tobias’ anger had flared up as well. “Damn it you two are far too alike for siblings that grew up in different realms.”
“Uh, why don’t we get all caught up about this later, we don’t have time for dramatics right now,” Will said awkwardly.
“I disagree,” Rion started, suspicious of Will’s discomfort. He never finished the statement as Marquez fell to the floor in another spectacular seizure.
“Shit,” Tobias muttered, vacating his throne and blurring to his side, where Lyla was already at work. “I’m here,” he said to her.