Chapter 48
La Transmission
BASTIEN
The Grand Ballroom of Chateau Rose had never looked more regal.
Candlelight flickered in every crystal sconce, casting a golden glow across the marble floors and gilded cornices.
Servants in livery glided silently between guests, bearing silver trays laden with sugared fruits and delicate confections.
Gold banners draped from the vaulted ceiling while black velvet hung behind the dais, and artfully arranged bouquets of winter lilies and hothouse orchids adorned the periphery.
It was more than I would’ve done, but Tyson was the new Duke of Roselyn, and I supposed if he wanted to indulge a little more than I did, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Or at least that’s what Claire had told me.
I adjusted my cravat, ignoring the way the fabric pulled at my throat, and surveyed the attendees.
My brothers, Piers and Aurélien, who lived in neighboring lands, were sitting in the front row, beside Claude, Tyson’s father.
And then there was his lady mother. A horrible court gossip if the rumors were true.
And seated in the place of honor was the High Prince himself, Marius.
He looked the same as always. With black curls tied loosely at the nape and a glass of champagne in his hand.
He was whispering to Claire, who was seated beside him.
I didn’t like him sitting so close to her, but I had no choice in the matter.
This might be my castle for the next few minutes, but he was the High Prince. And I’d done enough to draw his ire.
My wife was wearing a gown of black and gold. Her lips were painted. Her red hair was curled. Gems draped her wrists and fingers. She was a portrait of beauty. A goddess. My obsession. My everything. And if the gods were good, carrying my whole world inside her.
There was no heartbeat yet, but when there was, all the vampires would know.
As a string quartet played a lively minuet from the musicians’ balcony, the rest of the guests found their seats. The air was alive with the flutter of fans and the murmur of speculation over who might secure a dance with the High Prince.
Each chair was filled with men and women whom I’d come to know over the years, their jewels catching fire in the candlelight. Each had trusted me to protect them. Now they were here to witness me pass my title to Tyson.
While part of me was sad to leave, I was less concerned with Marius’s dance card and more worried about whatever punishment he had planned for my crimes.
I had my reasons for taking my mate as a sanguine partner, but I understood that those rules were the foundation of trust between us and those we protected.
Tyson beamed at me from the bottom of the stairs that led up to where I stood on the dais. He was dressed in the black and gold of Roselyn, which suited him well. And for the first time since he set foot in my castle, his attire was actually appropriate for the circumstance.
I might’ve had my doubts when Marius had named him my heir, and in many moments since, but since our trip to the Lawless Lands, he’d begun to walk like a man of Roselyn and had proved his loyalty.
Now, he seemed eager to begin the ceremony.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he glanced around the room.
First acknowledging his sanguine partner, Lady Okeri, who was dressed in a lovely gold gown detailed with black beads.
But his attention quickly shifted past her.
I traced the line of his focus and found who he was watching. Claire’s sister.
She was being escorted to her seat, in human form, by Alec. Her silver gown reminded me of her wolf coat. But it was the egg-sized moonstone around her throat that caught my eye. It was the same stone Shayla had worn. I don’t know why, but I found it unsettling.
Natalia, who was standing beside me on the dais, dressed in the regalia of a military commander, nudged me with her elbow. I slipped inside her thoughts, knowing instinctively that she had something to say. “She’s trouble waiting to happen, that one.”
I hummed. “Good thing you’ll be here to keep a watchful eye on her.”
“So you agree there is something to watch?”
The music ceased as the ceremony was about to begin. Laurent, my Grand Advisor, anointed Tyson’s forehead with water from the three rivers that ran through Roselyn. Then he prayed, calling on both Damien and Diana to give him strength and guidance.
“I believe you should follow your instincts in this matter,” I told Natalia as we watched on. “But do not allow your anger to cloud your judgment. Nothing is black and white. And not everyone is an enemy.”
Once Laurent had finished his prayer, I waited to receive my nephew on the dais.
With my fingers curled around my cane, I tried to relax the tension that had settled in my shoulders, but it was impossible.
The room fell into a deeper silence as Tyson began the climb, step by step.
A thousand thoughts raced through my head.
I chanced a look at Claire, who was smiling at me and sending encouraging energy. I needed every bit of it when Tyson reached the final step. He bowed to Natalia, then me. We bowed back. There was nothing left to do except say my part. The crowd waited attentively.
They needed reassurance that this change wouldn’t disrupt their lives. That they were safe with Tyson in charge. I had to be confident and poised, no matter what.
“Kneel, Lord Tyson.”
He did so without hesitation. His head bowed.
He was ready for this. Or at least more ready than I’d been at his age.
And while I still wished Natalia were the one kneeling before me, I intended to renew my efforts to reinstate her claim to her father’s duchy.
As long as Marius didn’t order my execution.
There would always be a place for her here.
But she was the rightful heir to Nightfall.
I lifted my cane, as duty required, and touched the tip of it to one of Tyson’s broad shoulders. “Do you swear to defend the city of Roselyn and the outlying lands? Do you swear to protect the innocent and serve the High Prince with honor?”
“I swear.”
I tapped his other shoulder. “Do you promise to uphold the traditions of Chateau Rose? To rule with wisdom, to lead with strength, and to fight with valor?”
“I promise.”
I met Claire’s eyes and saw she was wiping away a tear, but there was a fierce smile on her face. It gave me the strength I needed to say the last part.
“Then rise, Tyson of the House Allard, Viscount of Aurenne and Duke of Roselyn.”
Once the words were out of my mouth, the ballroom erupted into applause. I held out my hand for him. He clasped it and pulled me into an embrace. More cheers came.
Emotion was thick in his voice when he said, “Thank you, Uncle.”
“Address your people,” I whispered, patting his back.
It was done. I was relieved of my duties. A peaceful transition of power from one vampire to another. Tyson had inherited a peaceful border and would oversee the construction of a new chateau. It was time for a new ruler, one who cared about pageantry and appearances.
Tyson faced my people—his people. He gave a short speech that I barely heard over the ringing in my ears.
I didn’t like being on the dais. And now that I’d done my duty, I wanted to leave. Glancing at Claire, I said, “I need you,” through our bond.
She gave me a cheeky grin. “It would hardly be proper for you to take me in front of all these people.”
I forced myself to smile back at her, letting her believe that’s what I meant. Or maybe she knew and was just trying to lift my spirits. “Then I suppose I’ll have to torture myself a while longer.”
After his speech, we descended the dais and marched down the center aisle.
Tyson and Natalia led the way, while I followed after.
My household staff moved swiftly around the room, refreshing goblets with sparkling wine, and filling the tables lining the back with pyramids of sugared fruits, delicate pastries, and glistening meats under silver domes.
The orchestra launched into a sprightly waltz, and the polished parquet was soon alive with laughter and dancing.
I dodged conversations and found my way back to my wife, who was nibbling on a pastry.
The pink flush in her cheeks was a welcome sight.
Now that everyone knew she was my wife, there was no need to hide the truth anymore.
I took her hand and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “I am not worthy of such beauty.” She flushed a deeper shade of red, then took my arm. “Shall we?” I asked.
I introduced her to a few important guests, but I was mostly trying to avoid Marius, who was chatting animatedly with Tyson and our brothers. When Tansy approached, wearing a black dress, and asked if Claire would dance with her, I was more than happy to oblige. “Have fun.”
The two of them twirled around the dance floor, giggling. Tansy had agreed to come with us to the capital. Not as a consort, but as one of Claire’s ladies-in-waiting.
Natalia materialized at my side. “Do you care to dance?” I asked.
My niece let out a disgusted grunt in response. We both chuckled, content to watch the revelers from a distance like two unfriendly birds. Tyson waved Sera and Alec over to introduce them to my brothers. The pair seemed just as uncomfortable with attention as I was.
“Do you really believe their story?” Natalia asked, her arms crossed.
“About what?”
“That they killed Shayla.”
“Shayla didn’t just give them her moonstone. Of course, I believe them.”
I had to believe them. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to leave. Knowing the border was safe was my greatest accomplishment.
Natalia’s lips pressed into a thin line. “She’s still a Prideaux. And he’s still an idiot.”
“Claire is also a Prideaux,” I reminded her.
Natalia scoffed. “She’s different.”
I raised my brows.
“She’s an Allard.”
That she was.
It was good to have Natalia back on my side. I was going to miss her fiercely when I left. But we were at the end of an era. She and I had spent many nights in this castle, sharing laughs and exchanging barbs. But now, I was moving on.
I noticed the way Tyson’s shoulders straightened when Sera whispered in his ear. “Can we speak? Privately?” He placed his hand on Sera’s lower back and guided her toward a receiving room just off the ballroom, Alec trailing behind them.
Natalia scoffed again. She was full of venom tonight. “Like we can’t hear them. We’re vampires.”
I let out a reluctant chuckle that died quickly. “I have bigger problems than Tyson.” I gestured to the High Prince, who was cutting a path directly toward us. It would seem I was unable to dodge my brother any longer.
Natalia lifted her wine glass to her lips. “He’s not going to decapitate you. After your success in the Lawless Lands, you are a hero.”
My niece was wise, but she was still too young to realize there were worse fates than death as an immortal.
“Mon sang!” Marius said in greeting. A jovial light danced in his dark eyes as we clasped hands. “It is good to be back at Chateau Rose again. How long has it been since my last visit to these snowy mountains?”
I forced a tight smile. “A hundred years, Your Grace. Give or take.”
Natalia choked on her sip of wine.
Marius let out a bawdy laugh. “Surely it hasn’t been that long!”
“I believe your exact words were, ‘I’d rather cut off my left testicle than be forced to endure the carriage ride again.” I smiled weakly. “Which is why you’ve insisted that my last hundred Sanguination Balls be held at the capital.”
Natalia gave me a look from over the top of her wine glass. I added a smile that likely came off as a sneer. I was already weary of the political maneuverings of the capital, and I hadn’t even left Roselyn. But I knew he hadn’t come to talk about old times.
While Natalia and Marius exchanged pleasantries, I cast a look at Claire, who was still dancing with Tansy. I’d been trying so hard to protect her from my nervousness, but by the way she immediately stopped dancing to cut a path toward me, I knew I wasn’t doing a very good job.
Claire dipped into a graceful curtsy as she approached. “Your Grace. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Poppet!” Marius exclaimed. “There you are!”
Of all the names he could have for my wife. The urge to rip his arm from his body and beat him bloody became all-consuming. I had to fight the change with everything inside me. “You know she is Lady Claire now.”
Marius’s smile lingered on her for a moment too long. “I do. And what a lovely lady she makes.” He plucked a goblet of wine from the tray, swirling the dark liquid. “Let’s retire to your study, brother. We have much to discuss.”
And so the time had finally come to hear my sentence for breaking the law and taking Claire as my sanguine partner. I bowed to my wife. “If you’ll excuse us, my dear.”
Marius shook his head. “No, no, no! She comes too. The more the merrier, after all.”
I took a slow breath, my jaw tightening. I wanted to argue with him, but it was useless. This was what he wanted. And so long as he didn’t hurt my wife or say anything inappropriate, I would have to endure it. I offered Claire my hand, and she accepted it.
She was trying to pierce through the wall I’d erected around our connection to read my emotions, but I wouldn’t let her in. If she knew how worried I was, it wouldn’t be good for her.