Chapter 1
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
When Ivanna had escaped from Nadya’s laboratory after seven decades of being the subject of vampire experiments, she’d returned to the only home she’d ever known to warn the Therians.
King Nikoli had welcomed her with open arms at first, granting her chambers worthy of the royal family and their honored guests. Of the few rooms left untouched by their father’s rage, that was the only one Luca and Viktorija could bear to enter, so they carefully laid the bodies of their family members in the fresh air on the balcony. Dragons, especially those of the royal bloodline, didn’t decompose as quickly as humans, but no one was whole.
Luca knelt on the stone floor in front of the balcony doors, paying his respects to everyone he’d lost. They had tried to match the body parts to the right people, but they’d covered them so Queen Kittania wouldn’t see them in their current state. A witch could hide the wounds for the ceremony, offering the illusion that their loved ones had passed peacefully, but that magic was beyond Luca’s ability.
They now had to clean up the palace. Viktorija appeared in the doorway and waited for Luca to acknowledge her. He’d given her a few private moments to express her grief and sorrow, but neither had wanted to be alone in this place.
“Mother is waiting below, Luca. We have to get this taken care of before she grows impatient and comes up here. We can’t allow her to see things as they are.” Viktorija shuddered. “No one else should.”
She was right. Mourning would have to wait. Luca pulled the sheets up to cover his family. Multiple Therians approached the room, though none were dragons. Luca and Viktorija turned toward the door, taking defensive stances to protect their dead.
Five men came toward them, looking somber but posing no apparent threat. Luca waved them into the room, and they formed a line. He didn’t know the men, but he knew he faced panther, tiger, eagle, bear, and wolf Therians. Without hesitation, all five dropped to one knee with a fist over their hearts and their gazes on the floor.
“King Lucaindrion,” the tiger said. He was in the center.
“Yes?” Luca hesitantly answered. “Please, stand up. We will speak as equals.”
The five newcomers rose. Their human forms showed their diversity. Some had traveled a long way to deliver this message. The tigers hailed from India, and their representative shared the russet skin and features common to the humans in his homeland. Viktorija eyed them with interest.
“I come on behalf of my king,” the tiger earnestly began. “I am Ranchoddas, my liege, though everyone calls me Rancho. We have all come to swear fealty on behalf of our clans.”
“Why did your kings not come themselves?” Viktorija asked.
Rancho risked a peek at Luca’s expression, relaxing when he didn’t see malice. “They are, Your Majesty. We traveled ahead to announce their impending arrival. They thought a small group as early emissaries would be far less threatening than our combined peoples unexpectedly showing up after this tragedy. Our kings wish you to know that we come in peace to unify and rebuild. There has been enough death.”
The panther spoke up when it became clear that Luca would not shoot the messenger. He was tall and thin, with lightly tanned skin and curly dark hair. He offered the royal siblings a sad smile. “I am Destin, Your Highnesses. My king and clan seek unity. We have all come to help. Your family has been through enough.”
Luca turned to the covered bodies on the balcony, and his expression was grim when he faced the others again. “Yes, we have.”
The men looked horrified. “Is that…” the eagle began.
Luca nodded and gestured at Viktorija. “We are all that’s left of the Nablyudatel family, along with our mother, grandfather, and cousin. My fat—” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Nikoli murdered the rest.” He was touched to see the devastated looks in their eyes as they processed the news.
Destin locked gazes with his new king and squared his shoulders. “I might not look it, but I have walked this planet for nearly one thousand years. I remember the old days at the end of Mikhail’s rule. Your fa…” He paused, realizing that Luca had avoided the word, and he should, too. “Nikoli nearly destroyed this kingdom, but we believe you can lead us as we rebuild.”
Luca nodded. “I will do everything in my power to right his many terrible wrongs.”
“Much cannot be undone, but those deaths do not have to be in vain. More importantly, Your Majesty, you don’t have to handle this alone,” Destin continued. “Your people stand with you.”
Luca was silent, and Viktorija was as still as a statue beside him. He knew that stance well since it was the one she had used while she served in the King’s Guard. She had his back.
“Thank you,” Luca replied. “I deeply appreciate your kind words and the loyalty of your clans. Your bravery in risking your lives to come here in uncertain conditions will not be forgotten since I’m sure you knew there might be a fight waiting.
“I gratefully accept your help, but we need time to clean up and grieve before we receive guests. I’m sure you saw that the path isn’t very…welcoming. All the palace witches were either killed or have long since fled. We have a great deal of horrific work ahead.”
The wolf clan representative stepped forward. He was a large, handsome man with a thick black beard and intelligent blue eyes. “My name is Anton, Your Highness. Your mother went against the king and was imprisoned for her loyalty to her people. My people.
“Anatoly is my uncle. The king punished your good mother because she sent her personal guard to hunt down the vampires who massacred a village of my clan.”
He stopped and cleared his throat. “We understand that your grief is far greater than ours, but we grieve all the same. You should not have to go through this experience alone, Sire. Besides, I believe you have misunderstood our purpose in coming here.”
Luca quirked an eyebrow at the wolf. “I thought it was to swear fealty.”
Anton nodded. “And we do, wholeheartedly and without hesitation, but that is not our only purpose here.”
The eagle Therian also stepped forward, bowing his head before he addressed his king. He was short and thin, with sharp features, wiry black hair, and observant green eyes that missed nothing. “I’m Bastien, Your Majesty. We found a wounded traitor who fought with your father, and he will be returned to you at your whim. During his imprisonment, we discovered what happened to your family and that we have a new king.”
The bear nodded and introduced himself. He was the largest of the group, seven feet tall and heavily muscled, with blond hair and gray eyes. “Gregov, Sire. Word traveled very quickly through the clans, and our rulers immediately went into action, gathering every available servant, craftsman, and guard. We are all here for you, Sire. By tomorrow morning, the palace won’t be a grave reminder of the loss.”
Bastien gave Luca a wide grin that showcased the contrast between his straight white teeth and his tawny skin. “As you know, my clan doesn’t employ human witches since our people are blessed with innate magic. My mother is our most prized teacher, and she educated me thoroughly. It would be an honor to use my skills to serve you in this, Your Majesty.”
The high king of the Therians shook his head. “Please just call me Luca. I haven’t been crowned, so I am just another Therian cleaning up the bloodshed so our queen can mourn the loss of her children. Bastien, Gregov, Anton, Destin, and Rancho, I welcome you all with open arms. My gratitude surpasses my ability to express it.”
Luca bowed to the Therians, who watched him in shock. Nikoli would never have spoken to them so informally, nor would he have treated them as equals. Bastien recovered first. He stepped forward and offered the king his hand.
“The coronation is just a ceremony, Si…Luca. You are our king. My magic can help set the palace to rights for the funeral and coronation, but first, if I may be so presumptuous to ask, may I help you attend to your dead? I couldn’t help hearing your concerns as we approached, and I would spare Queen Kittania that pain as well.”
Bastien gestured at the sheet-covered bodies on the balcony. “None of them deserved this fate, but if you allow it, I can clean and…prepare the bodies so they look whole and at peace.”
Luca sighed in relief and shot Bastien a grateful smile. A heavy weight slid off his shoulders. “That would be most welcome, thank you. What can I do to help?”
Bastien nodded, looking sick. “Forgive me for the questions I’m about to ask.”
Luca met his eyes. “I am aware that this won’t be pleasant. I am grateful beyond words for your help, Bastien. What do you need?”
The eagle led them to the balcony. “Help me with the sheets, please?”
Bastien and Luca pulled the sheets off in smooth, coordinated movements, and all the Therians looked at the mangled and dismembered corpses of the royal family with horror. Bastien swallowed past a lump in his throat. “Are you certain this is all of their…parts?”
Viktorija stepped forward. “As sure as we can be. Everything here belongs to a direct member of our family, but we aren’t positive that the…pieces are with the right person.” She looked sick, and the others mirrored her expression.
“It will help,” Bastien replied. “I need an hour to work the magic, and I can use the blood connection to separate them in the spell. I’m sorry, but I have to remove their clothing and clean them first. I can do it with magic, but it won’t be pretty. I will spare you that sight if you let me and call you back for the rest. That part will only take about ten minutes.”
Luca met Viktorija’s gaze, and she nodded. “We can step inside and make plans for the cleanup with the others.” He gratefully offered his hand to Bastien, then pulled the smaller man into an embrace. “Thank you. I will not forget this.”
The others gathered in the hall outside the throne room, and Gregov spoke first. “We all volunteered for this mission because we believe in you, Luca, but also because we are respected among our clans. When we pass on your orders, our people will follow them. The eagle’s magic will help with much of the work we need to do, but there are also repairs to complete, along with a mass funeral and a coronation to plan. Where do you want us to start?”
Luca cleared his throat, fighting his emotions. Viktorija had ideas about where to begin, so she pulled out her cell phone and handed it to Luca. “Go call Ash. I’ll get them started, and then we will help Bastien with the next step.”
Luca turned to the others and smiled. “I will hide nothing from my people. I took a mate during my exile, a human with a powerful spark. She then became the first of a new race of vampires born of love instead of hatred to prevent Nadya from turning me into her vampiric puppet. If that turns you from my side, go now. I will not abandon her.”
Without hesitation, they all bowed their heads to indicate their acceptance. “We heard about your vampire, Luca. Tales of her bravery circulate among your people. Neither we nor our clans will oppose her.”
The knot of worry in his chest loosened. Ash’s acceptance in the Therian world might not face as much opposition as he had imagined.
“I gratefully accept your loyalty and the assistance of you and your clans. Please continue with Viktorija. I need to speak to my mate.”
Retreating to a library the king hadn’t bothered to trash, Luca pressed Ash’s icon and waited impatiently as it rang. On the third ring, Dani answered, sounding frazzled.
“Viktorija? Is something wrong?” Dani asked.
“Dani? Why are you answering Ash’s phone?”
She groaned. “We are still in Russia, genius. The sun is shining, and Ash is out cold. I had to black out the windows when she crisped up like bacon.”
“Shit. Is she okay? Are you okay?” he asked.
“We’re both fine, and Eiko said she has a plan to deal with the sunburn issue.”
Luca was quiet for a moment. “Are you really okay, Dani? This is a lot, and she isn’t just your best friend. She’s also your sister.”
Her voice was cold when she answered. “She is still my sister, Luca, and every bit as much herself as she always was. If you doubt that for even a second, yo?—”
“Dani!” he interrupted. “I do not doubt Ash and will always love her. I was just calling to hear her voice. It’s been… It’s bad here, Dani. Really bad. Please have her call me when she wakes up.”
“Sorry, PH. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Ash’s spontaneous combustion freaked me out.”
“It’s fine, Dani. We’re all shaken. I guess you guys are on the night shift schedule now, so I’ll let you get some rest. And thanks for protecting her, Dani. We’d be lost without you.”
She chuckled. “I know. Good luck with…everything. I’ll have her call you when she gets up.”
Luca pressed end and returned to find the group still standing outside the throne room. He didn’t blame Viktorija for not wanting to go in. The time they’d spent sorting bodies had been the most horrific of his life, and he wasn’t eager to relive it either.
Viktorija told him, “Okay, we’ve got a plan for the tunnels, the entrance hall, and the dungeons. The worst of the rampage was in the throne room, and hundreds died there, human and Therian alike. It was indescribable. Still is. We were able to identify our direct relations, but beyond that, we could only sort by human or Therian. It was?—”
“There’s no need to explain, Princess,” Destin interrupted. “That is where we should focus our first efforts. What about the humans?”
“We will respect them and see them laid to rest with the same care we afford our people,” Luca replied. “The humans bury their dead.”
Viktorija looked at him with dismay. “Do you have any idea how hard it will be to separate them? I’m not even sure we can do it for the Therians. You were in there too, and everything just smells like death.”
Luca shook his head. “As tragic as that is, we know our family is dead. We have seen them and will have the closure of holding a funeral to mourn their loss. The humans have no idea what became of their people. Their families have been worried sick for days and have no idea that their loved ones are dead.”
He stopped speaking and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, then paced across the hall and back to the group. “I know it will make everything harder, but we have to find a way to include them. We once guarded the humans as the gods on the mountain, the Watchers. We were supposed to protect them from our world, but Nikoli and Nadya destroyed that secret.”
“I’m not arguing that we should do something, but I don’t know if we can identify the victims’ bodies.” Viktorija looked tortured.
“We are no longer a secret to the families who sent their people up here, believing it was a celebration. Let’s start there. They will be invited to mourn alongside us at the funeral, and I will compel no one to secrecy. I won’t start my reign with more lies. I vowed that when I took the throne, I would make positive changes for all of us. The laws will change, and our legacy will return.”
Luca felt the rightness of his words. “We’ve been separated for too long. Think of the good we can do in the world. Also, slavery is over from this moment and forevermore.”
The other Therians looked at Luca with respect. His insistence on a ceremony to honor and respect the dead sparked their excitement, and they talked over each other, suggesting ideas.
“We have many talented woodworkers in our clan,” Gregov offered. “They can craft caskets, though it might take time to make so many.”
“Humans also cremate their dead, don’t they?” Rancho asked.
“What if we give them an urn with the ashes?” Viktorija grimly suggested. “I’m not sure what else we can do.”
Bastien raised a hand. “Perhaps I can help. I created a spell to help us with that.” He aimed a wary look at the throne room’s closed doors. “I suspect it will take a great deal out of me, and I don’t want anyone to see my magic used for such ghastly purposes.”
The clues aligned in his mind. Are you a necromancer, Bastien? Luca asked telepathically.
The shorter man nodded almost imperceptibly. “Before I begin here, your family is ready for the next step, Your Highnesses.”
Luca turned to Viktorija. “Will you handle that if I help Bastien in the throne room?”
She nodded without hesitation. “I’d do anything not to go back in there. Royal regalia?”
“Yes. I can’t think of anything more fitting, and I already checked. He didn’t touch the storeroom.” Luca put an arm around her. “Thank you.” I don’t want to leave Bastien to deal with this alone. It is too great a burden for a single soul, he added.
Viktorija led the way to retrieve the supplies they would need. When they were out of earshot, Luca faced Bastien, who looked nauseous.
“Are you sure you want to see this, Sire?” he asked.
Luca grimaced. “I don’t want to see it, but I know the sacrifice magic on this level requires when you won’t feed on the death. Your pallor and shaky balance show me that your power is depleting your life force. Let me share the burden.”
Bastien looked horrified at the idea of feeding on the negative energy in the palace. “I would never. The death here is tainted beyond anything I’ve ever encountered, and even if it weren’t, I don’t use that kind of magic. However, I would welcome someone to share the burden. I was worried that it would put me out of commission for a day or two.”
Luca opened the door and led the way into the throne room. He looked back and saw Bastien pale as he took in the scope of the massacre.
“My gods!”
“I know. So, how does this work?” Luca asked.
“The magic latches on to an individual genetic signature and seeks out everything that matches it. With this many, it’s going to look like a gruesome poltergeist is putting on a show, but thankfully, it should be relatively brief.” Bastien’s voice trailed off, then, “Thank you for not leaving me to face this alone, Luca.”