Chapter 12
Therian Palace, Thursday, December 13, 2012
Ivanna excelled in guiding the former slaves into their new lives. She often spoke with them, reassuring them and providing the support they needed to make the transition. Luca had given her his complete support, and she’d used it to great effect, sorting the housing situation in a matter of hours and working with architects to draw up plans to turn the old palace into a small city that would offer housing and mobility to all former Therian slaves.
Luca was thrilled. He’d chosen the perfect person for the task. He’d always believed that slavery was an abomination and didn’t understand how Nikoli could fail to see that people worked harder and were more loyal when they felt like a valued and important part of the kingdom.
As he walked through the palace the day after his announcement, he saw them all over the palace, walking with their heads high and wide smiles on their faces. They worked with pride, and he didn’t think the palace had ever looked so clean. He took the shortcut across the second-floor balcony in the throne room and stopped to look down with hopeful joy. Below, workers had set up tables and were matching people with homes in the location of their choice and providing them with what they needed to live as free citizens.
Representatives from all the clans were working toward that goal. It brought him peace to know that the incredible tragedy of his rise to the throne wouldn’t define his reign.
This is exactly what we’re fighting for.
He glanced at the empty space beside him and fought a wave of longing for Ash that would stagger him if he let it. No matter what else he did, his work wouldn’t be complete until she stood at his side. He sighed. They had a lot of work to do before that could happen.
He leaned against the wall and listened to the sounds of his people working together as he mused about the morning’s events.
For several hours each day since the coronation, Luca welcomed visiting Therians who declared their loyalty and asked how they could serve the empire. Having telepathy, Therians were generally honest, so he asked each what they were facing or if they had problems he was not aware of. Some things were far beyond his scope, but he promised to do what he could. In that way, he became aware of situations that required immediate rectification and charged Viktorija with overseeing the efforts.
After scanning the shockingly long list he’d shown her at breakfast, Viktorija nodded. “Will take about a week. Let me have my three best and a witch for portals. It won’t be a problem.”
Luca looked skeptical. “Vik, I’ve listed at least forty complex situations in seventeen countries.”
She nodded again. “Like I said, it should take about a week. What’s the problem?”
“You can’t do all that in a week.”
She offered him a mischievous grin. “Maybe you couldn’t,” she teased. “How about we make a bet?”
Luca laughed. “What do you want if you win?”
She didn’t hesitate. “A plot of land where I can build a school for young girls.”
He couldn’t hide his shock. “Really? Vik, I will just give you one. I’m curious, though. What are you planning to teach them?”
She smiled defiantly. “That having a penis doesn’t make someone superior. You don’t know what it was like to be female in Nikoli’s court or the things I had to do to maintain my position. I want to give them opportunities and tell them they can become what they want if they’re willing to work for it.”
Luca chuckled. “Done, but you still need to pick something for the bet. The school sounds like a good idea. Our young women need opportunities. Their futures shouldn’t depend on your time management abilities.”
She laughed. “First, fuck you. I am the goddess of multitasking. Second, thank you. That means a lot to me. I’ve got a lot of mistakes to make up for, and our people need action more than pretty words. Third, if I win our bet, I get to establish a special forces team under my sole control. You won’t ask questions, and I promise not to use them for evil.”
He nodded. “And if I win?”
Viktorija grimaced. “I’ll invite Ash and Dani on a bonding weekend.”
Luca laughed at her pained expression. “You’re so on.”
He was thrilled with the positive changes he’d seen in Viktorija, and he had high hopes that their relationship would continue to grow without Nikoli coming between them. Luca let his mind wander to all the ways his people had come together since he’d taken the throne. Although he had the final say in decisions like Liam’s sentencing, he’d taken the matter to his new advisory council before he’d ended the man’s life.
He offered his people an unprecedented voice in the high court with the formation of his large and small councils. The large council had a representative from each shifter species, around a hundred members. The small council included his personal advisors and representatives from the larger shifter classifications. For example, the feline clans chose a single representative to share their concerns with the king.
Luca had appointed Mikhail to chair both councils since he had centuries of experience and could be trusted without question. His mother wanted to step back from public life, so she suggested that Niletean serve in her stead. He’d allowed each clan’s monarch to nominate a representative, and Vanya voiced the servants’ concerns.
The decision to execute Liam for his crimes had been unanimous. There was no room in the empire for unrepentant evil.
Carrying out the execution had fallen to Luca by title and duty. He didn’t relish the task, but he believed that the person who pronounced the sentence should be willing to carry it out. Therians could heal many wounds, but decapitation was a swift and permanent death for all of them.
Viktorija had insisted they allow Liam’s victims to watch if they wanted to, and although Luca hated the idea, he trusted his sister’s judgment. Many had declined, but several, including Helena, had stood grim-faced through the execution and left with their heads high.
He’d started his reign with a harsh stance against cruelty, and Luca prayed to any god who would hear him that he could build trust with the people Nikoli had so grievously harmed.
“Have you seen the plans for the memorial?” Viktorija asked, breaking Luca out of his thoughts.
Luca smiled. “I have, and I approved them this morning. I think it will be amazing, Vik. You’ve done a great job. I can’t wait to see that damned hideous throne gone, along with everything it stood for.”
Viktorija had worked with one of the empire’s most treasured artisans and planned to replace the dais on which the throne rested with a stunning white marble memorial wall etched with the names of those who’d fallen to Nikoli’s wrath. Luca had expected he’d have to insist they include the names of the slaves and humans who’d been killed, but Viktorija had already incorporated it into the design.
“Dinnae let her take all the credit, Sire,” a gruff voice with a heavy Scottish accent said from behind them.
Euan Frazier, the king of the secretive berserker wolves, ruled his small clan with an iron fist. All other Therians took on the true shape of their form, but Euan’s wolves were different. They partially transformed, remaining on two feet but having a wolf’s powerful muscles, claws, and teeth. His people were always close to the edge and had nearly gone extinct before Euan had taken control, made the pack reclusive, and instituted strict behavioral guidelines. He’d channeled the insatiable fury of the beast within into art and produced some of the most profoundly moving marble sculptures the world had ever seen.
“Euan! It’s good to see you again.” Luca gave the Scotsman a genuine smile.
A wild mop of red-gold hair haloed his head and blended into a bushy red beard. Bright blue eyes twinkled as he smiled at the siblings. “Dinnae let that canny lass fool you. Ah did all the hard work. She throws endless demands at me and expects me to make ‘em stick.” Euan laughed as he stopped next to them and looked at the workers below.
Viktorija grinned. “You need a strong woman telling you what to do, wolf.”
“Och! Haud yer wheesht, woman. Ah cannae have me wolves hear ye speak like that.” He winked and patted a hand over his heart. “Unless you fancy comin’ hame wi’ me to make an honest man out of this wild reprobate?”
She enjoyed their dynamic. When he’d arrived, the famously single berserker wolf had set the flirtatious tone for their interactions. Having no attachments, Viktorija saw no harm in playing along. They might even have a fling if time allowed. The unruly Scot appealed to her, and he seemed to understand that the woman behind the public mask was virtually unknown. She dropped into a flawless Scottish accent and gave him a cheeky grin. “I’ll nae do that, but thanks for the offer. You couldn’t handle me as a mate, and I like you too much to break you, Euan.”
He let out a genuine laugh and grinned at Viktorija, forgetting Luca’s presence. “For feck’s sake, yer nae even usin’ it right, and ye still wound me!” He gripped his chest like she’d broken his heart and dramatically staggered a couple of steps.
“Oh, shut up,” Viktorija growled, though the smile didn’t leave her face. “You’re an idiot.”
“It’s yer fault,” he protested. “Ye’ve turned me into a lovesick numpty.”
“I’m convinced that half of what comes out of your mouth is utter nonsense. They’re not even words. I’m fluent in more than a thousand languages, but I can’t seem to master Scottish slang. You keep changing the rules.” She pouted. “I’ll bet my ancient Gaelic is better than yours.”
He grinned again. “Och, dinnae fash yersel’. It takes time.”
Luca saw his mother and Mikhail approaching and left to meet them so his sister could flirt without an audience. Gods knew she needed something in her life that helped her relax.
“I’m proud of you, son,” Kittania greeted him as Luca joined her in the hall. “Mikhail’s just been explaining the details of your large and small councils, and I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
Mikhail nodded. “I haven’t seen our people work together like this since I was on the throne, and even then, there wasn’t this sense of unification. It inspires so much confidence to see that you’re honoring our traditions while bringing us into the future. I wanted to ask how the meetings with human authorities are going.”
Luca sighed. “They aren’t. It’s hard to convince humans who think they’re the greatest power in the world to allow their leaders to speak to a king they’ve never heard of about a subject I won’t disclose over the phone.”
Mikhail smiled. “I will make a few calls, but it’s Niletean you need for this. The man is a genius at navigating human bureaucracy, and he has connections around the world. He will know someone who can get you a meeting.”
Luca brightened. “Fantastic. I’ll go see him when we’re done here. Did you two need something?”
Kittania shook her head. “No. We were just taking a stroll and heard Viktorija’s voice. I know you’re busy, dear. Go find Niletean. Just remember to show humanity that we offer much more benefit than harm. We’ll see xenophobic fear and hatred no matter what we do, but if we can frame our case properly, perhaps we can avoid bloodshed.”
“That is my hope. Nadya’s truce won’t last forever, and the idea of leaving the humans ignorant and unprepared feels cowardly and counterproductive. The days of keeping our secret were already numbered. I’ll see you both at dinner.”
As Luca walked away, Kittania called, “Tell Ash I said hello when you call her tonight!”
Vampire Laboratory Compound, December 13, 2012
Nadya growled in frustration as the trembling scientist stammered through an explanation of why he’d failed again. Fury washed over her, and she fought the urge to use her darkness to rip the man apart. She’d learned the hard way that executing scientists for failure was bad for morale and lowered the quality of the servants she could throw at the problem.
“Why can you not complete what should be a simple task?” the vampire queen asked through clenched teeth.
The scientist, who’d only been turned for a month, shook. “M-my Queen, no matter what we do to counteract it, the magic kills every dragon we try to turn before the transformation is complete.”
Nadya threw his reports on the floor in disgust. “You’re pathetic! For the first time in millennia of war, we can capture dragons. I’ve delivered a dozen to your team for torture, study, and experimentation, yet you stillcan’t tell me why we can’t turn one into a fucking vampire.”
He flinched away from the anger blazing in her eyes. “Your Majesty, it seems that the power of Therian blood overwhelms the vampire infusion, burning away the invading magic before it can make permanent changes. We’ve tried increasing the amount of vampire blood ingested to gallons, but it damages the subjects too quickly. We only have one left, Your Unholiness.”
Screaming in fury, Nadya whipped her arm toward the scientist whose name she had not bothered to learn. A thick coil of darkness crashed into the vampire, throwing him across the room into the stone wall. The hollow thunk his head made when it hit the wall pleased Nadya, as did the almost artistic spray of blood and brain matter when his skull shattered. The scientist crumpled to the floor, lifeless.
“Damn it,” she muttered. “There goes another one.” Nadya needed to control her anger, but it was hard when they were all incompetent. She shouted for her assistant to send in the next scientist, who was about to receive a surprise promotion.
Another newborn vampire crept through the door, looking petrified. Nadya had sent out her minions to retrieve the best scientists in the world—the best ones she hadn’t killed—and she’d forcibly turned them to solve her dragon problem. The woman was middle-aged, with mousy brown hair that hung limply around her shoulders and eyes the blue-gray of stormy seas. Those eyes widened in shock and horror when she saw her predecessor’s crumpled corpse.
“Do you have any brilliant ideas about why none of the Therians survive the conversion to vampire?” Nadya asked, her voice dripping malice and impatience.
The woman eagerly nodded. “Yes, my queen. It’s the magic in the Therian blood. I know your ultimate plan is to capture the dragon king and turn him into your puppet, and I think your problem is that the blood is too pure. You need a dragon who isn’t a full-blooded Therian.”
Nadya growled again, signaling that her patience with the conversation was growing thin. “You fool!” Her voice was calm and cold. “All Therians are pure-blooded. Nikoli was an imbecile, but he outlawed mating with humans and executed any offspring.”
The scientist opened her mouth to respond but was saved by a knock on the door.
“Enter,” Nadya commanded. She kept weak vampires who weren’t good in battle around as clerical help. One of her messengers appeared. “I received word from Jean-Pierre, Your Majesty.”
Finally, something that caught her interest. “Give it to me,” she demanded, expectantly holding out her hand. The messenger passed her the envelope, and she scanned the note it contained.
My Queen,
I located the exiled Therian, Timofey Petrov, but he rejected my offer of alliance out of hand. I informed him that I shall be staying at the tavern for the next month should he change his mind.
There was an unfamiliar scent at his isolated home that I couldn’t place. I caught the layered scent of another person and saw glimpses of a man connected with Timofey in the minds of locals, but few here have met the dragon.
He doesn’t often leave his home, and few know of his existence, let alone actionable information about him. I shall continue to monitor the area for more news and will inform you immediately should anything of interest develop.
Yours in service,
Jean-Pierre
Nadya smiled. At last, a promising lead. She’d sent Jean-Pierre after Timofey shortly after learning about his exile and the subsequent hatred it had fostered in his heart for all Therians. Perhaps, with a proper incentive, he might become a willing ally who could offer useful insights into her enemy’s mind. Timofey had served in the palace, so he would have better information than the commoners she’d recruited.
Relaxing on her throne-like seat, Nadya thoughtfully tapped the paper, waving a hand to dismiss the messenger and the terrified scientist.
“What have you been up to during your exile, Timofey? And what will it take to make you mine?” she mused to the empty room.