Marged, Connor and Nicholas. Dylan, Leopold and Annis.
Trey, Jaylinn and Gustave.
And of course Darius.
Danger entered the hall on quiet cat feet along with the council. These Vampyres were some of the most deadly of the Nightkind.
Julian strode to the center of the room. The other Vampyres grouped loosely around him. After the last one had entered, Xavier closed the doors again. With his customary erect posture and quiet dignity, he made his way around the edge of the room to Tess, Melly and Shane.
Melly noticed how Leopold and Annis positioned themselves in front of her, Shane and Tess. She didn’t know who had prompted that, whether it had been Julian or Xavier, or if Leopold and Annis had volunteered to do it on their own, but she knew it hadn’t happened by accident.
As Leopold glanced over his shoulder at Melly, he inclined his head. Thank you for what you did earlier.
She returned his nod with a smile. You’re welcome.
Other council members took in the trio’s presence with less equanimity.
Darius said, “Really, Julian, a human and two Light Fae? This is an emergency council meeting. Not even Xavier should be present.”
“Shut up,” Julian said. His icy voice cracked like a whip.
Reaction rippled through the council. Gustave and Jaylinn looked outraged, while Marged, of all people, appeared unsurprised.
Darius snapped, “You dare talk to us like that? After slamming martial law down on this demesne then disappearing into thin air – And now you’ve killed two members of this very council —”
Julian had stood in such a neutral posture that when he exploded, Melly startled violently.
Oh, shit.
He had said he needed to kill Darius. He didn’t say he needed to do it right now.
Julian body slammed Darius into the wall. Both Vampyres blurred into vicious movement. Snarling filled the air.
Shane shoved Melly back into a corner and covered her body with his, facing outward. Xavier did the same with Tess.
Julian and Darius tumbled along the length of the room, striking blows at each other. Like an avalanche or some other natural disaster, they seemed utterly unstoppable, until Julian slammed Darius’s head into the floor so hard, the crack resounded through the hall.
The blow would have killed any number of other creatures, including younger Vampyres. Darius struggled to get to his hands and knees.
Some of the council members had stepped forward, as if they might plunge into the fight as well, while others moved to block them. Tension held everyone at some kind of brink. They stared at Julian and Darius with shocked faces and reddened eyes.
Before Darius could fully rise up, Julian kicked him. The blow flipped him onto his back. Coming down hard with both knees on the other Vampyre’s stomach, Julian drove one fist into Darius’s chest wall, pulled out his beating heart and crushed it in his fist.
Darius’s body collapsed. Julian stood. He looked around the rest of the group. His face was so savage, several council members took a step back.
“I just executed Darius for crimes of treason,” he growled. “Just like I executed Dominic and Justine earlier today. For the record, Justine tried to kill Xavier. She slaughtered her household, kidnapped the Light Fae heir and tried to kill me more than once over the last few days. Dominic tried to take Evenfall and murdered several innocent people in the process, and Darius colluded with them both. Now, do I need to execute anybody else today?”
The resulting silence was so profound, Melly swore she could have heard a pin drop from across the hall. Several council members looked at her, their expressions appalled. She gave them a grim nod, silently confirming the story.
Julian took a step forward. Death covered him in an invisible mantle, present in his aggressive posture and his transformed features.
To a person, all the council members took a step back.
“Now, this is also for the record,” snapped the King. “You are not here tonight to debate by committee. I am not your servant. I do not ask for your permission when I take action, and I do not owe you explanations. I am done with your petty shit. I’m done with working to hold this demesne together while you all indulge in self-serving attitudes. Do you hear me? I am done.”
Annis made a placating gesture with both hands. “Tempers are running hot right now,” she said. “Why don’t we all take a day? We can talk tomorrow night, when we’ve had a chance to cool down.”
“I won’t be here tomorrow,” Julian said. “Melly and I are leaving.”
“What?” said Marged. “You’ve been gone for several days already.” Julian hissed at her. Marged took another step back and muttered, “I recognize that wasn’t your fault.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” said Julian. “I’m taking a vacation. I’ll be gone for a year. Frankly, I don’t know if I’m coming back. Xavier will act as regent, and you will either finally commit to this demesne and work toward something bigger than yourselves, or you won’t. If you do, I might return. If you don’t, I’ll wash my hands of you, and you can each go to hell in your own way.”
The council erupted.
“You can’t just leave!”
“— an entire year? You’ve got to be kidding —”
“— some of us have businesses to run —”
Blah blah protest, blah blah, dismay, blah blah what about me?
Melly let it all wash over her while she watched Julian. Only Julian.
He turned to her and said telepathically, That’s our cue to leave.
Halle-fucking-lujah.
She wiggled out from behind Shane and kissed him on the cheek. Then she hugged Tess and Xavier quickly. She told Xavier, “Keep in touch.”
Wry amusement showed in Xavier’s gaze. “Oh, you know I will.”
Then she left them to walk to toward Julian, who held out his hand. The murderous fury in his expression had faded, to be replaced with a look that made her pulse pound and her heart sing.
The assembly hall fell silent as she reached him and took his hand. It remained silent as they walked out the door.
Julian set a fast pace. Melly passed down hallways without registering details, her mind in a daze. Part of her couldn’t believe what was happening.
But part of her could too.
Midnight had passed. They were starting a new day.
Outside, the night was crisp and clear, with a luminous canopy of stars overhead. A ghoul waited by the Harley. It was Herman. Giving them a mournful smile, he handed them jackets and a helmet. “We packed tings in dose saddlebags, just like you ordered, Mr. King.”
“You don’t have a helmet?” Melly asked Julian as she shrugged into her jacket and helmet.
“I don’t need one.” He zipped his jacket. His gaze met hers. “You don’t either. Yours is just to keep your hair from getting so tangled. I won’t let you crash.”
He wouldn’t either. Smiling, she buckled her helmet into place.
He straddled the Harley and started it. She climbed on behind and snuggled close, wrapping her arms around his waist. The growl of the machine vibrated between her legs as he pulled away. As they left the lights of Evenfall, the night wrapped them in its embrace.
Julian took the winding roads at a leisurely pace. Laying her head on his shoulder, Melly watched the countryside pass.
Are you tired? he asked.
No, she told him. She felt glorious. She never wanted this ride to end.
His head turned sideways. She caught a glimpse of his hard, sexy profile. So, we can ride for a while.
Yes, please. She laid a hand over his heart.
They came to the winding entrance that would take them onto the interstate. She asked, Where are we going first?
I don’t know. Are you okay with that?
Oh, hell yeah.
Briefly he covered her hand with his.
Then he punched the gas.
The Harley shot forward, like a thoroughbred bursti
ng out of a gate.
Nineteen
J
ulian came indoors after spending a couple of hours fishing in the cold, quiet predawn. It felt delicious to relax in front of a roaring fire. Lazily, he watched the leaping flames in the fireplace while he listened to Melly move around in the kitchen.
A metallic clang ruptured the peace in the cabin, and she swore so colorfully, he had to chuckle.
“What happened?” he called out.
“I dropped the flour canister, and now there’s flour everywhere.” She appeared by the sofa and grumpily nudged him. He shifted so she could lie down and curl against his side. “Yes, I’m running away from the problem. I put the trout in the fridge. I can always cook it later.”
“I’ll help you clean it up in a bit.” Stretching, he wrapped his arms around her, and she laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled into him.
A month had passed since he had killed Dominic, Darius, and Justine and walked away from the Nightkind council. Every day, he felt like he was going to wake up from a dream. Even though Melly felt solid and real when he held her, he couldn’t internalize the beauty of her smile, or the peace he saw all around him when he took the boat out onto the lake.
It was going to take some time, she kept telling him. One month could not wipe out years of isolation or stress. He was okay with that. The one thing he had learned over his long life was that worthwhile things could take time.
Stirring, she turned away from him, curling on her side while resting her head on his arm. He turned with her, spooning her from behind. Together they looked out the picture window at the serene water.
While they called the property a “cabin,” the term was a bit of a misnomer. In actuality, it was a three-bedroom house tucked into a tiny cove, with a spacious family room, a living room with a picture window that covered an entire wall facing the lake, and three fireplaces. Through clever landscaping and the position of the building, they couldn’t see any other houses.
The house sat at the edge of the waterline, while below, instead of a basement there was a compact boathouse that held a rowboat, a small, sleek motorboat, and a variety of water toys, including Jet Skis and paddle boards.
They also had their own pier, and over the last four weeks, they had replaced all the older, outdated furniture with new, quality pieces, like the chaise lounge by the living room window where Melly loved to read, and the spacious couch that offered plenty of room for cuddling.
“We did a good job when we picked this place before,” she said. “I’m glad all the trees have survived and have grown to be so big. It’s nice to go through the day without direct sunlight coming in any of the windows.”
“Even if we do lose a tree to an ice storm, the shutters are installed if I need them,” he replied. “For now, I’m glad I don’t need them. It feels good to look out.”
They fell silent for a time and watched the sunrise together.
He and well-being…
They were beginning to know each other, just as he and happiness were getting acquainted.
What do you know. Sometimes an old dog really could learn new tricks.
“Do you miss it?” she asked finally. She twisted around to look into his eyes. “All the intrigue, politics and power. I could imagine they would be addicting.”
Various members of the council had begun to email Melly, asking after her well-being and attempting to solicit her help in persuading Julian to return. She told him about each email with great satisfaction, although he wouldn’t let her read them to him.
“Not at all,” he replied. Honesty forced him to add, “At least, not yet.” He played with her hair. It was one of his favorite pastimes. “Do you miss the fast pace of the movie set?”
She smiled. “Absolutely not. At least not just yet.”
He stroked down her body gently, taking his time so that he touched every hollow and curve. The clothes she wore at the cabin were soft and pretty – silks and sometimes fleeces, all in jewel tones that complemented her golden skin, green eyes and tawny curls. She left her hair loose, just the way he liked it.
She was not only beautiful to look at, but also a pleasure to touch, and he could talk to her for hours.
They played conversational games with each other. He would ask her a question, then she would ask one in return. The intricate, winding discussions unlocked barriers in his mind that he hadn’t realized he’d had.
He fell into enchantment, exploring possibilities like walking a green maze drenched in afternoon sunlight, turning countless corners and discovering new treasures, always working to go further in and discover the heart of the place.
The center of it all. Melly.
She said quietly, “I’d like to confess something, if you don’t mind.”
He lifted his head off the couch pillow, immediately fascinated. “Of course.”
Taking his hand, she played with his fingers. “Over the past five years, I’ve toyed off and on with the idea of in vitro fertilization.” She peeked at him over her shoulder, her expression tentative and self-conscious. “Keep in mind – it doesn’t bother me in the slightest that Vampyres can’t father children. When I started thinking about this, I wasn’t in a relationship. I think I just want to be a mother. How would you feel about that?”
The strength of his response astonished him. All kinds of powerful reactions resonated through his body. His imagination ran wild. Melly, round with pregnancy, the baby kicking under his hands as he stroked her belly.
As he held still, stricken with the images that unfolded in his imagination, she searched his face anxiously.
He whispered, “I would love that. Really fucking love it.”
Her expression lit up. “We could keep talking about it then. We don’t have to do anything right away. Hell, I’m okay if we discuss it for a couple of years before we come to any decision. I don’t want to rush into anything before we’re ready.”
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “I have no idea how to be a father.”
“I don’t believe it,” she told him. “All I have to do is look at how you are with Xavier.” As he glanced at her sidelong, she amended, “You might not know how to be a father to a baby or a young toddler, but Julian, none of those things come instantly to anybody, anyway. You have to learn them.”
Draping one wrist on his forehead, he frowned. “True.”
“As long as you’re not opposed,” she whispered, then paused. “If I need to, I can also give up the idea.”
At that, he lifted his head to scowl at her. “I won’t have you give up a single thing to be with me.”
Searching his gaze, she chuckled. “Well, I don’t want you to agree to have a baby just to make me happy. That wouldn’t work out very well for the baby, would it? I think the subject is a little like facing battle – we both need to be all in, or we need to be all out.”
“Good analogy,” he told her.
She added, “And there’s always the possibility that in vitro wouldn’t take. After all, it’s very difficult for the Light Fae to conceive and bear a child, just like it is for the rest of the Elder Races.”
They could always adopt. He thought it but didn’t say it. They could explore that conversation at a different time. For now, he simply listened to what she had to say, watching the play of expressions on her face.
She paused, then added, “If we do decide to go ahead with trying, we would have to be prepared for one other thing.”
He nuzzled her ear. “What’s that?”
She told him, “When the women in my family conceive, we tend to have twins.”
His mind leaped from Bailey to her mother Tatiana, and her aunt Isabeau, the Seelie Light Fae Queen in Ireland.
“Of course you do,” he said with a chuckle. “I hadn’t connected.” He cupped the back of her neck, rubbing her soft skin with the ball of his thumb. “Everything you’re saying is very sensible. We’ll take all the time we need in order to be sure. And I realiz
e I have no idea what I’m really talking about. I’ve smiled at babies. I’ve held one or two. But I have no real concept of what it would be like to raise a small child. Even with all those qualifiers in mind, I’m drawn to this, Melly.”
Her expression softened. “I guess a lot will depend on the next year and what we end up deciding to do. If you truly want to go back to rule the Nightkind demesne, and I’m committed to going back to making movies, we might end up with too much of a commuter lifestyle.”
He shook his head. “Now you’re coming up with obstacles that don’t need to be there. If we want to have children, we should try to have children, and we’ll work out the rest. You could take a break from making movies for a couple of years, and I don’t need to go back into a situation that has danger lurking around every corner. I may not know much about children, but I do know one thing – they don’t stay young and small for long.”
“That’s true.” As he massaged her neck, her head drooped and her eyelids grew heavy.
Watching her beautiful face, he whispered, “Do you want to go clean up the kitchen now?”
Languidly, she shook her head. “No. But I am hungry.”
He started to smile.
She wiggled down his body until she came to the fastening of his jeans. As she unzipped him, he drawled, “Are you going to grab on and start sucking again?”
She snickered, her expression filling with mischief. “Yep. You got a problem with that, soldier?”
He was already so hard for her, his cock ached. “I can’t imagine ever having a problem with that,” he growled. “Just so we’re clear.”
He lifted his hips so she could tug off his jeans. Earlier, when he had slipped out to go fishing, he hadn’t bothered to pull on boxers, and as he kicked off his pants, his full erection bounced on his abdomen. Sitting, he pulled off his T-shirt and tossed it after the jeans. Then he propped one foot on the floor, parting his legs.
“Mmm,” she murmured as she looked up the length of his nude body. It was such a satisfied little sound, he had to grin. Spreading her flattened hands against his abdomen, she rubbed up and out in a wide, sweeping caress that encompassed his torso.