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He stifled a laugh. “That sounds like her.”
“All joking aside, she has earned my respect, not that that will stop me from giving her hell.” She shuddered. “Seriously, how are you going to get used to that vampire smell?”
Luca rolled his eyes. “I love her, so we’ll find a way around it. Besides, Ash doesn’t smell like Nadya or her children. It’s not that bad, and it doesn’t matter right now. I need you to stay by my side and help me earn the trust of our people as we rebuild, Vik. They won’t blindly follow me.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked around the room. “I would kneel, but…gross. I swear my life and service to you, Luca. I’ll stay by your side, my brother and my king. I will not rest until your throne and rule are secured. More than that, I want to be a better person. I’ve got so much to make up for.”
Luca sighed and looked around. They needed to get to work. “We both do, and we’ll start here.”
Neither spoke as they began gathering body parts. They could not tell whether it was human, Therian, or one of their relatives, but that was the extent to which their innate magic helped. The work required sweat equity, and the siblings each did their fair share and then some.
The dead deserved a proper funeral. His soul ached from the state Nikoli’s victims had been left in. The piles grew as they sorted through the devastation, as did Luca’s fury at his father’s atrocities. The worst moment was when he found a tiny foot attached to a distinctive shoe. His five-year-old niece had proudly shown him the shoes when he’d returned for Alessandra’s wedding.
Luca wished Nikoli was still alive so he could kill him again. His death had been far too swift.
CHAPTER ONE
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.”
