AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Dani caught sight of Ash, she ran across the room and threw her arms around her. “You didn’t show up at the airport.”
Ash choked out a laugh. “I’m sorry. I kind of died.”
Dani hugged her tighter. “Niles told me. We’ll talk about that later. I can’t believe you forgot me.” Dani stepped back with tears of relief as she ran a hand through her newly shorn dark hair.
Ash smiled, fighting the tears that stung her eyes. “I know! I’m so sorry! I love your hair.”
“You left me at a Russian airport. You know I don’t fucking speak Russian,” Dani grumbled, though Ash heard the teasing tone in her sister’s voice and felt her love and worry. “Thank you. I didn’t know I could pull off a chin-length bob.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Ash asked. “You’re rocking the hell out of it. Makes your eyes pop.”
Dani grinned. She hadn’t been angry. “No worries. We’re cool. Niletean was there.”
The dragon grinned. “I run an algorithm that targets certain names booking travel to the transportation hubs nearby. The sister of our future queen is on that list.”
Niletean had to have been tracking Dani’s travel for a while. She didn’t know whether to be touched or creeped out, so she settled for both. “I appreciate your stalker tendencies in this instance while reserving the right to be skeeved out that you track where we go.”
Niletean nodded his acceptance. “That’s fair, and I’m just doing my job. Life as a royal doesn’t afford a lot of privacy. Most people appreciate it and factor my knowing things into their plans. You’ll get used to it.”
Kittania, Mikhail, Viktorija, and Luca laughed and offered various versions of “He’s right.”
Ash smiled. “I can accept that. Thank you, Niletean. I dropped the ball on this one, and you saved my ass.”
“My pleasure, Your Majesty.”
“We aren’t married yet,” Ash protested.
Niletean shook his head. “Respectfully, you might not be the Therian queen yet, but you are a queen. You’ve earned the title more than any royal I’ve ever known, present company not excluded.” The dragon met his aunt’s eyes.
Kittania wasn’t offended. She agreed. Things had been rough for the past few centuries, but her path to the throne had been smooth. Vampires had slaughtered her family when her engagement to Nikoli was announced, but that had been one more incident in eons of war. It was almost expected. She’d mourned the loss and moved on, but Ash had fought for every moment with Luca and jumped headfirst into a war that had been ancient long before she’d been born. She would be a great queen.
Ash blushed at the praise. “Thank you. I’m trying to protect all our people. I guess the next step is to talk to our guests in the basement and see what we’re working with. Unless someone has a better plan?”
“I’ll get Dani settled in appropriate chambers and catch her up on everything that’s happened,” Kittania offered. “There have been quite a few developments since the last time we saw her.”
Dani waved her sister away. “Go do what you need to do. Mama Dragon has me covered.”
“’Mama Dragon?’” Kittania asked.
Dani gave her an uncharacteristically shy grin, her green eyes sparkling. “You have a motherly vibe, and I always feel safe with you. I know I’m just spare baggage in this situation, but…”
“Oh, sweet girl. You are not spare anything. Do you have any idea how much bravery it takes to knowingly walk into this world as a human?” Kittania asked with affection for the young, dark-haired woman. “If I’m not mistaken, Luca and Ash reserved advisory positions for you in the royal courts of both the vampire and Therian empires. Come, we have a great deal to discuss, including how you see your role among our people.”
Ash hugged her sister before she left with Kittania. “You better not let me hear you talking shit about your importance ever again,” she growled into Dani’s ear. “You are everything to me, and there is zero chance I can do this without you.”
Dani’s eyes were shiny when she pulled away from Ash. “I love you too. Go do queen shit. We’ll catch up later.”
After Dani and Kittania left, those who remained turned their attention to the current situation and the steps they should take. They needed a solid idea of what they faced from Nadya’s surviving children and if her death would derail any plots she had in the works. Euan volunteered to help her interrogate the vampires, and Ash made plans to meet him on the second basement level after the meeting.
Luca had calls scheduled later that day with high-ranking officials in multiple governments to orchestrate a widespread and official reveal of the supernatural world. Rumors were growing faster than they could be contained, and misinformation would get people killed.
He couldn’t focus on the same issues as Ash. They were warring on multiple fronts and had to divide their forces if they hoped to conquer the challenges before them. Not to mention Jules and the Therian rebels. The coward hadn’t shown up at his own battle. Luca also had prisoners to interrogate.
When everyone had their assignments, they dispersed. Ash followed the Euan into tunnels carved through the mountain. This was a dungeon, but it was not like the horror in the old palace. The cells were clean and dry, although the vampires didn’t require much care or comfort. Most of them sat without reacting to the world around them until Ash stepped off the staircase.
The vampires cried out when they sensed the presence of their new queen, some with joy and relief, others with rage and aggression. Ash stopped in front of the first cell and asked the guard to unlock the door. He hesitated, but Euan stepped forward.
“Dinnae ye ken who this is? She’s their bloody queen, ye numpty.” Euan scoffed. “She took Nadya’s heart after being a vampire for a month! She can handle a baby bat surrounded by guards.”
