I nodded. This was common knowledge. No one knew for sure why King Artemis chose to work with humans at all while ironing out the terms of the Treaty. Even though a Treaty was commonly made by two agreeing parties, there was still a hushed prejudice against humans. They were still viewed as our inferiors, so the agreement really was only for our observance.
Once our partnered humans died out, we immediately ceased working with them. Our word was bond, so we had no trouble in keeping our promise not to hunt or kill humans. That is, until recently. Until the BloodKin decided to rear their ugly heads again.
"Eventually, he married a human who was aware of what he was. They had a child who possessed strong abilities; however, Gallon made sure to shelter him. It was a lot easier to do back then. Eventually, his child had a child, and their child had a child—”
“I am aware of how procreation works,” I said as I continued to peruse the documents.
“We monitored them until about two hundred years ago," Styros continued. "By then, Gallon's blood and his abilities were completely wiped out, and had been for some time. We have since lost track of them, but then, we thought it did not matter."
"What happened to Gallon? And his child? Surely they were immortal."
Styro nodded, his eyes downcast. "They both killed themselves. They could not bear to be hidden away from both humans and Vampires, and at the same time watch their loved ones age and die."
My mind turned to Alice, and I felt my throat constrict. There was always a gnawing ache in my gut when I thought of my mate's mortality. It was something that often pricked at the back of my mind, the guilt and worry swirling inside me like a tornado of anguish.
"So, what does this have to do with my Alice?"
"The DNA that we tested—we had to be sure, you see—that was why it took so long. We tested the strands no more than twenty times."
A loud crashing sound fell between my ears, and I swore my heart missed a beat. Before my Elders could utter their findings, I knew. I knew what they were about to say.
"It appears that she is a descendant of Gallon.”
My chest heaved as I breathed deeply, the cloud of frustration clearing. Everything had finally clicked into place. "You are sure?"
"Not only are we sure," Henk confirmed, "but it appears that the blood of Gallon is strong in her. She is still very much human, but she resides in a dormant, altered state. We think that it is the reason she is the mate of a King—"
"Because she carries the blood of the most powerful royals. A bond-mated King and Queen."
Pride filled my chest, and I could not help the swell of male satisfaction that curved my mouth. Even if Alice were a weak human, I would, of course, still be proud of her. But knowing she carried the blood of King Artemis and Queen Sarai ignited the primal being inside me to roar. She was my equal in every way.
"Who else knows?"
"The Elders of Ameros and King Damon, of course."
"Did King Damon know? About Gallon?"
"No, my King. Only Elder Amos knew, as he was a relative of Gallon's bond-servant. He wrote the records and hid them. A lot of their staff had been paid off by Vladimir, so he did not know who he could trust."
"Keep it that way," I ordered. "If Vladimir finds out…" I could not even form the words, let alone think of them. The repercussions would be horrendous. I was so close to making Alice mine. I needed to tread carefully.
Chapter 17
Alice
My hand felt clammy in my husband's as we stepped off the elevator together. Guilt rattled me, and I could barely move my feet as dread sank like concrete in my stomach.
I'd tried to get out of going tonight. I'd planned on coming home from work and feigning a headache. But at our morning meeting, my team was a big bundle of excited energy. They'd never been invited to a client's home for a party before. That in itself would've been cause for celebration, but the fact that it was at the penthouse suites at the exclusive Empire Gates? That was enough to rile everyone up into a tizzy.
So despite my trepidation and shame over what had occurred between me and Acheron, I had to suck it up for my team.
As for David, the last thing I wanted to do was force him to interact, unknowingly, with the man I'd betrayed my vows with. But when I'd come home, he'd already been showered and dressed; ready to “drink free booze and check out the silverware,” as he'd put it.
The whole drive over felt like a plank walk to my own sentence. It didn't help that a dark cloud wasliterallylooming over the towering heights of Empire Gates. It felt like a bad omen, a very explicit warning, urging me to turn back. I'd clutched my neck as something hot and uneasy slithered over me. More than guilt, more than a waiting penance—something dark and unnatural was loitering under my skin, and I couldn't shake the foreboding sign that something more was amiss.
"Wow, babe." David whistled as his gaze bounced around the room. "Who are your clients—Morticia and Gomez?"
Rolling my eyes, I tugged on his hand in warning. "It was Mr. Angelou's vision. I just followed his instructions."
