My mate communicated with David through email and text, under my watchful eye. I still did not trust him not to pour out some sob story that would tug on her sympathetic heartstrings.
I had no idea where he thought Alice was. For all he knew, his former wife was holed up in a love nest with me, and on the receiving end of multiple orgasms. I needed this divorce settled sooner rather than later in order to make that fantasy true.
And thanks to me and myinfluence,that was happening at lightning speed. My ability topersuadehumans certainly came in useful. Papers were filed fast, laws about cooling-off periods and separation standards were pushed aside. And unbeknownst to Alice, I had muted David's pain so that he responded to his divorce in a more businesslike manner rather than dragging his feet because his feelings were hurt.
Alice generously let him keep the money they had saved. After all, she didn't need it when she had every luxury available at her fingertips. She also didn't know I had done any of this. I simply told her I would handle her divorce, and I would.
Of course, my tender-hearted mate was sad about hurting David, and I knew she missed him as a companion—a friend. Which he should have stayed.
I tried not to be angry about it. After all, Alice did not know about me or our kind. She did not know who I was to her, or that we were destined to be together.
But still…did she not realize that she was walking around as if a limb were missing? As if only half her heart were beating? It was a bitter thought to think, to resent that only I could feel the bulk of our separation, while hers was muted. Even now, although Alice felt a connection to me and loved me, she could never touch the depths of my devotion and obsession. And as a mere human, she likely never would.
But alas, it would do me no good to continue to think about it. The sooner her bond with him was severed, the better.
I turned my focus on Damon and his men. My friend had his chair kicked back, his feet casually on my eight-hundred-year-old table. In contrast, his Elders sat ramrod straight, their expressions grave.
"What is it? What else have you discovered?"
Damon nodded toward his Elders. "They've uncovered some interesting news.” He threw his feet off the table, and his chair came down with a hard thud. "But it must be kept between us."
I nodded. "Of course. You have my word."
Amos cleared his throat, his shoulders tense with nerves. "We were under the impression that King Artemis and Queen Sarai were killed by Vladimir and his followers. King Artemis was. However, Queen Sarai was not."
My brow furrowed. "I do not understand."
"The reason the Treaty of ManKind was spearheaded by King Artemis was because…Queen Sarai was human."
Shock rippled through me, and I leaned forward in earnest. My gaze circled the room, noting the people present and ensuring that nothing could be heard beyond these walls. "She was human?"
"Yes," Amos nodded. "But she had not been turned."
My brow creased at that statement. "But it isn't possible to turn a human." Vampires were born, not created. You either bit a human for sustenance or to kill them.
"There is a way," another elder spoke up. “But it is risky. The chance of death is high. In fact, there has only been one reported successful turning."
Anger and hope warred with each other. Anger, because such information should not have been shielded from Kings. And hope because…Alice.
"How are they turned?" I demanded to know.
Damon grunted. "Apparently, we dig through their chest to expose their heart before piercing it with…" He gestured to his mouth.
"Christ,” I breathed out, leaning back in shock. There was rarely anything that could render me speechless, but this had left me dumbfounded. "Why is this not on public record?"
They all exchanged cautionary looks. "As we said,” Amos slowly replied. "There was only one successful turning. All other attempts left humans deceased. If this were made public, there would be a lot of dead remains to explain away."
"Also," another of his Elders interjected. "We needed to deter Vampires from attempting to turn humans. Before the Treaty…and even today, humans are considered the bottom of the pile, yet there are some who become infatuated with them. The chance of successfully turning a human is low—less than 1 percent—yet the chance is still there. They wanted to avoid any blood…mixing," he delicately put, well aware of Alice's breed.
I could not blame them or anyone else for their prejudice. After all, before Alice, I too considered them the lowest and weakest forms of life. I had higher opinions of Wolves.
"Who else knew about Queen Sarai?"
"Only I," Amos reluctantly confirmed. I knew his reluctance stemmed from the Elders before who were executed for treason. "I shared them with my brothers and King Damon only recently, as I was sworn to secrecy by Gallon's bond-servant. Guarding this information was of utmost importance, yet when we discovered who Alice was…I knew I had to share it. It is what Gallon would have wanted."
He breathed deeply, his fingers clasped together on the table. "King Artemis never planned on turning Queen Sarai until the raid."
"He attempted?"
