Page 56 of Awakening the Dhampir

Brance stepped away from the small group a few moments later and raised his hand. “Silence!” A pulse of fae magic rippled through the room, making my skin crawl.

The occupants mumbled for several seconds before an uncomfortable silence filled the space.

Brance narrowed his eyes at me. “We will not accept your resignation, Prince Kenrid. Your influence is needed here.”

I was so glad I’d told Nathan about my parentage. He would not have appreciated being blindsided by that information.

“No. I have no influence here or the Fae Courts,” I said, standing taller and trying to look like the prince they expected me to be. “The Council makes all the decisions for the Exiled, not me. We agreed years ago that we would not emulate the fae realms. Did we not decide that a council elected by the people was better for us? One member resigning should not change our future.” I drew in a slow breath and let it out. “My absence should have no impact on the running of this council.”

Brance bared his teeth and turned his scowl on Nathan. “What’s so important that you have to steal our prince from us?”

Nathan snarled at the fae. His fangs lowered and red consumed his irises. It took every bit of my willpower not to step away.

“You will not question me,” Nathan warned. I could feel his command saturating the air, even though he only had eye contact with Brance. “The security of this clan is always my first priority. If I say I need Kenrid Windsong, you have no choice in the matter.”

“It’s that half-breed, isn’t it?” Alyssa hissed. “You’ve brought her to our home, knowing she is dhampir. How does that protect us?”

It took every bit of my self-control not to flinch at her words. Thankfully, my leader didn’t hesitate to react.

Nathan laughed exposing the full length of his fangs. “Do you hear yourself? Did you think about your words before you spoke?”

Alyssa didn’t answer, her glare intensifying with each passing moment.

Nathan spun on his heels to face the room full of fae. “Dhampir cannot procreate. Everyone knows that. Yes, Lorna Cross is a half-breed, fae and human. Last I checked, when a human and fae have a baby, it doesn’t pop out as dhampir.”

Nervous laughter flitted through the crowd. Nathan’s words made everything seem so simple. How could anyone believe that Lorna was a dhampir, unless they knew about the fae research facility I’d destroyed?

“Then why would an elder vampire kidnap her and claim she’s dhampir?” Brance asked.

How had Brance already discovered Conrad’s role in all of this? Had the video of Lorna in Conrad’s cell already spread that far?

Nathan slowly turned around again to face the Council. “Because he believed a rumor about a dhampir sighting. He was delusional, his mind broken from the withdrawal of not having dhampir blood.” Nathan’s eyebrow rose, and his gaze drifted to the rest of the Council. “He was desperate, and he paid the price for that desperation. I assume everyone has seen the video of Lorna ignoring the vampires?”

Alyssa looked away, but a couple of the other council members nodded.

“We all know a dhampir can’t ignore the lure of a vampire’s blood, much less a whole room full of vampires. Only a fool would believe she’s anything more than half-fae and half-human.” Nathan rolled his shoulders. “Lorna Cross is not the reason I need Kenrid full time. There are other threats to our clan that are more important than his attendance to these meetings. We’re done here.”

Nathan turned and marched back through the rows of chairs. I followed him. My emotions rolled from relief to inadequacy. I was grateful he was there by my side, but I should’ve been able to handle my own people. I should’ve been the one to explain Lorna’s kidnapping. I shouldn’t have needed a vampire to tell my people to go to hell.

But I’d known I would. The Exiled had always hoped my royal status would get them back home. I couldn’t convince them otherwise. I huffed and nearly ran into Nathan’s back when I hadn’t realized he stopped in front of me.

As he reached the French doors, he said over his shoulder, “In case you hadn’t heard, Damon has claimed Lorna as his mate. Like any mated pair, I will not stop him from protecting her or issuing punishment on those who threaten her.”

I didn’t turn to see the expressions of the fae. I had no doubts there would be threats. There was no way Alyssa and Brance would let me walk away without a fight. Not only did they see me as their prince, but I’d been an intrinsic part of their social standing for years. I’d have to convince them that the benefits of moving into the space I vacated outweighed everything else. Brance would accept it more willingly than Alyssa. His desires revolved around power, where Alyssa’s were more carnal.

I shivered as the memories of past ‘meetings’ surfaced. Every Council meeting ended with a party. Just like I’d tried to explain to Lorna, the fae weren’t shy about having sex with multiple partners. Alyssa was almost always part of my group. She and I were good together in bed, but that was the only place. Every other part of her personality pissed me off.

Most fae didn’t need a commitment or emotional attachment to satisfy their sexual urges. Until they met their soulmate. The Exiled were probably even more emotionally detached because they knew they didn’t have a chance at finding true love outside of the fae realm. It was nearly unheard of for a fae’s soulmate to be anything other than fae. And the number of Exiled was so low, it was pretty hard to miss your mate in that crowd.

So they fucked and hated each other for it.

I had been no different until now.

Alyssa would figure it out the first time she saw me with Lorna. I could try to hide my adoration for my mate, but I wasn’t sure I’d be successful. No. I knew I’d fail at hiding my love for her, but I’d try anyway, because I couldn’t accept the alternative.

Nathan and I returned to his car in silence. As soon as the doors closed, he pierced me with his red-ringed eyes. A snarl pulled at his lip. He didn’t even start the engine before he turned on me.

“What else is there?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

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