Page 94 of Pain

“What the fuck was that about?” I barked, setting the phone back down on the receiver. Maxar plunked his hands on his hips and stared down the vampire, waiting, while I crossed my arms over my chest and allocated all spare energy reserves to not beheading Drak once and for all.

“That was Howar. He said he was concerned when he didn’t hear from me for so long.”

Maxar scoffed. “I’m sure he was.”

Drak didn’t react. “He said that he and Queen Anysa are concerned about Omaera’s leadership skills, and that they are going to get in touch with King Ryden and propose a vote of non-confidence unless Omaera agrees to meet with them. He said that the time has come for Omaera to accept her role, or pass it on to someone who wants it. That she’s been playing around long enough, and the Realm is in real trouble. Then he brought up the most recent deaths of vampires that seem to be by the same assailants as before.”

A world with fewer vampires didn’t sound too terrible to me. But I kept that thought to myself.

“Well, this is perfect,” Maxar said. “We were going to set up a meeting for the four of them anyway.”

Something in Drak’s eyes said it wasn’t going to be that easy though.

“Spit it out,” I growled. “No more fucking secrets.”

If I hadn’t been staring right at him, I would have missed the flash of anger in the vampire’s blue eyes. But he steeled his expression quickly. “Howar said he has had several members of the four courts approach him and discuss challenging Omaera for the throne. News of her … parentage, particularly her mother, has been publicized and people are not happy with the idea of a half-humananythingruling the Realm.”

“Let them try,” I said. “We’ll take them all on.”

Drak shook his head. “You know as well as I do that it doesn’t work that way. If she is challenged, we cannot intervene.”

Hot rage lanced through me. “Fuck that noise. Try to stop me.”

“It won’t be me that stops you,” the vampire said smoothly. Even though I knew he was right, his calm and collected tone just made me want to punch his smug head right off his neck.

“Well, the meeting should still go as planned. We have our own agenda, and we can’t deviate from it,” Maxar said, about to sit down on the end of the king-sized bed but then stopping himself when he realized he was still filthy. “Hopefully, it doesn’t get to the point of a challenger coming forward.” He glanced at Drak. “You think Howar’s on that list of potential challengers? Or he’s speaking for Lerris?”

“Either. Both,” Drak replied.

“Omaera’s also the most powerful fucking demon alive,” Maxar said. “Nobody knows that but us. To challenge her would be suicide.”

“And how would that make our queen feel?” I asked. “Knowing that she had to kill someone—a subject—in order to secure her throne. A throne she didn’t know existed less than a month ago, and a throne she reluctantly sits on.” Since I was the first to mate-bond with Omaera, I was the most emotionally in tune with her. And I knew she hated having to take a life. She didn’t want to hurt anybody if she could help it. Killing that Phaceanesh in that alleyway a few weeks ago nearly destroyed her, along with every other death that followed. She knew they were necessary, and she talked a big game about showing Lerris no mercy, but I knew deep down, she didn’t like to kill. That was what made her as unique and wonderful as she was. She was kindness incarnate, and having to kill a challenger—because in these circumstances, it would ultimately have to end in death—would wreck her.

Maxar and Drak stared at the faded, stained, beige carpet as my words sunk in.

“Once we’ve all showered and had something to eat, we’ll come up with a plan,” I said. “The same plan, but modified in response to this news. It’s still a good plan. It will still work. But we need Omaera’s opinion on this too.”

Maxar nodded, as did Drak.

“I’m gonna go scrub off a few layers of skin,” Maxar said, tearing his shirt off over his head, throwing it in the trashcan next to the television, and disappearing into the room he shared with Drak.

That left the vampire and me.

I glared at him.

He slowly lifted his gaze to meet mine. “You’re right,” he said cooly. “The Queen will not want to kill a challenger. And to be forced to, could destroy her.” He swallowed. “I’m … I’m glad she has you to look out for her emotions.”

My nostrils flared, and I shook my head. “You could have what I have with her if you’d get out of your own fucking way.”

His expression was full of remorse, and he nodded just barely. “I’m beginning to see that a lot of what I believed was true … wasright… is in fact, so very, very wrong.”

He didn’t just mean the way he handled Omaera and lying to her about the Mate’s Ache. He was referring to King Howar as well. A sliver of sympathy wedged its way into my heart.

I shrugged. “Well, it’s not too late. Cut the bullshit, figure out your allegiances once and for all, and stop keeping secrets. Pretty easy, if you ask me.” Then I left him standing there as I tore off my clothes and went to go find a little demon in the shower who needed her back scrubbed. I was done putting Band-Aids on his feelings. I had a mate to take care of.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Drak

---