Finally, to everybody’s relief, Nathan had been found. The relief was short-lived. Nathan might be back, but he’s not fit enough to rule. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had no choice. I must step forward and take his place.
DRAKE
It wasn’t often I had a phone call from any of my family asking me for their help. The last time I had seen any of them was many months ago. It annoyed me I hadn’t been told that Nathan was missing. I should have been one of the first to be told. It was known that I could claim the crown from Nathan, but I had never had the notion of doing so. Why would I, when I ruled over my own land.
Leighton. Her name still sends tingles down my spine. Even though she knew who and what I am, it didn’t stop her from falling in love with me. After what happened, it surprised me she was still willing to come. Choosing the others over her hadn’t been easy. I hadn’t believed that she could ever be mine. I would do anything to protect her, even if that meant pushing her away. Now she was coming back. This time, I wouldn’t let her go. She will be mine for all eternity. The others will have to learn to accept her because she was my queen.
I know it will take some convincing, but I have never been the type of man to give up. She will be mine come hell or high water.
LEIGHTON
I tried to convince myself I had no other choice. Lucien had given me an order, one I had to follow through. The last time I was there had been a disaster. Those women of his, there’s no other way to describe them. Deranged. To find out that he had his own little harem was an understatement. I had, had no intention of adding myself. I wasn’t the type of person to share. It wasn’t in my makeup. To learn that’s what he expected of me was going too far. To share him with his other women. He had chosen them over me. I still had the scars where they had nearly killed me. If Drake hadn’t turned up, then I wouldn’t be here. I have learned a lot since then. If they even attempted to approach me, I wouldn’t hesitate to harm or kill any of them. I’m no longer that young, scared little girl.
His land wasn’t huge. I knew from personal experience you could reach the other side by the end of the day. Its lush green trees stood tall in the distance. The mountain stood beyond them. The building constructed many years ago towered over the other smaller buildings below. It looked out over the region. Making the other buildings look small in comparison.
The memory of my last time here sent shivers down my spine. I remember the power he had over me. I had thought I had put it all behind me, and now I wasn’t too sure. I had felt his presence before my feet had even touched land. It was as if he was here, his eyes burning deep into my soul. Watching me.
I stood there beside Jaden; I knew something was going on. I had heard through the grapevine that Nathan, the king of all vampires, had gone missing and that Jax had somehow got voted in and was now, for all intents and purposes, the vampires’ king. It still baffled me how he had taken control of the crown.
I hadn’t known how true the rumor was until Jaden had confirmed it. How did somebody take someone so powerful? It didn’t seem possible. Then there were the witches I had heard about. Lucien’s people loved to gossip, and because of that very reason. I kept my ear to the ground. You never knew when it would come in handy. That is how I had heard about the witches living with Lucien. Aria, well, I knew she would just love that! I didn’t need to see her reaction to see it in front of my eyes.
It didn’t take me long to find out that my second-in-command, Aella, had an unhealthy interest in Jaden. I had to order her to stay away from him. She hadn’t acted favorably. I knew I was going to have trouble with her on this trip. I could have replaced her, but it would have taken me too long to choose someone else.
“It hasn’t changed,” Jaden said from beside me.
“No, it hasn’t,” I whispered. I felt the churning start low in my stomach. I should have asked to be replaced. My stubborn streak will one day be the death of me.
“I’ve ordered her to keep her distance,” I told Jaden, turning my head until our gazes met, “I wish you had told me.”
“Leigh, don’t worry. I can hold my own,”
“That may be so, but I should have been told about your past with each other,” I replied with a frown.
“Maybe,” he agreed with a shrug, “but I didn’t know she was on your team until I saw her standing next to you.”
“Does Lucien know she has an … unhealthy fixation? That it is turning into an obsession?”
“We haven’t ever spoken of it,” he replied, “and he’s never mentioned it, so I’m guessing no.”
“Be careful, Jaden. I can only do so much. There’s no telling what she will do.”
He nodded his head at her words. He knew Aella had been following him and he was sure he had seen her more than once. So far, she hadn’t become a problem. He should never have given in to his blood lust. He could count on one hand how many times it had happened. He had hoped that she had gotten over her fascination with him, but it appeared she hadn’t. He hoped he didn’t have to physically hurt her to get her to stop. He knew she thought she was his mate. She wasn’t. He knew who his mate was and, regretfully, it wasn’t Aella.
“Come on I want to get there before nightfall,” Jaden told Leigh before ordering the others to move.
Five hours later.
We had finally arrived at our destination. So far, I hadn’t seen Drake or his women. I knew it couldn’t stay that way. I wasn’t here to see him. I was here to do a job, and that’s what I was going to do. Nothing had changed. The décor was the same. Then again, you couldn’t do much with stone walls. The place was so huge that most of us had been given our own bedrooms. Along with Jaden, Aella, and a few others, I was in the west wing. My room came with an enjoining door to Aella’s. Jaden’s room was on the other side of mine. I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be so close to Jaden. I just hoped she didn’t do anything stupid. The others were in the east wing. I knew from experience that Drakes’s rooms were in the north wing, and his women were in the south wing. Though if I had learned anything from experience, they had never stayed there. The thought of seeing them again made my skin crawl. It was a shame that the idea of seeing Drake did the opposite effect.
First thing tomorrow, we will meet Drake. Jaden wanted this over and done with. I just hoped we weren’t here longer than necessary. I didn’t know how I would keep my emotions at bay.
DRAKE
I could feel her. She had arrived, and I didn’t need to look at her. I have ordered them to stay away from her and that they must keep to their own quarters. The consequence of not following my orders would be dire. I would not have the same outcome as the last. She was here. It was time she knew she could never escape me. I had let her go once. I won’t be doing it again. She has always been mine. I won’t make the same mistake again.
