Chapter 89

Nicole closed the door behind them with a soft click. Relief blossomed in her heart. The blood bond had failed. They may have some connection, but it was weak and likely destroyed by Daphne’s show of aggression.

At least, that was one less thing she had to worry about.

“You need more rest,” Nicole said, as Daphne turned pale and stumbled. She guided Daphne down the hallway towards the queen’s wings with quiet steps.

Daphne’s eyes darted around the halls, chasing every stray sound and echo like a newly turned vampire. She was quite impressed that Daphne was accessing her powers so quickly. There was a chance she could be trained to wield her magic with precision soon, but Nicole would have to wait until she was feeling better to test that theory.

“I’m sorry,” Daphne whispered like a secret. “I… shouldn’t have reacted so harshly.”

Nicole shook her head. She certainly had not lost any of her endearing sweetness with the change.

“What did your instincts say?”

“I should have torn his throat out.”

Nicole smiled, hearing the echo of Lily in her voice, “You sound like your grandmother.”

Daphne looked at her, wide-eyed and hopeful.

“My grandmother?”

“A fearsome woman,” Nicole grinned. “Queen Lily would have been proud of your use of your power in there.”

“Power?”

“The August line can compel vampires to obey them,” Nicole said. “It’s a skill that helped the August line weed out traitors and end coups before they could start.”

Daphne frowned. There was a voice murmuring in the back of her mind. Something about power and control, of fearing that power, but she couldn’t make out anything more than the meaning. A little flutter of warmth and regret went through her as she wondered who was speaking in her memories, but it faded quickly after.

“Listen to your instincts,” Nicole said. “It would not have been the first time that an August monarch murdered a noble for stepping out of line.”

Daphne’s lips twitched, “I’m… not a violent person, I don’t think. It’s just… The thought of marrying John and aborting my child infuriated me…”

It was still infuriating. As much as John made her head hurt, there was a thread of fear and fury twined with the feeling. It had grown stronger the longer she was in the room with them. Why did she feel that way? She had the feeling that it was something serious, but she couldn’t place or explain it.

“Why do you think John was who they would suggest?” Nicole asked lightly, probing her for information. An inkling of fear at the back of her mind wondered if it was because the blood bond had found some form of purchase in Daphne.

“That woman, the duchess was looking at him… as was that other man…” Daphne frowned, “It was... a feeling, I guess. And I felt so revolted by the idea…”

Nicole smile, “Well, he is quite revolting.”

Daphne laughed as they neared the queen’s wing. The scent of a werewolf hit her nose and she stopped, stepping in front of Daphne as they rounded the corner. A young werewolf stood there. He was missing one hand and his eyes were cold and unfeeling as he turned to look at them. He was taller than Nicole, broad-shouldered and handsome. His eyes glanced over Nicole quickly, growing tense when his gaze landed on the sword on her belt. His eyes darted to Daphne before he seemed frozen in place.

Nicole narrowed her eyes, preparing to defend Daphne against his attack.

“… Daphne?”

Nicole narrowed her eyes and she looked at Daphne who didn’t seem affected by the man’s presence. She didn’t seem suspicious of his presence. If anything, she seemed calm and curious. She lifted a hand to her stomach, staring at him. Nicole watched the man’s expression. His eyes dropped to Daphne’s hand, resting on her stomach. He looked a great deal like Arthur with some differences, including the darkness of his hair.

His eyes narrowed and he took a deep, sharp breath as he stared at her stomach. Nicole remained watchful and wary of him.

Daphne felt a pull towards him. Something like familiarity twined with fear. She eyed him carefully, trying to get a sense of how she knew the man, but she couldn’t place it. The warm, nervous feeling in her chest eased more and more while they stood in his presence. Was that the baby reaching out to him?

Was this Arthur Royal?

“Who are you?” Nicole said, looking at the man.

“My name is Owen,” he said, dashing Daphne’s thoughts.

The disappointment was brief, but it quickly turned into intrigue. She knew this man even if she didn’t know how she knew. The baby knew this man as well. Maybe he was related to Arthur somehow and the baby was reacting to a familial presence the way Daphne had relaxed around Nicole.

How strange. What was he doing here if he was related to Arthur?

“I work with my father, rebuilding Whitcomb’s forces.”

Nicole narrowed her eyes, amazed and infuriated by how stupid and desperate John had to be to hire Osborn to train his militia. It was highly likely that John didn’t know it was Osborn for one reason or another, but it was still ridiculous. Didn’t he ask why the man had such a handle on military tactics? Had he even thought it suspicious that a werewolf would offer aid to a vampire? Any werewolf that age would have known about the wars and likely had a healthy disdain for all of vampire kind.

What excuse had Osborn given him that seemed plausible? Had he needed to give an excuse at all? Osborn had wiped out John’s entire battalion in the span of a few hours because John was a shit commander and incompetent. A part of her doubted that he had asked enough questions to ascertain Osborn’s credibility let alone his allegiance.

Nicole shoved that thought away. It was a battle to be fought another time.

She didn’t have time to think about John’s stupidity. She had to thwart his plans and think of a way to get Daphne’s memories back as soon as possible.

“I see,” Nicole said, taking Daphne by her shoulder, “Well, carry on. Shall we, Your Highness?”

Daphne looked at Owen for a moment more before nodding and allowing Nicole to guide her down the hall. She looked back at Owen before they were too far away and found him looking back at her.

“Do you remember something about him?” Nicole asked, gently.

Daphne shook her head, “Just… a feeling.”

Nicole glanced back at Owen as they walked down the hall. Something was unnerving about him, hollow and lost. His eyes reflected nothing as if he felt nothing. His gaze was emptier than any corpse or vampire’s ever had been. She would have to keep an eye on Daphne’s relationship with Owen just in case. She didn’t know how she would explain Daphne becoming attached to Arthur’s enemy and cousin when they finally met again.

Owen watched them turn the corner with a strange sense of hope and wonder. She didn’t recognize him. She didn’t even seem to remember anything about him. Did that mean she didn’t remember Arthur either?

She seemed drawn to him for some reason. Maybe his father had been wrong about the moon goddess’ curse then. Maybe he did have a chance to make Daphne love him despite what she’d told him months ago.

His lips twitched. How much grief would it cause Arthur to have his beloved mate fall in love with him? Would he lose all sense of control upon seeing them together or simply want to take Owen’s life?

Whatever anguish Arthur experienced would never be enough to make up for what Arthur had done to him. He looked at the stump at the end of his arm where his hand used to be. Diminished and shamed by losing the fight, he had been trying to regain some of his confidence and re-focus his plans after his father found him.

There had been no hope to reattach his hand. Though he was not whole, Owen was grateful to still have his life. Dean had failed to kill him for the same reason Arthur had failed to kill Owen: weakness. His father had been clear on that, yet he hadn’t been clear about much else.

Still, it was good that Osborn was alive. They could face Arthur together and take over the werewolf kingdom as the strongest werewolves as they were meant to.

Owen turned and continued down the hall. It wouldn’t hurt to have the young vampire queen as his wife and control the vampires as well. Had that been Osborn’s plan all this time? He didn’t know. His father didn’t explain much to him, but the thought of having a chance to earn Daphne’s affections made him whistle the entire way to the training pitch.

He smirked, fantasizing about his revenge.