“
So he’s just been waiting all this time for you to fall pregnant? Even when he threatened to attack us and—”
“
He was just playing ‘the game’, if you know what I mean.” I took another sip of water. “He couldn't have his so-called lifelong enemy take power of the throne and not appear to be doing anything about it but, truthfully, guys, he doesn't care. He doesn't
want
the throne. All he wants is Anandene.”
“
And it had to be
you
that carried her?” Emily asked.
“Yes. But I
’m only half of the puzzle.”
“
There are conditions needed for the conception of a soul that has not crossed over and still carries all its memories and powers,” David said, and judging from Emily’s changed expression, just answered the question she was truly asking.
“
What conditions?” she said.
“
The being was to be created from the blood and soul of that which took its original life, and the purest blood of noble men. Long story short, the first few attempts failed. They discovered they needed a pure womb as well, one that had not borne children before and, since Lilith had, she was forced to have a child that would bear this contracted child—one that, at the will of a powerful spell, would be soulless so Lilith could transfer her own into it,” he said.
“Giving Drake the blood of the one who took Anandene’s life, and now also the soul,” I added.
“Upon agreeing to this,” David continued brilliantly as if he’d known this all along, not just learned it all from me as I called it to mind in this room, “they drew up a contract stating that, once the soul of Anandene was born into this new child’s care sixteen or so years later, Drake would put Lilith back together, her soul would leave the vessel that gave birth to Anandene, and all would be restored to what it once was.”
A
frown slowly consumed Arthur’s soft expression, the questions coming across his face before they presented on his lips.
“But, if the child Anandene was born centuries ago, what does that have to do with you?” Em asked.
“They failed that first time. And then repeatedly until, at last, the soulless vessel and Lilith’s soul with it went missing—for centuries,” I added, and everyone’s confusion dissipated for curiosity. “Which brings us to the reason Drake fought so hard to find any Pure Blood Lilithians.”
“Then, that makes you a direct descendant of Lilith,” Em said with sparkling eyes.
“Yes.”
“
Hang on then—” Blade sat forward, wetting his lips. “If you’re one of her children’s children, then you’re—”
“Soulless.”
“But how?” Emily asked.
“
You might say I don’t
own
the soul I carry.” I pressed a hand to my chest. “It merely occupies my form, but it belongs to Lilith, as does the burden of her promise until the reincarnation of Anandene is safely delivered into the world.”
“
And then what?”
“
And then…” I looked at Jason. “Drake will reconstruct Lilith, and I’ll be dead.”
Realisation sunk into the room like fog.
“For real?” Quaid said. “And you’re just gonna let this happen?”
“No,”
the king said.
“
Drake has offered peace,” I said, narrowing my eyes at David. “In return for my compliance, he will allow David to remain on the throne, and he will give me eighteen years to raise the child—”
“And then you’ll be dead?” Blade asked.
“Yes.”
“Amara.”
Arthur stood slowly, propping his hands flat on the table. “I’ve known Drake a great many centuries. I was there when he cried over the birth of his sister Lily. I watched him build this manor brick by brick as a gift for her. I do not believe for a second that he will leave her dead if there is a chance he can restore her.”
“
Well, he agreed to let me raise my daughter.”
Arthur
’s stone face made me panic a little. “You made this agreement with him in person?”
I nodded.
“You swore to it?”
I nodded again.
“Did you bind the promise in blood?”
I frowned.
“Um, no. Why?”
He sat down again, and Jason and David sighed.
“Why?” I repeated.
“
If you did not bind the agreement, Amara, he does not mean to uphold it,” Arthur said.
“
But he
said
, I mean … we
agreed
.”
“
Verbally,” David said.
“
Yeah, but—”
“
But nothing,” Arthur grumbled.
Jason put his hand up to stop his uncle.
“Ara, I know you can't possibly have known this, but Drake religiously draws up a contract for
any
agreement he makes. All but this one he made in secret,” he said gently.
“
He means to take your life when the child is born,” Arthur said in short.
My heart broke and I folded ever-so-slightly forward to hold my insides in.
“But how do we even know this baby will be the witch?” Blade asked. “Is it something that was foretold?”
“
No. Designed,” I said, forcing composure to take control and steady my voice, then went on to explain how Drake had also tailored the blood of the man that would father the child—cleansing the Knight bloodline then waiting many centuries until two boys were born to one mother. One pure of heart. One, all the undesirable traits of man.
“
So, that pure first born son was David?” Emily asked, her caramel eyes wide as they took in the king.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
And to my sudden horror, everyone in the room folded over slightly, snorting and grumbling indignantly in the backs of their throats.
“No way,” Blade said in that raw English accent. “I don’t believe that for a second. No offence, my king.”
“
Yeah, what witchcraft considerers pure and what nature does must be two very different things.” Quaid laughed.
“
Shut up, guys,” Ryder said, flicking Blade across the head. “I wanna hear the rest.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed toward him, and everyone sat back, faces still red with humour.
David took it well, though, shaking his head as though it was a mild annoyance.
“Anyway,” I continued. “Four years ago, Drake sent David to the school across from my dad’s house, ensuring he’d be in the right place at the right time to meet me. Then he saw to it that, when I was old enough to bear a child, I ended up there too. David and I falling in love had been his only goal, all along.”
“
So that explains why he put Jason in charge of your torture,” Blade said, looking at Jason. “That never did make sense to me.”
“Or me,”
Arthur said. “I took it as a blessing, but Jason was in no way experienced enough for that kind of mission. I did, however, have an inkling that Drake did not wish the girl to be harmed, though I had no idea then that his plans for her had spanned the course of time.”
“
Well, I don’t get it,” Em said. “Why has it taken so many centuries to get this child? David was born a hundred and forty years ago. Couldn't he have—”
“
The only living Lilithian at the time was still missing. Drake found her forty or so years after David was born—”
“
And this is why he insisted I turn the boys when they came of age?” Arthur said, more to himself.
“
Yes. Exactly.” I looked back at Em. “The Warriors found the child named Amara, and Drake assigned David the task of killing her, in the hopes they’d form their bond that day—a supernatural binding of Lilith’s soul to the Cleansed Bloodline. It worked, but David, in an attempt to save her, delivered her to an orphanage, and Vampirie picked her up before Drake got there.”
“Vampirie?”
Quaid said.
“Yes. And we now presume Vampirie didn’t just put her up for adoption elsewhere. We think he raised her himself.”
“Why?” Em asked. “Isn’t he Drake’s father? Why would he ruin his own son’s plans like that?”
“
I knew Vampirie,” Arthur offered. “And he would not have approved of a black witch being made immortal by any means—especially not Anandene.”
“
Why?”
“
She would be too powerful.” Arthur motioned a hand to my belly. “A risk to our lifestyle and to the race of beings we hold sacred—a race protected by Vampirie since his first drop of blood.”
“So, Ara
’s baby is a threat to the human race?” Emily looked at Arthur as though he’d eaten her cat.
“
No matter what she becomes, that child will have great powers,” Arthur said. “She is the blood of two immortals and the dark soul of an ungodly witch. When she realises the extent of her power…”
“
No one can know this,” I said, touching my belly. “Because no matter what she becomes, she is first my daughter and your future queen, and she must be protected.”
“
And she will be,” Blade swore. “With our last breath, my Queen.”
“
You have our word,” Quaid added, then laughed. “Besides, she can’t be any more trouble than her mother was.”
I smiled.
“Then … like, do we need to watch out for this Vampirie guy?” Em asked. “Will he come after her?”
“No,” I said. “
Drake doesn't seem to think Vampirie’s a threat.”
“If he
… if something were to happen to this baby, what would Drake actually do?” Emily asked. “I mean, would he start a war?”
“Yes,”
I said simply. “He’d likely kidnap me, force me to have another child and then insert my soul into her so that when she’s of childbearing age she can mate with David to bear Anandene.”
David cringed.
“For what?” Ryder cut in. “What does Drake actually want with Anandene?”
“Eternity,”
I said, sitting down. “One day, when she’s older and the memories of her old life return, she’ll…” They waited, but I couldn't say the rest.
“
He means to be
with
her?” Emily asked.
I nodded.
“His own niece?” she confirmed.
I nodded again.
Arthur cringed, and the rest of the group responded with united variations of “eeew” and “gross”.
“
I cannot even begin to find words to make any of this … digestible. But I am comforted by the hope that bearing this child will bring peace between vampires and Lilithians,” I said. “And even if I’m not around, David will still be here, and he will still be your king.”
“
But Drake means to kill you when the child’s born,” Blade stated. “You’re not okay with this, are you?”
Of course I wasn’t okay. I’d just found out at the same time as them that I’d never get to see my daughter take her first steps, shop for a prom dress—get married one day. And my heart hurt so bad for the possibility of losing it all that I couldn't open my mouth because I knew my voice would falter.
Ara,
David thought, as he reached between us and gently smoothed the backs of his fingertips down my wrist, sending a calming flow of heat through me.
Breathe.
I
inhaled deeply, suddenly able to control the rise of raw and rich emotions, and said, “I …
we
—” motioning to David, “we want Drake dead before that day ever arrives.”
“I
’m in.” Blade stood suddenly.
“
Me too.” Ryder jumped to his feet, too.
“
As am I,” Quaid said, bowing his head.
“
But how?” Emily asked.
“
The poison, right?” Quaid offered, waving an upturned palm in the scientist’s direction. “We go tonight, and we—”
“
It was a lie,” I said, my words creating a dense cloud of silence in the cold, moist room. “There is no potion. It was the only way we could think to inform you all that David wouldn't have to die to kill Drake without having you all go nuts and start a war.”
The standing knights sat.
“So that explains why you’ve been avoiding that topic at every meeting since then,” Ryder said.
“But it doesn’t explain why Mike backed her up every time.” Emily’s accusing eyes landed on my best friend. “Have you known all along, Mike?”
He winced awkwardly. “I did. But Ara didn’t know I knew.”
“And when were you going to tell
us
? We could've been working on a plan to kill Drake all this time—”
“Far as I knew, Drake was planning to let her live until the child was eighteen,” he cut in. “I figured we’d work something out once the baby was born.”