*Adriel's POV*
Our sect had made their way to the meeting grounds in under thirty minutes. I didn't usually rally them up for no reason, so the anticipation hastened their attendance. It was almost midnight, yet here they all were,suited from head to toe in regal royal attire. I rubbed my forehead in annoyance as they muted a complaint about the late hours here and there. I was already in a bad mood after discovering the name of the man Kiara would rather choose over me. Compared to me, he was a saint, yes,yes...but he was also a wimp and a coward. His pack was ruled by his mother, and he was just a puppet. Why will she happily settle for a bore? Little Miss Perfect and Little Mister Saint. My head ached just imagining them together.
"Shall we start the meeting?"I asked as I swept my eyes through the crowd to make sure everyone was in attendance.
Someone wasn't… I counted nineteen members. Another eye sweep, and I realized it was Charles. He was always late,probably pretending to be a noble man somewhere as we spoke. He already knew the news anyway. My eyes found Erica sitting across the room, Hendrix's arms around her as she shivered lightly in her cloak. She always had this strange problem with the cold winds. She removed Hendrix's hand from her shoulder when she noticed me watching. I ignored that and didn't allow my mind to dive into whatever the hell that was about.
"Well, let's address the elephant in the room, shall we?"
My already deep-rooted irritation made me run out of patience with a certain man in the meeting. I glanced at him, and he nodded curtly.Unaware of the trap he had blindly made for himself.
"Lord August,"I called his name, leaning back in my chair.
"Your Highness,"he replied with a wide smile I wanted to smack out of his face.
"You have been actively complaining about the delay with the delay in the delivery hybrid's energy source?" I asked straight forward. Not in the mood to beat around the bush.
He straightened up uneasily in his seat and glanced at a couple other lords who all skillfully avoided their eyes .Realizing a bit too late that he was alone,he cleared his throat, stealing time to put his thoughts together. I watched with patience,knowing that either side of the coin would still yield the same results.
"I was just a bit curious when I saw that she was alive and well and, in fact, getting married. It seemed that she would have a whole other pack serving as her security apart from the Whitmans."
"So you admit it then." I concluded.
"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "I think you misunderstood me, "Your Highness."
"Do you think you will do a better job at leading this sect than me, August?" I asked, leaning forward.
"No, Your Highness," he replied almost immediately.
"Yet you dare question me, my plans and the pace of it?" I said, sitting up.
The silence in the room was loud. No one spoke; no one even seemed to breathe. Everyone was still and silent. I absorbed in the eerie sound and noticed my index finger began absently tapping on the table. I stopped it instantly. I hated the habit. I only tapped when I was stressed, and that was rare. I kept my balance, and when it got too overwhelming,I found a woman to help me get rid of it, but recently no woman had worked. The possibility of my stress ever leaving seemed even more impossible now that my damned self could get turned on for Kiara's mere face but not a woman stripped naked.
"Let me show you exactly what we are dealing with here." I said, and my voice echoed through the artificial cavern. I sounded tired. I should get some sleep after all this hunting is done.
I focused my eyes on August. A surge of energy creeped through me and extended out of my body. I directed this force toward his eyes. I held them captive and made a fog out of his reasoning. His brain will be at mercy to my will. This is the reason why I loved lower-class vampires; they couldn't protect themselves from mind control. Vervain could drop the effects, but it will have to kill them first. I felt resistance—feeble attempts by the less powerful being to block away my urge ,to remain in control. I dove deeper,searching for little cracks that would cause his submission. This was a skill I excelled in, so it was basically child's play. I entwined his thoughts with mine and proceeded to release the command. It was simple, but without such art like this,he might have refused.
"Drink from the cup before you." I said that and released my gaze. The thoughts danced in his mind as his blue eyes stared at empty space. He picked up the cup and hastily drank every last drop. After being done with my command,his senses returned, and he stared at the empty cup in his hand in confusion.
It wasn't long before the poison started working. He coughed out blood and started to wince in pain. He held his chest, and his already pale skin turned a shade paler. I watched this nose bleed, and the oxygen escaped him. Life leaves his eyes slowly as he vibrates in his chair.
The rest of the sect watched him quietly. Some happy,some sad,all mute.
"That didn't kill her, " I said when his body went still. "That was the exact poison given to her, and that damn thing couldn't kill her. Do you know the amount of power this has? We underestimated her.And that is a mistake I swore to never repeat again."
Everyone threw looks at each other and at Erica, who was in fact in charge of the poison production. She held her head high as the doubts about her capabilities were whispered in hushed tones, unapologetically jutting out on her chin to prove nonchalance .
"So, what next?" Hendrix asked. He wouldn't have to ask if he had been at his own palace recently; he didn't know any of my plans, so he was in the dark like everyone else.
"Well,brother,we change plans.It is quite a well-known fact that such powerful energy sources as hers weaken a few months after birth. When this happens, then,my fellow unapologetically corrupt friends, in our hands we will have the lady capable of death and a powerful baby, and with those two energies in our possession, we can't take mountain Isabel and start to reclaim our lands and any other territory for that matter."
I let the words seep in to feed into their greed. The lords in attendance grinned in excitement; even Erica's lips stretched into a dark smile.
"However,to achieve our plans,we must practice patience. I will not leave such an important task in the hands of an amateur with thousands of excuses when the plan fails. I will handle this myself. In a year,you will get all of what I stated."
"What do you mean by handling it yourself?" Erica asked.
I drew my eyes to meet hers. "That means I will be the one to marry her and father this awesome little miracle child you are all grinning about."
"And you don't care that it's your child you will be giving away?" She asked,her tone rising a pitch higher for some strange reason.
"I've not really been fond of children, so no, I won't mind." I replied firmly.
Erica's eyes wavered and she looked away with a frown. She was temperamental at times. I ignored her and turned to the lord's, who have all been incredibly silent since the August issue.
"Anyone else wants to question my authority and drink their share of the remaining poison?" I bellowed in amusement.
"No," Lord Curthan replied. "We trust you, and we understand the benefits. We will gladly wait," he said on their behalf. "Isn't that right, comrades?" He asked, turning to them, and a handful of 'yes' and 'I agree' flew across the room.
I nodded in satisfaction. "Well then,this meeting is over." I declared.
The place quickly began to clear out slowly.I had a feeling they didn't want to be in the same room with me. I don't blame them. The feeling was mutual.
I threw my head back as the extreme effects of fatigue hit me. I rubbed my forehead, waiting for the room to turn dead silent so I could let the absence of life swallow me in. I glanced at August turning to ash in the chair.
I pondered for a moment and asked,"Who is going to give the news to his wife and family?"
Hendrix volunteered, and it was settled. He had a Valerian habit of enjoying giving such news; it was a fun play. People had nicknamed him the spirit of death over the years. He loved this name.
The rest left,all except the only woman in the group, Erica Alvalor. She was still rooted in her seat, and she stared at the table as she fumed inside. I don't know why. I didn't want to know why. I just wanted her gone. I just wanted peace. Even if it was just momentarily.
Her blue eyes looked at me, and she sighed loudly before asking the question.
"Must you marry her?"
I looked into the deepest part of my soul for the will to answer her but could not find it. I kept my silence and gazed at her. My demeanour was unwelcoming, and yet she did not give up. She got up and walked a few steps closer to me.
"Why can't you just lock her up and..."
"The best way to keep someone prisoner is not to let them know that they are a prisoner." I cut in.
Erica fell on her knees in a dramatic fit and held my hand. "Adriel, please don't do this to me," she begged.
I was obviously surprised by this; Erica rarely lost her composure. My surprise turned to curiosity. "What exactly do you think you are doing?"
"We were promised to each other, " she said, shaking,seeming petrified that I could care less to even remember the peace treaty engagement her father made with mine. We were practically children. The memory of the whole ordeal included my father,so it sent an unpleasant stir through me.
"It happened ages ago." I groaned, removing my hands from her grasp.
"Yes,and I have waited ages for you to marry me. I have done all you say, bent my morals to defend you, cleaned up your mess,and turned a blind eye to every mistress you took, and now you want to marry!!" She choked on her words and began to sob. "You always said you didn't want to marry, what changed??"
I held up her chin with my finger. She stared into my eyes with hope of a promise.
"You look pathetic." I told her, and a tear ran down her cheek. "Stop this act; it doesn't suit you."
With that being said, I got up from the chair to leave, but she surprised me even more. She hugged my feet and began wailing out my name,embarrassing herself even further. She couldn't have possibly been holding on to the thought of the marriage still happening. I had always thought she didn't have a husband because she wanted to be the sole ruler of her people. Annoyance swept through me when she didn't let me go, and I seriously battled the option to kick her away.
Charles walked in proudly, despite being centuries late, and looked at the scene with a weird smile. "Did I miss anything? he teased.
"Adriel wants to ruin me; he wants to marry the hybrid." Erica cried her lungs out as she clenched even closer to my feet.
Charles scratched the back of his head. "Erica..."
"Talk to him, Charles. Help me,"she begged.
Charles raised his eyebrows in the air and glanced at me,then back at her.
"Erica,leave me alone before I get unpleasant."
"No!" she exclaimed, tightening her hold. Erica was in class five like me,so I couldn't compel her to leave. I had to convince or force her.
I reached down and pulled her up,using her hand. "Look at me, " I ordered.
"Do not hurt her,"Charles intervened.
"I don't intend to." I replied and turned my attention back to her. Her face was smeared with tears as her eyes slowly rose to meet mine.
"Pull yourself together. And don't let this incident repeat again. "Are we clear?"
She sniffled and began sobbing.
"Erica,I asked, ARE WE CLEAR?!" I repeated it with less patience than the last time.
"Yes,"she whispered, and I let her go. She must have been extremely weak, as she almost fell when I released her. Charles caught her and glared at me when she started silently sobbing again.
I was in no mood for this act; I was already having a headache. I let Charles handle the issue. Comforting a crying woman wasn't exactly on my list today; what was on my list, however, was returning a certain comb I promised to give back to my future bride. And that was exactly what I planned to do.