Chapter Ten – Gavin
Gavin brought Aria to his lips one more time before he settled her on the motorbike behind one of his best drivers. A dozen others were riding in tight formation around them to give her the best protection possible. Given the situation here, he wanted to get her home and safe at once. He wished he had time to say everything he wanted to say, to kiss her a thousand times and make love to her like it was never going to stop.
But he didn't have time for any of that. He had a duty to the people his negligence had put in danger.
"I love you," he whispered to her.
She stroked his cheek. "I love you, too."
He stepped back then, and the riders revved their engines and were gone. Gavin sucked in a deep breath, watching until she was out of sight. Then he turned back to Monique's palace. The vampire queen had a lot to pay for.
Monique sat on a chaise beside the window, wearing a form-fitted spandex bodysuit that made her look like something out of a superhero movie. Her black hair was pulled back into a severe bun that didn't suit her at all. As Gavin came into the room, she flashed him a flirtatious smile.
"Not that your jealous little human is gone, are we going to have some fun?"
"Where are they?"
Monique blinked. "Who?"
Gavin advanced on her, his muscles coiling. His lip curled back to reveal his fangs. "You know very well who, your majesty. Where are the humans that you stole from my kingdom?"
"I told you, I had nothing to do with that. I was fortunate enough to find your human, and the vampires that were involved are being questioned to learn more about—"
He had no time for her denials and her petty excuses. She was playing for time. Which could only mean that the humans were being moved as they spoke. With a roar, Gavin lunged for her. Monique gasped as he grabbed her by the arm and shook her. Her eyes widened. She shied back, shielding her face. Gavin loosened his grip slightly.
It was a mistake. Monique deftly twisted her arm free from his grasp and jabbed her knuckles into his ribs. He heard a crack, and then she danced away, giggling like the nymph-like creature she was.
"Thank you so much for making this easy on me, Gavin. I was hoping that you would make a move like this. You know, publicity is everything these days. And when I release the images of you threatening and manhandling me—"
"Oh, shut up!" Gavin launched himself at her again.
Monique rolled to the balls of her feet. He threw a punch at her face. She nimbly dodged it, then slid across the floor and did a high kick at his chin. He caught her ankle. He twisted it aside, reaching for her throat. Using his strength, she lifted herself up and wrapped a leg around his neck. The queen grinned as she threw herself backward, making him stumble forward. He was forced to drop to one knee to avoid breaking his neck.
Gavin grunted, yanking at Monique's legs to free himself. He punched into her hip, cracking his knuckles. She yelped and rolled away. Gavin stumbled back to his feet and rubbed his throat. The queen jumped up, rubbing her hip. She gave him another smile, but this one was more tight-lipped and less cocky than it had been moments before.
They started circling each other. Monique leaped in, punching rapidly at his chest and stomach. It was all he could do to block her. For such a tiny girl, she was fast. That explained the bodysuit. But she was thin, fragile. One solid blow and it would be over. He only had to catch her.
Another blow came to his face. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She thrashed back and forth, her free arm whipping back towards him. Pain blossomed through his abdomen. He grabbed her other wrist. He glanced down to see a knife extending from his abdomen. With a hiss, he slammed the smaller vampire into the wall and yanked out the knife.
The doors burst open. Gavin growled as half a dozen vampires rushed in. Three were his. The other three were Monique's ministers. The queen began whimpering, struggling pathetically against him. He twisted her arms up higher, ensuring that she couldn't squirm free. Her lip wobbled. Tears cascaded down her face.
"Help me," she whimpered. "He's gone insane!"
The ministers stepped forward. Gavin’s men blocked their path. But even they glanced at him with alarm in their eyes, like they weren't sure that what they were doing was right. Their lack of loyalty was frustrating, but considering the situation, he couldn’t blame them.
"Help me," Monique whimpered again.
"Where are the humans you kidnapped from my kingdom?"
"I didn't have anything to do with that!"
Gavin kept his grip on her as he turned to face her ministers. "Do you know about this? The way she stole my people for her breeding program?"
"Why would I do that? We have plenty of humans here for the program."
"Why did you want to trade humans with me before? My people are healthier and more robust than your subjects. You want the humans from my kingdom because you think that they will strengthen your so-called stocks. But if you took care of your people properly instead of treating them like cattle, maybe they would be stronger, too!"
One of her ministers pushed against one of his guards. "Your Majesty, please, I must protest this rough treatment of our queen. Whatever you think she has done —"
With a snarl, Gavin dragged her towards the window. Monique shrieked as he threw her out, grabbing her throat at the last second to stop her from falling. He held her by the jaw, and she clung to his hand. Gasps and wheezes ran ragged in his ears, and the king hesitated for a moment. Was he going too far here?
No. Not when human lives were at stake.
"You know if I drop her she won't die," he told her ministers. "But there will be damage. Perhaps even too much for her to fully heal from. And there are plenty of other things that can happen to a vampire without killing them. So I will ask you one more time. Where are the humans she had stolen from my kingdom?"
Monique shook her head. The ministers glanced at each other, looking torn. Gavin feinted letting her go. The three ministers all jumped forward, shouting in unison.
"Your queen's life is valuable to you." He pulled her back inside and threw her to the floor. Monique glared up at him, rubbing her throat. Gavin stared down at her coldly. "Well? Where are they? If I don't get an answer from one of you in three seconds—"
"Don't tell him anything," Monique seethed. "Right now he is attacking a fellow sovereign without provocation. If you speak—"
Gavin reached for her again.
"She did it," one of the ministers shouted. "My queen, forgive me, but if we do not speak, you will die. The other nations will be sympathetic to you."
Monique spat and hissed like a cat, but Gavin ignored her, focusing on the minister.
"She ordered for your subjects to be taken. They were meant to be individuals that no one would miss, but our first takes were too weak. Stronger subjects were needed. So we took more. None have been killed, I assure you of this. We have kept careful records. The humans are being moved to another location—"
"Bring them back," Gavin ordered. "All of them. I want them here where I can see them myself. And then I will be taking them home."
Monique scrambled to her feet. Her fists clenched and she started for him. She stopped when he gave her a glare. Her face twisted and she spat at his feet. "You're weak. This program would strengthen us all, but you've condemned us. We need stronger blood to sustain ourselves. We need—"
"Monique, you performed an illegal action against my kingdom. Expect that there will be consequences. A person like you can't stay in power."
He nodded at his men, and they came forward to grasp her by the arms. She snarled at him, but didn't resist as they pulled her out of the room. Gavin watched her go, his brow furrowed. He would need to handle the situation delicately from here on out, but there was no way that she would go unpunished. His first priority was the humans, though. He turned to the ministers.
"Bring my people back."