Chapter Five – Darius
Several days after receiving news of his promotion, Darius was taking a well-earned break to spend the night with his wife.
He kissed Cleo lightly, smiling as she shivered in his arms. He loved the way she reacted to him, as though he was the most skilled lover she had ever had. Every time it was like they were discovering each other's pleasure again without the awkwardness that had been prevalent with their actual first time. He moved across her jaw and down her neck—
The door burst open.
"You had better have a good explanation for this," Darius growled, not turning to see who it was. Cleo looked a little startled, but she didn't release him. They were both fully clothed, anyway.
"I do," Gordon said. He sounded grim, so Darius turned.
"Well?"
"A cheetah shifter broke into the palace. She assassinated Camlo."
The king's heir. Darius pulled away from Cleo. "How could a shifter get into the palace itself? There should be heavy fortifications, guards… What happened?"
"Details are scarce at the moment. There was a full-scale attack on Lord Virgil's estates, and the king sent troops to help him. The cheetah was caught while trying to get into the queen's chambers, but she had already killed Camlo."
Darius stood and paced from one side of the room to the other. There was a chance that the Rebeluna was responsible for this. As much as it was a tragedy that the king's heir was killed, it opened up Darius’s possibilities again. But if it was the Rebeluna, Camlo's death was on his shoulders. It was his responsibility to stop the rebels, and while he had made some progress, it obviously wasn't enough.
"This could ruin me," Darius said, tugging at his dark hair. "This could ruin all of us."
"It could also progress your career," Gordon said. "If you were able to find the shifters responsible and bring them to the king, it would shine favorably on you."
"And, if it is the Rebeluna, the king will demand to know why I didn't already know about this plot of theirs. You said they launched a concentrated attack on Lord Virgil? Clearly a distraction. We will have to go see him at once. Did he take any prisoners?"
"From what I hear, he turned and ran away with his tail between his legs," Gordon replied, a look of disgust coming over his face. "He'll be relieved of his position over this. How can he even call himself a vampire?"
Darius grunted, thinking. If he were to retain his promotion, he would have to prove that the Rebeluna was not behind the attack. But hadn't he thought that they were up to something? Even if they weren't directly involved in the assassination, they had to have knowledge of it.
No. He had to work on the assumption that they were directly responsible for the attack. He could not try to prove himself innocent of negligence, he had to redouble his efforts. Avenge the king's heir, drive the Rebeluna out of the vampire kingdom.
The colonel nodded, turning back to Gordon. "I want three squads prepared. We are going to go after the Rebeluna and bring them down once and for all."
Cleo gasped. "Darius, that's too dangerous. You still don't know much about them – their numbers, their command structure… You don't even know if all the attacks that have been claimed by them have actually been theirs! It could be several groups, each claiming to be the Rebeluna in order to throw you off the trail. Your best chance is to just prove that this is Lord Virgil's fault for his lax security, not because of you."
"My best chance at not being punished, you mean. The king is without an heir. If I am going to fill that position, I must do more than every vampire who is fighting for the same position."
"It's too risky, staking all future prospects on one mission."
"Without risk, we will never get where we want. You know that as well as I."
Cleo pressed her lips tightly together but nodded. "You're right. Go. I will do my best here to make sure people don't start spreading rumors about your role in this."
"I'll call you tonight."
"I'll be waiting."
He grabbed a dress uniform from his closet before he left the room. While he would be wearing camouflage, the same as his men, when he actually went to take the shifters down, he also needed to be well-dressed and present himself in rank to Lord Virgil when they got to the old man's estate.
As they were heading down the stairs, Gordon cleared his throat. "You didn't say goodbye."
Various portraits of Darius and his parents lined the walls. He frowned – it was time to get rid of them. Or at least put them in storage. He'd commission portraits of Cleo and himself instead. They were married, his parents were dead. It was just the logical thing to do.
"Are you listening to me?"
"I heard you. I didn't say goodbye. To whom?"
"Cleo. Your wife." Gordon stopped on the landing and turned to him, a frown etching the lines in his face. "She loves you."
"Loves me? You don't even like her. What would you know about her feelings?"
"Whether I like her or not is irrelevant. What I may have thought about her before is also irrelevant. The woman loves you, Darius. Far more than she wants to admit. She's wildly in love with you, and you're a fool for not seeing it."
Darius rolled his eyes and continued past a suit of armor that he used to wear into battle against human armies until they realized that their beliefs about vampire weaknesses – crosses, holy water, sunlight – were as useless as fighting a bear with a spoon and bowed to the king. If only the shifters had submitted as well, none of this would have been necessary.
Gordon quickly caught up with him. ''You can't ignore me forever."
"Cleo does not love me. That's a foolish notion."
"You only say that because you're also wildly in love with her, but you don't want to admit it because you're afraid that loving her will make her like you less. You think that she'll leave you because 'love is a weakness.' But, honestly, you're both bright, ambitious people. So what if you love each other? You'll still do what's necessary to get ahead in life."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Darius said shortly, turning to glare at his friend. "Another word and I'll cut your tongue out. Now go get the troops ready. I have to call Virgil and let him know we're coming. Go. Now."
Gordon saluted and jumped from their place on the stairs to the floor below. He ran off, leaving Darius alone with his thoughts. His cellphone was in his pocket, but he didn't reach for it. Despite himself, his footsteps slowed and he looked back the way he had come.
Should he have said goodbye to Cleo? He usually did. He also usually kissed her. But, surely, in this situation, it wasn't a big deal if he skipped those small details. Time was of the essence, and going back up the stairs to kiss her would waste precious seconds.
And if I die on this mission? The Rebeluna tried to assassinate me once already. Cleo's right, I don't know their numbers. And, after Camlo's death, they could increase as shifters flock to the fight against the king. There is a good possibility that I am going to die on this mission.
Was that what she meant when she said that he was risking too much on this one mission? Was she not referring to his future, their future, but his life? Was Gordon right? Did she love him?
Ridiculous.
But as Darius continued down the stairs, he realized something that left him shivering in his boots. If Cleo did say that she loved him… he would not hesitate to say it in return. Whether she loved him or not, Gordon was right.
I love her. Of all the stupid things… I love her. I married her for her ambition—no, I didn't. I didn't even know about her ambition until after we wed. I married her because from the moment I saw her, the thought of another man touching her made me want to kill.
And that possessive feeling had not gone away since they married. He would still tear apart anybody who dared to touch her, but it was paired with another feeling. The desire to give her everything she wanted. To see her happy. He wanted to be king, he always did, but over the past four months since he married Cleo Paterson, he also wanted to see her be the queen. She was beautiful, smart, and deserved to be worshiped by every vampire in existence.
I'm in trouble, he thought as he fished his phone from his pocket. Big, big trouble.