Chapter Nine
As the days went by, Alice allowed herself to fall for the vampire king. Unfortunately, falling for the king meant that she also had to start getting involved with the daily politics and events, such as lords who came to visit her lover. He had taken her as his mate and that meant that, officially, she was the standing queen. She was the first vampire queen who wasn’t actually a vampire herself.
Things only became more complicated when, after they had spent two months together as a couple, Alice began to notice something different about herself.
Her breasts had begun to feel tender to the touch and her moods switched at random with little to no reasoning. After the second month, it became apparent to her that her missed menstrual cycle might not have been a coincidence. As if simply being queen hadn’t been trouble enough, she was pregnant.
Matheus was thrilled when she told him, but didn’t seem to share her concerns about the child causing an uproar.
“They don’t like me. They aren’t going to be happy that I’m having your child,” she attempted to explain, standing in front of the mirror while Matheus helped her zip up her dress. It was too snug. She was going to have to ask for new clothing any day now. “We should probably try to keep it a secret as long as we can, just for the safety of the child.”
“Keeping the baby a secret is just going to cause more problems in the long run,” Matheus mumbled, his hands trailing over Alice’s hips. “The only way that they are ever going to be able to accept change is if we ease them into it. Producing a child out of the blue will just shock them, and that’s when I would be concerned about potential revolts.”
“I suppose you know your kind better than I do,” Alice said, turning around and kissing Matheus. “I’ll trust your decision, love. Just be careful, alright? The last thing that I want to have to do is put down a rebellion in order to save you, though I doubt that anyone would dare cross your mother in such a way.” She grinned, earning a fond smile from the king.
It was true. No matter how many people disliked the new king and his radical changes, his mother was a woman nobody wanted to cross. She had been in the manor for nearly 400 years and she knew better than anyone else how to manipulate the government to her will. People who crossed her wound up dead, without fail. The former queen ruled with an iron fist even when she was not directly in power.
“I’ve got a few meetings today. Will you be alright on your own?” Matheus asked, drawing Alice out of her thoughts.
“I’ll just disappear into the libraries like I always do. Ever since you took me as a mate, the harem has been in a state of panic. They believe you’re going to banish them or something,” Alice said, running her fingers through her hair and smiling when Talon trotted up to her and leaped up onto her shoulder, purring lowly.
“That’s ridiculous, I would never do that.” Matheus frowned. “They’ll just switch over from my servants to yours. That is what every king before me has done once they found a suitable mate.” Alice looked a bit startled at this but nodded slowly.
Having that many servants was hardly necessary, but if the women wanted to stay, she supposed she could find work for them all to do. Perhaps she could even start up her own school to teach the girls something about witchcraft if they were interested.
“Well, I’m off,” Matheus said, pressing a kiss to Alice’s lips. “I have a meeting with an ambassador from the Fae today. I’m hoping to further our friendship and even reopen some trade routes.” He grinned, earning a soft smile from Alice, who kissed him on the nose.
“Hurry back. I’ll be reading if you need me,” she said, waving him off and watching as he disappeared down the hall.
Moving out of the room with Talon trotting beside her, Alice smiled when Lindsey rushed up to her. The girl’s hair had started to grow back, the tresses falling around her ears in a bob that dusted against her cheeks. Alice had helped her out with that, coming up with a paste that encouraged hair growth.
“Alice! I mean…your majesty!” Lindsey grinned, blushing when Alice raised an eyebrow at the girl. “Right, just Alice,” Lindsey laughed, playing with her hair. “Lady Lindgern requested that you join her in her parlor. She wants to discuss something with you.”
Alice pulled a face, but relented, knowing that she had very little choice in the matter. She could at least humor the woman who was now her mother-in-law.
“Thank you, Lindsey. If you wouldn’t mind running down to the library, would you grab a few books for me?” Alice pulled the notebook she kept in her pocket out and scribbled down a list for the girl. “Thank you. I’m sure if you give it to the librarian, he’ll help you,” she said, earning an eager nod from Lindsey.
“Of course!” Lindsey beamed, studying the titles on the paper before making a face. “Are you sure you want to read these? Half of them are in foreign languages.”
“It’s impossible for anyone to better themselves without learning. Some learn the art of the sword, others learn through textbooks. Either way, sometimes you have to be a little bored if it means producing a favorable end goal.” Alice laughed, gesturing towards the window. “In this case, I’m trying to get a rather stubborn foreign herb to grow in unfamiliar soil. This means I not only need to read the books on the plant, but I also have to translate them first, hence the extensive list.”
“I suppose that makes sense, but it’s still boring.” Lindsey shrugged, disappearing down the hall and leaving Alice standing with a small smile on her lips.
Lindsey had a lot of potential, she just didn’t realize it yet. At least Alice had plenty of time to teach the girl. She might be able to make a witch out of her.
Shaking her head, Alice moved down the hall towards the room where she was supposed to meet her mother-in-law. Slipping inside after a quick knock, she yelped as she felt a hand grab her wrist the moment she was inside. Talon let out a hiss but was quickly silenced by an icy glare from Jennifer.
“Hush. Did anyone follow you?” Jennifer growled, her hand firm on Alice’s wrist. When Alice shook her head, Jennifer locked the door. “Quickly, follow me,” she ordered, pulling Alice towards one of the many bookshelves in the room and pulling down one of the book ends.
Instantly, Alice found herself being pulled forward into a long hallway lit dimly by a few lanterns. What was going on?
“Here we are,” Jennifer mumbled, pressing aside another brick wall and revealing a small, well-lit office. There were doors leading out of the room in various directions and Alice found herself wondering how many different passageways the woman had in the manor.
“Why did you bring me here?” Alice demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as Jennifer sat down at her desk and looked up at Alice with a frown.
“Because you are the only one I want to hear what I’m about to say,” Jennifer explained, pointing to a chair in front of her desk. “Sit,” she commanded, her tone leaving Alice no room to argue.
Obeying, Alice regarded her mother-in-law slowly. Something about Jennifer seemed different. She was more haggard. Alice had known that something was going on, that things were changing, but she hadn’t realized just how bad they were until she saw just how exhausted the vampire mistress looked.
“We don’t have much time to discuss this, I fear,” Jennifer began, her eyes filled with a worry and exhaustion that Alice had never seen before. “Matheus is in danger. The coven is restless with all the changes he has implemented and despite our prosperity, there are some who wish to revert back to our old ways.”
“I assumed as much, but I didn’t figure they would risk crossing you.” Alice’s voice was calm, but the idea that Matheus was in danger left her heart fluttering in her chest.
“That was true for quite some time, but they are getting bolder,’ Jennifer grumbled, her fangs flashing behind her crimson lips. “I’ve identified the trouble maker stirring up talks of rebellion, a high-standing lord named Eric Gualtiero. He’s young, just under a century, and he believes that he can remake this crumbled kingdom into the empire my husband destroyed.”
“If you know who is causing the problems, why don’t you put a stop to it?” Alice asked.
“I would if I could. He’s surrounded himself with powerful men, men who will remain loyal to him until I have hard evidence that he is planning treason against my son,” Jennifer pointed out, her eyes tired.
“Do you want me to try to uncover something?” Alice raised an eyebrow at this. She was a witch, not a spy.
“Nonsense. You’re a warrior, you don’t have the abilities required to get the information I need.” Jennifer snorted, much to Alice’s irritation. Alice didn’t argue, though, waiting to hear what Jennifer had in mind instead. “No, I need you to do your job. I need you to protect my son. He has basic battle training and has done his share of battling, but he is not exactly observant enough to notice an attack heading towards him.”
“You want me to act as a bodyguard for my mate?” Alice let out a thoughtful noise at this, Talon curling up against her foot with a curious flick of his ear.
“The one that they most expect to be there is often the least likely to be acknowledged. You are his mate and as a woman, you blend in well with the king. I’ve used my ability to blend into events many times before. A good spy is one who isn’t expected or seen,” Jennifer said. “Protect my son. He’s all I’ve ever had and I’m trusting that you’ll keep my little boy safe.” For the first time, Alice saw a softness in the former queen’s eyes that she had never seen before.
“Of course,” Alice smiled, reaching out and touching Jennifer’s hand. “I love him dearly and as long as I’m standing, no one is going to get near him,” she insisted, determination flooding through her.
No one was going to take Matheus away from her. She had never thought she would fall in love and now that she had, she was never going to let anyone take that away from her.
“Good,” Jennifer smiled, gesturing to the door with a cough. “I’ve got research to do, I suggest you get back to him,” she mumbled, although Alice could see the gratitude on her face. Before she could leave, though, Jennifer cleared her throat. “Do be careful, though. I know that you’re expecting. The last thing that I want is for you to lose a child protecting mine.” She barely looked up from her papers as she spoke.
Alice felt her heart flutter a bit. It was the closest that Jennifer had ever been to saying that she cared about her. A smile on her lips, Alice stepped out of the door into the winding secret passage once again. Her heart filled with determination, she started to make her way towards her quarters.
She had Jennifer’s approval, and now that she was positive they were working together towards the same goal, all she had to do was protect her lover and their unborn child.