Chapter Eight – Leon
Leon thought his heart might burst with relief at seeing Yuliana alive. But when she told him what had transpired, he could feel it breaking in two. He held her as she broke into tears. Harold's whole plot was terribly obvious to him now; offer him Yuliana as a mate, send a spy with a near-perfect cover after him. Of course, he'd call the Alphas together to discuss it all. And with the packs there, it was the perfect opportunity to accuse them of restarting hostilities.
All Harold had to do was threaten the innocent to make the Alphas surrender themselves. Even braggarts like Aspen.
He and Yuliana spent the night trying to think of ways to escape this situation. Yuliana kept shivering, making him think that there was something she wasn't telling him. But there was no pushing her on that, not when they had to face the very real threat of Harold forcibly ending her pregnancy. By the time morning came, though, he had a plan–a desperate plan, but what else was there to do?
Harold had gotten his position by proving to everybody that he was the strongest, smartest, and bravest vampire available for the job. If he was challenged, it would be more than a matter of pride that would make him accept. If he didn't fight when challenged, then his position would be weakened.
So the best bet Leon had to protect his unborn child was to challenge Harold to a duel. He'd have to do it publically. The more witnesses there were, the more likely Harold would be forced to accept the challenge. After that…
The door to the cell clanged open. Leon growled as a vampire stepped in. He tried to get to his feet, but the shackles binding his wrists to the floor stopped him.
"It's nice to see those filthy beasts where they belong, eh?" one of the guards chuckled. He pointed at Yuliana. "King Harold wants you. Come along now, quietly."
Leon yanked against his restraints, snarling so fiercely that despite the fact there was no way he could reach him, the two guards accompanying the first backed away. He felt a sense of grim satisfaction at the fear in their eyes, but their fear wasn't going to get him close to Harold. He still growled but forced himself to calm down.
"Wherever she goes, I go," Leon said. "Understand me, vampires?"
The one that seemed to be in charge narrowed his eyes but shrugged. "The king said to bring you, too. I don't know what it's all about, but who am I to argue against the king? But if you cause us any trouble, you won't be coming back to the dungeons. You'll end up sitting on a spike outside."
Leon resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the vampire's theatrics. The two others came in and pulled Yuliana away. They put a second set of shackles around Leon's wrists before undoing the first set. Clearly, they had no confidence in their own strength. It was laughable.
Soon they were brought before Harold. A woman in a long, white dress stood beside him in a stark white room. Her face was blank, hands behind her back. A surgical table sat in the center of the room, and Leon's blood ran cold. This was why he was brought up here. They were meaning to…
"Fight me," Leon snarled.
Harold glared at him. "Excuse me?"
"Fight me! Unless you're too afraid of a Shifter."
Were there enough witnesses to actually provoke him into action? At first, Leon thought Harold was just going to laugh at him, but when he glanced at the other vampires, the Alpha knew he had him. The vampires stared at their king with expectant expressions. Harold shrugged.
"If that's what you want. What you think you'll accomplish from this, though…"
"I intend to protect my mate and unborn child, Vampire," Leon snarled back. "I am going to defeat you, and you will let her go unscathed."
Harold snorted. "We will go out to the courtyard, then, so everybody can see your defeat."
Yuliana reached towards Leon, but the other vampires grabbed her and held her back. Leon growled but kept himself calm. He needed to do this by the book. Defeat Harold squarely. Still, he had to struggle not to attack the guards as they hustled him and Yuliana out of the surgery. As they headed down to the courtyard, more and more vampires joined the procession. By the time they made it to their destination, it seemed like the whole palace had joined them. Word traveled fast.
"This Shifter thinks that he can defeat me," Harold proclaimed. "But we'll see about that. Let loose his shackles."
Harold made a big show out of taking off his shirt while Leon was unshackled. Yuliana was still guarded. She caught his eye and shook her head, but he ignored her silent protest. This was how it would be. He wasn't going to just give up, and if he had a chance to knock down this vampire a peg or two in the process of protecting her and their child, it would be worth it.
He slid down to a crouch when the shackles were let off him. Leon kept his eyes on the vampire king as the others backed away, leaving a wide space that was just him and Harold. It was reminiscent of his recent fight with Sam, with one major difference.
Harold would not hesitate to go in for the kill, and neither could Leon. He took a deep breath in, savoring the scent of Yuliana, and then shoved all his emotions away. In this arena, emotion would only end up killing him.
"What, not going to Shift?" Harold sneered. "I thought you cowards always—"
Leon sprang from his crouch. Harold barely had time to dodge him as he landed lightly right in front of the vampire. He slammed out both fists, one from each direction. Harold easily slipped through and jumped at him. He grabbed Leon around the neck and let his body hang limp. Leon yanked back against the deadweight, but even as he did so, Harold used his momentum to swing around behind him.
Thick, strong arms crushed Leon's throat. His position made it nearly impossible to reach Harold–nearly. He caught the vampire's legs and held them fast as he threw himself backward. As he landed hard he heard and felt a satisfying crunch. Harold gasped for breath, but Leon wasn't about to give him any advantage. He shifted his grip so he had Harold in a wrestling hold, then jumped to his feet and threw him across the courtyard.
The vampire hadn't even landed when guards darted in from the sides and grabbed Leon's arms. He shook them off briefly before they were on his again, punching and kicking at him until he was driven to his knees. He grunted in pain.
Harold got to his face, his pale features twisted with fury. His eyes narrowed and his fangs flashed. Leon growled, struggling against the vampires that held him down. Perhaps he had misjudged vampire culture. Perhaps proving himself strong wasn't actually something Harold cared to do.
"You cannot fight me fairly, yet I am the coward?" Leon snarled. "But then, why should I have expected honor from the likes of you?"
Harold pulled a silver blade from his belt. "I will cut out that tongue of yours before I put your head on a spike!"
He started forward, eyes blazing. Leon intensified his struggles. He was able to get one arm free before the vampires subdued him again. Harold stopped before him and grabbed a handful of his hair. Leon braced himself, not for the pain about to come, but for the opportunity it would present him. All he needed was one small opening—
"Stop!" Yuliana screamed. "Please! Stop! Don't kill him."
Harold didn't release Leon's hair but turned. "Why should I?"
"I'll do whatever you want me to do–I'll marry you if that's what you want from me! Just please don't—"
"Marry you?" Harold's eyes narrowed. "My dear girl, I offered you a place among my queens for one purpose. To show my subjects that I reward them for the sacrifices that they make. I asked a terrible thing of you, mating with this mongrel, laying with him, conceiving his child. But believe me when I say it would have been no pleasure on my part to play the duties of a husband with you."
Yuliana shook her head. Her eyes narrowed. "Is that why you were so angry when I rejected you? Because I insulted your pride?"
Harold roared, wheeling away from Leon. He charged towards Yuliana. She stepped back but rose her chin defiantly. Harold stopped just before her, glaring downwards. His chest heaved. Leon tore his arm free again, only to be caught seconds later. His heart pounded. His throat went dry.
"I would rather stick my own head on a spike than lay with a fat, ugly woman like you!"
Leon saw the fist rear back. A howl burst from his throat as Harold sunk it into Yuliana's stomach. Everything else was buried in a red haze. All he saw was Yuliana's face as it filled with pain, only saw her body collapsing to the ground. The vampire's grips on his arms were suddenly like tissue paper. He tore himself free of their hands and charged forward, his Wolf howling through his voice.
Harold never stood a chance. He struck out with the silver knife, but Leon easily batted it away. Then he grabbed the man by the head and lifted him bodily from the ground. The Alpha snapped his wrists left then right, and that was it. Harold went limp.
He tossed the body aside and dropped to his knees beside Yuliana. Her face was almost white, gasping for breath. Leon gathered her into his arms. He had never felt so helpless before.
"Hold on," he said. "Breathe. It's okay. It's okay."
Yuliana clutched his sleeve and stared up at him with wild eyes. "The… baby!"