Bitten Ch. 09

When Vasile woke the next morning, he realized that Rhys had never shown up, which was slightly out of the ordinary for him. Rhys almost always tried to show up at some point, even if it was to just leave a note to remind Vasile that he loved him, but maybe he had gotten too busy. When he came down to the breakfast table, he found just his parents there waiting for him.

"Well, I was hoping we could speak with Rhys as well, but I think it's time we talk about your decision for your marriage," the King said once Vasile had sat down.

Vasile had expected this. His concern for Rhys' well-being aside, this issue needed to be ironed out. He nodded his agreement with the necessity of the discussion and waited patiently for the king to begin.

"Your mother and I have spoken, and we even had a small conversation with King Deldrich of Rhys' family," Vortigern said thoughtfully. "I see no reason to block the marriage between you two. Going against the blood bond would be detrimental to you both, and I do not wish to cause any more harm to either of you. So, if this is what you wish to do, as soon as all of this is over with, you can announce your engagement and work on planning the wedding."

Vasile bowed his head gratefully, then asked the next most obvious question: "What will this mean for your plans for coronation and retirement?"

"I don't see a reason to change what we wished to do," Vortigern said as he looked at his wife. "You will be crowned come your 200th birthday, and then you will take over as you were meant to. And Rhys is smart; I think he'll find his footing as King Consort fairly easily."

Vasile smiled silently and bowed again, deeper this time, but still without leaving his seat. The King and Queen waited for Vasile to straighten back up, then Vortigern said, "Of course, you realize now your mother will want to talk of nothing but wedding planning, so I wish you luck with that. And you'll need to tell your siblings."

At that last sentence, Vasile rolled his eyes jovially. "Speaking of my siblings," he said, "I haven't seen Vik since she suggested that Nik and I go to the party at Lady Ebenholz' estate. Has she retreated to the country house?"

Vortigern furrowed his eyebrows at that. "She is the Ambassador's point of contact while he is undercover, so she isn't supposed to leave right now. She might have just disappeared into one of the libraries."

"I also haven't heard from Rhys in quite some time," Vasile told them, the concern for his partner etched on his face.

Vortigern looked concerned as well. "Well, he did leave that communicator with him, though we could also ask Virmarus to come to the palace as well. If anyone would know where Rhys is, I would assume he'd know."

Vasile fished the communicator from his pocket and hit the button that dialled Rhys. The line rang straight to a tone that told Vasile that Rhys' communicator was powered off. Beginning to panic slightly, he pushed the button to call Virmarus, as Rhys had taught him to do. Virmarus answered on the third ring, simply saying, "Virmarus speaking" as a greeting.

Vasile, much more sophisticated regarding communicators now, spoke slowly into the device, careful to enunciate each word. "Virmarus, hello, this is Vasile. Can you hear me?"

Virmarus couldn't help but smile. He remembered how clumsy with technology everyone had been when he first made the communicators. "Yes, Your Highness, I can hear you fine. Is everything okay?"

"No, Virmarus, it is not okay. I have not been able to raise the Ambassador on his device. I know that he may not be available, but I am concerned for his safety and he told me to contact you if that ever happened," Vasile said, painfully slowly and annoyingly crisply.

Virmarus checked his watch and then frowned. "He should have been home by now. I'll try calling myself and then get Eowyn to see if she's heard anything. I'll also make my way to the palace."

He didn't wait for Vasile to respond before he hung up, and Vasile heard the beep that told him the call had been disconnected. When Virmarus called Rhys, it also made the sound to show that Rhys' communicator was completely off. That was odd, because Rhys knew not to turn it off unless something was wrong. He quickly called up Eowym to tell her what was going on, and asked her to see if she could track where Rhys' communicator was when it was still on last.

He made a quick stop at Rhys' home, and nobody there had seen him either. Virmarus was starting to get a pit in his stomach, and he quickly made his way to the palace to speak with Vasile and the monarchs.

When he was shown into the sitting room where they were sitting, along with Nik, Lukas, and Aisling, Virmarus bowed before them. "I apologise for the intrusion, Your Majesties."

The king and queen regarded him haughtily, but respectfully. "Thank you for responding promptly to our summons Master Corden. What have you to tell us?" the queen asked primly.

"Rhys was in disguise last night and has not been seen since," Virmarus explained to them. "He generally updates me if he works longer, but I heard nothing, and his family haven't seen him either. We have to assume he got himself into a situation of some sort. Where is Princess Viktoria? She was being kept in the loop as well. Has she heard anything?"

"Vik has been... difficult to find for the past 24 hours," Nik filled in.

Virmarus looked alarmed by that, and glanced between the people present. "My operative is missing and so is his point of contact? That's... suspicious, at best, Your Majesties. I don't wish to jump to conclusions here, but the plan Rhys has been trying to move forward is risky, especially if someone divulges where he's supposed to be."

Vasile and Nik shared a look that Virmarus picked up on immediately. "If there's something you two know, now is the time to share," he said earnestly.

"Roland Andras escorted us out of a party at Lady Ebenholz' manor last night. A party that Vik suggested we check out," Vasile volunteered.

"Escorted you out?" Virmarus asked, blinking at the prince for a moment. "How publicly did he do that?"

"Fairly quietly, if quite rudely," Nik supplied in response.

Virmarus didn't bother to hide his relief at that. He could just about kill Rhys himself for taking that chance, though he understood all too well why he would. It was clear to everyone present that Virmarus was trying to decide what to do. Under normal circumstances, giving away Rhys' undercover identities was risky, but if it was possible that his identities had already been compromised, then telling them the truth wouldn't harm anything.

On top of that, if Rhys had been caught, then the situation had changed. Their targets were the royalty, but Rhys was a risk to them and they knew that. They would try to use an Ambassador of Arcasias as leverage to get to the royalty. This was the new play they were taking, and The Shell would have to work fast if they wanted to bring Rhys back alive.

"That was incredibly risky of him," Virmarus finally commented. "You'll have to thank him later for getting you out of there before anyone noticed you were there. That may have turned into your death."

Vasile's eyes widened at that. "So Andras is one of your agents," he concluded, the pieces dropping into place in his mind.

Virmarus looked at Vasile like he was a little slow. "He is, yes," he agreed. "The real Roland Andras has been living with humans for a while, and he gave us permission to use his likeness and name to weed out the issues. So when Andras was being rude to you both last night, that was Rhys trying to get you out of a dangerous situation without blowing his cover."

Vasile mumbled under his breath, almost (but not quite) too low for Virmarus to hear, "If we get out of this alive, I'm going to murder him."

While it was polite in societies with better hearing to ignore such comments meant to be mumbled like this, Virmarus gave him a sympathetic smile and said, "Rhys told me recently he was fairly sure you might not forgive him for that one, but taking on the Roland identity has gotten him closer than anything else has. It's why he went with him when they asked Roland to bring him. Of course, Roland was Soren that night, and Rhys was himself. He wanted to be the only one going into danger. He was also playing Brennan Hugh, though that really only taught him about palace gossip and how many men and women wanted a piece of the royalty... Lukas and Nikodemus especially."

Vasile eyed his brothers while his parents shot them looks of their own; one scandalized and one proud. It was only then that Virmarus seemed to remember that the King and Queen were there, and he gave them an almost apologetic look, though when he looked back over at Lukas, the expression on his face said that he understood why they felt that way.

"Either way, I think we need to assume right now that his cover was blown, and..." Here he stopped, looking back at the King and Queen, then eyeing the rest of the siblings here in the room, almost like he didn't really want to say this to them. "We likely have to assume that his cover was blown because someone turned on him. He's too careful for anything else. The only one who had enough information to do that other than two operatives here in Arcasias who were waiting on orders from Rhys and myself is Princess Viktoria."

The entire royal family exchanged looks with each other. None of their faces registered doubt that Virmarus had spoken truthfully, though Veronika's countenance was quite dark with barely suppressed rage. "There's only one reason she would betray the entire family," the queen said. "She hopes to seize power for herself. She has been resentful of the succession plan for quite a while, but we hoped she would accept it in time."

Virmarus set his features into a steely look, one that spoke to how barely in control his anger was. His eyes shook slightly from holding back, which everyone knew was a werewolf trait. His wolf was likely losing it somewhere inside his head, but Virmarus stayed in control. "If that is the case, then she will have to answer for what she has done, and she had better hope that we get to Rhys while he's still alive. On the plus side, we know he is still because thanks to their blood bond, Vasile would know if he was dead."

The monarchs and Vasile all nodded at once, acknowledging the truth of his words. "Is there a way to find him using the bond?" Vasile asked.

Virmarus looked thoughtful at that. "There might be, but your parents might know more about it than I do. I only know about blood bonds from books. I know bonds between wolves, or even cats, give you access to all sorts of information about your mate but I don't know how it works with vampyres."

"You should be able to connect to his mind so long as he's awake," Aisling pointed out. "But be warned, if you do it, you might be able to feel what he's going through."

Vasile didn't even hesitate. "How do I do it?" he asked, ready to do whatever it took.

Aisling turned to their parents, and they began explaining to Vasile how to do it. He needed to find the connection to his partner that the blood bond had created and follow it to Rhys. It might take a little work to do it the first time, but after that it would be easy to do moving forward.

Rhys, meanwhile, was just barely starting to open his eyes. His head was killing him, and he could feel dried blood on the back of his neck and in his hair, making it stick together. It was an uncomfortable feeling, as was the feeling of the ropes that bound him to the chair he was in. He closed his eyes and tried to teleport, but nothing happened. When he managed to focus them on the ground, he could see a fae trap along the floor underneath him.

"No more running away, Draven," Josephine said to him. "Can't have you ruining everything again. I'm quite impressed with you, you know. It's too bad you're a half-breed. You're a great little spy."

Rhys let out a groan of pain and carefully turned his head toward her. "I'm sure there was a compliment in there somewhere... All the same, I would never spy for you."

"Oh yes, you made that quite clear," Josephine agreed. "Just such a waste. Oh well. Maxwell, dear, get the blood sample ready."

One of the men came over to Rhys with a knife and cut his skin along his arm, letting the blood drip down into a small bottle. This was typical in vampyre kidnappings. If anyone wanted to make sure a blood sample came from the person they loved, they only had to taste a tiny bit. It could also be used as a proof of life because it would connect them to their loved one just long enough to know they weren't dead.

"Now let's see," Josephine said as she picked up one of Rhys' iron daggers. "How did you do this last time? Just hold it against your skin?"

She came up and pressed the iron dagger against where the cut had been made. Rhys ground his teeth together, trying not to give her the satisfaction of making him scream, but he couldn't stop himself from grunting through the pain. She eventually pulled the knife away and then looked under his arm to see the deep burn mark which had stopped the bleeding.

"Impressive," Josephine said.

Rhys was breathing heavily, trying hard to calm himself down. "My superiors know where I was last night. They'll follow my trail eventually."

"Oh, we've moved away from the main manor," Josephine told him. "You see, the Ebenholz have a few near abandoned buildings, perfect for workings like this. Too bad your research didn't teach you that, Ambassador. Or should I call you King Consort? Oh wait, they hadn't decided on that yet."

"How did you...?" Rhys said, the shock clear on his face.

Josephine grinned and then went over and opened the door to let in her guest. Rhys' eyes were so wide he almost might have thought they'd pop out of his head. Viktoria swept into the room, looking rather pleased with herself. "Your Highness? How- Why-?"

Viktoria looked down her nose at him, the contempt she felt finally plainly written upon her face. "Come now, Mélange," she said, the sneer on her face coming out in her tone as well. Mélange meant mixture. "You can't actually expect that I would allow one such as you to destroy my family's legacy. My brother may be too enamored of you to do what he should, but I most certainly am not!"

Rhys stared hard at her for a moment, trying to figure out what he could even say to that. Nothing would likely get through to her; he had seen this kind of hatred his whole life, but this was to a whole new level, even for him. "So, what? In order to preserve your legacy, you help them kill your entire family? It's fine to hate me, but why them?"

Viktoria's expression did not change as she practically spat, "I am not answerable to a filthy mutt like you, Draven. Those in power who are too weak to rule properly will be expunged for the good of each race. There is nothing more to it."

The mutt comment made Rhys think of Virmarus, and he couldn't help but chuckle, though it was a chuckle that was devoid of any mirth. "You sound like a werewolf, Viktoria. Are you sure you haven't been spending some time with one? Maybe you like them more than you admit."

With no warning whatsoever, Viktoria backhanded Rhys savagely, her thin arm surprisingly strong. She must have been wearing iron rings, because her attack left his face burning with pain along the track that her proximal phalanxes followed. Rhys let out a grunt of pain, not entirely surprised by Viktoria's outburst. When he turned back, Josephine had grabbed a camera and started taking photos of him all burned and bloody to send to Vasile.

"I look forward to making this a long, slow, and painful death for you, Draven," Josephine told him.

Rhys didn't respond. He simply turned his head away from her like what she planned to do didn't matter much to him. It was while he was sitting there purposely not looking at either of them that he felt the connection between him and Vasile open up in a way it never had been before. He was careful not to give a big reaction, but he did move his head slowly, almost like he had caught a fly in his sight for a moment.

Vasile had taken a long time to get through. He had begun to get frustrated with his lack of progress, trying not to listen too closely to his parents' suggestions that the connection becomes closer with.... intimate acts. He had to reign in his temper not to respond with the fact that they had deliberately blocked that. Just when his patience was at an end, he got through. Vasile recoiled immediately to the burning sensation across his face and arm. He knew somewhere in his mind that it wasn't his pain, but it was so vivid.

He could also feel the pounding in Rhys' head, a sign that he must have been hit hard. "What happened?" he thought and heard it echo in Rhys' head.

The sound, even inside his head, hurt, but Rhys pushed through it. "Your sister decided that I shouldn't be tainting your family's legacy, so she's switched sides. They're gathering blood and photos to send to you to use as leverage."

Along with that, he focused on the memories of what Viktoria had said and Vasile was hit by the memories playing in his mind. The memories were interesting and foreign to Vasile. For one thing, Rhys' aqua-colored eyes saw the world differently than Vasile's own strictly vampyric vision. He had already been certain that Vikki had turned her coat but seeing her striking his love and hearing her hateful words nearly drove him into a rage. He calmly relayed to the rest of the room that he had made contact and confirmed that their suspicions had been correct.

"Where do you think you are, love?" he asked, making his mental voice as quiet as he could.

Rhys looked around. There were windows down here, but he mostly just saw greenery. He could hear animals outside, and he eyed the two women for a moment before making a bird noise that asked the birds outside where he was. Josephine turned toward him again, realizing he was trying to communicate, and she came up and placed the iron dagger onto his back, causing him to scream at the searing pain. Luckily, the birds had answered him right before that, but it was hard to concentrate on sending anything back with the iron on him.

Vasile could hear Rhys' scream in his mind and the feeling of the pain was so visceral and vivid that it was hard to differentiate who was actually getting hurt for a moment. Vasile cried out, causing Nik and Veronika to rush to his aid. He waved them off after a moment when it became clear that he had been experiencing Rhys' pain. He remained connected, but told Virmarus the information that Rhys had gathered at such a high personal cost.

While they had been waiting on Vasile to get the connection between the two of them, Virmarus had contacted his people, as well as Rhys' family. Both groups had gotten there around the same time, though Sephira asked Aisling if she wanted to help her look after Tierney so they could keep her away from all this and Aisling agreed.

Virmarus turned to Eowyn, his mind working overtime as he considered the information. "Veilmoor is to the North, right on the edge of Arcasias and Cragmire. Not that the werewolves would help us if we asked. My father's pack is closest to Veilmoor, and..." He shook his head, obviously not wanting to comment further. "I need all of our best fighters here. Tell them to show up right outside the palace wards. Even better if they can handle silver. So no half-weres."

"You're a half-were," Eowyn pointed out.

"I'm the exception," Virmarus commented. "I put him in this, I'll get him out. We can teleport to Veilmoor and then we'll look for the building Rhys mentioned. We might not be able to get there without them figuring it out, but with enough of us, it might not matter."

Then he turned and looked between Vasile, Nik, and their parents. He knew the rest of the siblings were behind them but they didn't have time for him to acknowledge all of them. "Your Majesties, I know that this is difficult dealing with such a betrayal during this time, but I cannot promise your daughter's safety if we go in to get Rhys out and she joins the fight. As far as I'm concerned, all rebels are either dying today fighting us or going to trial to likely be put to death. That includes your daughter, but I also don't want to never be allowed in Arcasias again because I killed the youngest princess."

The monarchs shared a look, but the unspoken communication that passed between them was the realization that this was beyond their ability to govern. It was the queen who turned to lock eyes with Virmarus. "So be it," she intoned. "Viktoria Brosnya has, by her own actions, renounced her claim to succession and royal titles and the protections thereof. Moreover, she is now banished from Arcasias and all of her allies and declared Persona Non Grata. Return is forbidden on pain of prosecution for treason to the fullest extent of the law."

Virmarus' eyes nearly fell out of his head at that declaration. It was the strongest possible response the rulers of Arcasias could leverage against a member of the royal family or any other citizen of the vampyre kingdom. In fact, almost everyone there was shocked, except perhaps some of the other royalty, since they knew just how serious this was. Once that had set in, Virmarus gave a bow to show he understood.

"I'm going with you," Prince Cyran told Virmarus.

"Your Highness, that is not a great idea," Virmarus pointed out. "They're using iron against us here, and you are the direct heir to the throne."

"I'm not King yet," Cyran explained. "And Rhys risked his life for me and for the woman I love. I will not sit and do nothing when he is in such danger. How could I dare to ever call myself a King if I won't go to war for my own kin?"

"We've grown up with him like another brother," Prince Elaro added. "We will not stay behind and twiddle our thumbs."

Vasile stood. "Okay," he said. "Who is transporting me with them?" It was clear from the set of his face that Cyran wasn't the only heir who would not be left behind for this excursion.

"Vasile!" his father admonished, though he seemed to change his mind as his son met his eye. He gestured at Lukas. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this," he finished.

Cyran looked at Vasile like he had a whole newfound respect for the Vampyre Prince. "I'll teleport you," he told Vasile. "It's a little disorienting but I think you'll take to it fine."

"Nik, help me make a batch of potion for iron burns, please," Sylvae asked him as she motioned to her bag. "I'd like to get Rhys help as soon as possible."

Nik nodded soberly and led Sylvae to his lab. Eowyn gave Virmarus a nod of her head, and then he motioned for those coming with, which also included Soren and Renwick since they had been helping Rhys this entire time, to follow him outside where they could meet up with everyone else. He loaned the vampyres in the group gloves in case they came near any silver weapons, or chose to use any. Many of Virmarus' people brought weaponry with them so they could all choose what they wanted to use.

Once they were armed and ready to go, Virmarus gave everyone a location, just west of Veilmoor, that would put them in a wooded area. They may be seen coming, but he could do his best to try and keep the element of surprise. The vampyres of the group were paired off with someone of elven descent and those people put an arm around their waists or shoulders to take them with them when they teleported. Virmarus put his arm around Lukas, giving the prince a smile to show that he was safe, which made Lukas smile and blush slightly. One moment they were standing just outside the palace, and the next they were in a wooded area surrounded by trees and plants.

"We cannot discount the possibility that the house is loaded with Fae traps," Vasile pointed out. "Each person with Fae blood should pair off with a vamp or a were and stick with your battle buddy."

"Good idea," Virmarus agreed. "If you encounter a fae trap, ruin it. You can do this with a blade, or even just breaking the ground it's on. We have to assume Rhys is stuck in one or else he would have gotten himself away somehow."

Virmarus then pulled his shirt off and handed it to Eowyn, who simply tied it up around her waist. His pants were specially made from Cragmire, which meant they would shift with him. He jumped forward, and the vampyres could catch because of their exceptional sight and ability to speed up themselves how his body shifted and changed into his wolf form in the air. When he came back down again, he was a giant black wolf, his golden eyes watching everything around them with his heightened senses, looking for any sort of threat.

He sniffed around the area, looking for any sign of Rhys' scent. Once he had an idea of what direction to go, he let out a little huff at everyone to get them to follow him and they started making their way toward Veilmoor. Veilmoor used to be a very rich and bustling area but with it being so close to the werecreature territory, more people left to move closer to the Capital city instead. Now it was mostly populated with the poor or the crumbling buildings were slowly going back to the nature around them.

They moved carefully through the abandoned parts of town, with Virmarus leading the way with his nose. He was purposely avoiding contact with anyone who lived in the smaller houses; his keen eyes swept over every little rock and plant, looking for some trace of an abandoned mansion that would fit the bill for this.

Vasile and the others followed, easily keeping pace with the large wolf. Virmarus was pleasantly surprised to hear that the vampyres were quieter on two feet than he was on four. They would most likely need stealth before too long. Just as he was thinking these thoughts, the wind shifted and Virmarus caught Rhys' scent. Virmarus let out a very soft woof and then started moving faster in the direction he caught the scent from.

Eowyn gave a signal to the other people of Shell, but it was easy enough for the vampyres and elves to figure out. They needed to move quickly and quietly and stay out of sight. They came up on a very old looking manor house, one that had vines growing all over the walls and fence around it. It wasn't difficult to find a broken area of the fence to get in through, along the back. Virmarus had taken them along the fence until he found it.

The vampyres led the way through the gap in the fence, one checking the ground for obvious traps to alert the people inside to the presence of intruders and the other keeping an eye out for traps of the type that a bigot might set. It made Vasile internally cringe now at agreeing to put a fae trap in his own room in school. Once they were sure there were none, the rest of the team came through the crack, with Virmarus squeezing through last. It was amazing how this gigantic wolf managed to slip through such a thin broken area of a fence, but he did it with finesse.

"Once we go in, expect that anyone working with them is kill on sight unless they surrender," Eowyn explained to their Princely members. They all nodded grimly, none flinching from the necessity, which brought a bit of a shudder to Eowyn's spine.

Virmarus motioned his head in the direction of the back, and Eowyn gave him a nod before she took the others that way. Then Virmarus went the other way, with Lukas following behind just in case he met with a fae trap. Virmarus didn't bother to be silent now. When he came upon the front door of the manor, he used his strength and size to slam hard into the door and announce his arrival. It was clear to the others who had never worked with him like this before that he was being a distraction so they could get in unnoticed.

Inside the house, Rhys turned his head toward where the sound had come from. At first he wasn't sure who was being the distraction until he heard the howl. Once the howl ripped through the air though, Rhys started laughing through the pain. "He sounds pissed," he said to Viktoria and Josephine.

"That damn weremutt," Josephine growled.

"Werewolves evolved to kill vampyres better than any other creature," Rhys pointed out. "How many do you think he'll rip apart before you even get a scratch on him?"

Viktoria threw Rhys a look full of pure malice before turning to Josephine and saying, "We should dispatch this one and go, at once!"

"You're right," Josephine agreed, putting down the iron knife and going for one made without any iron.

Before she could even manage to do anything more than that, Rhys yelled out Virmarus' name. It let Virmarus pinpoint exactly where he was, but it also let anyone else with him entering from somewhere else know as well. Vasile and their group had come in from the backdoor, and there were far fewer people back here. Eowyn and the others worked fast and were deadly, so there was less for the royalty to do until Vasile heard Rhys yell out.

Josephine came over and grabbed Rhys on the back of the neck. Rhys concentrated as soon as she put her hand on him and then teleported. Of course, he went nowhere because of the trap, but Josephine was now not in the room anymore. When he opened his eyes, he looked at Viktoria with a smug look on his face.

"Your turn, Viktoria?" he asked her.

Viktoria hesitated, then ran for the back door. She blurred as she moved, but stopped abruptly, lifting up into the air. Rhys blinked and saw that Vasile had her by the throat and was holding her at arm's length. Rhys' eyes widened when he realized what he was looking at. He should have realized that Vasile would not allow himself to be left behind this time but it was still shocking that he was here. When Vasile chanced a glance at Rhys, it only solidified the anger he was feeling toward his sister. Rhys' skin was pale and covered in sweat, and his cheek was marred with iron burns, as was his shoulders, arms, and back. His eyes looked bloodshot and exhausted, and he was breathing heavily.

Vasile turned his amethyst eyes back to Viktoria and quietly cuffed her on the side of the head with the closed fist of his other hand. She immediately slumped, unconscious, in his grip. He dropped her and wiped his hand on his pants as if it was soiled and came over to break the fae trap keeping Rhys in place.

As soon as the trap was broken, Rhys teleported out of the restraints, though he stumbled once he reappeared, the pain in his body making it hard to be precise and graceful. He slumped against the wall and let out a groan of pain. "It's not safe for you here, love," Rhys told Vasile.

"It would seem that it's not safe for you, either," Vasile said, moving to Rhys' side and supporting him with an arm. Eowyn, under orders from Virmarus that Vasile hadn't been privy to, stepped into the room and touched Vasile's shoulder, teleporting the three of them back to the palace. As soon as they were back, Eowyn gave the prince and Rhys a deep bow and then she disappeared again.

When Vasile got Rhys inside, Sylvae hurried forward to check every place Rhys had been burned. She cleaned up everything and then began to cover the burns in potion. "I added some herbs that should numb everything," she explained to Rhys though she knew Vasile was probably the one actually listening. "I mean, the potion will still knock you on your ass, but I'm hoping that numbing it down will make the pain go away faster."

About an hour later, the others returned, and Virmarus came in carrying Viktoria over his shoulder. He stopped in front of the King and Queen, dropping her down to the ground fairly ungently, though he didn't do anything to actually hurt her. "Your Majesties, all of the other rebels have been taken care of except her. I figured you'd want to deal with her on your own."

The king bowed his head gratefully to Virmarus, while the queen took a quick stride forward and kicked Viktoria squarely in the stomach. Virmarus had to bite his lip to keep from laughing and turned away so he could come over to check on Rhys.

"Well, you went out with a bang right before retirement," Virmarus commented.

Rhys looked up at him with a flat expression. "Just my goal this whole time. I'd hate to go into spy retirement quietly and without a whole litany of scars on my body."

"To be fair, your retirement might be short because His Highness here is more than a little annoyed with you," Virmarus joked, and that caused Rhys to look over at Vasile.

The look on Rhys' face said he was trying to figure out why Vasile might be upset with him, and then through the fog of pain, he seemed to remember. "Oh. The Roland thing. I'm not apologizing for getting you out of there fast and unseen."

Vasile gave Rhys a long-suffering look. "If you think that's why I'm upset, we should take this conversation somewhere private," he said.

Rhys shook his head and then looked around like he realized he was missing something. He was about to panic when Eowyn came forward and handed him a messenger bag he usually carried around as Roland. He accepted it from her and unlocked the straps before he pulled it open. He pulled out a leatherbound book and then looked up at Vasile again.

"No, I imagine that part isn't what you're angry about," Rhys admitted. "You're probably more upset with the antagonization and the things I said about your family. I'd be upset too in your place, but it didn't just get agreement out of those trying to harm you. I wrote down every single comment made to me by people who agreed with what Roland was saying, and I was shocked by how many people have felt negatively about the monarchy itself."

He held out the book to Vasile then. Vasile took it and hugged Rhys gently. "I'll get over it," he mumbled into Rhys' ear, "but it'll cost you."

Rhys chuckled and Vasile could feel it against his chest. "I'll do whatever you need me to do for the rest of our lives to make up for it. I promise."

Within a week, Virmarus had his people contact every monarch or council alpha they had been protecting to ask for a meeting with everyone. It was something they would all need to tackle together to make sure this didn't happen again. He wanted Rhys on the mend though before people met. Virmarus chose a meeting room in the neutral zone, attached to a large hotel. All of the royalty and council members were brought in and seated with their families around what probably should have been a large table, though the middle of it had been cut out so that people could speak there.

"Your Majesties, Council Members," Virmarus said with a bow, and Eowyn bowed as well from next to him. "I hope you'll excuse my lack of titles going forward but I would be saying them far too often and I want to get through this. Before I begin though, I would like to introduce you all to the people who have kept you and your families alive for the last, well at least six months but in some cases we have been working on this for anywhere from five to ten years."

At that, Eowyn went and opened the double doors. Two lines of people came in, each going to either side of the room to line the walls. Rhys came in last and he turned to close the doors before he walked toward the middle to stand right at the opening to the middle of the table, putting him right between both the Caimaer family as well as Vasile's family.

"Do you notice anything about The Shell operatives?" Virmarus asked them all.

In some cases it was difficult to tell, like with Rhys whose looks mostly fell to his elven side and you would only know his dhampyr side if he showed his fangs, but others, like Virmarus with his pointed ears and golden werewolf eyes, were very clearly of mixed heritage. It occurred to Vasile that most of The Shell operatives lived in Haven, which meant that most of them, if not all of them, must be dual-booded.

"I see some of you coming to the right conclusion," Virmarus commented. "Every single person you see is what most of your people would call half-breeds, but Ambassador Draven here has taught us to call dual-blooded or even tri-blooded in some cases. These are the same people that are usually pushed out of your society due to prejudice and racism. That is, after all, what led us here, isn't it?"

His eyes stopped on his own father, who had been watching Virmarus closely. Virmarus turned away from him, as if he didn't matter at all, and looked to Rhys. "Are you well enough to take over, or do you want me to?"

"I can do it," Rhys replied.

"In that case, may I introduce you all to my friend and second in command," Virmarus said to everyone. "Fourth in line for the throne to the Caimaer family, son of Duke Jasper Draven and Princess Alavara Caimaer, and Ambassador of Arcasias, Prince Rhys Draven."

Rhys gave a look at Virmarus that said he didn't generally approve of his introduction but decided to leave it alone. Showing who he really came from was not the worst thing they could have done right now. Rhys gave a bow to everyone there, then straightened up.

"In my time undercover in Arcasias, I have learned that there are a lot of people who do not agree, per se, with the way everything is run," Rhys commented. "Even more so in the poorer areas and among those who work in our manors and palaces. I don't believe that is necessarily the fault of the royals, but of the institution. On top of that, royal bloodlines have been expected to be kept pure, but that also brings about harm to some of the royals wanting differently, and has only furthered these feelings of otherness.

"We do not want to take the royal families out of everything," Rhys explained to them, which seemed to calm everyone a little. "I want you to still rule, and make laws, and move things forward, but it might be time to bring all of us together and have a system of checks and balances too. A council of uneven numbers, filled with those of pure blood but also those of dual-blood, that will work with the royal families so that both the council and the royals are working to do what is best for all of Avanær."

Then he looked thoughtful. "Perhaps, if we can get that in place, a special town just for people like me wouldn't be necessary. Maybe children like my daughter would not end up with her birth parents killed and her just barely surviving. And maybe, we could bring some harmony to Avanær."

Vasile was among the first to respectfully applaud when Rhys finished his presentation. King Vortigern raised his finger to indicate his desire to speak. Rhys gave a nod to him and motioned for him to go ahead and then moved to the side to give King Vortigern the audience. The king nodded his thanks and stood, moving to the speaker's position.

"Your Majesties, fellow rulers, and friends," he greeted them. "Like many of you, Veronika and I have led our people for quite some time. We've been culpable in fostering a culture in which the persecution that we've learned about is so pervasive. Much as we endorsed Ambassador Draven nearly a decade and a half ago, we would like to be the first to voice our agreement with the proposal of a ruling council. Moreover, we would like to endorse Nikodemus as our representative."

Vortigern thanked the assembled leaders for their attention and sat down, yielding the floor back to Rhys. Rhys gave a nod to him as he sat down and then moved forward again. Many of the families had been whispering among themselves after the King spoke, and then King Deldrich stood to tell Rhys that he agreed as well, and would like to nominate Sylvae from their family, because she had been learning all about different races for decades to help heal them.

The other families followed suit, and Eowyn wrote down the nominations. Once they were all done, Virmarus came up to stand next to Rhys, though he looked at the royal and alpha families in the room. "I'm happy to take nominations for those who are dual-blooded, but we also have quite a few people here who saved your lives that I would put forth myself."

"Like yourself?" Virmarus' brother who was born only less than two years after him, Darryn, asked. He looked so much like Virmarus, though Virmarus' skin color, ears, and eye shape came from his mom. Darryn didn't share those traits as he was a full werewolf.

Virmarus gave a wry smile at that. "No, not myself. I will continue to run The Shell, with the full knowledge of all royal families here today. We are not spies against you, but those trying to find unity, bring people together, and watch for any big dangers. I like running that. I am an alpha, after all, but I do not wish to be involved in the Council itself. I have too much resentment for one side of the family, and too much grief on the other side."

Then he turned to Rhys. "I know you have your own place soon, which hasn't been announced yet, but I do think you would be excellent on the council. So I nominate Rhys Draven for it."

"I'm honored," Rhys said with a bow.

After the meeting, things were put into motion. More nominations were made, and it was made public so everyone would know who might be speaking for all of Avanær. They let people cast votes, and the council was formed.

Of course, there were people who didn't want the council or the mixing of people like they were moving forward with. Those families, mostly noble families of each area, chose exile over staying in Avanær and working together. The Council recorded the families that had chosen exile and put that in writing so everyone knew.

King Vortigern and Queen Veronika informed Viktoria that she would be tried by the new Council as part of their first act but that they had requested that the Council consider exile as an option for her sentence. She cut a defiant pose standing in the audience chamber, despite the silver shackles on her hands and feet and the drab coveralls instead of her typical court finery. She practically snarled in response, "I hope they put me to death so you have to live with that."

Vasile was also present, overseeing the Council since the trial was on his land, along with the King. Rhys and Nik both abstained from voting. Rhys because he was one of the victims and had to testify to what happened, and Nik because it would keep the vote uneven so there were no ties, but also because he was her brother. In the end, the vote was pretty unanimous that she was guilty.

At her sentencing, she was given the option between being put to death or exile. She looked over at her family with pure hatred in her eyes, but ultimately chose exile over death. She was added to the list of exiles, though in her case, if she stepped foot in Avanær again, she would be put to death. The other families could, if they chose, come back, but they would have to go through the proper channels to do so and would have to start over without their titles.

Rhys came to Vasile after the trial and wrapped his arms around him. "I'm sorry, love. I know that was difficult."

Vasile thanked his love and hugged him back, keeping a watchful eye on Viktoria as she was taken out of the room, still in chains. The look she gave them as she left was as if she wanted to murder Rhys with her mind and then the door shut behind them and Viktoria was taken away to be shipped out of Avanær forever. Rhys watched the door shut and then turned and put his face against Vasile's neck.

"Do you think she'll try to come back and do something eventually?" Rhys asked.

Vasile shook his head. "No, I suspect not. It'll take her some time to establish the trust and connections she would need and beyond that, she wouldn't come up against a unified Avanaer without being certain of victory," he said.

Rhys nodded his head to show he understood. He was mostly worried for Tierney, but Vasile's words calmed him down. After everything was squared away with Viktoria and the Council, Rhys started spending more time over at the palace with Vasile and Tierney. Tierney loved spending time there, whether playing with Vasile's siblings or spending time with Vasile and Rhys. She loved to draw and make little sculptures with clay, and she would bring some of them to Vasile for him to keep when she visited.

Tierney took to him easily, and seemed to love being around Vasile, which made Rhys glad. Plus, the rest of the family adored her, and he was happy to see the King and Queen wanting to spend time with her and give her little treats and such, as if she was already their grandchild.

By six months after all of this, Vasile finally asked Rhys if he would marry him, and Rhys happily said yes. The engagement was announced to the public and planning began. All three moms jumped into action on planning the royal wedding, though Vasile and Rhys did get to put their thoughts into it and say no or yes to things like colors, flowers, decor, and such. Queen Veronika conferred the role of flower girl upon Tierney, and she took that appointment very seriously.

Rhys and Vasile both continued to get frustrated all the way until the wedding with consistent interruptions when they were alone for more than a few moments. One time, Rhys asked Sylvae if the royals had ever learned how to knock, to which she had replied, "Royalty need not knock, cousin."

"Oh that is absolutely changing!" Rhys had cried.

Nik, lurking nearby as he always was around Sylvae, smirked and winked at her in a very familiar manner, causing Rhys to suspect something. He narrowed his eyes at that, then told Sylvae that she and Nik could learn to knock, or he would make their lives hell by always chaperoning their time together. He would happily be the interrupting one too, which got a laugh and a shake of her head from Sylvae, but she did stop coming into the room without permission from then on.

Rhys was glad when the wedding day finally came, not only because he could now call Vasile his husband for the rest of his life, but also because as newlyweds, they would be assured of privacy every single night now that it was expected Rhys and Tierney would move into the palace with Vasile. In fact, their rooms were already set up and had their things moved from the Draven manor the morning of. Rhys had his own room, right next to Vasile's, though it was expected that he would likely not use it much except to store his clothes and personal items.

Tierney was whisked off to the Draven Manor for a sleepover to give the newlyweds their first night alone together, and now that they were in Vasile's room with the door locked after the festivities, Rhys felt a little nervous. He was a little worried that after waiting for fourteen years that this wouldn't live up to the hype they'd put to it in their heads. If Rhys had been more experienced, he would have known that worry was silly, but he only had a tiny bit more experience in sex than Vasile did.

Vasile had spent the day before the wedding vampyre-proofing the entrances to his rooms with a little help from Sylvae. Even with those precautions, though, he found himself nervous and worried about being walked-in on again. Though if his family interrupted them this time, someone might get their head bitten off.

They both took their time getting out of their formal wear, the only sound in the room that of their breathing and the rustling of clothes. When they were both down to just their pants and boxers, Rhys looked over at Vasile. It didn't seem to matter how much time he spent around the prince or how often he got to look at him, he was still blown away by how stunning Vasile was. The skin along his arms, chest, and back were pale and smooth, with only a few scars as blemishes along it.

Rhys had far more scarring now than he did the first time Vasile had seen him shirtless, but they were lightening in color. The markings that were on Rhys' face in green that marked his wood elf heritage extended down onto his arms and back. It was hard to remember what he was so nervous about when he saw his husband half naked and looking at him like Vasile wanted to make a whole meal of him.

Rhys unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants as Vasile watched, dropping both trousers and boxers together and stepping out of them before he sat down and leaned back on the bed. His posture was inviting Vasile to him, beckoning him in to take a taste of what he had wanted for so long.

Vasile dropped the last of his own clothing, his body much less unsure of itself than his emotions were. His erection stood out proudly from his body, the weight of it pulling the tip down ever so slightly despite its upward curve. He was already dripping slightly as he stepped forward and fell to his knees between Rhys' legs.

Rhys felt a little like he couldn't breathe, but in a good way, seeing the soon-to-be King of the Vampyres on his knees in front of him like this. Rhys was the only one who would ever get to see Vasile like this, unless otherwise negotiated, and it felt so big to Rhys. He reached out and ran his fingers through Vasile's dark hair.

Rhys' own erection was jutting out from his body, the same beautiful tanned coloring on it except the head was turning a reddish hue from the blood pumping into it. It curved very slightly to the side, and Vasile could see just a little bit of precum glistening on the slit. Vasile reached out and caressed Rhys' hard length, feeling the heat coming from it warming his palm. Vampyres aren't actually undead, but their metabolism does run differently than other races and that does lower their body temperature somewhat.

Vasile's hand felt cool and more firm than Rhys' own but his mouth was very warm as it engulfed the head and Vasile's tongue provided its own sensations as the almost cat-like texture teased around the glans and under the foreskin. Rhys gasped when Vasile first touched him, finding that his cooler skin felt amazing when it touched him there.

He let out a deep groan at Vasile's mouth and tongue though. It wasn't painful like a cat's tongue would be but it added a whole new layer of pleasure to what he was doing. It sent waves through Rhys' pelvis and Rhys tightened his hand in Vasile's hair in response. Vasile smiled to himself and started a gentle suction, his hand pulling the skin toward Rhys' pelvis to pull back the foreskin so he could attack it a little more directly with his nimble tongue.

Despite how long it had taken them to get to this point, Rhys was more than happy to finally be here. This felt so much better than he had ever imagined. Dreams and daydreams didn't hold a candle to this. All he could concentrate on was the feeling of Vasile's tongue sliding along the glans, and the soft but perfect suction he was keeping up as he moved up and down Rhys' cock.

Rhys' pelvis was tightening from the pleasure, and he managed to rasp out, "Vasile, I'm gonna cum if you keep that up."

Taking that as a challenge, Vasile kept up the same pace and combination of sensations for Rhys, wondering idly what his cum would taste like. He didn't get to find out that time, though, as Rhys absent-mindedly pulled his head forward as he climaxed, shoving his entire length down Vasile's throat. He swallowed reflexively as his lover's thickness pulsed with the ejaculation, feeling it slide down in a most satisfying way.

Fortunately, breathing wasn't entirely necessary for Vasile, as he could slow down his respiratory system voluntarily. It was something his race needed to do in order to move as supernaturally quickly as they were able to, though he never thought he would be using it quite this way.

As Rhys came down from his climax, he loosened his grip in Vasile's hair. Vasile came up off of his now softening length, and he caught the taste of something sweet, a little like honeyed milk. Rhys stared up at the ceiling as he tried to slow down his breathing. "Fuck, we should have done that sooner," Rhys said with a breathy laugh.

Vasile wholeheartedly agreed but as he stood up to join Rhys on the bed, it became evident to both of them that he was painfully erect. Rhys eyed his thick cock and let Vasile lay down beside him before he got up and moved so he could grab the lubricant they had Gertie acquire for them before their wedding night. He laid that bottle next to Vasile's arm before Rhys moved to straddle Vasile's body, his head pointed toward Vasile's feet so he could take Vasile's thick length into his hot and wet mouth.

Vasile's cock was slick with precum now, and it tasted like very little to Rhys but it still had the ability to turn him on even more. There was no way he could take the whole thing into his mouth, as he didn't have the experience yet, but his tongue and adding his hand, was doing the job just fine. Rhys' tongue was also lightly textured, though it was slightly different to Vasile's since Rhys was only a dhampyr. His tongue seemed longer and more dexterous though, maybe a trait from his elven heritage.

Vasile couldn't help himself when presented with Rhys' perfect ass, so he hiked himself up onto his elbows and pressed his face in between his lover's cheeks and flicked his tongue out, teasing and probing gently. He only got a few moments of licking in before he dropped his head back, moaning in pleasure at what Rhys was doing.

Rhys stopped before Vasile could finish, because more than anything, he wanted to finally feel completely connected to Vasile. To do that, though, Vasile needed to stay hard. That let Vasile get back to the position he was at before, sending gentle waves of pleasure through Rhys as he ate him out and slowly softened his hole up. At this point Vasile's cock was nearly purple with pent-up need as he licked hungrily at his husband. Finally, he pulled away, grabbed the lubricant, and applied a liberal amount to the both of them as Rhys swung around to straddle him face to face.

"I'm not going to last very long," Vasile warned him as Rhys began to lower himself onto Vasile's thrumming cock.

Rhys grinned in a catlike way as he said, "Well it's a good thing we have all night, isn't it?"

They both let out moans as Rhys impaled himself on Vasile. Rhys let out a little whimper when Vasile was all the way in, putting his hands on Vasile's chest to brace himself. A slight sadistic streak in Vasile thrilled at Rhys' whimper. He placed his hands on his partner's hips and held him there for a moment as he adjusted to the feeling of pressure around his cock. Once Rhys was ready, he started to slowly move his hips, gaining speed steadily as he got used to it.

Both of them could feel their blood bond strengthening, but they could also feel another sort of bond blossoming. To have sex with the fae was to owe them a favor, or to be owned by them completely. In this case, Vasile was giving himself to Rhys for life, and it magically connected them together forever. It was a little like vines seeping into Vasile's skin that connected to Rhys, and their hearts beat for each other now. Nothing could ever tear them apart, and nothing could break this connection that nature itself had put under their skin. It left light traces of gray vines along Vasile's skin that only Rhys and Vasile would be able to see from this moment on.

Vasile had been right about not lasting long, as once Rhys had gotten to a good pace, his fingers dug into Rhys' hips and he let out a soft moan as he started to spurt his seed inside of Rhys. Rhys kept moving through it, loving the warm feeling of his love filling him up. He milked Vasile of everything he had to give, and then left him shivering in pleasure from the sensitivity of his cock moving in Rhys' hole afterward.

Rhys stopped for a moment and looked down at the blissful look on Vasile's face. Rhys smiled down at him and then moved to let Vasile's cock fall out of him. Then he laid down on his stomach on the bed next to Vasile. "Once that's ready to go again, then come and get this because I'm not done with you yet," Rhys said while he wiggled his ass seductively.

Vasile looked over at Rhys and smiled contentedly, only a small twinkle in his eye left to remind Rhys of the pleasure his husband had taken initially from his mewl. Vasile rolled up onto his side and smacked Rhys' shapely ass cheek hard enough to leave a brief red imprint of his hand before kissing him soundly and pulling him into his arms. "I still have trouble wrapping my mind around how natural it feels to think of you as my husband," he said happily when they both came up for air.

Rhys smiled at that, his aqua eyes sparkling in a way that Vasile always loved to see. "I know. It used to feel like a far away dream that could never be and now it's kind of like it was always meant to go this way. The inevitable conclusion, and it just feels right to call you that. My husband. And father of my future children, and now Tierney."

Vasile giggled a little at that, thinking about how close he and Tierney had grown in the months leading up to the wedding. As far as Neam Valravyn was concerned, she had proven herself to be quite a spitfire and Rhys had loved seeing the look of pure joy in Vasile's eyes when she got sassy. Rhys leaned over and kissed him again, running his hand through Vasile's hair as he did so.

"Don't get too mawkish, Love," Vasile warned. "I find it difficult to be both paternal and horny."

This time it was Rhys' turn to giggle. "We can talk about the paternal part later then," Rhys murmured before he kissed Vasile again.

Vasile seemed to agree, as he kissed him back fervently. When they finally pulled apart, both panting with the need for air and each other, Rhys turned back onto his stomach and Vasile draped his body over his husband's. He rubbed his cock against Rhys' crack, rubbing it against his hole until it found the right angle to go into him. Rhys let out another whimper as Vasile pushed himself all the way inside, and that same thrill went through Vasile again at the sound.

Vasile braced himself with his arms on the bed under Rhys' shoulders and then began to move in and out of him at a good rate. Rhys pulled his head up and back so it was almost on Vasile's shoulder, feeling that amazing pleasure build up from inside of him. It almost felt too good, too overwhelming, but he would never ask Vasile to stop.

The way Vasile was pounding into him caused Rhys' cock to rub against the topsheet that was under them, adding to the feelings of pleasure and bliss. He thought they could do this all the time and Rhys would never get enough of Vasile. It thrilled him that he could finally have this every night from now on.

Soon enough, Rhys was crying out in his climax. Vasile slipped his arm around Rhys' chest while keeping it against the bed. The clenching of Rhys' hole and the way Rhys cried out brought Vasile to climax, and he pushed all the way inside as his cock twitched through his orgasm. They both lay there trying to catch their breath, and sooner than Rhys would have wanted, the weight of Vasile disappeared from his back.

"We should get cleaned up," Vasile told him.

Rhys looked behind him like he thought that might be too soon, but he could feel some of Vasile's warm cum starting to leak out of him so he decided not to argue with him. They made love two more times that night, and indeed needed another shower later. Rhys was plenty sore the next morning but it was the kind of ache that left him with a smile because it reminded him about what they had been doing.

For the next few years, things settled into a routine as the council, the royalty, and the Shell got to work to better meld the whole country together. It included working with the schools to disallow any bullying at all, but to be especially harsher in their punishments when that bullying came from racism. The more they mixed up the classes at the schools to have all kinds of races in them, Tierney seemed to like school a lot more. Her two best friends became a little werewolf girl and a fae-touched dhampyr much like her, though the fae in the other little girl was distinctly drow.

A few more families, surprisingly among the lower class as well as the royals, chose exile over remaining in a unified Avanær. No one stopped them from leaving, though no one was allowed to take weapons with them. The biggest shock for everyone as they worked together was that because Virmarus spent so much time visiting the palace to talk about plans and to catch up and see Tierney, he got to know Lukas much better over time, and a romance blossomed between the two. Rhys teased Vasile about how with all his distrust of the man to start with, now he'd probably be their brother-in-law.

Vasile gave him one of those long suffering looks he was so good at, which only made Rhys laugh. Two years after their marriage, Rhys and Vasile had a son who Tierney loved more than anything. She called him her baby and would always want to be where he was so she could kiss his head or play with toys over him to make him giggle. Life for those in Avanær seemed to be on the road to something close to peace and harmony, and Rhys was more than glad he had come back to Arcasias to make it a reality.

Fin?