Of Claws & Chaos, page 22
“Your brother?” He was my first suspect since the two fought like cats and…wolves? Sure.
I looked over her shoulder to the path that led from the party. Vanessa shook her head from next to me, going through her checklist with Caz as if we weren’t dealing with a very dramatic problem right now. One I was still unclear on.
“No.” She put her hands on her hips. “Rozen.”
Ah, that explained it.
Rozen was only a month older than Missandei and the firstborn son to Captain Arnoux and Kathleen. They had twin girls as well, only two years old.
If I had to guess, Rozen would be here any moment. He’d always been right at my daughter’s side from the time they could walk.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing!” Rozen growled, right on cue. He was quite worked up for a nine-year-old. As if realizing his tone, he snapped his head up to me and blushed. “Sorry, Queen Evera. I just meant…I just meant that it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Yes it is! You embarrassed me,” my daughter growled.
“What happened?” Vanessa asked as Caz walked away, returning to the celebration. I shrugged as I continued to watch the two kids, knowing they would sort it out. They were best friends, after all, and well…I had a prediction of their future, but my husband wasn’t a huge fan of my theory.
He hated the idea of our kids ever having mates or future partners, especially our two daughters. Speaking of which…
Axel flashed me a knowing smile, approaching us with our youngest, Laurain, clinging to his back like a little monkey. Her three-year-old smile was bright as she waved to me while continuing to look around the forested canopy above us and humming under her breath.
When naming our youngest daughter, there hadn’t been a doubt in my mind who I wanted to name her after—whose memory I wanted to honor. Laurain had been one of the bright spots of my time on Earth, so I’d commissioned an artist to create an oil painting based on the picture I’d brought from Las Vegas, which now hung in my office in Eventide.
Every time I looked at it, I was reminded of everything I’d gone through—the strength I’d gained from those experiences, enough so to stand up to my parents—and the kindness she had shown me. The way she’d shown me that, in a world filled with darkness, compassion still existed.
So it only made sense that I honored her memory in a fitting way.
“I was dancing with Jeremy and then Rozen literally pushed him away!” Missandei exclaimed, the boy in question not looking upset or apologetic in the least.
“Good job,” Axel commended, clapping Rozen on the shoulder before looking down at our daughter. “You don’t need to be dancing with boys, let alone a twelve-year-old. There are plenty of other people to dance with.”
“See!” Rozen said, making me want to roll my eyes.
Missandei scowled and threw her hands up before stalking away, Rozen following after. Vanessa offered us an amused look and trailed behind, looking over her clipboard.
I offered Axel a knowing look. “You know you commend him, but I think we’re both aware why—”
“No” Axel rumbled and put a hand around my waist, leading me toward the party.
Laurain jumped down from his back and skipped ahead of us, dressed head to toe in a bright pink frilly dress with massive bows on her head. To say she was obsessed with the color was an understatement—I rarely saw her in anything else.
I completely blamed Clari.
She and Rhaegal had all boys, so she’d decided that any girls Kathleen, Gwyn, or myself had would be completely at the mercy of her fashion choices. Laurain loved it, while Missandei felt…well, half the time—like today—she loved it, and the other half she hated it.
Suddenly, rambunctious yelling echoed through the space and five shorter frames darted onto the path, nearly knocking over Laurain. Axel shot forward and grabbed our son, who groaned in defeat.
Seifer was nearly six and best friends with his cousins—Clari and Rhaegal’s gaggle of sons—who all stopped, offering Axel a sheepish look. Each of them had armfuls of sweets, and my son’s face was covered in cake.
“Watch out for your sister, you nearly knocked her over,” my husband warned. Laurain flashed a smile and continued humming, having already moved on. Listen, she was only three, so I knew it wasn’t on purpose—but man did she come off as sassy…well, almost all of the time.
“I promise, I promise!” he growled, and Axel dropped him. He ran off, and Axel pulled me back into his side as we continued down the path. Running off with candy was the least of our concerns when it came to the five of them. Plus, it was a celebratory day, so if it kept them occupied I would take it.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. He knew I hadn’t slept well last night, but that had way more to do with what I’d been doing and not my ability to sleep.
“I’m just happy she’s okay,” I said quietly.
Despite the events of today, I’d been in the medical center all night because Gwyn, who was on her third pregnancy, had fallen while out in the training yard overseeing one of the new squadron units. She was completely fine, but she was being monitored. Oliver had been by her side since she went in, their two kids under our watch for the day. Well, not only our watch.
“No.” Lavender, Gwyn’s oldest daughter, was glaring at Xakery and Rhaegal. I almost laughed at Xakery’s expression, looking completely taken aback, as his wife—Gwyn’s sister Pandi—shot me a smile. “I will absolutely not be nice to them.”
“I’m just saying, exchanging pleasantries—”
“They don’t deserve it,” her twin brother, Erik, agreed. They were the same age as Missandei and were so incredibly dangerous together. Probably the funniest but biggest troublemakers out of all the kids.
“Plus, you aren’t nice to people just because,” Lavender pointed out as Xakery’s mouth dropped open in shock. Pandi burst out laughing as Rhaegal offered an amused smile.
I knew Pandi was worried about Gwyn, dark circles under her eyes from staying up all night as well, but she was doing her best to keep it together for her niece and nephew. I wished I could do more to ease their worry, but I knew that Gwyn would be okay. It just would take a few more days until everyone felt better after such a scare.
While Pandi and Xakery had never had kids, they were naturals at handling them. I could tell they were working hard today to keep Lavender and Erik distracted, even if it meant arguing about useless stuff.
“Can’t argue there,” I murmured as Laurain went to sit on Pandi’s lap. Axel and I made our way to the head table, knowing that they would continue back and forth for a while. The twins loved fighting and arguing.
“This is beautiful,” I said, looking over the massive celebration laid out before me.
The autumn had turned the Darkridge Mountains red and orange, like they were on fire beneath the setting sun, as citizens from both kingdoms gathered to celebrate Havestia. A day that always reminded me of when I’d come back here—come back home. When everything in my life had changed, setting a new course for Vargr’s future.
It had taken about three months following my kidnapping and the events that ensued, but we’d been able to clear house in the Kingdom of Eventide. We removed problematic individuals who threatened the future of both kingdoms while offering positions and land to those I knew I could trust.
It had been easy to tell who mourned my parents because they’d almost immediately acted out.
Something we squashed.
It had been a long time since Vargr had experienced true peace, and we knew the only way it would happen was if change was enacted—radical change.
Luckily, with Axel’s help we’d been able to craft a way to move forward with the Kingdom of Eventide based on a new structure that was not only far more democratic but encouraged independent commerce and trade with the other territories in Terrea.
It was a concept my parents would have never allowed for, concerned that if their citizens gained too much financial power they would revolt against them. A valid concern since they never did anything that wasn’t self-serving.
I didn’t worry about a revolt.
In large part because both kingdoms had adopted the policy of having citizen-elected representatives serving on our councils to aid in decision-making. I was proud to say that had been my idea.
In a decade, we had come so incredibly far.
I could still remember how proud Axel had looked when I’d stood in front of all of Eventide during my coronation. I’d been scared, worried I wasn’t ready for such a massive responsibility, but something about vowing to protect the land and its people felt so right. Vowing to remove my parents’ shadow from where it hung threateningly over Vargr.
No trace of them or Reynor existed—even the crown I wore was different from the ones worn by my parents. Made of gold and moonstone, it was elegant, simple, and representative of the land. It had been crafted for me by the same individual who made Axel’s crown, and I absolutely loved it.
While the responsibility of being a monarch was heavy, I wasn’t scared. With my mate ruling by my side, I knew there would be no shortage of prosperity and peace. Something I was personally celebrating tonight, considering it had been ten years to the day that I’d arrived.
Axel also liked to consider it our anniversary, along with several other dates—he pretty much looked for any excuse in the book to celebrate the two of us. Following the incident with my parents, Axel stayed true to his word and continuously worked at being better about not only communicating with me but having me be a part of everything in his kingdom—just how he was a part of everything within my own. I hadn’t thought it was possible to love the man more than I did, but every single day he gave me more and more reasons to fall in love with him.
Our actual wedding anniversary was a month from now—we even planned a trip to visit several of Terrea’s territories with our kids. While I hadn’t had the opportunity to host many of the leaders from the other territories, outside of visiting and having Stella here, I’d been in correspondence with most of them. It was the first step in my plan to foster better communication throughout Terrea, and considering all the rulers were the same women who stood by my side when we sacrificed ourselves to save the Sacred Tree, I had high hopes.
The first kingdom on our itinerary would be Isramaya to see Queen Rhodelia and King Varan. We’d heard so many fascinating tales about the Courts of Blood and Nightmares that I knew we couldn’t leave it off our list, and I’d been happily surprised when Rhodelia and Varan accepted our invitation to come and celebrate with us tonight. I’d extended the offer to all of the kingdoms, though I hadn’t really expected anyone to come since many already had celebrations planned within their territories—so I was thrilled to have Rhodelia and Varan as guests.
I wasn’t positive what reaction I’d expected from our people, but the foreign royals had been received with a warmth that made me feel proud of our kingdom. We’d come a long way since Valandril almost destroyed all of us, and most of Terrea had been hesitant to trust his son following the incident—understandably so. But in the ten years since he took over, King Varan had proved over and over that he was nothing like this father.
Right now, Varan was watching his wife from the edge of the dance floor with a wide smile on his face. Queen Rhodelia danced in circles with about a dozen little girls, the group of them all quite obsessed with her long silver hair and even more so with the floor-length gown that seemed entirely made out of diamonds, sparkling as it moved. No one cared about their long, sharp fangs—they were just new and interesting friends.
And I truly did consider them friends. My thoughts drifted to when they had first arrived yesterday, Axel and I immediately greeting them within the throne room.
“It looks like this is quite the celebration you’re having tomorrow.” King Varan’s amber eyes were warm and friendly, and he smiled down at Rhodelia who was looking around the throne room with interest. After their initial arrival, it quickly became apparent that formalities weren’t necessary between the four of us, and we found ourselves talking as if we’d been close friends for years.
“Not just tomorrow, either,” Axel explained, looking down at me with amusement. “Several days. We’ve already set up accommodations for you two to stay as long as you want.”
“We appreciate that.” Varan squeezed Rhodelia’s waist, and she moved her attention back to us.
“I couldn’t believe everything we passed on the way here!” Rhodelia exclaimed. “The entire mountain was lit up with tents and flooded with people. It looks like it’s going to be amazing.”
“I hope you enjoy it,” I told them honestly. “It’s not very often that we get to host other territories.”
“I don’t think enjoying it won’t be a problem,” Varan admitted. “Although my wife insists that I can be a bit of a grump who prefers to brood in dark corners and make everyone nervous.”
Rhodelia offered him an amused smile. “I mean, I’m not exactly wrong.”
Axel chuckled at that, his laugh momentarily making me smile up at him, loving the warm nature of it. I looked back at the two of them. “Do you not host parties in Isramaya?” The way they were talking, it almost seemed to be the case.
Before he could respond, a small body collided with Rhodelia’s long dress, Laurain letting out a squeak. She nearly fell to the ground, but Rhodelia scooped her up before she could crash onto her butt.
“Who is this?” Rhodelia asked as Laurain stared at her wide-eyed before taking her pudgy three-year old hands and tugging on Rhodelia’s silver hair. I winced but relaxed when Rhodelia just broke out into a laugh.
“Our youngest, Laurain,” I explained, and when Laurain wiggled out of Rhodelia’s arms and pulled her toward a window nearby, I couldn’t help but appreciate how friendly she was being toward our little tot.
“We do,” Varan said, answering our question about celebrations. “Though not like this. We may have to make some adjustments to our events moving forward.”
“What are celebrations like for your people?”
“My father didn’t allow them unless they involved bowing at his feet. In hindsight, we should’ve seen it for the red flag that it was.” He smirked before motioning to his wife. “Rhode has made it her mission to bring joy and happiness back to Isramaya these last ten years.”
“But?” I asked curiously. “I sense a ‘but’ in there.”
King Varan grinned as his wife took his hand and joined us, Laurain running back toward her nanny that was waiting nearby. “But our kingdom forgot how to relax under my father’s reign. Vampires by nature are not as free-spirited, unfortunately, so the adjustment isn’t the fastest. Luckily, my lovely wife is stubborn and refuses to give up.”
Queen Rhodelia sighed, but she was still smiling. “Both of our Courts needed a little structure to help them find their footing. But now I know how we’re going to party next time.”
“If you need any ideas, let me know—I love party planning,” I admitted, excited at the prospect of coordinating something within another territory.
“And I love celebrating and dancing.” Queen Rhodelia grinned, her silver eyes sparkling bright. “When you come visit, we’ll hold a celebration, and then you’ll have to let me know how we did.”
“I’m sure it will be amazing—maybe we’ll convince all the other very serious vampires to dance with us,” I teased.
Rhodelia snort-laughed before looking toward her husband. “The moment they see Varan on the dance floor, they’ll flock to him like moths to a flame.”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t be that extreme…”
“Mark my words, I shall only get to wave to you from across the hall. I’ll have to ensure you have proper footwear with padding, as I doubt you’ll have the opportunity to sit.”
Axel laughed. “I sure hope you’re a good dancer.”
King Varan’s amber eyes flashed a bright, glowing red. His gaze slid down to his wife as he gave her a crooked smirk. “Perhaps we should practice tomorrow, my love?”
And it appeared they were getting more than enough practice since they’d yet to leave the dance floor—it made me so extremely happy.
“It is beautiful,” Axel agreed, responding to my comment about the party before dropping a kiss on top of my head. “And so are you.”
“So romantic,” I teased.
“Only for you, çiçeğim,” he said seriously, his gaze warming on me before a sound tugged his attention toward the dance floor.
The celebration spread for miles in each direction, groups camping out with tents and vendors setting up shop for the next few days, but the heart of the event was right here in our back yard.
The view of the kingdom of Eventide was gorgeous from here, and lights began to glow brighter from the chandelier hanging from the tent above us, casting shadows throughout the space. Citizens of all status danced together, and while it was crowded, it felt comfortable and everyone seemed in fantastic spirits.
Then again, this was both mine and many of our citizens’ favorite time of year—how could it not be with such an exciting celebration? Plus, each year we held the harvest festival in a different location, so we were always changing it up—holding it in either Nightfall, Eventide, or the Isle of Wildcrest.
Wildcrest was an island off the Eventide coast where our family spent its summers. I’d never been able to explore it as a young girl, my parents having used it for military training. We’d transformed it into a place our kingdoms could enjoy, and I loved that my kids could play freely there.
We split the rest of the year by staying the fall and winter in one kingdom and the spring in the other—usually choosing to stay in Eventide during the harsher weather since it was easier to manage. Although, considering the bridge we'd built across the mountain range, there really wasn’t much separation between the two kingdoms anymore.
It was my favorite part about being a leader in Vargr—having the ability to bring the two kingdoms together.
“Shit,” Axel cursed, standing as a scuffle broke out on the dance floor. He was down there so fast that even though I was right behind him, I wasn’t even sure what had happened until he pulled Rozen away from a group of kids.
