“Err, I can’t remember,” I say truthfully.
“Then to the kitchen we go,” he says, holding out his arm for me. “I will take you up on your kind offer at another time, my lady.”
I see the hidden meaning in his eyes, and I laugh. “Oh, I see what all of that was about now. You’ve been at it all night and now you can’t get it up,” I say breezily, and he shoves me out of the bedroom with a low growl.
“We speak of this to no one,” he says menacingly as I giggle at him all the way down the stairs.
We don’t make it to the kitchen as CK intercepts us in the foyer.
“You need to come now,” he says and takes my hand, leading me into the library.
To my surprise, I am greeted with the entire Regency delegation of Vampires and several of their minions. I am not really in the mood for another argument about the Silver issue, so I square my shoulders and walk to my desk, flanked by CK and Devon as my back-up.
“Gentlemen,” I say. “Ladies,” I add to the only two in the packed-out room.
They nod back at me, the air tense. Before I can say anything else, Dmitri steps forward with an apologetic smile that makes me so curious, I keep my mouth closed to see what it is about.
“We ask for your resignation as ruler of the Vampires,” Dmitri says, and you could hear a pin drop. It was so unexpected that I am currently at a loss for words. I cannot resign. I asked CK once if I could and he told me that I couldn’t. Dmitri can clearly see how astounded I am, so he continues, “In light of your decision to end the sire trials and the rather apparent fact that you are no longer a Vampire, we feel that you are no longer qualified to rule over us.”
“Qualified?” I blurt out. “I am Queen of the Underworld.” Hang on, why am I defending myself? They are giving me something that I want here.
“Be that as it may,” Dmitri says with a respectful incline of his head, “We plan to segregate from the Underworld.”
Oh, I see. It’s a canny move and one that I cannot argue against without causing a fight. They are all standing there looking like I am about to declare war in the middle of my library anyway, when a Vampire I have never even seen before joins Dmitri at the forefront and says, “We will use whatever force necessary to ensure this happens.”
Dmitri’s smile tightens and he isn’t happy that his diplomacy has been so rudely stepped on. However, he gestures to the French doors and I turn to find a small army adorning my lawn.
“That won’t be necessary,” I say, turning back to Dmitri. “You have your wish. I resign as ruler of the Vampires.” There is a relieved whisper in the room, but I’m not done. “You will face challenges that you won’t be prepared for. Who here is going to rule?” I demand.
Again, Dmitri speaks for the group, “We will be a cabinet. I will be the chair.”
“Very well. May I suggest that we have a hand-over meeting?” I ask. I am not in the mood for this, but better to get it over with I suppose.
CK squeezes my hand and I look at him with a raised eyebrow.
“I will do it,” I whisper to him.
“I’ve got this,” he says to me as he gives me a soft kiss. “I am still one of them.”
Good point. Well, I guess I am done here then. That was easy, almost too easy, but a bit of a relief to be honest. Xane will also be pleased that he no longer has to deal with them. Not that he had to, of course, but in all of my various absences, someone had to hold dominion over them and who better than my fearless Overlord?
I take Dmitri’s hand and shake it to seal the deal and then I leave with Devon hot on my heels, only now getting slightly concerned by the fact that they all know exactly how to get the spell for the Faerie Silver. At least before this, anyone who tried would go to trial under my rule, but now… I gulp loudly as I pause in my decision and Devon bumps into me from behind.
I turn to him with a puzzled look. “Shouldn’t you stay in there?”
“Lizzie, I resigned a few months ago myself. What’s the point as I am also no longer a Vampire?” he says.
“Oh! Why didn’t you tell me?” I accuse him.
“I did,” he says with frustration. “You had your obsessive daughter-finding head buried in your maps and you waved your hand at me and mumbled, ‘Good for you.’”
“Oh,” I say again, and I feel my cheeks flush slightly. “Sorry. Should I be worried?”
He shrugs. “Whatever. About what?”
“You know, the Silver thing?” I say.
Devon looks back over his shoulder with a worried look, but then brushes it off. “No, I don’t think so. Drake won’t allow any of his people to leave his Realm and if anyone tries to come at you…well…they would have to be both stupid and have a death wish. Forget about it.”