ed.
“It will be fine,” he reassures her.
“I hope so. It didn’t go so well last time,” she says. “I don’t understand why they can’t just see I am a Dracul.”
“It is because of your Shifter nature. They assume that I am coercing you into looking like Xerxei,” he says, getting angry.
“Coercing me?” she snickers. “I’d like to see you try.”
“So would I,” he says darkly, and he sees her shiver. He would like nothing more than to show her his dark side, but until she truly accepts him as her other half, he won’t do it. “Speaking of Xerxei,” he says and indicates her person.
She Shifts and he gets hard as he sees his true love as she should be. He clicks his fingers and changes his clothes into his Overlord attire, and she follows with something equally suitable for a Queen at a Demon Trial: a black flowing gown that barely contains her magnificent breasts, and shows off her Dragon in all its glory, but covers up her Fae markings.
“Perfect,” he says to her.
She inclines her head in thanks and holds her hand out to him. He Astraports them down to the hall and hesitates just outside the heavy black doors.
“Just whatever happens, don’t waver,” he says before he pushes the doors open.
The meeting hall is packed to the gills, everyone eager to hear the outcome. The six Houses each have at least a hundred representatives and he can see the clear divide between the Houses of Dracul and Septimus. It doesn’t surprise him in the least that the Aldric’s have backed Septimus. He ignores them all as he leads his Queen down the aisle to the raised platform at the front of the hall. He feels her quiver and can only imagine how she must feel being paraded in front of this many Demons. He sits her in the throne next to his and she straightens her back and glares regally out over the whispering crowd. Yes, this was a tactical move on his behalf. He seated her where his wife should be, where no one has sat since his mother sat next to his father.
The Head of the Demon Council, Lord Falcor, stands and bangs his gavel. He is from the House of Toshack. Every single Council Head has come from this notoriously neutral House, for good reason.
“My Lord,” Lord Falcor says to him with a slight bow. “My Lady,” he says to Xerxei and she accepts his bow with a swift nod.
“As we are all aware,” Lord Falcor starts, “we are here today to draw a conclusion to the question over the Queen’s House. For the record, the House of Dracul has stated that the Queen, by her own admission, belongs to them as Dracul’s sister, and the House of Septimus has made a claim for the Queen as she is also the sister of House founder Septimus, son of Dragon Empress Tiamat.”
Xane catches Xerxei’s eye. She looks bored as Lord Falcor drones on, explaining that the Empress got pregnant with a Dragon already in a union, and to save the three persons involved a lot of heartache and criticism, Tiamat gave the baby boy to the father and his wife to raise as their own. It is only in recent months it has come to light of Septimus’s true maternal lineage, thus making Xerxei also the sister of Septimus. Now that everyone who wasn’t already aware, which was no one, is caught up in the sordid tale, Lord Falcor bangs his gavel once more. “Both Houses have a valid claim to the Queen, and it is for us to decide which.”
There is outrage from the representatives of Dracul which gets the gavel banging loudly. “Order!” Lord Falcor states.
Xane stands. He is putting an end to this once and for all. “Xerxei is a Dracul. By her own admission she…”
Sven interrupts him by shouting, “How do we know you aren’t forcing her to do this, or that it isn’t political? No one was there when she supposedly became Xerxei.”
Xane smiles smugly down at him. “If you had let me finish, I was about to tell you, that by her own admission Xerxei came to me and laid claim to me while we were making love. It is a true Blood bond and she belongs with me as I do to her.”
He feels her eyes boring into him as he just aired their private business in front of nearly a thousand Demons. This is only the beginning. There is a hushed silence after his comment. The Demon Overlord has just declared that he is tied to the Queen by means of a true bond and that around here means something.
“Are there witnesses?” Sven asks with a smirk. “How do we just take your word for it?”
Xerxei stands then, as he knew she would. “You have my word. Is that not good enough?” she challenges him. He falters for a moment, but there is too much at stake to back down. Getting her in his House means turfing Xane out of rule. The prize is just too big.
“Forgive me, my Lady, but…” he starts.
She interrupts him, “But nothing.” Her voice rings out around the quiet hall. “I laid claim to Xane Draconis in a moment of intimacy, after Xerxei showed herself. I am a true Dracul, I belong with the family Draconis.”
“It’s not good enough!” Sven insists. “There is nothing to prove any of this.”
“We will prove it here and now,” Xane says and Xerxei looks at him with narrowed eyes. She knows he is up to something, so he might as well dive in headfirst.
“Xerxei is a true Dracul by her mother’s lineage, but also because she will be my wife. We will wed here in front of the Trial to show our commitment to one another.”
You could hear a pin drop in the ensuing silence. Then there is a muffled weeping which he knows comes from CeeCee and Xerxei’s sharp intake of breath as she realizes what he has done. He has painted her into a corner. She weds him or she gets handed off to Sven to do with her as he pleases. She knows that if she refuses him it will look to the Trial that she isn’t serious about him or her loyalty to the House. Lord Falcor will rule in Sven’s favor and he loses, both her and his title.
Seconds pass. He starts to sweat. The longer she waits to confirm this the more it looks like a tactic.
Finally, she steps right up to his side and takes his hand.