Chapter 66

ALEXANDER

The little castle filled quickly. The Chen family were the first to arrive, quickly followed by certain Takao members and the rest of the Eternelle family.

As the evening drew on, the guests settled in diverse areas of the castle. The lawn outside was brightly lit with electric bulbs that hung from the trees, music played from different speakers.

Grace Chen commanded as much attention as she could, wearing a very revealing red gown that split down almost to her navel.

I made my rounds slowly, greeting all my subjects, something that both my grandfather and father had taught me the importance of doing.

Phoenix stayed mostly by my side, drifting off every once in a while to chat with her twin or her cousin.

She was a great asset, not only utterly stunning with her grandmother’s red curls and pitch-black gown, but she was also generally very well-liked by most purebloods.

Her family name commanded respect as did her kind smiles. She had knocked me off my feet when I first saw her, and I couldn’t imagine her other than by my side as my queen.

That was until I saw that human. There was something about her that intrigued me, and I could not rip my thoughts away from her.

She was an attractive human, sure, but I had seen thousands of attractive human women, taken them all to my bed, and drained them completely. I had never felt any form of remorse.

No hunter ever should. So, why didn’t I want to drain her so completely? Why did I feel almost like I wanted to keep her safe, keep her by my side, take her whenever I wanted?

A small part of myself felt I understood, finally, why Rose had so adamantly protected her. I understood why Aric had claimed her so quickly.

A bigger part of myself was suddenly growing increasingly jealous of Aric and increasingly hungry for the human. Eleanor.

Where she had disappeared off to, I wasn’t sure. I could no longer scent her. The air was full of the scent of wine, human blood bags slicing their wrists open, offering it up to hungry purebloods.

I tried my best to flip back to the conversation I was having with Richard and Orion Eternelle, but I couldn’t focus on their demands.

Phoenix had wandered off again, and I could hear her laughing with her sister. Making my excuses, I left the Eternelle brothers to search for the human.

I was almost certain it hadn’t been Aric who saved her that night fifteen years before. I had seen him since then, and he’d been distraught and constantly traveling around with James.

But he had been aware of her for a while, long enough for them to have formed an attachment.

It wasn’t Venus or Phoenix either; Phoenix had been shocked when she received the news and was disgusted that she heard it from her cousin before her brother told her.

My current suspicions lay on dear Rose Mcnoxnoctis, who was, perhaps, just as mad as her mother.

I reached out and grabbed a large human as it wobbled by me, a woman, tight-waisted with an ample bosom, but she just looked like nourishment to me.

I did not understand how I could see Eleanor as a potential partner and this human as a blood bag. The human leaned into me, whimpering as I sunk my fangs into the throat and sucked.

“My lord.” I glanced up, wiping the blood off my lips with the back of my sleeve. It was Demetrius Mcnoxnoctis. He was a quiet man.

I remembered hearing about him when I was younger. Stories of his massacres, of his amazing union with Rose, and of the birth of the first pureblood twins.

His strength was undeniable. He was big, tall, and thickly muscled. He held a presence about him, the same one his mother carried. Power, dominance, and, well, love.

His eyes bored into mine. I knew he hated me. I had been a total asshole to him and his wife.

“Demetrius.” I gave him a tight nod. “You must be happy to have your pet home.”

He chuckled. His eyes stayed focused on mine, not giving away where the human could have been hiding.

“We all are,” he answered. “She was dearly missed.”

“Soon to be a part of the family anew, if I’m not mistaken.” I arched my brows. He looked a little amused.

“I believe so, yes.”

“How soon?”

“Soon.” He gave me a wary smile.

“My lord, I’ve come to clear things up. I want to know your intentions with my daughter upright, and I want to know your grandfather’s intentions with my human daughter.” His arms crossed over his chest.

“Straight to the point, I see.” I picked up a wine glass from the table and took a sip from it. “I intend to marry Phoenix. She will make a remarkable queen, I’m sure of it.

“From what I have been able to grasp, she’s a good balance between your own mother’s fiery temper and your wife’s protective, loving recklessness.

“I think these elements will make her the perfect queen, wife, and mother.”

Demetrius was nodding as I spoke.

“If she’ll take me. I’m not so certain about that yet,” I admitted. Phoenix had always been aloof when we discussed her potential royalty.

Demetrius nodded slowly. “I agree. The decision will be entirely hers to make.”

I nodded in agreement. “As for the child, she’s grown up, hasn’t she? My grandfather, honestly, doesn’t care what happens to her. He didn’t fifteen years ago either.

“It’s now illegal to adopt human children into a pureblood family. She was made an example of. That’s what’s important to him, not the blood bag.

“For me, however, it’s different. Tell me, Demetrius, what do you see when you look at her? Do you see a blood bag, or do you see a girl with bright eyes and a quick grin?”

Demetrius was looking at his wife, talking quickly with her sister, his lips pursed.

“I see a child playing in the snow. Oblivious to the world around her.”

“That’s wishful thinking.”

“It is. She’s grown up now, no help from us. She makes her own decisions. I’m just grateful to be a part of it.”

“How can you love a human, Demetrius?” I wondered. He let out a heavy breath.

“I can’t explain it to you, my lord. You don’t, at first, then you can’t help it.” He shrugged. “Which is why I did what I did.” He turned to me.

“Demetrius!” Rose appeared suddenly by her husband’s side, her hands slipping into his. “My lord, you’ll excuse us.” She began pulling him away.

“What did you do, Demetrius?” I asked, my tone cold. His gaze met mine.

“I smuggled her away.”

The air was split by a scream, and the scent of sweet blood reached my nose. Eleanor!