Chapter 81

ARIC

My eyes scanned the bloodied ballroom. I spotted her in the back of the room, standing by her brother, facing down Alexander.

Fuck.

I didn’t want him to get so close to her. I didn’t want her to have to deal with the prick.

Then suddenly, Phoenix flew into my vision and brought the prince to his knees. She was grinning, her mouth full of blood. I knew her fiery temper was useful sometimes.

At that moment, the room seemed to quiet down. Alexander was at Phoenix’s mercy, and the king was stretched out between my father and my grandfather.

I knew, at that moment, that things had been thought out, discussed, planned without telling me.

When I was younger, my father had gathered my sisters and me and told us that we would potentially have to overthrow the royal family at one point.

Anything can happen. We always had to be ready. I was somewhat disappointed I hadn’t realized what was happening until it happened.

But I couldn’t wipe the satisfied smirk off my face to see the king kneeling as Eleanor sashayed toward him, her eyes crimson, seeking revenge for the way he’d so brutally tried to tear her from this world.

She was glowing again, like a beacon. I stared at her stomach as she made her way toward the king.

Phoenix was dragging Alexander behind her. He moaned and groaned, still too weak and healing to fight back.

I couldn’t see any change in Eleanor’s figure. She was strong, lean, and curvy like always.

But the thought of her carrying my child, the one I had never expected to exist when I chose her, the one I had denied I ever wanted when I chose her, had my heart soaring.

I couldn’t believe my luck. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It seemed like the most precious gift that I certainly didn’t deserve after all the shit she’d been through because of me.

By the time she got to the king, Father and Damon already had him tied up and kneeling before them.

They tossed down William and Alexander at his feet. Mother dragged the princesses forward and pushed them to their knees as well. They hissed and resisted, but it was useless. We had the upper hand.

The battle was over.

Damon was sniffing the air, searching for his wife while Father began speaking. He was calm and focused, like always.

“My lord,” he began softly. “We all learned the consequences of our actions this evening. Our family has faithfully obeyed and respected yours for over three thousand years.

“For over one hundred years, our families have been linked by blood. But the blood has turned sour, and you pushed your luck angering a powerful family like ours, with such a strong claim to your title.

“As the son of Elizabeth Mcnoxnoctis, born Night, and heir to the throne, I hereby strip you and your descendants here present of your title.” He paused to gaze at Alexander, whose throat had finally healed.

“You may leave, as ~blood~, I grant you the favor, as you did for me. History doesn’t need to repeat itself.

“However, if you choose not to leave, I will not hesitate to remove your head from your shoulders. The same goes for your family.”

I slipped closer to Eleanor, sliding my palm around her waist and pulling her back against me. She relaxed against my frame, her glow dimming as she grew more comfortable.

She tilted her head back and met my gaze with her own piercing opal eyes.

I stopped listening to my father’s words as she lifted her hand to my cheek and drew my head down, so our lips met.

I held her tighter, relishing in the softness, the passion of her kiss, and the way her body arched into mine.

I was seconds from picking her up and carrying her up to the tower to have my way with her on the balcony.

Then she pressed her fang lightly to her lip, and I tasted her blood. A rush of emotions flew through me—euphoria, fear, and excitement.

Her blood had changed. It tasted like mine and hers mixed together. She was definitely carrying my child. I couldn’t love her more, and my heart was racing like it never had before.

I held my whole world in my arms, and I was never letting her go.

A loud growl pulled me back to my father and the king. He was resisting despite my father’s hold on his shoulders keeping him down. He was seething, calling for his sister.

Pushing through the crowd, Elizabeth appeared beside Damon. She looked terrible, her suit torn and her face bloodied. She directly avoided looking toward Eleanor. She faced her brother, her breathing heavy.

“Lucius,” she breathed. “We always knew this day would come,” she said.

Lucius spat at her, blood and saliva landed in a glob on her shirt. She ignored it.

“We knew, we all did, that the Night family would fall with you.” She nodded to herself. “As my son said, he is heir to the throne. I endorse his claim.

“Please, don’t make the same mistake the Troys did. We don’t need to lose another pureblood clan.”

Eleanor glanced at me. “Troys?” she murmured.

“Remember Helen of Troy?” I breathed to her. “Helen was a Night, and she ran off to be with a Troy. They were the royal family, the original royal family at the time.

“The Night family destroyed them and took the throne,” I explained. “History didn’t quite get the story straight. The Night family wasn’t after Helen because she was married to them.

“It was her father who refused to have her marry a Troy. The Troys were, apparently, a bit wild.”

Eleanor’s eyes were wide, but she nodded.

Lucius was fuming. His eyes were darting between his family and mine. He let out a terrible roar.

“We will never stop,” he growled. “We will take our crown back. It is rightfully ours!”

Elizabeth turned to her husband, then to Demetrius. She then glanced at Eleanor. And blinked once.

“Kill him,” she ordered.

Lucius snarled. His whole family moved to stop my father, who had his hands around Lucius’s head, ready to snap his neck and rip it off.

“Stop!”

A shrill voice rang through the room. We all froze as we took in the new scents. We had all been so caught up in the action, none of us had heard them arriving.

The crowd parted as she moved through us. Venus and Henry trailed behind her, their faces wet with blood, their clothes torn, their eyes wild.

They’d been with an ancient vampire. The old vampire ways were always exhilarating but also exhausting.

I stared at her. I honestly hadn’t seen her in over four hundred years, and I didn’t even know if I recognized her.

Diana, Artemis, my great-grandmother. She was four thousand years old, one of the last of her generation.

She looked at it. Her skin was so fair it was almost translucent. Her hair was white, silver, the color of stars, and hung down her back in ringlets. Her sharp sapphire-blue gaze was fixed on the king.

Blood dripped from her red lips.

“Grandmother,” Mother stepped forward, her eyes wide. Selene moved to Mother’s side. Diana stopped and gazed at them, her hard expression melting into a smile.

“Sweet children,” she cooed. “I am sorry about your mother,” she breathed. “I raised her too wild.” She chuckled lightly. Mother nodded slowly.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Diana?” the king snarled from his place on the ground. Diana turned to him.

“I’m here because I was invited,” she replied, waving her hand back toward Venus. She smiled at him. “Where is she? The human pureblood?” She glanced around.

I felt Eleanor stiffen, but she stepped out anyways, her gaze on the ancient pureblood.

“I’m here. I’m Eleanor,” she announced.

Diana was by her side in a millisecond, grasping her hand, running her fingers through Eleanor’s hair. She let out a shrill laugh.

“Oh, my dear,” she cooed. “You are quite the impressive creature, aren’t you?” She grinned a bloody grin, fangs dripping.

Then she looked around Eleanor and focused on David, who just looked shell-shocked.

“Your brother?” she asked Eleanor, and when Eleanor nodded, she waved David forward. I had to give him a small shove before he got moving.

He shuffled toward the ancient vampire. Eleanor immediately grabbed his hand to steady him.

Diana was grinning at the pair. Then she twisted around and stared straight at Elizabeth.

“Doesn’t he look exactly like that boy of yours? You know, the one you tried to hide from everyone.” She giggled. “Romulus, was it?”

She turned back to Eleanor and stroked her cheek. “And you, my dear, you look like her. Different skin tone, though.”

“Like who?” Eleanor whispered.

“Like Myrtle, of course! You may have heard of her. She went by Aphrodite long ago. That name stuck more than others.” She laughed to herself.

“She started that whole war between the Nights and the Troys. Your lovely sister Venus is named after her!”