Chapter |76| ~ The Pledge To The She-Wolf~
Unedited.
Cyrus's POV.
"Either way, I was wrong." Marcellus regains my attention. "We were all wrong and I apologize and value never to wrong you, or my sister ever again,"
"Your sister," I state with caution. Although, now that I'm calm I realize that the royal physician has made himself scarce. He really is a fucking pussy.
"Yes! My sister," Marcellus's voice draws me back in. "Embry is my sister just as much as Claire is my sister just like how you are my brother just as much as Nicklaus is my brother and I will never allow any soul on this earth to harm any of my brother or sister's, not even one of my brother's," he declares with a smile.
"I truly am sorry, brother," he expresses and I have known him long enough to know when his apology is genuine. This is genuine.
"Do you forgive me?" He questions me and I can feel his search for reconnection throughout our bond.
"How could I not," I smirk. "You are my baby bro, Marcellus. All is forgiven."
"And what about me," asks a voice from the opposite side of the room. My neck wastes no time snaping in its direction, or more like his direction, Nicklaus.
He's here.
For a moment, we stand there watching one another, or more like sizing one another up for what seems like forever, and that's when Marcellus decides to break the silence.
"It appears that the two of you have much to discuss, so I'll make myself scarce and give you all a moment alone,'
"Yeah, you do that," Nicklaus states smoothly, and I just nod my head as a response.
"Yeah, I think I will," says Marcellus as he makes his way towards the door, "But, before I go," he pauses a soon as his hand reaches the doorknob. "Nick, I'll have you know that even though I can't beat you physically doesn't mean that I won't whoop your ass mentally if anything happens to my other big brother when I leave this room,"
"Is that so," says Nicklaus with a smirk.
"You damn, Skippy," answers Marcellus with an even wider one. "I swear on my life that I'll have that hot a witch that I'm smashing spell your ass, quicker than one can say I do,"
"Shut up, Marcellus," growls Nicklaus, finally annoyed.
"Yeah! I'll shut up for the moment, but I'm dead ass serious," Marcellus says with a wink before his eyes fall onto me. "And Cyrus the same goes for you if a single strand of hair has been plucked from out of Nicklaus cool ass head when I leave this room it's abracadabra boom, for you too,"
"Shut up, Marcellus," I growl at the fool as well without breaking eye contact with Nicklaus.
"Cool, I'll shut up for now," the fool states coolly.
"I'll remain quiet throughout my entire stroll to Nicklaus private chamber, but when I get there, I swear that I'll make Claire scream so loud the entire castle shall be teasing her about our game of Marcellus says," the fool says with a wide toothless smirk.
I don't know what the hell he's talking about, but Nicklaus most certainly does because within the next second Marcellus's entire body is dangling off the floor as Nicklaus holds him high into the air by the collar of his shirt.
"I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, I’m just kidding," says Marcellus in mock surrender.
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, and now, it's my turn to have some fun," growls Nicklaus monster with a roar, making Marcellus gulp.
"What are you going to do to me?" questions Marcellus with wide puppy dog eyes and the fakest innocent voice that I've ever heard.
Meanwhile, here I'm in the bed, trying my hardest not to burst out laughing.
Marcellus, Marcellus, Marcellus! Only, him!
"Well let's see," states Nicklaus. "For starters, were going to play a game of Simon says,"
"Nicklaus says," I pitch in just for fun.
"Hey, no fair," cries out Marcellus, "You're supposed to be on my side,"
"I don't pick sides it's against the bro code of conduct, remember," I answer him with a shrug.
"Now, Now, Now," Marcellus is about to attempt to talk his way out of this, I'm sure. "Claire said to nod your head up and down and promise to get along with your brother's."
Embry's POV.
The ball is in full effect.
The decor is grandly grandiose and extremely elegant. The crystal chandeliers are hosting a dim light that sparkles radiance. There are ten thousand or so white candles that are magically floating above our heads and a dozen musicians on a small elevated podium across the room playing a lullable of soft haunting tones.
Unsurprisingly, everyone in attendants is dressed to the nines and followed the dress code down to the t. The men are wearing light-colored tuxedoes while the women are wearing soft pastel or white colored gowns with matching floral headwear arrangements, which official steals the show.
As per usual, the guest is all member's from the vampire noble community and I'm quickly coming to terms with the fact that the same guest tends to always present themselves at these types of vampire events. Although, I've noticed that some of the attendees are vampires that I've been seeing on television programs as well, like the famous vampire gossip lady that goes by the name of Cindy Lou Knows You.
According, to Aunt Katherine Cindy Lou, Knows You knows everything there is to know about every important supernatural member and reports the information back to the vampire general population.
Aunt Katherine also stated that the vampire press typically isn't allowed to attend these type of extravaganza but tonight is different, tonight is the night that Aunt Katherine officially presents me to the entire house of Ettore and that is the only reason why the press is prohibited to attend this event. She wants the world to know that I'm Cyrus's future queen, or more like Cyrus wants the entire world to know that I'm his queen.
Yes, this entire event was his idea and although it warms my heart to know that my mate would throw this enchantress of an event in my honor, I still can't help to think that he should be the one here with me sitting inside of his throne chair beside me, together. We should be doing this together. We should be sitting beside one another hand in hand.
This should be our night, about us not just about me, but either way, I'm still very grateful that my mate would go this far just to present his queen. I just miss him. A lot.
Other than that, so far, so good.
Tonight has been calm, but I can't help the feeling inside of my gut that makes me feel as if that this is only the calm before the storm, or maybe I'm just a little paranoid because of my earlier altercation with quote on quote Mistress Ettore.
"Neither can I," chimes in my wolf. "Stay on guard,"
"Always," I agree, quickly deciding that it's best to just trust my intention instead of arguing with her. Oh, yes!
How quickly can I forget that's another major decision that I made earlier on today.
From this day forward, I will always trust my gut and instincts, which means that I shall always place trust into my wolf because so far she has proven to never steer me wrong and I finally have come to terms with the fact that we are in this together.
"You damn right we are," my wolf speaks up as I once again begin to fidget with the hem of my dress. I've been doing that a lot tonight while being glued to my throne. It's been giving me something else to do, other than watching over a hundred beautiful faces in white and pastel mingle and dance amongst each other.
It’s actually the only thing that I’ve been doing if I’m gonna to be honest. My actions are calming my racing thoughts. In all honestly, this event in general has my mind racing, like right now for an example. As my eyes settle on the crowd I can’t help but to think about my family and what we use to be like before my destiny lead me here.
It’s just they all look so happy and carefree, like how we use to look at our pack gatherings. The only difference is that this beautiful group of immortals are acting as if nothing, or no one in this world could touch them. The Northern, Western packs and I didn’t have that luxury. It must be nice to have lived like this their entire life.
So, free. So, protected. So, importantly endangered.
I’ve never had that luxury. Well at least I haven’t into I met him. Cyrus. Oh, my Goddess! I miss him.
"Are you okay, my dear," whispers Aunt Katherine as she gently places her soft hand on top of my fidgeting one.
"Yes! I'm fine," I ensure her with a soft smile. "I just miss,"
"Cyrus," she finishes my sentence with a soft smile of her own. "I'm sure that he misses you as well, my dear girl, but you know like I know that he would want,"
"For me to enjoy myself," this time I'm the one finishing for hers. We've been doing that a lot lately, over the last past couple of days to be exact.
Aunt Katherine and I have grown closer than close, and now that I've got her I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She's like the mother that I've never had, but also like the big sister that I can't help but to adore. She's truly perfect in every way.
So kind, so loving, and so caring. My mate is truly blessed to be loved by someone like her.
"How about you go dance?" she suggests with a smile. "There are so many suitors who can't seem to keep their eyes off you,"
Yeah, right! They can't keep their eyes off the mysterious she-wolf that has captured the ruthless King heart for many reasons, but dancing with me is most certainly no one of them. Besides, even if one of the many suitors did want to dance with me. I'm almost certain that their eyes would be gulled from out of their eye-sockets by the night's end if my mate has anything to do with it. I'm no fool, just because he's not here physically doesn't mean that his presence isn't here with me. There is no doubt in my mind that he doesn't have his eyes all on me.
"I'll pass," I softly giggle. "You know like I know that Cyrus,"
"Will have my head on a spike if I don't ask the prettiest lady inside of this room to dance with me," cuts in Gutter Butter as he approaches the elevated podium.
Almost instantly my face turns into a shade of red tomatoes. He can not be that cheesy.
"And yes, I'm that cheesy, serious but cheesy," he says with a smile.
Gutter Butter looks gloriously gorgeous in a peri-wrinkle blue tuxedo with a matching silk vest and a white wingtip dress shirt with a dark blue tie. His nicely textured raven black hair is slicked back to perfection and his heavenly deep blue eyes are sparkling innocently.
From the corner of my eyes, I can see that almost every set of eyes inside of this extravagant event are now placed onto the two of us,"
The music has changed tuned as well, the dancing comes to a complete fault, the chit chatter and laughing have also died down completely. It's like everyone inside of this room has been waiting for someone to approach me, or more like waiting to see how I would react if someone approached me.
Gutter Butter flashes a charming smile. "So what do you say, Deathtrap," he says, light-heartedly, as he holds out his hand for me to take. "May you please, provide me with the pleasure of having this dance with you,"
"Yes, you may," I say as I place my hand in his to take.
Cyrus POV.
"I have one question, if I sentenced Claire to death would you forgive me,"
Nicklaus sits tall and proud in the chair across from me, but he remains silent. The cool, calm, and collected energy inside of this room that was just here moments ago is long gone, now leaving a more intense environment. After Marcellus left the two of us have seemed to be placed back into square one, just sitting here watching one another watch each other.
"No, I wouldn't," he answers honestly. Yeah, that's what I thought.
"So, I guess it's nothing else to talk about," I state cooly.
"On the contrary, my friend. I believe that it is," he states back with a smirk, most likely trying to soften the mood. "Cyrus, you are my best friend, my brother, and my closes confidant. Other than Xander and now Claire you are truly the closet soul to me on this entire planet and the next. Now, I know that I've wronged you and your beloved and have broken the bond that we once shared beyond repair but even with all of that I ask for your forgiveness,"
"And why should I give you that," I ask without any hesitation. "Why should you even forgive me for what I have done at the feast? Both of us have crossed all boundaries and broken all of the rules,"
"You're right!" He too states the truth. "Yet here we are still capable of sitting inside of this room on our own without wanting bloodshed. Our monster's want peace. I want peace,"
"And so do I," I admit. I do want to forgive him but my monster will never be able to forget the betrayal and neither will I.
"And neither will I," Nicklaus states out loud, meaning he's inside of my head.
"Stay out of my head, Nicklaus," I warn. "I always hated when you did that,"
"I know and that's exactly why I continued to do it," he playfully smirks but even a deaf man could hear the seriousness inside of his voice. I just nod and place focus on to the other end of the room.
“Look, Cyrus," suddenly sighs Nicklaus. "I know how deep my actions cut you. I mean we've been friends for over five centuries and we've fallen out over many things, but not once have we have had the slightest argument over women,"
"Yup! You're right about that one," Nicklaus and I have shared our women in many ways, feasting off their blood, making love to the same women together and alone, you name it and if one of us ever suspected that one of those women would even think about threatening our brotherhood the only argument that would occur is the one concerning which one of us gets to end her life. It was that simple, but when it comes to our beloveds it could never be that simple.
Never.
"Claire is my blessing and my curse, Cyrus," Nicklaus suddenly speaks up. "She has become my sole reason for existence and when it comes to her I would end every single soul in the entire solar system life if that's what it takes to protect hers and that doesn't disclude neither one of you kings that I have sworn loyalty to, not even Xander," he says now looking out of the window. "No matter how much it may pain me to do so, I will end either of your lives without any hesitation to save hers," he finishes and I can literally feel his pain throughout our shattered bond, but yet all I can do is stare into space because trust me when I say that I not only understand his feelings but also share his pain as well.
“I understand," I speak the truth after a second. "Trust me when I say that I do because Embry is also my blessing and my curse and she too has become my sole reason for existence. I would end every single soul in this entire universe if that's what it takes to protect her and that doesn't disclude neither one of the kings that I have sworn loyalty to, not even you," I tell him straight up. "With that being said, surely you can understand why I can't forgive you,"
"Yes, I do, but I will spend the rest of my life hoping and praying that one day you'll somehow find it in you're heart to do so and if you don’t I will spend the rest of eternity wishing that one day you will chose to,”
“You see, Cyrus! Claire completes me but you shall forever be a huge part of me, and no matter where you decide to go from here, or how hard you push me away. You shall always remain a part of me, always, and so well Embry," he tells me a second later.
Then, he takes a stand just to suddenly take a knee. "I apologize for everything, Cyrus, and even though I can not change what I've done. I can damn sure spend the rest of my life writing my wrong that I caused you and her. Embry is my sister, and I pledge my undying loyalty to the both of you,"
"And so do I," I say, as I take a stand just to repeat his action.
"Not only do my queen and I accept your loyalty. I also pledge my loyalty to you, King Nicklaus and Queen Claire, The Queen of All Vampire Kings."
Embry POV.
The very moment that I place my hand into Gutter Butter hand the crowd parts ways as he steers me to the dance floor and pulls me close to him. He then gently place his hand down onto my hip while tightening his hold around my hand. Without instructions, I place my free hand down onto his upper arm.
Then I give him a tiny smile as the musicians begin to play yet another beautiful haunting tune, setting the tone for us to move. It all feels so formal.
"Hello, gorgeous," Gutter Butter lightens the mood after a while.
"Hello, annoying," I smile harder.
"Annoying," he fakes offense as he twirls me around with ease. "I must admit that there are a thousand and one overly annoying suitors inside of this room, who all seem not to know what's good for their health because they obviously can't keep their eyes off you,"
"So you're the eyes that my darling of mate have decided to leave behind,"
"Of course, I am!" He states with pride. "Even still, I must not know what's good for my health because I too couldn't seem to keep my eyes off of you, but at least I have a reason to actually be watching you," he adds in not even a second later before he spins me around the dance floor again."And who would have known that the ruthless savage queen could move with such grace,"
"Ruthless savage queen," I questions him with a raised eyebrow.
"I know," he says to me. "That's exactly what I said when I heard the awful rumor. The ruthless savage queen, not my Embry if anything she's the darling queen who can't seem to help capturing the heart of bloodthirsty leeches like me,"
"Oh, Gutter butter, your such a softy," I say with a smile.
"Only for you," he admits with an even wider one before he once again spins me around.
“Okay! At this point I'm dizzy," my wolf chimes in and I can't help but to laugh out loud.
"What's so funny?" Gutter Butter whispers as he pulls me back in.
"My wolf," I anwser him, making him quietly huff.
"Please don't tell me that your wolf is planning to really go savage beast mode on me again. I don't think that I'll be able to survive this time. She's such a feisty little thing,"
"And don't you ever forget it," my wolf speaks up with golden eyes before retreating back to the back of my mind.
"Oh, I won't! Trust me," he says and I just laugh harder.
That is when I realize that the dreadful feeling that I once felt has been replaced with a heartfelt feeling of joy and my worries have seem to become nothing but a thing of yesterday, and it's all because of him, Gutter Butter. My rescuer, which reminds me.
"You remind me of someone, you know," I say with a soft smile.
“Oh is that so,” he says to me.
“Yes! It’s so true and the person who you remind me of just happens to be a very important man,”
"Oh, please don't get all sentimental and say that I remind you of your father," he just has to say.
"Oh, please don't flatter yourself," I say with a even wider smile. “It's more like my brother. From day one you have protected me and become my first friend while I felt captured just like how my brother use to be when I was just a pup,"
"It's my job to protect you," he states and my smile drops instantly. “And I must admit that it's the best job ever, protecting you have truly been a honor,” he waste no time with turning my frown upside down.
"Your just saying that because it's your job to protect me, even from heartbreak," I recite his words to me.
"Now that maybe so," he admits. "Although, either way it's still the honest to blood God truth. It has truly been a honor to serve you. It truly is. You bring so much hope into the picture. You're an angel surrounded by devils, forced into a world full of sin and this devil life purpose have become to protect and serve you," he pauses in the middle of the dance floor before suddenly deciding to take a knee for all to see.
Then he places my hand into his hand as he states. "I'll will kill for you. I will die for you, Embry. I love you," he pauses for just a second before he says. "In a big brother kind of way, so it's really no surprise that I remind you of your big brother because you are most certainly my little sister, death trap," he says.
"They say that your kind are nothing but savage beast, but I disagree. You are the kindest soul that I've encountered in my three centuries of living. You have a soft heart, but yet your mind is iron-clad strong. I can honestly see why my king has chosen you to stand by his side, and I for one accept his decision open heartedly,”
I pledge my loyalty to King Cyrus but most importantly to you, Embry the she-wolf queen,” he says loud and clear for all to hear.
There’s now an audible silence, an overly extreme audible one.
"And so do I," suddenly says an extremely familiar voice, from behind me.
"Awe, Speck," I say as she pulls me into an over suffencating bear hug.
“And so do I,”says the lovely Anastasia Vlad as she makes her way towards me.
"And so do I," Aunt Katherine adds in while taking a stand out of her throne chair on the elevated podium. “My sweet child, I’ve prayed my entire life for a star as bright as you to shine light into my dearest nephew heart and here you are. All hail, the she-wolf queen, Embry. My successor,"
"All hail queen, Embry,"
"All hail queen, Embry,"
"All hail queen, Embry,"
The crowd roars as every single immortal inside of this room, bows before me.
Oh, my Goddess! Oh, my Goddess! This isn’t happening.
“Yes! It is,” my wolf makes it her business to say. “This is it, our time. Your time, all hail queen, Embry the she-wolf queen,”
Oh, my Goddess! This is so unreal.
Hey, love bugs to make up for not posting Friday. My next update shall be Wensday and then another update on Friday. I hope you enjoyed today’s update.By the way, let me know what you guys think! Did you expect that or did you not expect that crazy turn of events in Embry’s and Cyrus journeys.