Rage of the Alpha (Part 2 of the Alpha Queen series)

LIFFIN

The other entity in the room was painfully obvious from the moment they stepped inside with the Autumn King at their heels. At first the entity gave off an inquisitive vibe, but Liffin felt the moment that vibe changed to hunger.

Out of pure instinct, he stepped in front of Lola just as the vampire squeezed his throat instead of hers. His oesophagus threatened to give way beneath the bony digits, but before that could happen his own survival mode kicked in. Opening his mind to the horrendous feeling the vampire gave off, he fed.

Not caring about this creature’s comfort, he drained it dry of the hatred it had until the figure lay on the floor, gasping as if it couldn’t breathe. Pavel was kneeling beside it in an instant, cradling its head and brushing away the hair from its face to reveal a woman. The pieces clicked immediately for Liffin as he pulled Lola close to him.

“Mother,” he whispered.

“She’s coming around. What ís your power?” Pavel’s shock seemed to subside along with his worry as his mate slowly regained herself. He hadn’t seen her - let alone touched her - in so long, Liffin realized their strained bond would start to mend now.

“No-one knows but Lola here… I feed on emotion, it fuels my magic. Magic that can become whatever I need it to be.” He spoke softly, never having said it aloud before. But he felt he owed his parents - for what was done to them - and all he had to offer was truth. If they rejected him, at least it would be an informed decision.

Liffin could feel the love pouring between the mates in front of him. If his feeding had worked as usual, they should have at least two or three weeks at their disposal. Maybe he could offer that as a repayment of sorts. But time would tell them if she could handle it. Being the Vampire Queen made her stronger than most, but she’d been broken a long time ago.

When the vampire finally opened her eyes, Liffin could only sense sadness and love for her mate, nothing else. Her natural abilities had returned when the hunger was removed. Now, she needed to feed for real. Stepping forward, he cleared his throat to gain their attention.

“I’d be happy to feed you, in return for what just happened… my Queen.” He bowed his head as the last left his mouth.

Pavel merely snapped his fingers and an ancient-looking goblet appeared in his hand, filled with dubious red liquid. He helped the woman sit properly and brought it to her lips so that she could gulp it down eagerly. Another snap of his fingers refilled the empty cup.

“I’ve waited for this moment for a very long time, thank you young Prince. Whatever you need, I will give without question. And… maybe once my mate regains her composure, I’m sure I speak for both of us, we would like to get to know you. If that would please you, of course.”

“I am your son. Nothing could make me happier. You honor me Autumn King.” He reached a hand to Lola, who took it silently, “We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as they turned to give them privacy.

“Thank you,” Lola could have sworn she heard a scratchy voice whisper as they closed the heavy doors behind them.

Liffin approached the first guard they came across for directions to their rooms. The guard bowed his head slightly and led them silently through the palace. At the door to the first room, he asked if they would like to have dinner in their rooms or in the dining hall.

After the events that had unfolded, Liffin knew Lola had not considered eating, so he informed the guard that they would take it in their rooms. The guard pointed out the next room as Liffin’s and left with another bow of his head.

Liffin opened the door for Lola and gestured her inside, following behind her to make sure there was no ambush. Checking every adjacent room and bathroom as well, he found no threats, only wanting to take his leave.

“Good night Lola.”

Surprisingly, her smaller hand grasped his. He looked at it and heard her say; “You don’t need to hide from me. Just sit down for a moment, we’ll have dinner and maybe you’ll feel better for not being alone.”

She pulled him toward the nearest recliner and sat him down. Moving to the decanters on a small side-table, she inclined her head holding different colors for him to choose from. Liffin sighed and gave a slight smile, “Fine, I’ll have the blue, but only if you join me.”

Lola smiled in return and brought a glass for them both. He wondered if she’d ever had blue fairy wine, but relaxed once he realized they wouldn’t be encountering anyone else, besides, the food should arrive shortly, adding to their resistance to the wine’s effects.

Liffin found himself relaxing as Lola told him about her first years in the human realm. It was both interesting and sad when her power had morphed enough to be able to point out demons living among the humans. She hadn’t known what kind of monsters they were at the time though.

An interesting development for sure, but he would think more on it later, when he wasn’t having a good time with a newly established friend. They drank and laughed, ate when dinner arrived, and joked with each other like old friends by the time he noticed he was getting tired.

At the mention of retiring to his own room, Lola snuggled closer and got comfortable against his shoulder, pinching his nose. She was laughing at his expression then, which warmed his heart - so he stayed. Later, when sleep was taking him, he heard a faint whisper thanking him for being willing to be her first friend.

Liffin woke to soft snores in his ear. It took no effort to recall who was burrowed into his side. The sweet smell of blueberries enfolded his mind in a cocoon of peace, of well-being. Preferring the moment not come to an end, he kept his breathing even and his body relaxed.

He could not recall a similar feeling of contentment and he wanted to soak it in so he could remind himself of it in future. Lola reached behind his shoulder into his hair, which had come undone at some point during the night. He revelled in her touch and then she sighed, burying her nose behind his ear.

Suddenly she yelped and sprang away from him. A quick decision had him still feigning sleep but protesting at her sudden absence. Still keeping up the rouse, it was really hard not to laugh at her reaction.

Liffin could sense her alarm at first, then her acceptance of the situation - her longing and eventually she gave in to settling beside him once more. Turning into her, he pulled her closer and breathed in her blueberry-scent. He could tell she loved it but her body was stiff as he snuggled closer.

Opening his eyes and smiling slowly, he said, “Good morning,” his voice gruff from sleep. He did not let go of her, wanting her acceptance while she was awake.

Lola’s smile reached her eyes as she sighed. “Will things go back to the way they were before, or were you seriously befriending me last night?”

“I’m good with how they are now. It’s not something I’m used to, but you can teach me. I’ve always been a great student.” Liffin chuckled. “But I doubt friends sleep with each other on couches everywhere.” His eyes twinkled with amusement.

Lola froze and blushed deeply at that, stammering; “We didn’t - This wasn’t…”

“Relax woman,” Liffin threw back his head and laughed, “I’m kidding. We were comfortable with one another and I am grateful for what you did for me. It’s been a novel feeling, but no regrets from my side, okay?”

Lola felt like beaming, but she didn’t. Instead, he could practically feel her resolve to be cautiously optimistic about the situation. Having a royal as a friend might be beneficial in any case. Liffin went to his room to get ready for the day, leaving her to do the same.

Staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he came to the realization that he felt good. Aside from being slightly nervous about meeting his parents properly this morning, this good mood of his was unique in it being the first he’d ever experienced. That was saying something about his 300-odd years of living.

He spit out the bubbling kernel that had cleaned his teeth magically and rinsed his mouth. This feeling is the reason Ferian has always been such a fool, but even that thought did nothing to sober Liffin up.

With a smile he held out his hand for Lola to take once she opened her door. All felt right with the world as they made it to the dining hall for breakfast. The Autumn King stood as they entered, grinning like an idiot.

“Prince Liffin, Lady Lola, come-come, have a seat. We have a lot of catching up to do.” He motioned toward the seats beside him. “The Queen will join us shortly. She was enjoying her maidens’ attentions so I told them to pamper her thoroughly. I’m sure you can understand.”

“Of course,” Lola spoke for both of them.

“I feel the need to apologize… Pavel.” Liffin addressed the King rather uncertainly. “If I had thought that I could help your situation… Hell, let me rather say if I was aware of it, I could’ve helped much sooner. If our Queen knows, she hasn’t informed anyone. As such - I’m sorry it took so long - for the pain you’ve had to live with my whole life.”

With his head bent down, he saw Lola’s hand squeeze his own in his lap. The action brought a warmth to his heart and he said; “I’m at your disposal your majesty,” finally looking his father in the eye.

“As am I son. I refuse to harbour any feelings of discontent, now that you’ve returned. Your mother feels the same, she will want to reassure you of that herself. Besides that, I have so much to atone for - not only with you, but your mother and brother too.” He suddenly sat straight and beamed.

“Here she comes. How do I look? Gods! I feel like a teenager!” He laughed breathlessly.

“You’re perfectly fine your Majesty,” Lola chuckled, throwing Liffin a wink. Their amusement grew when the Vampire Queen entered the room with a string of handmaidens in tow. Her long dark tresses were still dripping but she seemed in a hurry to get away from the girls.

“Yes-yes girls, I’m fine. I know you want to pamper me but please, I need to meet my son.” She ran to Liffin and let out a high-pitched noise, followed by; “You’re truly here! I wasn’t dreaming! It’s truly happening! I wasn’t crazy!”

Affections of these kind have always been out of Liffin’s reach. Even though he was unsure of how to handle this, he could not deny the power of this moment. He embraced her equally hard and held on for dear life. His true mother was crying onto his shoulder and laughing at the same time.

His entire being was flowing with emotions he had never understood. At last he opened his eyes, carefully lessening his hold on her. “I’ve never known what I was missing. I’m truly sorry, but extremely grateful my Queen. Can you forgive my ignorance?”

“Oh my child! You came back! That’s all that matters. All these years I thought there was something wrong with me for not accepting the child they gave me. Even now that you’ve proven otherwise, I still wronged that poor boy so much. But finding my own mind again, that is the real gift you brought us.” Streaks of red lined her blue irises that were swimming with tears.

King Pavel had his arm around Lola’s shoulders as they beheld the reunion between mother and son. “I’ve sent a raven to have our prince return as soon as possible,” he whispered to Lola. “Let’s hope there won’t be drama.”

The look in the King’s eyes made Lola uneasy. The prince might stir up trouble if he felt threatened by Liffin. And considering they got what they came for - allies for the war, more soldiers - it might not be such a good idea to linger too long. Who knew how many from this army might just side with their prince instead of their King?