Royal shuffle: Vampire's mate

ANDREA

Fresh tears came to my eyes again, and I began to struggle against the binds. I felt the ropes cut into my skin, I felt my skin break, and I felt blood trickle down my palms. But that didn't matter, what mattered most was saving my child from the looming disaster.

"You should stop. You'd only hurt yourself more," William said.

"What have you done to her?!!"

Leopold looked over at the table where my daughter was sprawled. "Oh, nothing yet. That's why you're here. To witness what I am going to do to her."

"No...Leopold, please..."

I watched helplessly as Leopold pulled out an intricately designed dagger from his pocket and cut across his palm. He laughed as he watched his blood dripped out of the open wound and on the table where Adela lay unconscious. William stood behind him keenly watching the whole process unfold. I wondered where Will was, I wondered what they had done to my precious boy.

I heard a gasp next to me, and watched in shock as both guards turned slowly to me, slowly dropped on their knees and then began to undo the ropes that held me captive. Their eyes had changed to white. They untied me and stood straight...as though awaiting further instructions. I watched as they both turned around and walked away. I stared after then in disbelief, not entirely sure what was going on. I kept my hands behind me, pretending to still be bound while my kind worked overtime for a plan.

Movement among the dead trees caught my attention and I looked past the ritual to the stealthily moving body. I held back a gasp as I realized who it was. Stacy. Stacy holding a gun...a gun aimed at William. I closed my eyes and said a prayer to whoever was listening that she didn't miss the shot. And she didn't.

The sound of the gun discharging a bullet cracked through the charged air pushing everyone into a state of shock. Leopold looked around, not seeing who had taken the shot. William's body dropped to the ground, dead. Leopold gasped and knelt next to his lover, tears flowing from his eyes.

Leopold's eyes met mine. "What have you done, you fucking bitch?!"

"Nothing," I replied. "I was just sitting here."

Leopold smirked, picked up his dagger and came to kneel behind me. He raised the dagger to my throat and pressed it against my skin. I felt the cold metal break my skin and felt my blood trickle down. "Who's there?" He asked, whispering in my ear.

"I don't know," I replied.

Adela stirred on the table, and her eyes fluttered open. A loud gasp escaped my lips and I leaned forward on my chair. She began to struggle against the chains, and then stopped when she realized it was fruitless.

She turned her head towards me and gasped.

"Mom?"

"Hi, baby..."

Her eyes moved behind me and she began to growl.

"You better behave yourself, you rat. Else, mother dearest dies."

I smiled to myself. I could hear the fear and panic in Leopold's voice. The odds weren't in his favor. Adela began to growl again, louder this time. I stared at her in confusion as her eyes changed color to black. I heard the first crack, and then another. I gasped when I came to the realization that she was shifting. Not just me. I and Leopold watched in shock and surprise as fur replaced skin, and her clothes ripped off her body exposing more blood red fur. I could see Stacy hiding behind a tree, also watching the scene unfold.

Adela called out to me in pain, her eyes fluttered and sweat broke out on her forehead. Her shifting completed, and where my 12-year-old once laid, a large red, black-eyed wolf the size of an adult stood. A nightshade hybrid in all her glory. I gleaned at her in pride, albeit shocked at how quick her shifting was.

"Don't be too happy," Leopold said. "You both would be dead soon."

Adela didn't seem to like what he said...or his tone...or the fact that he had a dagger at her throat. Her gaze fixated on him, she hated her teeth and growled at him. Without thinking, I shimmied out of the already loosened ropes, and sent my elbow into Leopold's nose. The knife dropped from his hand and he swore loudly. As soon as I spring out of the chair, another gunshot rang through the air. I gasped and turned around to see Leopold drop to the floor, lifeless.

I paid him no mind and ran the short distance to my daughter. She jumped down from table and nudged me under my chin. I rubbed her large head and neck, her thick, red fur catching on my fingers and nails. "Look at you..."

Adela circled me, wagging her tail and nudging me. Stacy walked towards us, a smile on her face and holding a shotgun over her shoulder. She ran to me and hugged me.

"Thank you, Stacy," I said to her, once again in her debt.

Stacy shook her head. "No. That's what I'm here for. I'll always be here for you."

I smiled sourly. Knowing that this was true. Knowing that she had been there at the most difficult, and will always be there.

"There's one more thing we need to do," I said.

"What?" Stacy asked.

"Will. I don't know where he is."

Stacy waved me off. "Savannah has him. We followed behind you guys. We thought that something wasn't right."

"And we didn't know..."

Stacy smirked. "And you didn't know. They're on their way back to the palace. We should join them."

I nodded. "We should."

It all happened in a split second. I heard the sound of an object slicing through the air, and I gasped as I felt Leopold's dagger lodge itself between my ribs. Stacy screamed my name, as though to vocally dislodge the blade and Adela ran to her uncle and ripped his head clean off of his shoulders. Tears came to my eyes as Stacy wrapped her hands around me and lowered us to the ground. I stretched my right hand towards Adela and she came to lay next to me, nudging my hand with her about. Even though the black of her eyes, I could see the sadness...feel the pain she felt of having to be the one to bring justice to her family.

"It's okay, baby..." I said to her. "He was a bad man. You did what had to be done."

She whined and began to lick at the wound in my side, her coarse tongue doing more harm than good. I softly nudged her head away. I knew this was it. This was the end.

Stacy's breath was coming in rough, hard pants. "I need to call for help. We have to get you to a hospital!!!"

I shook my head. "No. This is where it ends."

Stacy shook her head, tears flowing freely. "No..."

"Thank you so much, Stacy..."

"Don't do that..."

"Shhh..." I wiped the tears on her cheeks, leaving a residue of dirt. "It's okay. I love you..."

"I love you too..."

"You've been the best sister, the best support. You've been there through everything...and I'm sorry..." my voice caught in my throat and fresh tears rolled down my cheeks. "I'm sorry that your whole life was altered because of choices I made. I'm sorry that you weren't able to live. I'm sorry about Tracy..."

"That wasn't your fault!!!"

"Take care of Adela and Will. Tell Savannah I love her. Tell her I said I'm grateful for everything. Tell her that I wish we had started off on a better note..."

"Andrea..."

"You know where all my documents are..." I turned to Adela. "You're strong. You'll be fine. You have the women before you...they'll guide you when you need guidance; the same way they guided me."

Adela whined again and licked my face.

I looked towards the elevator. "Take me up. I want to be with my mate..."

Stacy nodded, and lifted me to my feet. I stood, supported on both sides by Adela and Stacy. We squeezed ourselves into the elevator and journeyed the short trip to the castle. We stepped out of the elevator, and I choked back fresh tears seeing the dead people that had come out to retrieve their prince and princess. An immense amount of guilt consumed me, and I thought to myself if it was all worth it.

"Are you okay?" Stacy asked.

No.

"Yes, I am."

We walked over to where Leonidas lay, and Stacy carefully deposited me on the floor next to him. I moved closer to him until our bodies touched and I wiped the dust away from his handsome face.

The tears came, and I let it flow. So much had been lost. Too much time, so much pain, so much uncertainty and so much love. I traced his nose with my fingers and I hoped and prayed that he found peace in the great beyond. Because there certainly wasn't any peace for us here.

I loved him. In all the ways mates could love each other. I wished that our love had been different...easier.

I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling the life leave me, the sound of my daughter's powerful howls a befitting escort to the great beyond.