Zion

“I swear I’ll have to increase the-

“Just stop, Zion,” I say, a smile upon my lips as we both look up at the ceiling. Before us is a bright future, Zion more than ecstatic since he learned only hours ago of a child. “Just think about things not too massive right now. Think about the gender, not keeping the child, if a girl, away from all males possible.”

“She should be!” Zion adds, wrapping his arms around my waist as we lay in bed. “I know how’s boys think. All they want is sex.”

“Sex is what got us in this situation,” I mumble, rolling my eyes as Zion kisses my forehead. “What if it’s a boy?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as Zion shakes his head. “It could be.”

“Doubt it,” Zion grumbles, rolling us over to where he looks over me, a smile upon those lips as my heart clenches.

“What would we name it, if a boy?” I ask, thinking of a list of names Zion would probably produce in his head.

“If it was a girl, Sybil, I’d name her either Gwen or Amelia.”

“I ask for boy.”

“River.”

My heart stops briefly. River. That’s the name I called my son in the dreams.

“But for now let’s just forget all of that and think of how the media will respond,” Zion interiors my state of shock as those eyes stare down at me. “I mean, we could hide from the public eye for nine months or less.”

“I doubt the press will be that bad,” I state, pulling Zion down for a brief yet loving kiss as his hands cup my cheeks.

That’s when we hear it, the knocking upon the door in the dead of night.

“I’m coming in, if you’re butt-ass naked get covered,” the voice of Elijah calls out, the door opening to reveal the King’s best friend still in a gray suit.

Zion sits up, annoyed with Elijah interrupting us as I am wondering what is going on.

“Is there something you would like to tell us,” Zion basically orders, getting up from bed as he grabs his robe. “Death? Murder? Rebels?”

“Treaty.”

“With who?” I ask, getting up as well as I know whatever news Elijah is bringing to us, it means we have to get ready and put on our business mindset.

“Our enemy.”

“What? You just let some fucking vampires into this castle?!”

“A messenger is all I let in, Ziggy, not the whole damn army,” Elijah replies with a snap, his eyes hard and jaw clenched. As he turns to face me, a smile graves his lips. “If advise you two to get ready, robes and all, you have a treaty to make with the enemy.”

Elijah leaves the room, the door shutting fast as Zion turns to me. “Why? Why make a treaty at this time?”

“Shouldn’t you be happy they are making a treaty?” I ask, crossing my arms as Zion walks to the walk-in closet, grabbing whatever suit he can find as I follow in pursuit. As he begins to change, I grab my attire, wondering how long the treaty will take. No doubt this is a good sign.

“Ready?” Zion asks in five minutes, taking my hand as he watches the crown be set upon my head.

I nod, following my husband and King as we know that whatever happens tonight, it will shape history.

This night will go down in the marble where Zion’s story is to be told for ages to come.

“What am I to expect? What these look like?” I ask, worried for I’ve never seen a special type of vampire. I’ve seen a few while in New York City, pale and beautiful for the most part. Not all vampires are the kind you read about, the ones who reek of wealth and good looks. Some are actually down to earth.

Others can be deadly.

The doors of the room swing open and we leave the shelter of our privacy.

Elijah awaits us, hands behind his back as his eyebrows are knit together in a straight line. As his eyes glance between Zion and me, there seems to be a tone he holds. Not to mention a smug look upon his face.

“Did I awake the royal couple?” he taunts, turning around to lead us down the multiple halls of the palace.

Yet, even though this walk seems so familiar, something seems off.

“The messenger is one of their lower ranks, but says that his General is ready to meet you and do business.”

“I have to approve the treaty first,” Zion growls, taking my hand as the typical nobles and lords are roaming the halls. As we take a swift turn into one of Zion’s many conference rooms, my skin pales at the sight before me. A man stands there, black eyes, just like a demon, the pupils blood red. The hair upon the man is short, almost a clean shave as you can see the black ink upon his skull. With pale skin to match snow, that’s not the thing that scares me the most. What scares me the most is his teeth. They are not your typical fangs you’d read or watch in a movie, but every tooth is sharp and long, a true monster from a horror movie.

“King Zion,” the male greets, his accent heavy, one that I’ve beer heard before, a strange sound with how he puts a sharp sound on the vowels. “My General wishes for you to overlook the document before you,” he informs, exposing a paper onto the table in a poof of black smoke.

Dark magic.

Zion is hesitant, picking up the paper lightly after inspecting it.

Dark magic is frowned upon in any community. Dark magic is what your parents tell you nightmares about, how it crafted the chains the devil wears himself, how it is the essence of death.

“You want a simple treaty. Nothing more or less?” Zion asks, sounding questionable. “The war to end, each side release the prisoners? No land gained or lost? It sounds ridiculous.”

The messenger cocks his head to the side, his pupils beginning to almost glow as my eyes widen. “My General wishes the war to end. He has had enough.”

“I’ve watched people die for this war and no you’re talking about it as if nothing!?”

I can hear the anger in his voice, how it makes the atmosphere of the room to tense up.

Elijah grabs my arm, causing me to look away from the creature.

“You may want to leave, it’s going to get nasty in here.”

Looking to Zion, I see him nod for me to leave. I know it is best for me to leave, to just let Zion cool down in the means of wanting someone dead.

As I leave the room, Elijah walks out with me, the first noise of glass breaking already heard as we stand in the silent hall. “He’s pissed.”

“Beyond,” Elijah comments. “Zion lost hundreds of men and for a General to just call the war off makes the deaths pointless.”

“He cares for his Kingdom,” I whisper, looking up at the ceiling as Elijah nods in agreement.

“Before you came along he had sworn off females of interest. He said that a woman would only distract him from keeping this Kingdom alive and well through the ages.” Elijah leans against the wall. “The second he saw you he forgot all about swearing off women. He never thought he could find someone to love again.”

“Love like Lillian,” I mutter, thinking of the breathtaking blond. “She was beautiful.”

“Indeed she was,” Elijah agrees. “Lillian captured everyone’s eye, even Zion’s father. Her beauty was used as a tool in the King’s Guard. She was allowed to attend those lavish parties and act like one of the nobles as she protected her King.”

“She died a miserable way,” I whisper. “Sometimes I think Zion misses her.”

“She was his mate. You always miss your mate,” Elijah mutters. “Zion never got over it, he could never admit it, that he still wishes she was back with him.” Elijah clears his throat. “The second you arrived...it seemed as if Zion was back in the game. I thought it was just because he needed some company....”

My eyes harden.

“Zion loves you. Don’t compare yourself to Lillian, you are not her and vice versa. Zion loved her, yes, but he also loves you. He loves you more than he ever did her.”

“That’s impossible,” I refute. “You cannot love someone more than your mate.”

Elijah shakes his head. “But Lillian was never truly Zion’s. She married Nixon. Zion could never forgive her for that. Zion never got over that. Sure, he would fly down to see her, but it wasn’t the same. Every time he returned, it was as if a piece of him had not come back.”

Another growl erupts in the room, goosebumps forming across my skin.

“Why the treaty? Why now? The vampires have nothing to gain,” I express, crossing my arms as Elijah shrugs his shoulders.

“Before it gets to bad.”

“That doesn’t make sense. It’s already bad enough. Zion said they were at the most, two weeks from winning the war. The vampires would of already lost everything,” I inform. “Why would a messenger come? Why not the General? The General usually comes for these types of things.”

“It’s a weird world,” Elijah mutters, walking down the hall as I follow quickly behind.

“Just...why now?”

“Why are you wondering?” Elijah asks as we enter the throne room.

“I just am curious,” I mutter, deciding enough is enough and I shut my mouth.

That’s when I see him, when I see his figure pass bye, nodding in respect. Why is he here? Does he need to be here? Shouldn’t he be on the frontline?

“Does Zion need his top Alphas with him to sign the deal?“I ask, my voice low as Elijah raises an eyebrow.

“No, the Alphas are all at the camp. Only the King signs the treaty.”

I grab Elijah haunting him as fear rises within me.

“Then why is Alpha Nixon here?”