I was finally discharged after my next ultrasound. My powers and Tamisra returned about two hours after my first ultrasound, so I insisted I was ready to go home. But considering it was already eight at night, Roman and the nurses convinced me to stay. I'm at least allowed to eat again, and goddess, I'm fucking ravenous. I feel like I can't eat enough. Roman and the nurse, Jess, tried to get me to slow down, but at my ultrasound, Dr. Crowen said as long as I can handle it, I should eat whenever I want to keep up with baby girl's growth rate.
Speaking of, she gained another two ounces overnight. It didn't sound like a big deal to me, but I have no knowledge of anything in the medical field. Dr. Crowen said it was very significant, given that wolf pups are expected to gain two ounces weekly at this stage. Everything points to me going into labor at the end of the month, which I don't want to think about.
But this isn't exactly something I can just block out. Thankfully, my dad offered to take on getting the house "babyproofed," get off all the things we'll need, and set the nursery up. I was a little disappointed at the last part, I wanted Roman and I to do that together, but I do not want the threat of Silas around once our daughter is born. The idea of him touching her...no, I won't go there, or I may very well destroy the conference room we are now sitting in.
As soon as we got home, I insisted that we meet with Samirah and Damon to hear what information they had and make our battle plan. Roman and I agree that we make and execute a plan as quickly as possible. We're beyond the point of waiting for them to come to us; we will go to them and end this.
So, here we are in the packhouse conference room. Roman said his office was "out of commission until further notice," which I took to mean as he destroyed it in a blind rage. That broke my heart; I can't begin to imagine what he went through while I was gone. Seth said he hardly slept, while I spent most of my time in captivity unconscious. To be awake all that time with all the what-ifs running through his head...
"Aylin should be here any minute. I just went to check on her, and she was finishing up business with the royal council." my father says, entering the room and pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Is everything okay?" I asked him; Roman told me that Aylin had abruptly gone home after she left the hospital last night, offering no explanation as to why
"Yes, it's just a quarterly meeting, completely routine. She prefers to be present for any meeting rather than have myself, Azrael, or the duke and duchess go in her place," Dad says smoothly, sitting down.
I narrow my eyes at him. Something tells me he's leaving something out. I eye him as he sits, and he gives me a long look telling me not to press the issue. I don't; having vampires on the territory may be unsettling for her. Later, I'll ask her privately if she wants to talk about it.
Roman and I sit at the head of the conference table, my father diagonal to him and Seth next. Aylin's seat is opposite Dad's, then Az and Max's. Samirah and Damon will be chained and with guards at the opposite end of the table. I tried telling everyone they could be trusted, that I knew it in my gut, but Roman insisted it just for precaution. They're being kept in regular rooms, at least. Guards are posted at their doors and balconies at all times. Still, they're being treated humanely and fed with donated blood from the hospital.
We all sit in tense silence, our earlier banter and fun gone, replaced by the seriousness of our current situation. Everyone is ready to end this now, just as Roman and I are. We all look up as Aylin enters the room. Her long hair, which she usually leaves free, is up; braids on both sides of her head leading to an elegant bun, with a silver and black crown that rests atop her head. While I was used to seeing her in casual clothes here, she was in a floor-length dark green velvet gown, similar to the one she wore when I first met her.
Power flickers through the room, making everyone except my father and me tense. I look at her, unable to hide my worry, wanting to make sure she's mentally okay. She holds her chin high and meets no one's gaze. This, here, was the Queen of the Underworld, all elegance and all power. I watch everyone else relax as she reigns her power in
She still doesn't meet my gaze, but her eyes go to Damon, nostrils flaring. She sits beside me, and I can hear her heart racing. I instantly flick my gaze to him; if he had anything to do with what happened to her, greater good bullshit or not, I would present his head to her on a silver platter. When I look at him, though, I see his eyes are soft as he looks at her. What the hell happened there?
"I apologize for the delay. Let's get started," she says in a crisp and modulated tone, clearly still in Queen mode.
Roman clears his throat before he speaks; I can sense his mood change to a more formal tone through the bond as he reacts to the mood she brought into the room. Everyone else straightens as they feel it too.
"Very well. As we all know, these two vampires escaped with Amara, bringing her to safety. Before they handed her over to Seth, they told him and Queen Aylin they were the leaders of a resistance against Silas. We're here for them to explain themselves and offer any information they have on Silas. From there, we plan our move. Damon and Samirah, please speak." he finishes, and Samirah stands.
"I won't waste anyone's time. I started the resistance roughly a hundred and twenty years ago as a victim of Silas' reign. I was originally human, changed back in the 1800s by one of Silas' men, who came to my tribe in South Africa with an order to forcibly change as many people as possible for Silas to use in his armies. My husband did not survive the transition, and my son was killed in the crossfire. I managed to hide after being bitten and survived the transition.
I traveled the world for just under a hundred years trying to find the man responsible for the death of my husband, son, and tribe. I found my brother when I came to America in the early 1900s. He led me directly to Silas. My brother was one of his most trusted men, so I quickly became one of his most trusted as well. For years, I gathered his victims-countless, women he allowed his warriors to rape and abuse, the husbands and fathers of those women, and their children who were hidden away. From there, I began to reach out to his people. While most would be happy to see him fall, and of those, many were too scared to rise to challenge him. So, my numbers aren't his or yours. But I can offer my aid and my knowledge, as can Damon. All we ask for is your support in a new world order amongst the vampires." she finishes.
The room is silent for a minute as we absorb what she says. So, she lied to me about how her family died, which I understand. What I don't understand is the dynamic of Silas as a king and how he can control his people. Alpha wolves have the command, and the pack dynamic is in our DNA. That's why rogues have such a low survival rate and go rabid when they leave pack life. Also, why not escape with me when the Romans invaded the first day?
"And what of you? What's your involvement with this?" Roman says to Damon
"Silas and his warriors raped and killed my mother and sisters. My father was one of the first to join Samirah, and he died in combat shortly after, so I took his place. I started in Silas' army and worked my way up to the top, pretending to be his loyal subject." Damon says simply
"And why not escape with me that first day?" I ask them both
"We had no plan. The likelihood of us escaping without Amon killing us both and taking you was slim, and even if that had happened, we would have been torn to shreds by the first wolf who found us with you. While we were sympathetic to you, we also had to think of the vampires we were trying to liberate. Us getting killed was not an option." Samirah says, eliciting a growl from Roman, and even Tamisra, who was thinking of the harm our child was put in for that time.
I put a hand on his arm. While I don't appreciate being a pawn in their own agenda, I understand it, and in the end, they got me and our baby out unharmed.
"And your people, where are they now?" Aylin asks
"Where they've always been. Hidden in plain sight. Most are still in Silas' kingdom, some are his warriors stationed at his hideouts, and some are the women and children Samirah and I helped escape and have hidden in a safe location." Damon says
"And where would that be?" she says
Both remain silent for a second, looking uneasy, before Samirah speaks
"You must understand the horrors they have been through and our reluctance to give up their location. Some are a long way off from being ready to fight, and that is their sanctuary. It would result in a lot of trust and healing loss if we brought you all there. I have ways to bring word to the ones ready to fight should you agree to our terms."
"You expect us to believe they allow you, a male vampire, and one of Silas' most trusted, in their sanctuary?" Aylin snaps at Damon
"I never laid a hand on any single one of those women or children. They have their reasons for trusting me, and it is not without a lot of caution on my end," Damon snaps back.
I watch as they hold each other's glares, the tension in the room rising as Aylin lets a little of the reign she has on her powers loose. Azrael puts a hand on Aylin's shoulder in an attempt to calm her, but she holds the vampire's glare until he looks away. Samirah looks between them with a calculating gleam in her eye before she speaks to Aylin.
"Your majesty, I can vouch on his behalf if I may. Damon has gotten just as many women out of there as I have. While he does indeed have to tread lightly around newcomers, the girls who have been there know and reassure the frightened ones. Some women have been hiding there for over a hundred years and help the new ones. The healed take care of the healing and trust one another," she says softly.
"Very well." Roman cuts in, "We don't need their location. I will happily offer my support and aid to your cause; I have no interest in allowing the innocent to suffer. At this moment, we must move as quickly as possible. I don't want to give Silas more time to conspire, and I have no intention of him being a threat when my daughter is born."
"I understand. We will happily give over everything we know," Damon says