Deva was not treated kindly at the arrival of king Alexander's castle. She was immediately thrown in an old dungeon room and chained to the walls. Deva felt a sense of de ja vu as the chains weighed her wrists and ankles down. She was still in her dirty torn clothes and she couldn't express how much she wished to take a shower. She felt like hell but she was sure she looked like it too. The walls were built with old stone bricks, perhaps constructed in the medieval times. Rathgaurd and Alexander stood in front of Deva making sure to stand their full height. They were begging for obedience and authority.
"Those shackles suit you well." Rathgaurd's smug remark only pissed her off.
"I believe they'd look better tightened around your neck." She fired back.
His cynical laugh was deafening. "Your reign has come to an end. You were never much of a queen anyway."
"Do you ever wonder why people hate you? Well I think I found the reason why." He was a tyrant with no soul who was stuck in the past. "Your wife was most likely sick of you too. That's probably why she killed herself."
Rathgaurd didn't hesitate to punch Deva in the face. The blow was so hard Deva could have sworn she lost a tooth. She spit on the floor close to their feet and it was red from her blood.
"Where were you last night?" Alexander circled around her like a lion would stalk a meal.
Was he playing with her? He had the footage. Apparently she was leading an army of lycans. No amount of denying it would convince them, she knew that. "Picking flowers in a field. You should try it. It's quite calming." She smirked back at them.
Alexander raised his hand and smacked her. It wasn't as hard as his father's but it stung.
"You telling me the truth would calm me."
"What's the point? Nothing I say will change your minds. You have your evidence. My words mean nothing to you." They were playing a twisted trick on her. She just didn't know what it was.
"Yes you're right," Rathgaurd moved closer. "Perhaps this is just an opportunity to spend some quality time with the future savior of our world." His tone was mocking beyond belief.
Deva's head drooped to the ground. What the heck was he talking about?
"I just don't see it. The prophecy must be incredibly wrong about you."
What prophecy? "You're lying. I haven't heard of a prophecy." She was queen. How could she not know?
Alexander laughed, joining in on his father's exploits. "Regardless, I sincerely doubt it will come true now. Now that we have you in our mists."
"You're not going anyway for a very long time." Rathgaurd's deeply grooved smile was beyond sinister. "Who am I kidding? You've committed an act of terrorism and started a war. You'll most likely be killed by the end of the week."
"Well isn't that convenient for you? So convenient one must wonder if it was all orchestrated. Perhaps by you?" Deva wouldn't put it past them.
She knew how wicked and desperate they were to control and overrule her own kingdom. They had a thirst for power and vengeance. They hated the lycan race. Deva was positive her mare presence was offending them.
Rathgaurd snickered. "It is prefect isn't it?"
"You're a disgrace to the vampire world." Deva was not one to hold her tongue. "You will bring destruction to you people, mark my words."
Alexander furrowed his brows. "Was that a threat?"
Deva yanked the chains on her wrists causing it to echo about the room. "Do you honestly believe my husband, the king, will just sit by while I lay captive at your feet?"
"He has no choice at the moment dear girl." Rathgaurd moved around her like a snake. "But raging war was exactly what we wanted."
She knew they were behind this but how? "How did you do it? How did you get my face on that video?"
"Now that's a secret we'll never tell. It does not matter now anyway. Everyone believes it is you and that is all we need." Alexander was quickly turning into the spitting image of his father right before her eyes.
"When I get out of here I promise to show you no mercy. You will regret your actions and will not see another day to redeem yourselves." Deva was done being the gracious queen.
"I'm already shaking in my boots." Rathgaurd pretend shivered. "Good bye, and please enjoy the rest of your existence because very soon you will be nothing but a faded memory on this earth."
The two power thirsty men left out of sight, leaving Deva to bask in her own demise. The room darkened and Deva shattered to pieces. What could she do now?
Darius paced around his study ranking through his mind of different tactics he could use to free his wife. Every member in his family was present in the room besides the children and his mother. Everyone was just as equal stressed and distraught about Deva being taken.
"What do we do? We can't just stand here while my sister rots in a cell." Elle emanated her feelings.
Max exhaled. "Her actions have declared war against the lycans. If we do anything we risk involving our own people."
It was the last thing they wanted, to involve the vampire race in their kingdom, to fight a battle that should have never happened.
"The lycans are our people now." Julia commented. "Alcide is the future King. He is also half lycan. They are his people therefore our people."
Marcus took her hand. "She is right. We can't abandon them."
Sebastian cut in. "King Alexander is ready for war. They have been ready since Deva was crowned queen."
Darius rubbed his temples. So much was weighing on his shoulders. He felt helpless and for once powerless. "I know."
"Do you?" Lucian shouted in anger, breaking from his silence. "Letting this occur again will be like repeating the past. A massacre of the lycan race will bring nothing but bloodshed, depression, and possibly the loss of your wife."
"I know that!" Darius shouted back.
How long did it take him and Deva to build up a truce and alliance between their species? Throughout their reign Darius did nothing but support his wife and accept her kind. They had ultimately grown to be his people as well. The last thing he wanted was another massacre.
"I will not fall into father's mistake. And I will not let the past repeat itself." Darius groaned. "I must speak to Alexander, alone if possible. It is his vile father that forges onto him these stories of victories. Rathgaurd is behind all of this, I know it."
"I agree. He was one of our father's biggest supporters especially in the time of the lycan massacre." Marcus remembered reading the documents of all the alliances and occurrences during his father's reign.
"Is there anything we can bargain with?" Izzy stood up, still deep in thought.
"What do you mean bargain with?" Max asked.
Everyone was a bit curious to understand her exact meaning.
"I mean, that if your talk with Alexander back fires is there anything we can offer him or threaten him with?" Izzy explained.
Marcus rubbed his chin. "Like a plan B?"
Izzy nodded. "This is our family he is messing with. They have Deva. We need to either reason with him, and if he doesn't cooperate, then make it clear that we will not let him get away with it."
"I agree," Sebastian moved to the center of the room. "We can also threaten him with my kingdom. My father will no doubt support your cause. We will fight with you."
"So if Alexander wants a war he'll get two kingdoms after him." Max elaborated.
"I'm even sure king Erik would come to our defense if we really needed him to." Lucian inquired.
Darius nodded. It was all they had but could he really trust these people. He had to.
"I will go with you brother." Marcus kissed Julia on lips, sweetly. "I'll be back."
Julia clutched his shirt and pulled her husband closer. "Bring her home."
He kissed her on last time before getting up and standing beside Darius and Lucian.
"I think it's best if I go as well, to represent my kingdom." Sebastian walked over to where the brothers were standing and Lucian immediately teleported them.
They landed in king Alexander's throne room and to their surprise it was empty minus the guards.
"Fetch your king. Tell him king Darius wishes a word!" Sebastian shouted.
They didn't have to wait for long Alexander to show up, surprisingly alone. His arrogant presence was like a tick Darius just wanted to crush.
"Well, well, what a wonderful visit." Alexander sat in his throne as he looked down upon his subjects.
"I want to see my wife Alexander." Darius commanded with a fierce vengeance.
"That is quite impossible at the moment. She is in solitude, where she will stay until her sentence is carried out."
"Her sentence being....?" Sebastian asked.
Alexander drew his lazy eyes and irritated expression to look into their faces. "Well death of course."
"You can't do that. She is a queen. She deserves a trial." Lucian defended.
"Are you inquiring we use special treatment? A crime is a crime. I'm sure you Sebastian remember the fair trial Queen Deva used on your mother." Alexander was adding more fire to the situation.
"Stepmother," Sebastian corrected. "She was a slut. That was different."
"You're right," Alexander smirked smugly. "Your mother was the one who deserved a trial; after all she didn't exactly kill anyone."
"No but she attempted." Darius did everything he could to hold his fury at bay.
"Hmmm," Alexander curled a finger about his clean chin. "Yes but Deva actually succeeded in killing multiple people. Don't you see the irony." Alexander stood. "Capital punishment is the only way to serve justice."
"Kill her and I promise you won't live to see another day." Darius threatened. There was no way he was going to let them kill his wife.
Alexander's mocking laugh filled the room. "I believe your wife made that exact claim. That is," Alexander used air quotes to exaggerate, "if she gets out."
"What do you intent to do after this? Do you honestly expect us and the lycan race to stand by and watch you kill our queen?" Lucian asked.
"Think of it as a wager." Rathgaurd entered the room. "We promise not to attack or go after those worthless beasts if we kill Deva. We want her to be an example to her people."
"They will come after you regardless. The lycans are loyal to their queen." Darius knew very well the loyalty they had for her.
There was no way they would let her die. A war was inevitable. But Darius was more than sure Rathgaurd knew this. He wanted the lycans to attack, again because this time they would be prepared.
"But that is exactly what you want, isn't it? Have the lycans come to you for the slaughter." How clever they were, Darius thought.
"No matter what you do or how we perceive it, your plan was always to get the lycans to attack and kill every last one of them." Sebastian pieced together the puzzle.
"Either way Deva dies at the end." Alexander grinned.
Darius couldn't hold his cool anymore. His hands wrapped roughly around Alexander's neck then hoisted him up into the air. "I'll kill you before that happens." Darius used his ability to inflict the most tortuous deaths inside Alexander's mind. His cries of agony we worse than the battle itself.
"Then your son dies too." Rathgaurd's cold eyes were beyond threatening. They were so chillingly stone that every word he spoke was concrete. "Your future heir for mine. Let Alexander go and I promise no harm will ever come to your son."
"Like you could ever reach him," Darius spat.
"You have you weapons I have mine," Rathgaurd explained. "I have someone on the inside who comes in very close contact with your son. I could easily order up a prince on a platter."
"He's bluffing," Marcus fumed.
Rathgaurd was giving off no emotions, making it hard to read him. "Are you really going to take that chance?"
"Ahhhhh," Darius growled before releasing Alexander. He couldn't risk his son's life.
"Good choice," Rathgaurd teased.
Darius took hold of the throne chair and tossed it across the room, destroying the granite walls and ceiling. Then he haunted Rathgaurd with his determined stare. "I will kill you both for this. I promise you that."
"Your wife will stay in isolate-"
Sebastian cut Rathgaurd off. "If you continue down this path, know that our kingdom supports Darius' decisions. If he wages war against you, you better believe my men and I will be right beside him."
Rathgaurd furrowed his brows. "As you wish."
Darius grinded his teeth together. He needed to get out of there. Lucian grasped onto his thoughts and didn't hesitate to teleport them back home. Darius went on a mission to find his son, who was in his room. Darius pulled Alcide into an embrace and melted.
"Get out," he yelled to his son's nanny. "You're dismissed for the rest of the week." Darius trusted no one now.
"Did you find momma? Is she coming home?" His little voice was breaking Darius' heart. He couldn't describe how painful it was without Deva by his side. It was like a huge part of him was missing.
"Not yet but I promise I'm going to bring her home."
Alcide slightly pulled away. "Do you know what momma told me once? She said that no matter how far she is she will always feel our love. So that's what I've been doing. I sit on my bed and remember all the times momma loved me. Because maybe she'll find her way back home."
Darius smiled. "That's a good idea." He picked Alcide up and they both lay on his bed. "Let's just think of momma so she can find her way to us."
Darius closed his eyes and concentrated on the memories; the sound of her voice, the way her eyes sparkled when he made her laugh, the beauty she possessed in the moonlight. It had felt like forever since he heard her through their link. It was so easy in the beginning, when it was just them. He didn't have to try hard to read her, she was always open with him. But like every relationship hard times come. Their love had only gotten stronger but more rougher around the edges.
Darius took a deep breath and concentrated on Deva. It wasn't hard to find her. It was as if she was thinking about him too. He could feel it; feel all the emotions and love they had for each other flowing through his veins. It was so clear. Nothing could tear this away from him. Deva was his, he was certain of it.
Darius could clearly envision their wedding and how beautifully stunning she looked. Her skin glowed but nothing compared to how bright her smile got when she looked at him. Every moment of that day and night with her was the highlight to the rest of his blissful life.
"I'll love you to the moon and back, till my last dying breath, I'll always love you. Only you."
She had whispered those words to him once and now they were echoing into his mind. He felt Deva now. She was opening her soul to him and letting him know he was the only one for her.
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