Unedited.
Nicklaus POV.
Count Cloven in Media.
We got back to my estate around noon. Claire kept bugging me about taking her to find Cyrus's beloved, talking about how much she loved her scent. This annoyed me to the very end. She shouldn't like anyone's scent but mine.
Of course, I told her no. And of course, she wouldn't have any of it. My manipulative little firecracker started complaining about me not allowing her to see her dog, Mecca. Then, she started giving me hell about her needing some girl time. So, I promised to take her to go see the dog tomorrow. However, I made up some bullsh*t about Cyrus and Embry being occupied so Claire would have to wait for a while. She seemed to believe me.
I don't know how my clever beloved figured out that Embry is Cyrus's beloved. But she did. She's just too goddamn smart for her own good. Luckily, that worked out in my favor—she caved in. I don't want her spending time with anyone. She doesn't really need to. She has Xander and me, and we are all the friends she needs.
I'm really going to take her to see the dog tomorrow, mostly because she will kill me if I don't.
After I ordered Commander Vlad to come to stand guard and ensure that Claire was comfortable, I commanded some servants to bring her lunch and a change of clothes. I also ordered one of the men to collect her belongings from Cyrus's penthouse. I had forgotten to bring them, and that's another thing she was pissed at.
She told me she couldn't just walk around in my clothing all day. And why not? She looks good in my clothes, even better with me. Period. But Claire disagreed.
She also ordered one of my men to bring her The Vampire Studies. She's such a bossy little queen. She was very adamant about learning everything there is to know concerning vampires.
I remember her saying this: "How can I lead a race if I don't know their true past?"
I've never been so proud. She's going to make a great queen.
I'm currently making my way to my study. I mind linked with Xander a while back, telling him that we all shall meet this afternoon, so they should be in soon.
Once I enter my studies, I start to prepare for the meeting. Usually, I don't postpone meetings, but under the intense circumstances, it was clear I needed time to calm down. I needed Claire. She is my peace and calm before and after every storm.
Now, I have to figure out how to protect my peace. I know my father has an agenda for summoning Claire, and the only logical explanation is that he is aware of what she is to me. It's the only reason why he would summon a human. What I don't understand is how? I have been extremely careful at hiding the fact that she is my beloved. Only a few know the truth, and they would all rather die than betray me. Loyalty is everything among vampires; that's why it's such a mystery.
What am I missing, or rather who am I missing? How did he figure it out? I guess we shall find out sooner than later. The biggest challenge is how I will protect her. They will demand her head.
Make no mistake. I shall fight for her life, even if that means giving my own in exchange for hers. Even that won't still be enough.
Now that we are officially bonded, my father and the council will hunt her down, even if I'm eliminated from the equation. Claire is a threat to the entire awakening. She can change things that have been our normal for over a century. That's exactly why we formed a law about mating with humans in the first place. A vampire will do anything to protect and keep their beloved happy. The Awakening would have never been successful if we continued to mate and bond with humans.
Claire is such a big threat, especially now that she shares my powers and shall be crowned as queen. Even if she is turned, I believe in my heart and soul that she will be against keeping humans in chains, and there's no doubt about me giving her whatever she wants. I don't give a fuck about who doesn't like it.
That reminds me. Claire wanted pancakes.
I quickly mind-link with one of my men and order them to go get more pancake mix and flour. I hated the look on Claire's face when I told her the cooks were out of pancake mix and the main key ingredient to making it.
That's not going to happen again. Whatever the queen wants, she shall get it. As I said, I will give her whatever her heart desires. That's how beloved bonds work. The council knows, and so does my father. They will never accept that, though.
To make matters worse, I have no idea what's really going on with Claire. When she asked me on the mountain if she was turning into a vampire, I could have sworn my heart started beating. I played it cool, behaving as if nothing was wrong and flipping the focus onto her by answering her question with a question. In return, she broke down, breaking my heart in the process. I didn't mean to be the reason for such dark memories of hers to resurface. I was too afraid to tell her the truth.
She's powerful, maybe too powerful. It's true we are officially claimed, so she should share some of my powers. Her senses should be heightened, and it's not strange that she can run like a vampire or be as strong as a vampire. It's extremely rare that it's happening so soon, but it is not unheard of. The mysterious emerald that she is also somehow able to wield the power also gives her gifts of her own. I don't know the exact intent, but I know the emerald was crafted from the most powerful witch of all time.
Aurora—only she knows what the stone can or cannot do. She can also explain how Claire is able to wield its powers. Too bad she won't explain sh*t, not when Xander and I are involved. She hates us with a passion.
Thanks to Xander. He's the reason why many powerful women hate us. Xander is called the Cold-hearted King for many reasons, and one of those is his being a womanizer. He breaks the hearts of others with no remorse. Perhaps he is remorseful, but none of that matters. We have bigger problems at hand, and they all involve my beloved.
I think I felt a wicked, dark, and dangerous predator in her. I recognized it during our run when she jumped onto my back. This is nearly impossible, especially when you consider the fact that my venom hasn't been placed inside her body. Plus, she hasn't accepted immortality completely, which is the only way for her to complete the transition. So that makes things strange.
To make matters worse, I have to deal with all this fucking odd shit while dealing with this summons. I really need to figure everything out. I've been sitting at the conference table for about ten minutes now, trying to do just that. Claire—she really has flipped my world upside down.
"Brother," addresses Count Cloven. He is the first to enter the room.
I stand to greet him with a nice, brotherly hug.
He pats my back. "Xander has already told us that he has passed along the news," he says, pulling away.
I nod in response.
We both take a seat. Were sitting in silence when one of the servants walks into the room. She places a glass of Claire's blood in front of me and puts some other blood and refreshments on the center of the table before she leaves. Count Cloven's natural crimson eyes study the small glass filled with Claire's blood, then they travel to me.
"First, I want to apologize for abandoning my duties without permission. I just thought it was best that I personally delivered the message."
"There's no need to apologize," I assure him, taking a sip of the blood.
I know he only left Xander's kingdom to personally tell me that we have been summoned. I suspect that his father was the one who gave him the heads-up. As I stated before, our ancestors had a long history of companionship. He is one of my most-trusted advisers, and his father is like a second father to me.
"I expect that Duke Aldon is aware as well?" I ask, placing the glass down.
He nods. "Yes, I informed him the moment my father contacted me. Duke Aldon requested permission to attend the meeting with you," Cloven informs, and it confirms my suspicions.
"I'll return to the far southern kingdom as soon as the meeting is over and then he will meet you in Romania. We believe he will be able to smooth things out with your father if need be," he states.
I doubt it, but I do understand why they would think that. Ever since Aldon saved my life, my father has been favoring him. He also wants him to claim my sister Daniella as his beloved. Typically with Aldon, things would go swimmingly. However, this matter isn't that simple.
Count Cloven places his attention back onto the glass. I know he can smell Claire's milk-and-honey scent.
"I think we both know nothing would smooth things over," I tell him. Not when Claire has been placed into the equation. The council will most likely demand her death on site, and no one can stop it.
"You know that your father will never allow any harm to come to you," he says, shifting his focus back to me.
"And I will never allow anyone to harm her."
"Understood," he replies with a sigh. "So, that human . . . Claire, is it? She really is your true beloved, huh?"
He seems to be talking to himself more than asking me. I understand his doubts. Who would have thought that the beloved of the king of all vampire kings would be a human? A defiant and bold little human at that! I have no doubt she is disobeying me at this very moment. I can bet on my crown that she went to go search for Embry. She wouldn't be herself if she didn't.
"It's something else," he says quietly. "As a result of the summons, a background check was done on your beloved. My father was the one who was sent to Australia to locate her files," he adds.
It makes sense. If the council is aware that she is my beloved, they would want to rid anyone related to her out of spite.
"The thing is your father made it very clear that no one is supposed to know about it," he says.
Now that piques my interest. If the council is aware of who Claire is, then why would my father want to keep it under wraps? What is he up to?
"Another interesting thing is my father was unable to locate her file."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
I saw Claire's file before I went to the academy, so it does exist. Now that I think about it, I didn't really see any information about her early life. Usually, the school leaves little notes.
"He found her case file from the school, but that's it," he tells me. "Have you searched her heritage?" asks Cloven.
"No. I intended to, but the war with these dogs distracted me."
Xander and the others walk into the room, ending our conversation as they take their seats.
"Looks like the king is finally ready to address his loyal subjects," says Marcellus, being the first one to irritate me as usual. He has a thing about getting under people's skin. If he didn't, he wouldn't be himself.
The other men exchange annoyed looks. "Shut the fuck up Marcellus," spits Cyrus. "Now isn't the time for your bullshit."
"Of course, it's not. We have more pressing matters at hand, like why the f*ck are we being summoned?" Marcellus leans back and places his feet on the table.
Count Cloven's red eyes glow brighter. He's not used to this behavior. On the outside looking in, you would think Marcellus is being disrespectful. I, on the other hand, have been Marcellus's friend for centuries. He's just a douchebag. He can't help it.
"Agreed," I casually respond.
Xander rolls his eyes, obviously still in a bad mood.
"Why would your father all of a sudden summon us?" asks Marcellus.
He's the only one in the room who doesn't know about Claire, so of course, he's the one who has the most questions. The other vampire kings are probably wondering the same thing.
"And why would he summon your chosen? What's going on, Nicklaus?"
My eyes flash. "Don't forget who you're addressing," I warn.
He flashes me a smirk.
Fucking douchebag.
"I think the most important question is what we are going to do about the dog problem," responds Cyrus, attempting to place the focus on anything other than Claire.
Xander raises his eyebrow. He must have realized that too.
"The last attack I led shall keep them busy for at least one passing moon. That should be more than enough time to deal with the summons and return," he says.
"They want you all to be in Romania at once," Count Cloven states. "Everything is already set up for all of you to depart."
"No, we need to settle things in our kingdoms first before we take off to Romania," Xander replies. "Send word that we shall be there within a week."
"I'll contact my father at once. I'm sure he can buy you all some time, especially when you consider the constant attacks from the werewolves," Count Cloven says.
"That's only if the council isn't pissed at us coming over here in the first place. I wonder if that's the reason for the summons," Marcellus pipes up. His eyes travel to my glass of blood before they start to swirl with curiosity.
I am about to take another sip of my drink, only to place it back down, acting as if I don't see right through his charade. I recognize his suspicions, but it really doesn't matter. I'm his king. He won't dare to challenge me if he wants to keep his life.
"No, that doesn't make sense. I mean we can't dismiss the key fact that your father summoned a human," he says, still fishing.
He's playing a dangerous game.
Trying my best to contain my emotions, I grip the table. But my patience is running thin.
"Drop it, Marcellus," Xander speaks up. "It's none of your goddamn business why Claire was summoned."
"Ah-ha . . . there it goes," says Marcellus, standing to his full height. "There is some deeper meaning behind the summons, and I'm guessing,"—he turns to face me—"it has something to do with you, since Claire, isn't it?"
My monster is now on the horizon.
". . . is your chosen. And let's not forget that your brother just called a human by its name," he continues.
That does it. In the blink of an eye, I'm out of my seat, smashing him into the wall. My hands are now around his neck, and my vision paints blood.
"Do you want to die?" I growl low, extremely low. "I'll end you."
He raises his hands in mock surrender. "Come on, Bro. I was just kidding around," he defends. "Geez. Get your panties out of the bunch," he jokes.
I growl in response.
"Just kidding . . . just kidding. You know I got your back. You're my big brody."
Marcellus has a thing about using modern words. He thinks it makes him cool.
Fucking clown!
I throw him across the room with little effort. I straighten out my leather jacket and make my way back to my seat. "This isn't the time for games, Marcellus," I tell him as he stands to his feet. "Meeting adjourned. I don't have time for this shit."
Without question, everyone leaves except Xander.
"You know, Nicklaus, all of the kings will have questions about Claire," he begins after waiting for a while. "We need to know who will remain with us and who will turn against us."
He is right.
I take the last sip of Claire's blood, allowing the taste of milk and honey to calm my nerves. I twirl the empty wine glass around my fingers.
"I'm aware," I state. "What do you suppose we do?"
Xander walks towards the window. He's wearing an all-black suit, nice and clean. For the first time in a while, he looks like himself. He's doing it—thinking about a master plan.
"A feast," he suggests.
I put my glass on the table. "A feast? What the fuck would that do?"
He crosses his arms behind his back. "Call for a feast of brothers and introduce Claire as your beloved, then we shall get the answers we seek."
I think over his words. He's right, which seems to be like always.
"I'll call for one at once," I respond.
The other kings won't think anything of it. They most likely are hoping that I call for a feast so they can figure out what's going on.
"There's more," I say.
Xander turns to face me.
"Claire's file is missing. I need to locate it before my father does, and I sensed another presence in Claire. That felt like our presence," I add.
"Impossible," Xander remarks. "You know like I know that she's nowhere near ready. You haven't even given her your venom, have you?"
"Of course not!" I growl. I wouldn't do that unless I'm 100 percent certain she's ready. I supposed it may have something to do with the emerald."
Xander frowns. "Maybe. There's only one way to find out. It's time to talk with Aurora."
"We don't have time for petty disputes with the witches, Xander," I tell him.
"No, we don't, and I'm sure she will try to kill me on site. However, she's the only one who can tell us about the emerald. I guess I just have to right my wrongs."
I burst out laughing. "Good luck," I say.
<🌑>
Awake Monday| If you like this chapter...Please don't forget to hit that golden star ⭐️ comment and follow.
Note: I have a new Twitter account come stalk me|@sondreenj|Im stalking back ☺️
Q: Twilight or True Blood?