AN: So I'm still hiding due to the events of the last chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to come out soon. Anyway, we'll be starting in Leon's head this time and then we'll shift gears. Hope you all enjoy! Be sure to drop some comments as you read! Now onward and forward to Chapter Nine!
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*Leon*
I found Raine out in the gardens. She was sitting on a bench, crying and I felt awful for her. Whatever had occurred on the balcony had really affected her. I suspected it had something to do with Gabriel, but I wasn't sure.
"Raine?" I called out.
"Leon," Raine gasped. She stood and quickly wiped her tears. I wasn't surprised. She must have felt the need to be formal with me. Being Gabriel's Fledging gave me a certain level of respect among vampires. It wasn't much, but it was better than most Fledglings.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned for her.
"Nothing," she assured me. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I...I told King Gabriel...that I've fallen in love with him," Raine admitted, "But he told me that he doesn't feel the same way about me."
My eyes widened and I inhaled sharply.
"That stupid little righteous idiot," I muttered under my breath, not caring that I'd just insulted my Sire, something that was severely frowned upon in vampire culture.
I turned to Raine and sighed. Should I tell her about the contract?
I knew that if I did, I'd be betraying my Sire. He didn't want Raine to know about the contract.
But at the same time, I also thought he was being really stupid. He was in love with Raine and yet he was going to fulfil the terms of this ridiculous contract and marry Melisande.
And the worst part was that Raine loved him. He was doing this and denying both himself and Raine the love they deserved.
I told him.
I told him that someone was going to get hurt.
And it was terrible Raine was the one that had.
I didn't need to think about it anymore. I knew what I had to do. I had to tell Raine the truth about the contract. She deserved to know.
I took a deep breath and looked into Raine's eyes.
"Raine, there's something you should know," I told her, "My Sire didn't reject you because he doesn't love you. In fact, he's fallen madly in love with you. He rejected you because of a contract."
"What?" Raine gasped, "What are you talking about?"
"King Lucian made an agreement with Queen Tatiana that my Sire would marry Crown Princess Melisande, give up his vampirism, and become a faerie," I explained, "My Sire is just too righteous for his own good. He views the contract as a promise his Father made and feels he has a duty to fulfil that promise."
"How can you be so sure?" she asked.
"Please," I scoffed, "I'm his Fledging. No one, save for his siblings, knows Gabriel Drake like I do. Besides he didn't exactly hide it well. I could see it on his face whenever he looked at you."
Raine was silent as she processed that information.
"What do I do?" she asked, "He's bound to Melisande. That means I have to let him go."
"Wrong," I told her, "We vampires are physically and emotionally driven to find our soul mates. Once we find them, it's impossible to let them go. You won't be able to let him go, I know that for a fact."
"So what do I do, Leon?" she asked.
"The Drakes are trying to figure out a way out of this contract," I told Raine, "The best thing you can do now is be patient and let him know that you're not going to let him do this to you."
"How?" Raine asked.
"Talk to him," I replied, "Act like things are normal. Get closer to him again. But keep the flirting to a minimum. We don't want Melisande getting suspicious."
"And you think this will work?" she asked.
"I think it'll buy us time while the Drakes come up with a real plan," I replied, "Let me ask you this, Raine, do you truly love my Sire?"
"Yes," Raine replied with no hesitation.
"Then are you willing to fight for him?" I asked.
"Yes," Raine replied.
"Good," I replied, "Now get some sleep. You aren't fighting the faeries' war anymore. Your battle starts tomorrow."
Raine nodded and went inside the castle.
I sighed and looked up at the darkened sky.
Had I done the right thing?
I had betrayed my Sire by telling Raine about the contract. But at the same time I knew that she needed to know.
I sighed again.
I only hoped that we weren't fighting a losing battle.
*Gabriel*
I woke up the next morning to find myself in an unfamiliar bedroom and to my utter shock, there was someone sleeping next to me. My shock rose when I realized that it was Melisande.
Then I started to remember what had transpired last night.
I swallowed hard.
I needed to get out of here. I needed to talk to my siblings. I cringed. I was going to get an earful for this.
Melisande stirred and after a few moments, she opened her eyes.
She sat up and kissed my bare shoulder.
"I...I should go," I told her, "I wouldn't want to ruin your reputation by still being here when your handmaids arrive." She nodded in understanding.
I got up, threw on my clothes and quietly opened the door. I peeked out into the hallway. Thankfully, it was still early and the hallway was empty.
I silently walked down the hall and entered my room. I closed the door behind me and sank to the ground.
I regretted sleeping with Melisande more than I could possibly express. Not only was it wrong, it was a lie. I had lied to her and to myself. I had even lied to Raine last night, during the party.
And unfortunately, in order to uphold the terms of the contract, I'd have to keep lying to Melisande, Raine, and myself.
I sighed and pulled out my phone. I pressed a few buttons and called Damien. I'd most likely get an earful from him, but at least he'd help me figure out what to do.
He answered after three rings.
"What is it Gabe?" he asked.
"Damien...I...I really screwed up," I admitted.
"What did you do?" Damien asked.
I took a deep breath.
"I slept with Melisande," I admitted. I braced myself for a severe scolding, but all I heard was silence.
"I'm sorry, you did what?" Damien asked after a moment.
"I slept with Melisande," I replied.
"Why?" Damien asked, "What could have possibly made you do something so stupid and reckless?"
"She seduced me and I gave in," I told him, "There's more."
"What more could there be, Gabriel?" Damien asked.
"Raine told me how she felt last night and I rejected her," I admitted.
"Gabe, you are literally the only vampire that has ever rejected their soul mate up front like that," Damien stated.
"Really?" I asked, "I seem to recall you doing the same to Selena."
"I didn't reject her," Damien countered, "That was a different situation entirely, Gabriel."
I sighed.
"I have to go through with the contract now," I stated.
"Why? Because you feel guilty about what happened?" Damien asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Gabe, please...stop doing this to yourself," Damien pleaded, "You're hurting yourself by denying your feelings for Raine. I'm still trying to find a way out of this contract, but I will get you out of it and into your soul mate's arms. I promise."
"There is no way out of this contract, Damien," I told him, "So don't make promises you can't keep."
"What are you going to do Gabe?" he asked.
"I'm going to proceed with the contract," I replied.
I hung before I could hear any more of his protests.
Was I doing the right thing? Of course. I was doing my best to fulfil the promise my Father made.
So then why did I feel so awful?
It's because of Raine, stupid! my inner voice shouted at me, You're supposed to be with Raine!
I sighed. I knew my inner voice was right, but I had to uphold this contract.
I got ready for the day and went to the throne room where I knew Tatiana would be.
Sure enough, she was there, sitting on her throne. Her crown glittered on her head as the sunlight hit it.
"King Gabriel, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"Queen Tatiana, I'm ready to proceed with the contract," I told her, "I will gladly marry Crown Princess Melisande."
Tatiana smiled.
"Thank you," Tatiana told me, "I'll make arrangements for the wedding and let you know when it will take place."
I nodded and left the throne room.
I found Raine in the hallway.
"Good morning My King," she greeted me.
"Good morning, Raine," I replied.
What should I say to her? I had severely hurt her last night. And yet, here she was, acting like nothing had happened. It was odd.
"You went to see the Faerie Queen?" Raine asked.
"Yes," I told her, "I'm getting married to her daughter, Crown Princess Melisande, so I asked her to make arrangements for the wedding."
"I see," Raine replied as she frowned, "Congratulations."
Her reaction confused me. Did she know about the contract? If so, who had told her? I certainly hadn't.
"Thank you," I told her.
"Will you be walking in the gardens this evening?" Raine asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Then I will be there to guard you," Raine told me. She turned and walked away.
*Leon*
I was in the library reading a book on spells and rituals that Harper had loaned me. I turned each page lovingly and with care because each page reminded me of my soul mate, my eternal love, Harper.
I missed her so much, but I knew that I'd see her again soon. Perhaps I could even convince her to teach at the supernatural school Selena was building.
Was I considering becoming the Headmaster of the school? Yes, I was. The idea of helping children who weren't comfortable with their supernatural nature warmed my soul. It would give me a chance to help them and give them the guidance they needed during this unpredictable time in their lives.
I'd need to formally ask for Gabriel's permission though.
The door banged open, startling me out of my thoughts.
I looked up and saw a very panicked Raine standing there.
She closed the door and walked over to me.
"It's over, Leon," she told me, "Our plan is a failure before it even started."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"It's Gabriel," Raine replied, "He's getting married."
"We know that," I told her, "That's the whole point of the contract."
"No, you don't get it!" Raine told me, "I mean he's getting married, as in, he's formally asked Tatiana to make plans for the wedding."
The blood in my veins froze as the shock of that news hit me. It took me a moment to process what Raine had said.
Then I cursed, loudly, and threw my glass of wine into the fireplace. Why was my Sire so hellbent on ruining his own life by denying himself the love of his soul mate?
"Bloody idiotic righteous fool," I growled.
"What are we going to do, Leon?" Raine asked, "We don't have time to stall anymore."
"Maybe we do," I told her, "Did he say when the wedding was?"
"No," she replied.
"It will take Tatiana some time to put a wedding together," I reasoned, "I'd say two days at the least. It's not much, but it's something."
I began to pace as I formulated a plan.
"Here's what we're going to do," I told her, "You and I are going to do everything we can to stall the wedding. In the meantime, I'll call the other Drakes in Cygnus Keep. They need to know what's going on here. I just hope they've found a way out of this contract."
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AN: So I'll still be hiding if you need me. Thanks for reading! Be sure to drop some comments and vote!