Nerissa glanced over at me, glowering a little, but she shrugged. “You have a point.” And then added hastily, “Your Majesty.”
“Formalities are for first impressions and throne rooms. You need not add my title every time you speak to me. I won’t have your head—or your throat—if you forget.” And with that, the strange little soiree relaxed a bit. “I asked you both here for a reason. I doubt either of you will like it, but I hope you understand. And perhaps, in time, you will come to appreciate the value of what I am about to request of you.”
Annnnd . . . here it came. Blood Wyne never did anything without a reason—it was beyond her at this point in her existence. So we were about to get a firsthand show in the way she manipulated events. I had seen it in the past, and I had the feeling we were about to get the full monty, so to speak.
“Be seated.” She herself took a seat behind Roman’s desk. He sat with us, on my right side, with Nerissa on my left, on the sofa.
I reached for Nerissa’s hand. She was shaking and I didn’t blame her. While I no longer feared they would try to turn Nerissa or dissolve our marriage, whatever she was about to ask wouldn’t be something as simple as, Could you take my dog for a walk?
“So . . . as you know, the recent spate of hate crimes has increased our need to press for vampire rights in this nation. Worldwide, actually, but for the purposes of this conversation, we will limit our discussion to this country.” Blood Wyne paused, and we waited. “Menolly, you have a great deal of pull in this city. And, I suspect, the capacity for influence far beyond the confines of Seattle. Your Otherworld ties are invaluable.”
“I suppose . . . yes.” I wasn’t sure at all where this was going. The sudden talk of vampire rights and politics had thrown me.
“Well, then. What I want you to do is simple. I could phrase it as a request, but as my son’s sireling—and therefore directly aligned to me in terms of lineage—you may consider this a direct order. We need you, Menolly, firmly ensconced in the Court of the Vampire Nation. I intend to make you an official member of the family. Consort is all well and good, but because of the nuances the breathers—” She paused, glancing at Nerissa. “Pardon me, I do not mean offense. Mortals, shall we say? Humans, especially, put a great importance on alliances. Therefore, we need to officially induct you into the court life.”
“Okay . . .” There was something coming that I hadn’t quite grasped yet.
“I am decreeing that you and your wife will both marry my son. You will both take on the title of princess. This is not up for debate.”
And with that, the bricks tumbled down, and Nerissa and I were left slack-jawed and silent.
Chapter 11
Nerissa found her tongue before I did. “You want me to marry Roman, too? What the hell? Menolly and I are already married.”
I winced, but Blood Wyne didn’t seem upset. In fact, her voice softened. “I know this is a shock, but trust me, I have good reason. Menolly, you are related to me because he has re-sired you. But I want your succession in the monarchy assured.”
That was a new one. “But . . . you are the Queen—and Roman will be the King after you, right? And what about your other children? Wouldn’t they resent me?”
All I knew was that Roman had seven brothers and sisters, and Blood Wyne had turned them all. The youngest two had been turned when they were twelve, before they hit puberty, and from what Roman had told me, they ran off and had never been heard from since.
His brother Caleb, until recently the Vampire Nation’s regent in western Europe, was a strikingly handsome, and equally violent, man. In a brief meeting a short time back, he had attempted to woo me away from Roman with the intention that we institute a return to the old days when vampires sought to be the scourges of the world. He had broken with Blood Wyne, and last we heard, he had resigned as regent and struck out on his own. But that still left four other siblings, including two who were total mama’s boys from what Roman told me.
Blood Wyne laughed softly, leaning forward. “What has Roman told you about his siblings?”
I glanced at Roman, who nodded for me to answer. “Only that two ran off long ago, and I met Caleb—we did not get along.”