Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (24 page)

"My queen…" He reached his hand out to her. His
anger was covered up by a playful voice, "What silly words you speak. You
do not wish to do such a thing."

"Though I love you, I will not back down. You have
humiliated me—hurt me so deeply, you do not deserve even an ounce of
forgiveness from my lips. Soon, you will see the extent of my anger."

"You cannot rule." He laughed as he gripped the
railing. His wedding ring shone under the light. "Such a threat is empty.
I do not fear you."

She raised her hand, and all the people around them passed
out. Their bodies fell lifelessly to the floor. "You do not believe
me?" The music had stopped, and her voice was the only thing he could
hear. "Then, I will show you that I am not joking. I will have you begging
for my kiss, my prince. I am leaving you and will raise my own family in
Morgan."

"Oh?" He scanned the room. His eyes settled on a
few people that rose to their feet. "So, you wish to play, do you?"

"I wish to win. How dare you deny me—after all you have
promised?"

"Deny you?" He seemed to take her anger lightly.
"How have I denied you?"

"I am leaving you and taking over the Morgan
Sect."

"I will never allow you to leave me." His head
lowered slightly as he readied to pounce on her. "You and the others
belong to me—I am your king. You cannot replace me."

She quickly disappeared then reappeared at the top balcony.
She shouted over the railing as she peered down on him, "Oh, my love, what
a slow man you've become. It will take more than brute strength to catch such a
queen as I."

"I will give you one more chance to reconsider."
He appeared behind her, and his hands took hold of her waist, gripping it
tightly. His breath was heavy in her ear as he held her. "Bow to me."

She turned around in his arms, an evil smirk filling out her
lips. She spoke in a sweet, teasing voice, "Do you love me, Drake?"

"You know of my love. Now is not the time to ask such a
question." He let her rest her hands on his shoulders.

Her tone deepened as her happiness slowly faded into a
straight-lipped frown. "Tell me, Drake." Her hand tightened around
the handle of a concealed blade.

His tone was deep, the boom of it making her heart pound.
"Stand down, my queen."

"Tell me you love me, Drake!" Her nose wrinkled in
anger as her lip curled slightly. Her hand shot upward, the knife going deep
inside his chest. "Our next meeting…" She twisted the knife and
forced him to turn around, slamming his body into the railing. "Will not
be pleasant." She took a step back from him. "So, stay away from
Morgan until you are ready to acknowledge me as your queen."

He started for her, but she quickly vanished. Closing his
eyes, he held his hand over the wound. The pained expression painting his
features didn't come from the knife, but from his broken heart.

* * * *

Ashleigh could see Caleb standing near the stairs of the
jet. The collar of his jacket was popped, and he was smoking, something she hadn't
seen him do in ages. His eyes darted around quickly as if someone would jump
out of the shadows and attack him. Her expression brightened at the sight of
him.

She materialized behind him and wrapped her arms around his
waist. "Boo!"

"What the—" Caleb jumped at her action, but
quickly settled down when he realized who she was. "Hey."

She giggled as she clung tighter to him. Her teeth nipped at
his ear, a deep, seductive tone to her voice as she whispered, "Ready to
go?"

"
Ya
-yeah." He laughed
nervously as he turned his head partially to her.

She could feel his fear, but it didn't worry her.
"Then, let us go." Her hands slipped from his waist and one took his.

When they got inside, Ashleigh pulled Caleb toward the
seats. She forced him into a sitting position, immediately hanging on him.
Neither of them spoke until the plane was in the air.

"Ash?" Caleb peered down at her.

She was snuggled into him, her eyes closed as she smiled.
"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Her answer was confident and upbeat, "I do." She
studied his expression. She was still in her gown, the puffiness of the skirt
like a small barrier between them. Stroking his cheek, there was a calming
warmth in her expression. "Trust me, Caleb. Everything will get better now
that I'm back."

Caleb noticed she was wearing his ring. "But what if
the Count—"

"The Count will never bother us again. I will take care
of our family in Morgan." She put a finger to his lips. "He should
not make someone his equal. He didn't think it through, and now, I am just as
strong as he is." She changed positions as she sat up straighter and
placed her hands on Caleb's legs. "And I can protect us. I can protect all
of us." She placed a hand on her stomach then took Caleb's and placed it there
as well.

Caleb beamed when he felt her bulging belly. "All of
us."

"Oh, Caleb!" She leapt into his arms and wrapped
her arms around his neck. Holding him tightly, there was a wet sound to her
strong voice, "Thank you so much for saving me. If you hadn't come, I
would've been trapped in the past forever. Thank you. You are my sun, my
eternal protector. Thank you for shining your rays and making me see what
layed
in the darkness that shrouded my eyes. I love you,
Caleb."

"I love you too, Ash." He rubbed his cheek against
her soft curls. "I'm so glad we're together again." Closing his eyes,
he held her as tight as he could. "I missed you so much."

"Caleb?" She pulled away from him and wiped away a
few of her tears. "Will—"

He answered before she could finish, "Sure." He laughed
as he gently tapped her leg. "Sit tight a sec."

Getting up from his seat, he went to the back of the plane.
Ashleigh stood on her knees and turned to watch him. Her hands held the back to
the seat loosely, a giant grin on her face when she saw what was in his hands.
He held up a new guitar, and slung over his shoulder was her laptop bag.

"Caleb…" She covered her smiling lips as she
looked at him with great excitement.

"If you pay someone enough, they can get stuff off
broken computers." He handed her the satchel. "It's a different
model, but it's better, I promise." He watched her take out her new laptop
and run her fingers over the large sticker on its surface. It was the band's
logo.

"Thank you so much." Her cheeks were red as she
opened the lid and watched the screen light up. Biting her lip, she studied at
the background image. It was of her grandfather. "
Awww
…"
She set the laptop on the seat next to her and gave Caleb a giant hug.
"Thank you…"

"Anything for my girl." He held his guitar by the
neck, his other hand wrapped around Ashleigh.

She gave him a quick kiss then put the laptop back in the
bag. "I'll check it out later. I'd rather stay…" She snuggled into
his arms as he adjusted his position to hold both her and his guitar.
"Right here."

"I like you here." He started to strum, a few soft
words escaping his lips. Ashleigh gazed up at him with loving eyes, and
everything was as it was before.

* * * *

Bursting in on the Council meeting, Ashleigh briskly made
her way over to them. She was wearing her normal attire, but there was a
graceful confidence to her walk. The Council was having a meeting, and they all
regarded her intrusion with great anger.

"Good evening." Ashleigh spoke to the Council,
Nathan, Robert and Caleb by her side. "There are a few matters I wish to
discuss with you."

Anthony rose to his feet and spoke loudly, "Now,
this—" When Ashleigh silenced his voice, Anthony grabbed his throat. He
mouthed the words, but nothing came out.

"Sit, please." She watched Anthony's bottom slam
into his chair as she used her magic to control him. It wasn't a gentle action,
but a swift one that made him cringe. "It is rude to interrupt a
lady." Then, she released her hold on Anthony, who coughed. "Now, I
would like your cooperation. Morgan is no longer under the Count's rule, but is
now under mine. If you wish to challenge this decision, please do." She
motioned for them to stand. "I would love to see the look on your face
when you are killed by a woman."

The Council whispered amongst themselves, all of them
looking extremely worried. She watched them calmly then briefly glanced over at
Caleb. He sent her a flirty smile, but she didn't return it. Her demeanor was
strong, and she wasn't in the mood for flirting. This rejection made Caleb
quickly turn from her.

Master
Vessling
stood again.
"What do you mean by this? Are you joining with the Morgan Sect and
breaking from the
Krest
Family?"

"Yes. This is my home, and I wish to protect it. Join
with me, and I shall make sure you are always safe and protected."

"What happens when the Count retaliates? He's going to
come for you. You know that."

"I do not fear him, and unless he comes himself, he
cannot harm me. I can control anyone with my magic, including his vampires. I
am a pure blood, as he is, and with that comes great power. Let me join the
Council, and you will see the advantages of having the Countess on your
side."

Anthony's voice was calm, though his lip quivered slightly,
"Please, Lady
Sallen
—give us a few minutes to
discuss this." After a several minutes of hushed conversation between the
members, he turned back to her. "We will allow you to join the Council and
serve on the—"

"I wish to serve with you as head of Council…"
Ashleigh interrupted. Her smile grew as her brow lowered, "Father."

"Co-rule?" Anthony's voice was stressed.
"With me?"

"Of course." A gentler expression filled her
features as she nodded. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, I would be honored to share my position with
you."

"Thank you. I am glad you have seen the potential of
our union."

"I also ask that you remain in Kingston, so you may
protect the Council in the event the Count tries to form attack. He—"

"As his wife, I am well aware of his power, and I will
honor your request and remain in Kingston where I am most needed." Ashleigh
then turned her eyes to Aiden. "And Aiden, I haven't forgotten about
you." She raised her hand slowly, using her magic to make Aiden rise to
his feet. "You will finally receive your punishment for your sins against
me. If you defy me again, I will not just punish you, I will kill you."

A deep, evil chuckle escaped her lips when she saw his fear.
"I do so love torture, and your screams would be very satisfying,
but…" Turning to the rest of the Council, she dropped her hand, and
Aiden's bottom slammed into his seat. "That will have to wait until later.
We have more important matters to discuss." She then appeared next to her
father, who almost jumped out of his chair when she touched him. "About
the future of Morgan…"

* * * *

Christie smiled at the camera as she spoke. Her teeth were a
perfect white, her hair dyed a fake, whitish blonde. "I know everyone's
curious to meet our next guest, and I know we are thrilled to be able to have
snagged this lovely lady." She laid her freshly manicured, pink tipped nails
on her skirt, her voice annoyingly upbeat. "This will be her first ever
interview and I, especially…" She put a hand over her heart. Her grin was
larger than a normal person's, and her lips were thick and plump. "Am
extremely excited."

She glanced toward the audience as she stood. "But
enough talking…are you ready to meet the face behind one of the most popular
vampire series of all time?" The crowd roared as she motioned for them to
cheer. "All right! Now, let’s give a warm welcome to Miss Victoria Allure!"

The camera panned toward stage left. The crowd was still
cheering as they awaited Ashleigh's arrival. She appeared from the back room
and swiftly made her way toward Christie. Ashleigh was dressed in trendy,
diamond-studded jeans and a tight T-shirt under a short cargo jacket. Her hair
was curled, a sparkly pink head band in her hair.

Christie shook Ashleigh's hands with both of hers. Her voice
was hard to hear over the crowd. "Welcome." She motioned for Ashleigh
to sit, and when she did, Christie did as well. "I'm so excited you could
be here with us today." Christie's hands laid in her lap as she clasped
them together tightly. Her face was slightly red, and one could see she was
very excited to do this exclusive interview. "I am a
huge
fan, and I can't believe I am actually meeting you in
person."

Ashleigh's voice was soft, "Thanks." Her eyes
glanced nervously toward the crowd then back at Christie. "I'm glad to be
here, too."

"Can you tell us more about yourself?" She crossed
a leg over her knee, leaning closer to Ashleigh.

"Well…" Ashleigh did not look at the crowd, her
pale cheeks slightly red as she tried to calm her nervousness. "I'm not
very good with interviews."