Songs of the Earth (15 page)

I sat with Ushna on the couch in the living room as Corey gave a full report on the causalities of our battle. The help from the council hadn't arrived until three hours after it was over. Nathan and Gregori were already administering first aid to the warriors when they arrived.

We'd lost two men. Tanner was killed at the west end of the property, but he hadn't gone lightly, taking six wolves with him. My brave, gun-toting, ass-kicking little sister, Neesie, was found standing over the warrior, Robin, on the front porch with dead bodies littering the ground around them. Robin had taken a wooden handle through the chest. He'd followed a group of invaders around the house to where the women were hiding. Robin and Neesie had killed those who'd tried to get into the house before Robin was impaled on a broken shovel handle as he tore the man's throat out.

There was honor in their sacrifice, and I hid the guilt I felt over their deaths, swallowing it down. Most of the others had sustained minor injuries. The outcome had been much better than I had anticipated.

The Shirdal had joined the battle. I'd heard their attack from the skies was devastating, with a particular fierceness that garnered great respect from the warriors. The Shirdal were no longer mere creatures to the men. Having them around was comforting.

Gregori's golem was an enigma to me. When Gregori wasn't using it, the thing sat at the end of the porch, still as a statue, unmoving and not breathing. One would forget it was there until a word from Gregori had it up and moving, doing Gregori's bidding.

Neesie temporarily moved into a room with Nathan so Abdel-Hakim and his family had a place to stay. The best thing to come out of this, in my opinion, was AbdelHakim's wife, Marjan, taking over the cooking. That was the closest I've ever come to kissing a woman who wasn't a family member.

I already had unification petitions from the warriors who'd been sent by the Council of Elders to help. I gave them to Corey. They would have to pass his interview before I'd accept them into my tribe.

Corey's walkie-talkie squawked, announcing Elder Janus Koller and five others were at the front gate. I gave permission for them to be allowed on the property and leaned against Ushna.

I'd asked Janus to bring Elder Evander Lake with him when he came to visit. Elder Lake had been responsible for the detainment of Craig Stoiler after he was sentenced to death. I had questions and I didn't want to have the conversation over the phone. Ushna and I'd argued about letting Evander come here. Ushna believed there was a spy in the Council of Five and I didn't disagree with him, but there were some things that needed to be done face to face.

Elder Janus Koller was the oldest of the council members. In my meetings with him in the past, he'd always exuded an air of strength and confidence. When he walked into the room, flanked by two warriors, I was glad to see he hadn't changed. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his downy white hair cut close in a professional hairstyle. His clear sky-blue eyes sought me out from the doorway. Relief passed over his face when he spotted me. Slowly and carefully, he made his way to me. I think he moved at turtle-speed to appease the warriors who were watching him like hawks. With an agility that belied his age, he knelt on one knee in front of me and bowed his head.

"Xenres," he breathed reverently. "I'm glad to find you well."
"Janus, it's good to see you." I meant it. Regardless of the problems with the council, he had become my friend over the years.
Elder Evander Lake entered, followed by his guards and not looking happy about it. He wasn't as tall as Elder Koller, but broader of shoulder, his wheat-colored hair cut in a no-nonsense way, high and tight. His dark eyes looked around the living room, came to rest on me, then dismissed me just as quickly before looking at Ushna long enough that a growl rumbled low in my chest. Lake continued to ignore me as he looked at Elder Koller kneeling before Ushna and me. He didn't offer the same respect Janus had. The longer the man was in the room, the angrier I became.
Elder Lake sat in a chair. I turned to Elder Koller. "Please don't kneel. Have a seat. I'm assuming the warriors who transported Stoiler's pack have given you a full report?" I wouldn't call the men who'd invaded my territory a tribe. They were a pack of dogs and not worthy of the Lycan heritage.
"Yes. I'm sorry I couldn't get help to you in time," Janus replied and then was interrupted by Lake.
"If I may ask, how did you kill Craig with so few casualties?"
My temper flared. "I lost two good men. That's two too many." I inhaled, reining my anger in. "I'd be more interested in knowing why Craig Stoiler wasn't judged and put to death for his crimes a month ago. How the serial killer escaped the council's detention center. Why I wasn't contacted when Stoiler escaped when it should have been known he'd want retribution for his capture and confinement by our hands." I couldn't help the rise in my voice with each question.
Elder Lake gave me an indignant glare. "How the council handles criminals is no concern of"
"It is my business!" I barked at him. I would not be walked over. I would not be shuffled off. I would not be ignored. "Everything the council does is my business now. Past, present, and future. You will explain to me what the council was up to!"
"We were trying to protect you!" Evander Lake bellowed back at me.
Warriors piled in the room and Elder Lake gave an outraged squawk when he was grabbed under the arms to be carried out.
"Wait," Elder Koller pleaded.
I held up my hand for the warriors to hold. Lake was released and the warriors stepped back.
"Evander," Janus said to his colleague. "You've been rude from the moment you walked in the door. You failed to greet your prince and his consort. You've raised your voice to your future king and refused to answer his questions. You're in a precarious position. You kept a criminal alive for questioning without the knowledge or permission of the council. Your actions make you personally responsible for the deaths of nine men and women as a result of the escape of Craig Stoiler. You're going to lose your seat on the council as it is. Don't add treason to your list of crimes."
"You cannot make me believe you'd put the lives of all the Lycans in this man's hands, Janus." Elder Lake made a vague gesture in my direction. "He couldn't keep his Twin Flame satisfied. There has to be something wrong with him."
I'd had enough. I released the Alpha Bond, knocking Evander Lake off the chair, on to his hands and knees. I slid to the edge of the couch, my full attention on the man who now looked at me with alarm and rising fear letting him see the predator in my eyes.
"Evander Lake," I snapped, "you'll watch what you say if you value your life. Do you disparage my consort to my face, Elder?"
"No," Lake whispered.
"No, what?" I demanded.
"No, Tris…"—my growl grew louder—"Xenres Tristan, I didn't mean to give slight to your consort. But surely you agree the people should be able to question your authority?"
"There is a time and place to question my decisions and this is not a democracy. I am your prince and future king, and as of yet, I've done nothing for you to question. But I take exception to you questioning my personal life. Tell me, Elder, were you not there the day of the inquisition?"
"Yes, Xenres." Evander glared at me with disgusted, angry eyes.
"You heard the evidence given against him? Alpha Sullivan slept with seven people in forty-eight hours?"
"Yes, Xenres." He rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"You heard that he, my Twin Flame, refused to allow me to claim him?"
Elder Lake paused. "Yes, Xenres."
"Did you not witness the bond poisoning his actions caused? Did you not see the evidence that his very soul was poisoning me?"
Elder Lake looked at the floor between his hands, refusing to meet my eyes. "Yes, Xenres."
"Why is it then, that you judge me?"
"You didn't give him a chance to make it right," the elder replied, daring to look me in the eye again. Behind me Ushna gave a low noise of warning and I placed a soothing hand on his knee.
"I gave him four years, Elder. I gave him ample time to correct the situation until I was hours from my death. Did you forget that fact? That being his Flame nearly killed me?" The predator in me was pushing hard to surface as Evander Lake continued to stare at me challengingly.
The elder didn't answer this time.
Gregori rounded the couch and sat down next to me. "Elder Lake is in love with him."
The elder's eyes snapped to Gregori, his lips pressed firmly together.
"It's his aura. When he speaks about Theo, the colors change, indicating a deep love and something else." He tilted his head slightly as he regarded Evander, 'reading' him. "No," Gregori said more to himself than anyone else. "There's more to it. Elder, what was Theodore Sullivan to you?"
The elder looked poleaxed. Eyes wide, mouth moving without words as he looked everywhere but at either Gregori or myself. My friend's eyes had narrowed as he read Evander's aura. It seemed to be telling Gregori more than the elder was willing to say aloud.
Gregori regarded the elder with new-found disgust. "You've the gall to be condescending and rude to your prince when you're sleeping with that scum. How old are you anyway?"
That explained Evander's hostility toward me. I was surprised Theo was working so closely with the council.
“I don't care if you like me, Evander, but you'll treat me and mine with respect. Do I make myself clear?" My lip curled as a snarl escaped my lips. The predator pushed forward enough that my vision switched to shades of gray. In a split second, I was across the room, pinning a motionless elder to the floor. My clawed hand gripped his neck as I pressed him down onto the ground. I roared with rage in his face, demanding his submission.
Evander trembled under my hand and tilted his head in my grip, offering his neck in forced submission. "Yes, Xenres," he wheezed.
I snarled at him again before jumping up, lifting him off the ground at the same time. I set him on his feet and shook my hand out as the claws retracted before turning back to Ushna. I had let go of the predator and pushed it back. By the time I sat down, I was human again.
"Now, sit. You'll explain to me what you did and why you did it. I'll have you removed from my sight if there are any more inappropriate outbursts."
Elder Lake carefully walked over to the chair. "My sincerest apologies, Xenres. It has been a very long time since someone has taken me to task for my failures. Please let me start from the beginning."
I barely held in an ugly snort. I wasn't interested in the flimsy excuses for his poor behavior. I nodded for the warriors to leave and turned my attention to Evander.
"When we were investigating the murders Craig Stoiler committed… someone… noticed all the victims had certain similarities. When Stoiler was brought in, he was questioned. We believed he was being trained to kill someone of great importance."
"Who?" I asked, but I already knew his answer.
"You, Xenres. All the families Stoiler murdered had one member who looked disturbingly like you." The elder hesitated. "There are a few people who have always known who you are."
"Excuse me! Who knew?" I looked over at Elder Koller.
"No, my dear boy, I didn't know until you told me," Janus replied to my questioning look.
"Elder Miguel Luis knew because he's the keeper of the King's Library," Lake supplied. "He wasn't aware I knew until recently."
"How recently?" I asked.
"When Craig Stoiler broke out of the detention center, Miguel saw the evidence I hadn't shared with the council." Evander sat straight in his chair, not quite meeting my eyes, but he wasn't meek, either.
"You withheld evidence from the council. Why? And how did you know who I was?"
"My predecessor told me and swore me to secrecy. I don't know how he knew. I withheld the evidence you were the possible target because then people would've been looking into why it was you. If Craig had confessed he was trying to kill the last remaining Lycan royal then everyone would've known. I'd sworn to keep your lineage a secret and so I kept all the evidence that might reveal that knowledge away from prying eyes."
"So you didn't share this information with anyone?"
"No one, Xenres! I've never told anyone, with the exception of Elder Luis and he already knew."
"Why did you keep my lineage to yourself?" Evander obviously didn't like me. He could've easily let it slip to the right people who I was.
"There is a mole in the Council of Elders. I don't know where it is, but information that only we should know has been leaked outside the council."
"Like the fact that Craig Stoiler wasn't executed and where he was being held?" I supplied.
Evander Lake flushed with embarrassment. "Yes, Xenres."
"What did Elder Luis say when he came across the evidence on Stoiler?"
"He was frantic to contact you. I… uh… I put him in a drug-induced coma."
"So you're telling me you attacked and subdued an elder who was going to call and warn your prince that a serial killer was loose who'd been killing people who looked like your prince? How do I know you haven't given my information to the spies?"
"I may not like you, but that doesn't mean I'd give information to a group of assassins who have been trying to destroy my people for hundreds of years. Besides, I couldn't have Miguel alerting the spies we knew you were the target. At the time, our trackers were closing in on Craig and I was sure he'd be apprehended. The only thing Luis's knee-jerk reaction would've accomplished was telling the enemy we knew their plans."
"I thought the elder was injured in Craig Stoiler's escape," said Janus. "What did you do, Evander? Miguel is still in a coma."
"It was the drug we use for uncontrolled Lupes. It should wear off in another day or two," Elder Lake responded, unconcerned.
Gregori slid into a slouch next to me. "Is it in your personality to be an asshole, even to your friends?"
I was struggling to keep my predator leashed; he wanted to rip Elder Lake to pieces. Breathing deeply, I leaned into Ushna's touch and looked at Janus. "Call someone you trust and have Elder Luis moved to a secure location."
Elder Koller nodded his head as he pulled out his phone.
"You haven't explained why you kept Craig alive," I asked Evander again.
"I had information that Stoiler was possibly working for Abd-al-Majid, the Servants of the Glorious One, who have spent centuries trying to destroy the Royal Enkidu line."
"And?" I prompted.
"And he was amazingly tight-lipped when we tried to coerce him. A
friend
thought he'd found information, thought he knew whowhatCraig was and went to interrogate him with the new information. That was the same day Stoiler escaped."
Janus snapped his cell phone closed. "So many people were needlessly killed when Craig was freed from the detention center." Janus's sky-blue eyes had become shiny and liquid. "I can't believe you kept this to yourself all this time. You could've confided in us and allowed us to search out the traitor instead of letting them have so much information over the years." Elder Koller looked at Evander like he didn't know him.
I watched Lake. He was avoiding looking at me. "What aren't you telling me?"
Evander Lake gave me a weak smile. "It was Theodore Sullivan who noticed Stoiler was targeting people who looked like you. It was Theo who'd been interrogating Craig, trying to discover who he was working with. He told me he found new information and was going to see if he could get Craig to confirm it. Craig tortured Theo before he killed him." A single tear rolled down the elder's face.
I cleared my throat. "Did he know I am the prince?" I was struggling to hide my feelings, which I really wasn't sure what they were right now. Theo hadn't been a part of my life for such a long time. I'd done everything possible to make sure every part of him was separated from me. Did I hate him? I didn't think anyone could hate their Flame. That didn't mean I liked him because I didn't. He was selfish, egotistical, passive-aggressive, and pretentious. Did it mean he was all bad? That was the hardest part. If he'd been purely evil it would've been easier to hate him.
I'd been told he was dead, and I wasn't sure what I felt. He'd carried a piece of my soul. That I hadn't felt him die told me our bond had been completely and irrevocably broken. This confirmed what I'd believed all along: I won't find my Flame in my next incarnation.
Was it bad I was glad? That I felt free? A man I once loved above all had died and I was trying to hide the relief I was no longer connected to him. What kind of person did that make me? I felt guilty because there was a part of me that was happy. I wasn't happy he was dead. I was relieved I'd never have to ever endure his type of love again. If Theo had known who I was, he'd have used the information to his benefit.
Elder Evander Lake shook his head. Theo hadn't known. A look of hatred crossed his face before grief took over his expression again.
"Then why?" I didn't understand. Why would Theo bother? "I was nothing to him."
"I don't expect you to understand," the elder muttered. "He was a different man after his children were born. He told me once he'd failed you." The elder shrugged his shoulders.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? His answer was no answer at all.
Ushna pressed warm lips to my temple.
"Do you have a death wish?" Gregori asked Elder Lake. I think it was a rhetorical question.
I called the guards and had Evander remanded into custody. I was done listening to him and quite frankly, if he stayed in the room, I'd be strongly tempted to kill him. Everything about the man was offensive and I was surprised he'd kept the council seat as long as he had. It didn't give me any hope with regards to the rest of the council members.
Janus cleared his throat. "There is another matter we need to discuss, Xenres. Theo did manage to retain his alpha status of Tribe Enkidu. If Theo was still alive, the revelation you're of Lycan royal blood would've brought Theo's alpha status in Tribe Enkidu into question. Enkidu has always been run by the royal family. The offices of the Council of Elders, the Warrior's Order, and the Magi's Order have always been housed in Enkidu because it has access to the king. Now that Theo is dead, the issue of who will run the tribe is not in question. You're the royal heir; therefore, the tribe will go to you."