Page 80 of Redeeming the Angel

When Zareth called the meeting to order, everyone dutifully brought out lists that I’d suggested they make.…That I’d forgotten to make.To my surprise, Lucian didn’t have one either.How long had he and Xochitl been talking before they made their trip to Earth to buy me all those treats?

Despite my lack of contributions, many very good suggestions were made, which Sylvis compiled into a list.That girl loved making lists.Even back when she was eight.I chased away fond memories at how cute my girls had been and tried to focus on the meeting.Well, every detail except for the fact that these diplomatic visitors were also my family and once future in-laws.

“But how are we going to let them know to come to Niji instead of here?”Xochitl asked, after our suggested negotiations were hammered out.

Gabriel answered.“I’m the one who’s supposed to go to Luminista.They’ll be waiting for me so they can follow me to the meeting place.”He looked around the table with a mischievous smile.“So which one of you wants to kill me tomorrow?”

Razvan raised his hand.“I will.But I have a better suggestion.Since we vampires gain more power from luminite blood, I propose that all of us make it a joint effort and drain you.It would also be painless, and even pleasurable if you’d like us to add in that element.”

“That would be an interesting experience!”Gabe nodded with the grin of a luminite faced with a new experience.“As long as you don’t make it sexual.”

Tiana interrupted the conversation about Gabe’s impending exsanguination just when it was getting interesting.“How will we have the castle ready in time?”

“It’s ready now,” Zareth said with smug pride.“I hired staff to clean and maintain the place back when I was crowned.There are fifty guest rooms, fifteen suites for important guests, and a barracks for fighters.The larder’s stocked with an entire feast in case of situations like this.We’ll depart for there in an hour.Pack anything you need and meet me in the courtyard.”

I went up to my suite and debated on whether to present as a Medician royal as I had for the first Conclave meeting I’d attended, or as a high sorceress as for the second one.Given the cold weather, I opted for the latter, but still packed my crown.I then packed a few things from my treat box, the bottle of Highland Lilac of Rochester perfume Xochitl gave me for my birthday, a change of clothing, and pajamas.Those I debated on for a ridiculously long time.Though I usually opted for comfort, Lucian would be coming to Niji too.And what if I lost the battle with my willpower and wanted to do more than sleep?

I settled on a compromise.A long black satin nightgown made with Shellandrianleifabric.Unlike the itchy lace in Earth-made lingerie, the floral-patterned lacy parts around the bodice and thigh panels weren’t itchy.The impulse purchase shortly after my return to Aisthanesthai made me feel guilty, but now I thanked my past self.

When we gathered in the courtyard to open a portal big enough to accommodate all twenty-two of us, my heart gave a twinge when I didn’t see Lucian.Was he not invited?I hadn’t heard anything of the sort.Isis and Chaos yowled complaints in their cat carriers while Xochitl tried to reassure them that they’d be released soon.The only reason Isis was in a carrier, my daughter had explained, was because Chaos would have a tantrum about the Siamese getting special treatment.Unfortunately, Zareth’s fluffy gray and white cat lived up to his name, and would bolt off for any reason.He was also having trouble being leash trained.So carriers were necessary for now.Rayven’s cat, Irving, was also in a carrier, but he was under a sleep spell, being unaccustomed to traveling.The cats were coming because Xochitl wanted to show the Luministan guests her bond with cats.

Just as Zareth bade us to pull out our transport crystals, Lucian came flying over the nightmare forest, a bundle of black velvet in his arms.

“Sorry I’m late.”He let his wings recede and put on his purple ceremonial robes that Rayven had gifted him for Christmas.

I hid a smile as he took his place beside me.

The palace in Niji looked even more warm and welcoming than it had when we’d hosted the Solstice ball.The servants waited in orderly lines to bow for my daughter and husband and show each guest to their rooms.Three suites were reserved for Silvara, Lucinda, and Lucretia.The others went to me, Nik and Del, Gabriel and Sylvis, Rayven and Tiana, Silas and Akasha with their daughter, Beau and Artavian, Razvan and Jayden, Radu and Lillian, Aurora and Tony, and Tanis.Xochitl and Zareth had their own private tower elsewhere in the castle.

The rest of the guests, both luminites and the sixty vampires that would arrive tomorrow, would stay in the guest rooms below us.I hope my daughter made the right decision in having an army at her back.

Lucian’s suite was next to mine.I couldn’t decide if that was a blessing or a curse.And did Zareth or Xochitl make sure to put us close together, or was he merely putting all the luminites near each other?I was tempted to invite Lucian to share my suite, but wasn’t ready.Even though sleeping beside him for the first time in decades had felt so good that leaving his bed was agony.

I didn’t have time to think about that, or the sexy nightgown I’d packed, because the rest of the night was spent preparing for our royal guests.Rayven insisted that both the dining room and ballroom—where a bunch of long tables were adjoined for the meeting needed to be redecorated, Tiana and Lucian took over the kitchen, and Razvan wanted to set up a stage and sound in case the guests wanted to hear Rage of Angels play and display their magic—I laughed at my futile effort to imagine Silvara or any of the other stuffy residents of Luminista hearing heavy metal for the first time.

Xochitl followed the three cats around the palace while they explored and sniffed, warning them that they better not pee on anything.Nik, Del, Anthony, and Radu went out to the courtyard to build a pyre to burn Gabriel’s corpse in the Leonine tradition.And somehow, I got roped into giving Zareth a crash-course on Luminite etiquette.

By the time we had everything as ready as it could be, I didn’t even have the energy to change into any of my nightclothes before I collapsed on my bed and fell fast asleep.

When I awoke, it was only an hour until sunset.I tried to bathe quickly, but the large, jetted tub with lilac scented salt, was too luxurious for me not to linger.The only thing that motivated me to get out was that I didn’t want to miss Gabriel’s death by vampires.

I dressed quickly in an emerald green velvet gown with matching slippers and jewelry, tying my bottomless pouch to the belt on the hip.I’d don my robes and crown later.After quickly applying makeup, I hurried down to the dining hall that dwarfed Zareth’s.The vampires left to pick up their selected people from Earth.The rest of us were served a light breakfast of potato pancakes, various fruits, and American-style biscuits with honey.

I gave Zareth a grateful smile.He may not have known everything about tense meetings between nations—worlds in this case—but he did know to serve foods that were easy on the stomach.

My own stomach pitched horribly with nervousness.Seeing Queen Silvara again would either be terrible, or wonderful.On one hand, her hateful words and cruel treatment of me still hurt.On the other, part of me did look forward to flaunting my pride in my daughter, her part-luminite friends, and my wonderful found-family of vampires and mages.

I called upon my royal upbringing to feign serenity while forcing myself to finish at least half of the food on my plate.By the time breakfast was done, the vampires had returned.There were now sixty-five of them, including Delgarias.Twenty from each city Silas, Razvan, and Radu ruled over.Shen Li, Silas’s enforcer, held a cat carrier, from which I heard Akasha’s cat, Isuzu, yowling.The fearsome vampire warrior’s frown probably would have frightened me if I was capable of fear.

After breakfast, Kiara was led to the castle nursery with servants and guards who vowed to entertain her during the meeting.We donned our robes and went out into the front courtyard, illuminated beautifully with strings of lanterns.Gabriel shivered in his robe as the five vampires surrounded him their eyes glowing lightly with blood thirst.Another thing that non-luminites would find frightening.My cousin dropped the robe, dressed only in boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

As the tallest, Delgarias stood behind him.Silas and Anthony grasped Gabe’s left and right wrists, and the Nicolae twins knelt and asked him to spread his legs further apart so they could reach his thighs better.

Silas’s green eyes glowed brightly as he met Gabe’s blue ones.“No pain,” he said in a low voice that seemed to enthrall all of us watching.“Only innocent bliss.”

Gabriel’s eyes clouded over and all five vampires struck in tandem.Six pleasured groans sounded before the sounds of swallowing took over.When the luminite lost consciousness, Delgarias held him up.

Only minutes later, it was done.In a synchronized motion, all five vampires withdrew and gently laid Gabe’s lifeless body on the robe.The smile on the corpse’s face made me a little uncomfortable even as I felt a touch of envy.

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