Natalia was dressed in a flowing white dress that fell in folds to her ankles, with a modest neckline and capped sleeves, her golden hair twisted elegantly in the nape of her neck. She would be an angelic vision if not for the look in her eyes. It screamed murder. Two vampires trailed her inconspicuously. Her guards.

Her eyes landed on me first. She took a step forward, glanced at my father, then turned with a sneer towards Arthur.

Arthur watched her stride over with an expression of resignation and wariness. A stab of pain travelled thrugh the bond between us.

She reminded him of his son.

I would've been jealous, except that it wasn't the fond memories he had of his son that came to the forefront of the bond, but the pain and the suffering he'd endured after his death. That, I wasn't jealous of.

I moved towards them. Charles followed closely behind.

"Don't do anything unnecessary." he whispered behind me.

"When did I ever do anything unnecessary?"

He snorted.

Arthur felt guilty for taking his son's life. He also felt guilty for depriving a mother of her child. Natalia was that mother. In his mind, he had wronged her and no amount of suffering would atone for that sin.

So, burdened by that guilt, he allowed her to get away with borderline insulting behaviour.

I was not burdened by such emotions. I did feel sorry for Natalia, she lost her son and I would not be able to imagine that pain. But the fact that she blamed Arthur for it instantly made my feelings of sympathy take a backseat to fury. Anger stirred my magic. My blue flames roared to life in my heart, and I felt the presence of the phoenixes even more strongly, hovering high above us in the sky.

She had no right. He was suffering more than he should, already.

The surrounding guests took interest in Arthur and Natalia's encounter. I guess their history was no secret. By the time I was within hearing range, Natalia had reached Arthur and was on a tirade of some sort.

"...have no right! Not after you destroyed my life and killed my son!" she was saying, standing in front of Arthur with her eyes glowing a deep sapphire and her face contorted in anger. Arthur's face was blank. "you have no right to take a mate and live your life as if you didn't destroy mine! You have no right to live your life as if you never had a son! You may have forgotten all about him, but I didn't! I won't-"

"Enough!"

Everyone looked at me. I moved to stand between her and Arthur. Her lips curled in disgust.

"Stay out of this, fae. It doesn't concern you." she spat out.

"You're making a scene," I told her quietly, maybe if I dealt with her calmly she would be more reasonable.

"I don't give a damn!"

Yeah...there's no reasoning with this one. Oh, well. I was never good at peaceful solutions, anyway.

"You should if you want to keep your pretty face intact," I told her, gripping the hilt of my sword, "now turn around and go put on makeup or something."

'Go put on makeup'? Ugh, I couldn't have come up with a better one?

Her face turned a lovely shade of red. "You insolent b-"

"Enough." Arthur said calmly, yet every sound ceased existing around us. He stepped forward until he stood next to me.

"Natalia. We shall talk later if you wish," he said, "not here."

Her glowing eyes gained in intensity, and I felt a surge of magic from her. Her hands glowed a deep burgundy color.

My hair whipped in the air as three flaming birds landed around us with a sharp cry, the flames on their feathers stretching and reaching out like angry fingers. Natalia's eyes widened. Her hands lifted a fraction. All of the malevolent energy hovering around her had one target; Arthur.

"Don't even think about it," I told her quietly, sending a tendril of blue fire to my hands.

If she touched a hair on his head...

Arthur's magic coiled around us. Natalia's two guards stepped closer, their swords withdrawn halfway. The phoenixes' flames flared, casting the garden in bright orange shades.

Natalia looked at me and sucked in a breath. Whatever she saw in my face had her magic fizzing out. She whirled around and fled the scene.

My magic settled. Arthur leaned down and whispered in my ear. "I can take care of myself, you know."

I scowled. His eyes shone with amusement. "You can defend yourself against everything and everyone but Natalia, it seems."

The amusement died. He straightened, "I've no need to. She won't actually hurt me."

I scoffed. "She looked about ready to dismember you."

His jaw ticked and he looked away, "she's grieving. She's in pain. I killed her son. It's only natural that she hates me."

"She's not the only one who lost her son," I told him.

Natalia's pain did not excuse her attitude towards Arthur. They were both hurting, but Arthur had taken the burden of ending his son's life. Parents are responsible for their children's actions. That fact was more true in the immortal world. If anything, Natalia should be grateful that Arthur had spared her the pain of ending her son's life.

Arthur stared at me, unblinking. Then he shook his head, "this is not the place to talk about this. Your father is coming."

As Orion closed the distance between us, the phoenixes whistled. He stopped and looked at the three birds with raised brows. They stared back. Their flames had dimmed down to a normal level, but I could still sense their readiness to blaze.

I focused on the bond between the birds and I and sent my feelings of gratitude. It was alright, now. The phoenixes whistled then rose into the air in a shower of sparks. The other guests moved away to avoid the scintillae of fire.

A drop landed on Arthur's hand. He touched it with his finger. The ember died without hurting him.

"Well, you can certainly use them," Orion told me, brushing away a spark that caught his sleeve. It left a scorching mark.

Interesting. Arthur and I were the only ones the phoenix fire didn't harm.

Charles was rubbing his stubbled jaw with a grimace. There was a tiny dot of hairless skin smack in the middle of his chin. A spark had landed there. I snorted, and covered it with a cough. He looked ridiculous with an empty spot in his slight blonde beard.

He narrowed his eyes at me and growled. A sweet smile was my response.

"Elle, Orion, meet Noah," Arthur said, turning to welcome the scarred werewolf into our circle, "he's a pack alpha in the west coast of the U.S. He's also a member of the shapeshifters' representation this year."

I nodded. The werewolf looked like a wild animal who had decided to play nice for the time being. The scar only added to his fierceness. But even without it, one look into his amber eyes and you knew you were staring at a creature that hunted in a pack and howled to the moon.

"Yes. I had the pleasure of meeting him before," Orion said.

The werewolf merely nodded.

"It seems the council's hunters have caught several of the criminals involved in the gate plan," Arthur told Orion.

"I heard," Orion said, "still, there are at least a dozen others left. That's not to count the people involved and of whom we have no knowledge. Let's hope this arrest doesn't alert them."

Orion looked over my shoulder, "oh, excuse me. I see someone I need to talk to," he squeezed my shoulder, "think about what I said, Elle, Ireland will always be your home."

"Trying to lure you away?" Arthur asked after Orion left.

I shrugged. I didn't know what to make of Orion's invitation. On one hand, it was heartwarming to have him offer me a safe return to my homeland, though it did not feel like home to me. On the other hand, the way he spoke made it clear that he expected complete obedience to his orders, and that he expected me to act as if I had been raised as a member of the royal family, with their concerns and best interest in heart. I wasn't.

I was raised as a solitary soldier. The only interests I protected were my own. I cared for the well being of the fae race as much as I cared for the wellbeing of other races.

I grinned and decided to tease Arthur. "Apparently, I have better prospects in Ireland. You know, being a princess and all."

"Is that so?" He said. The bond between us thrummed. He could feel my amusement, so he knew I was teasing him. Eh, he ruined my fun. So I switched my target.

"Yeah, I mean think about it. To have me as a mate is quite the feat," I said, "The first born of the first born, the rightful heir to the throne, the one who can command phoenixes and blue fire! I'm quite a catch, if I do say so myself. Don't you agree, alpha?"

Arthur looked close to laughter. Noah blinked his amber eyes, staring blankly at me.

"Uh..." Noah said.

"In fact, Orion said that Arthur might be a little too much for me to handle. So I'm thinking of switching him up. Are you interested?"

Noah looked like he wanted the ground to open and swallow him up.

"Alright, enough." Arthur said,  a smile in his voice, "Noah, I apologize. She's joking."

Noah cleared his throat and raised his brows, "Well..."

"Sorry," I told him, wrinkling my nose, "I guess I got carried away. It's just that there's so much going on. I feel like I'm gonna lose my sanity if I don't joke a little."

Arthur moved until his shoulder touched mine, "let's take a walk." He exchanged a glance with Noah and Charles.

The four of us walked away from the garden. Once out of everyone's sight, Arthur spoke, "Burak contacted me. He found Santos."

"Already?" I asked.

"Yes," Arthur replied, "we'll go now. I want to find him before the council's hunters, or before he gets wind that he's wanted."

"Where's he?" I asked.

"In France," Arthur grinned, "fortunately."

Arthur led the way outside the perimeters of the castle, to a side road where Harvey, Marianno and Amanda were waiting with two SUVs.  Burak broke through the cover of trees right as we did, accompanied by a female vampire.

Arthur went ahead to speak to Harvey and Burak. Everyone was armed to the teeth. Even Amanda had disregarded her usual classy attire for cargo pants and a fitted top, with a crossbow and a sword. She winked from where she stood next to Harvey.

"You're... interesting," Noah said, bringing my attention back to him.

"Why is that?"

"Not many people feel comfortable joking with me... teasing me."

"Why? Because you're a big bad wolf?" I asked with a smile.

"That and..." he waved a hand to his scar.

"If you haven't noticed, I have some myself," I said, pointing to the hairline-thin scars on my face.

Noah's amber eyes almost warmed. But he looked away before I could be sure.

Beneath the scars and the scowling facade, he was actually a good looking man. He was also an alpha wolf who could shred me to tiny bitty bits with his claws and teeth, so I shouldn't let my guard down. Although the fact that Arthur was bringing him along meant he trusted him to a certain degree.

Arthur glanced over his shoulder at me. He came, took my hand and moved us into the trees where no one could hear us.

"If I tell you to stay behind-"

"I will burn you to a crisp," I told him seriously.

"As I thought," he nodded to himself, "very well. But I need you to be very careful. You're a prime target. We might be walking into a trap, and even if that wasn't the case, Santos has shown a great interest in neutralizing you, so he might attempt something."

"I'll be careful," I said.

"You have a knack of getting yourself in the most absurd of situations," Arthur said.

"I do not," I grumbled.

He raised his brow, "Be careful. Don't make me say I told you so."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Santos is strong. Even without his compulsion magic, he's strong," Arthur said, his eyes dark, "he's an old vampire and he must have other tricks up his sleeve that we don't know of. Be careful."

"Fine! I'll be careful!" I said, irritated.

"Also, don't like him too much."

I frowned, "what? who?"

"Noah."

I blinked. He was giving me whiplash. "Whatever you're talking about."

His hands framed my cheeks. "Please be careful."

I was about to snap at him when I felt a hint of emotions through the bond. He was worried, his insides twisted up in knots. But more than that, he was afraid that something might happen to me.

It was amazing that a being of Arthur's age and power was afraid. And I was the reason for it. I should be flattered, really. But I was more offended by the fact that he expected me to get in trouble again. Though, his fear wasn't misplaced considering my track record so far.

I sighed, "I'll be very careful, I promise."

"Good." He leaned forward and kissed me. My insides melted and my magic danced in my veins, sending sparks of joy in my bloodstream.

I wondered if I would ever get used to how it made me feel.

Three hours later, our cars rolled over dirt and grass in the dark night, threading our way to one of Santos' residences in France. His current location, according to Burak.

"He might go into hiding if he catches wind of us," Burak said from the front seat, "we'll park the cars as far away from the security perimeter as possible, neutralize the guards then go from there."

I frowned at the dark window. I had taken a seat in the back with Charles. Arthur and Burak sat in the front. The two vampire lords obviously had no issue with having people at their backs. If I was as strong as they were, I wouldn't either.

"Do we have to kill them?" I asked, "there might be people who don't know about his involvement in the gate fiasco."

Burak leaned on the middle console and turned to look at me, "you're a sweet little thing, aren't you?"

"Your vocabulary is extremely lacking for a person your age," I told him.

"Excuse me?"

"You've been calling me a "little thing" ever since we met," I said, "you should come up with something a little more innovative. It's disappointing, really."

Burak laughed, "oh, I see why you're keeping her around, Arthur. One would certainly not be bored with her around."

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry, little thing," Burak said, "Santos does not employ innocents. People on his pay roll do and witness horrors the likes of which you've never dreamed of."

"And why is he still alive, if you're aware of his crimes?" I asked rather tartly.

"Ah, life rarely works the way we want it to," Burak replied, "knowing someone is guilty doesn't mean you can prove it."

"Who do you need to prove it to?" I asked. To my knowledge, the Five were the ultimate authority in the vampire world. The council only got involved in interracial matters.

"To the rest of the Five," Burak replied, "Santos might be from my line, but he still is a vampire and thus under the authority of the Five as a whole. To charge him with a crime, I need to prove the crime to the Five."

"In most cases," Arthur added, "we leave the punishment to the original maker of the vampire. In Santos' case, Burak is it. Leo, Venus and I don't really care if Burak kills Santos or punishes him. Idar, on the other hand..."

Burak grunted, "he's the one who stands between Santos and eternal torture."

"You can still punish him, if you want," Charles said.

"Yes, but it will break an unspoken rule," Burak said, "punishing him without proving his crimes to all the Five will set a precedent."

"So you're just letting him get away with stuff," I said.

"Yes."

Ugh. I hated politics. If I was in their shoes and Santos was truly as atrocious as they made him seem, I would just rid the world of him and deal with the consequences later.

Maybe that is exactly why I was not a ruler.

"Here," Burak mumbled. Arthur stopped the car. The two behind us did the same.

We were in a heavily wooded area. The dirt road was overcome with bushes and grass. As the car lights went off, the moon blanketed the forest in shimmering silver. Small creatures skittered about, an owl screamed in the distance and leaves rustled in the soft breeze. I looked up. The sky was lit with thousands of white dots, but I tried spotting the three hovering above us. I knew they were there, my magic was aware of their vivid presence.

"I'm guessing it will take about thirty minutes if we run from here," Burak said, then glanced at me, "or longer. Some of us might be slow."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but it was Amanda who spoke. "Elle is very fast."

"Oh, yeah?" Burak arched a mocking brow, "we'll see about that."

I smiled, "try not to lag behind, old man."

We broke into a run.

Burak and Arthur took the lead. Charles, Marianno and I followed, then Amanda and Noah. Harvey and the vampire who'd come with Burak took the rear.

It took a few minutes for my eyes to get used to the darkness. It helped that the foliage wasn't thich and that the moon was full. I glanced over my shoulder. Noah's eyes were two bright ambers in the dark.

Burak's words were still fresh in my mind. I grinned. I'll show him slow.

I pumped my speed and sprang up, planting my two feet on Burak's shoulders. I somersaulted and, landing in front of them, picked up my speed to the max.

Grinning over my shoulder at the two vampire lords, I said, "you're getting slow in your old age!"

Arthur grinned and caught up with me. Burak took longer to recover from his surprise. When he finally did, he laughed and caught up with us.

Vampires and shapeshifters were the fastest races. Witches and fae were a lot slower. But I was no regular fae.

Uncle Robert had taught me that speed was the one thing I could always count on. I outsped most vampires and shapeshifters.

Arthur and Burak, however, were not most vampires. Running alongside them in the dark woods was a thrilling experience. It was like they bent the rules of space and time to their advantage, bursting through thick bushes and dodging trees like they were transparent. Our steps were quiet and the dark woods were silent. Animals hid away, aware of the presence of higher predators. Even the wind seemed to settle down in reverence to their powerful presence.

I barely kept up.

"Not bad, little thing. Not bad at all," Burak said, taking his speed down a notch to fall into step beside me. I grunted, partly irritated that he wasn't even winded while I couldn't spare a breath to speak.

"We should slow down in a couple of minutes," Burak said, staring ahead of him through eyes that had gone lustrous.

The woods seemed unchanged to me. I could not see what he did. We stopped and waited a few seconds for the rest of our company to catch up.

To my satisfaction, I wasn't the only one gasping for air like a fish out of the water.

"Do you sense any minds?" Arthur asked.

Burak narrowed his eyes and nodded, "about a dozen vampires, and others minds. I'd have to get closer to get a sense of what they are and their exact numbers."

"There are shapeshifters, too," Noah spoke quietly.

"You can scent them from here?" Harvey asked.

"Yes. we're downwind," Noah said, "Burak is right, There are more than ten vampires and I would say three shapeshifters. At least one witch."

"Nice having you around," Burak said.

"Let's split," Arthur said, "teams of two. The rest of you fan out, neutralize the security perimeter."

"Is Santos telepathic?" Harvey asked, "could his people send him a telepathic warning?"

"He's not," Burak said, "but he might have someone who is. So make sure you kill them swiftly, before they have time to get a warning out."

"Ten minutes?" Arthur asked.

"Eh, I'll be done in five." Burak said.

"Yeah," Arthur grinned, "you're famous for finishing up early."

Someone snorted. I laughed under my breath. To his credit, Burak laughed and shook his head, "good one, brother. I walked right into it."

He was a good sport. I might actually like him. I shuddered at the thought.

We split into teams of two, except for Burak, Noah and Arthur who went solo.

I was paired up with Charles. With his delightful company, we set out to take our targets.

____________________

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