Reign of Blood

Chapter Twenty-Nine

In the shrub outside of her castle, Chronos and Annaliese hovered, both of them watching a gathering of vampires stood before the castle doors. Scheming, no doubt. Annaliese didn't trust a single word that had ever come out of Killian's mouth.

With a protective hand placed firmly on her lower back, Chronos closed his eyes and focused on his hearing.

This distance was a stretch for his abilities, but the reward would be so worth it.

He was going to have her bent over his lap in just a few short minutes. To get her there, he'd do anything.

So he listened.

"The bitch is distracted," One vampire was saying. "She's got two werewolves and that blonde whore to deal with. She's busy. You can't honestly say that we'll get a better opportunity to attack than now."

"No," Killian hissed. "We're not ready yet."

"When are we going to be ready? Opportunities like this don't come every day. If we miss this, we might never get a chance again."

"We'll be ready when I say we're ready. Just a little bit longer. I'm waiting for something. It won't be long until she gives it to me."

"What about Nazreen?" Another vampire asked.

Chronos' brain was whirring. He assumed they were planning to attack Annaliese, which came as no surprise. His mate had always (and probably always would) been the focus of many schemes. He jogged his memory back to that encounter he'd had with Nazreen, the half witch half vampire who was scared of her own shadow. Annaliese had been giving her Queen lessons. And yet she'd been rendered useless thanks to his presence. The vampire-witch Princess couldn't talk in front of people. She could barely manage a whisper in front of her God Mother. It made sense that they wouldn't include her in their plans. The witch obviously didn't qualify as much of a threat.

But Annaliese did.

Everyone in their world had heard of Annaliese. She was a legend. The stuff of myth.

The challenge came in killing her.

Chronos wouldn't let them.

"Nazreen is of no concern," Killian said. "She won't change anything. If Annaliese falls, she'll step back and accept defeat."

Chronos could see that being the case.

But Annaliese wouldn't fall. If these bastards knocked her legs out from underneath her, he'd hold her up.

"What's this plan of yours anyway?"

"What are they saying?" Annaliese asked, yanking on his wet, curly hair for attention.

"Nothing specific," He answered. "They must be planning some sort of attack on you."

"Hmm."

Gods he hated that hum.

"You don't sound worried."

"That's because I'm not. It wouldn't be the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last. The vampires can think whatever they want. In the grand scheme of things, the threat they pose is nothing."

"You're not at all worried?"

"Their plans never work," She told him. "Why should I worry?"

"Watch what you say Leese. Sounds like you're tempting fate."

"I don't believe in fate."

"When the time is right, we won't have to attack Annaliese. She'll be her own demise when it counts," Killian said. "The bitch is predictable. She'll make this easy for us without realising."