The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 13i

On the flight home, I put all thought of William and his evil offspring out of my mind. I snuggle safely into Adrian's lap, playing with his hair while he stares out the airplane window. The seats on the G650 are very comfortable. "This is way better than flying economy class." I whisper in his ear. He grins and turns his gaze to me. I quickly seize the opportunity and kiss him, something that I've been doing every chance I get since we left the hospital. "You're spoiling me. I don't think I can ever go back to being a mere mortal." My fingers stride callously along his cheek.

"It's a good thing you'll never have to." He says, and I kiss him again.

"What happens now?" I ask.

"My father will take this evidence to William first." He replies. "We'll give him an ultimatum. He can legally adopt you at which point you become untouchable. My father will call in a favour one day, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

"Or we reveal the truth about him. He will face public humiliation, and the Consortium would probably force him to legitimize you anyway. If he refuses, he would be excommunicated. And given his werewolf problem in Eastern Europe, right now would not be a good time for that to happen."

"What is all that about anyway? The vampires and the werewolves, I mean."

"Lilith is the vampire queen. She is the oldest, living supernatural in the world, and she controls Russia. Matthias is the werewolf king, and his people control Eastern Europe."

"I thought you said House Ashcroft controls Europe?"

"They have official jurisdiction in the eyes of the Consortium, but that doesn't mean anything to the werewolves. Vampires and werewolves are extremely dangerous. When it comes to physical strength, the typical vampire is about twice as strong as the typical human. Werewolves are twice as strong as vampires. They also have extraordinary healing abilities. It would take a .50 cal bullet to drop a vampire and another one to truly kill it.

"Lilith and Matthias have been fighting a war of genocide against each other since before the birth of Christ. Recently, Lilith launched an invasion of Eastern Europe, and it's been causing the Ashcrofts no end of grief."

"Why does everyone in the Shadow Kingdom seem to hate each other?"

"Eh, they all have their reasons. None of them are very good."

I shift my posture so that I am straddling him. "Why do the Ashcrofts and the Shangs hate each other?" I ask the more pertinent question.

Adrian sucks in a tight breath. "Before I was born, there was a time when House Ashcroft was the unquestioned superpower in the Shadow Kingdom. This is not hard to understand since it was back in the days of the British Empire. They forced all the other houses to pay tribute to them, and at one point, my grandfather decided to stand up to them.

"He refused to pay, and as such, the two houses went to war with each other. In the end, he and the majority of my family died, and an Ashcroft victory was inevitable. But then..."

"But then they discovered your abilities." I continue. "Your father negotiated peace with House Ashcroft. Then your brother mastered his abilities, and that put House Shang back on the map."

"You are so much more than just a pretty face." For that, he deserves an extra special kiss. "A hundred years later, our families have essentially switched places. Now, House Shang is making the demands, and they're the ones with a backyard full of vampires and werewolves."

I brush my cheek right up against his, taking exquisite pleasure in the feeling of his skin against mine. "I've never thanked you."

"For what?" He asks.

"For coming into my life." I answer. "For turning my boring, mundane, human existence into something so much greater – something extraordinary."

"You're very welcome." Adrian grins widely, and this time, he's the one who kisses me. "Ashcroft Highness."