Blood Betrayal

Chapter Seventeen

The men sat watching each other in a standoff watching for the others mask to slip. It was then that Zion peeked around the doorframe.

As usual, he picked the worst moment to insert himself into a situation. To his credit, he looked from the King to his mother and faltered. He then lost all credit by staying put.

"Is this one of the pets you have doing my Queen's bidding?" Daxus sang his eyes not moving from Alistair.

Sam opened her mouth to speak but Alistair beat her to it. "We do not have pets here. We raised them, they are our children."

"I can hear you and I have a name. It's Zion, and I'm gonna guess you're Daxus," he stupidly quipped. 
 Slowly turning to Zion Daxus's smile was unfaltering. "Of course, you are."

Zion's dimpled grin twisted into something unpleasant before he slipped away. Daxus watched him go with all the interest of a fox watching a rabbit.

Sam couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "I don't like this. Zion shouldn't be involved. You know how he gets about vampire things."

"How does he get?" Daxus asked as his predatory focus snapped onto Sam.

"That is really not important nor pertinent to this conversation," Alistair answered.

Daxus made a small appreciative noise. "No, but he is interesting."

"You have an unusual taste in humans King. He is unruly and has little respect for anything."

He thrummed his fingers on the table. "Hmm not quite human, is he. Do you know what his ancestry is?"

"Do you?" Alistair shot back.

Daxus only shrugged. That was answer enough. If he knew then surely he would rub it in.

"He has always been difficult," Alistair told him letting the frustration and fatigue of dealing with Zion slip into his voice. "He tests me daily."

"I understand how difficult children can be." The King sounded genuine clearly trying for empathy. It made Alistair all the more suspicious. Sam however smiled and nodded.

Alistair snorted in disapproval. "You could not possibly understand. You are prolific but the six or seven fledges you made are not the same as a mortal child that grows."

Running his tongue over his teeth the King didn't look pleased. "Will you do as I ask?"

"Byron is as old as I am and more relentless. What makes you think I can do what you ask?"

Thinly veiled anger showed in the way Daxus shifted in the chair. "You are more than you should be at this tender age. Let us finally make use of it."

Alistair had no idea why Daxus was holding back but he wasn't keen to push his luck too far. "I will do it to put an end to all the killing," he stood as he spoke.

"Alistair!" Sam exclaimed.

"Samantha, you must understand that Byron is an evil man. Your husband will be enacting a just and good sentence," Daxus purred in a saccharine tone. "He will gain new territory, rid the world of evil and save the lives of countless humans."

"She doesn't care about territory or power," Alistair said silencing Sam with a look before she could say anything else.

"The innocent human lives?" Daxus gave them both wide eyes. "We all wish to end his rule before more innocents die."

Alistair leaned forward resting his palms on the table. "You can stop pretending that you care about human lives when we both know that what you care about is them finding out about our existence. You would kill as many innocents as it took to keep that secret would you not?"

Sam fidgeted at his side. Talk of killing was upsetting her, there was little he could do to comfort her.

"Good, we do understand each other." The wide innocent eyes and the sweet tone had suddenly gone, replaced with a scowl. "Kill him, do it tonight if you can. I'm tired of sending my most powerful Psukhikos to mind fuck all the nice police officers, morgue attendants and families. If I have to clean up another of his messes the humans finding out what we are will be the least of your problems. I'll lend you resources if it will expedite things. Now, I would like to see my Queen if you're satisfied."

He was threatening, that was more like the High King Alistair had expected. Showing his true colours. He was nothing more than evil incarnate fighting tooth and nail to keep his way of life though only the gods knew why he cared what happened in the old world.

"I do not need the type of help you are offering. I am not satisfied but I do not suppose I ever really had a choice."

Daxus stood picking up his bag. "Not really," He said over his shoulder just before exiting.

"Assyrian?" Sam questioned the moment he was gone.

Alistair raised his brows and tilted his head lifting one shoulder. "You remember that Assyria was the nation of my birth."

It was no surprise that Daxus refused to use his name. Using one's name indicated a certain level of familiarity that they didn't have.

Sam sighed. "Do you really have to do this? Kill someone?"

"He may sound like he's asking but he never really asks."

"I'm afraid. I don't want you to go," she whispered.

"I promise it will be fine," he lied. It was a promise he couldn't keep but it was comforting nonetheless.