The Vampire King's Mortal Mate

Marcus stood staring out the window. The night was unforgivingly cold and dark. This was true for some, but for Marcus and his kind, it was as optimal as a sunny day would be. Marcus stood unflinching in the deathly cold. This was an important night. The conclave hadn't met since the blood wars were fought and there was no telling how much their relationships had corroded. The alliance was an unusual but necessary one; a necessary evil. The very nature of the beings who constituted the conclave abhorred each other. Old adversaries sat across from each other, reopening old wounds with each attempt at deliberation on whatever agenda was, urgent enough to force such a distasteful accord. The humans. Thinking about them left a scalding scratch on his mind. The blood wars had claimed too many of his kind, the lycans and the elves. The Conclave was formed when the war had pushed them to the brink. Aldrich, his father, had come up with the idea. Brilliant at the time. This singular thought changed the almost definite fate of they who were regarded as unnatural by the humans. The vampire covens had suffered the most. Despite the exceeding strength they possessed, they were restricted to activity in the nighttime. Their oldest foe, the sun, has aided the humans on their murderous rampage against them. The blood wars as they were rightly called had claimed Marcus' mother and his rage against humans burned irrepressibly and could be the reason he upheld some ordinances promulgated by his father. This was one of such ordinances. If sitting in a room infested with the meaty odor of lycans and the uneasiness associated with a elves' presence was going to arm him with a spear to rip out the insides of the human world, he sure as hell would. Tonight must be perfect! It would be almost impossible to ensure that there would be no death threats and retaliation killings during the conclave. Some of the most powerful and dreaded of the species would be present in his home for the next few days. It was a norm at this point to settle long disputes in a final manner at the conclave either by paying blood debts or striking of placatory deals. It was not the most suitable arrangement but it worked to keep the peace between them to ensure their alliance against the humans was still in effect. "My lord, your guests are beginning to arrive", a voice in his head snapped him out of his thoughts. He recognized the voice. Tobias had been with his family for centuries and being in service to the oldest vampire coven had afforded him some semblance of respect among vampires and other species. Marcus straightened his gait and walked towards the stairs. " It's time for you to get into your dress my lady", Alice nudged. Lilith wasn't the most compliant of mistresses. She had put off dressing up for the conclave as long as she could. Alice wasn't worried about her not wanting to go, she was worried about Marcus holding her responsible for Lilith not showing up, moreso in an unsuitable dress. Lilith had a tendency of getting in trouble if left unsupervised. She was the youngest bloodtooth and the apple of Marcus' eyes. It was said that Marcus had tried to distract himself from seeking out a mate by living his sister that much. He loved her almost as much as his father. However, she felt alone. She had felt this way ever since her mother died at the hands of the humans in the senseless bloodshed the blood wars had caused. She didn't like that they had to be meeting with other species any more than Marcus did. "Oh Alice!!!, couldn't we by any chance go riding in the woods or perhaps hunt some big game to ensure our guests had enough to eat?", she complained. Alice made to help her up from the bed, she was used to Lilith trying to distract her from her duties at this point. "If it's Marcus you're scared of, I'd convince him not to harm a hair on your head. He loves me too much not to grant my requests", she continued. At this point, she had been dragged to her feet by an amused Alice. Seeing Lilith trying so desperately to escape her ceremonial duties was all so amusing to her patient maid if she could be called that at this point. The centuries had drawn them closer than one might have imagined. Some dared to call them friends and this didn't generate any sort of negative reactions from Lilith. She loved Alice and even though she was hesitant to attend the conclave, she couldn't risk having Marcus breathing down Alice's neck. She had gotten her in trouble far too many times for the poor girl's good. Marcus made his way down the stairs with a solemn look on his face. Tobias waited at the bottom of the stairs motionless as the many statues that adorned the Bloodtooth castle. Tobias looked splendid in his ceremonial garb but Marcus rarely paid compliments. In a few strides, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Tobias. "Have they reached the grounds?", Marcus asked distastefully. He could detect the foul stench of a freshly fed lycan. He was also beginning to pick up the elven scents. They were in vampire lands now and in a matter of time, They would be on the castle grounds. " Not yet, my lord", Tobias knew this was Marcus' failed attempt at making casual conversation and tried to hide his amusement at the prospect. "Fetch Lilith", Marcus snapped, not giving Tobias the chance to say something smart about his lack of conversational skills. " At once, my lord", Tobias obeyed, still smiling as he walked away, his smile waning at the prospect of encountering Marcus' sister. The only other person she could ever really tolerate apart from Marcus was her maid Alice. Tobias had to walk on eggshells around her and he didn't like that. "And Tobias!!", Marcus interrupted. "Send a runner to the covens with a summon to the conclave" "Of course, my lord", Tobias agreed as he continued towards the general direction of Lilith's quarters. Lilith struggled to hold her breath as Alice tightened the corset around her torso. She questioned the discomfort women had to go through to look suitable for court whereas men had to wear whatever they felt comfortable in and be welcome at court. She hated the feeling of making herself uncomfortable to massage the ego's of people or keep up appearances but today was one of those days when she couldn't do anything about it. A knock sounded at her door. Alice thankfully stopped her attempt at strangling Lilith's torso and went to check, much to Lilith's delight. " Tobias", greeted Alice. Lilith's face morphed into a scowl. She already knew why Tobias was here. He seldom went anywhere if not to carry out the bidding of her brother Marcus and right now, she wouldn't have to stress much to figure out what her bothersome brother wanted. "Tell him we'll be there, Tobias", she called from her position in front of her fitting mirror not allowing him the pleasure of passing on her brother's orders. " I'm afraid my lord has asked me to fetch you, my lady", Tobias objected humbly. Lilith spun around to flash her angry eyes at Tobias. Instinctively, Tobias retracted his gaze from her and towards the floor of the room. A decision he had learnt was especially wise when dealing with Lilith. "Well then, allow a woman the privacy you so rudely interrupted", barked Lilith. " I wouldn't dare deny that, my lady", apologised Tobias as he closed the door and stood outside, waiting for whenever Lilith decided she was sufficiently dressed for court. Alice made her way back to Lilith and started putting the finishing touches on her attire for the night in silence. Lilith was obviously riled up from her brother's ill-timed summon and she didn't want to infuriate her any further. "All done!!", she announced. " You look beautiful, my lady" "Need I remind you how I feel about flattery, my dear Alice", quipped Lilith allowing a wide grin dance across her face. She trusted Alice's judgment when it came to getting her to look her best for these things. Alice was happy she approved of her choice and for poor Tobias' sake, she hoped for the longevity of her good mood. Holding Lilith's hand, she guided her to the door where Tobias was patiently waiting to be called into action. Knocking gently on the door, She signalled Tobias that they were ready. He promptly opened the door and bowed, offering his outstretched hand for Lilith's permission to accompany her to her brother's presence. She reluctantly allowed Alice to place her hand in Tobias' palm. Tobias straightened and allowed Lilith step out of the room and together they walked to meet up with Marcus. They walked in silence, Tobias being ever careful to adjust his pace to match Lilith's. Lilith was aware of the effect she had on people and she loved it. " Tell me Tobias, do you have any idea why the conclave has been summoned?", inquired Lilith, breaking the silence between them. "My lady, I would be a fool to assume I had an idea of what bothers the members of the conclave, though, I believe your brother might have the answers you seek", answered Tobias. Lilith was a bit annoyed at being so cleverly shut down by Tobias. Marcus was not the best at satisfying her curiosities but for now, he would have to do.