In War, There Is Love

Totally Screwed

“So you were the unfortunate man to do the task of accompanying the lonely Queen to the guests? How sad.” Maya expected a real laugh from her brother-in-law, but instead he looked in awe. “Anthony? Did my husband threaten you to do this?”

He cleared his throat. “You look... Dammit, my brother is a lucky motherfucker, isn’t he?”

That took Maya surely by surprise, but she appreciated the admiring look in Anthony’s black eyes. Besides, it didn’t really make her uncomfortable. He could be flirty, but Maya was starting to think Anthony never took anything seriously in his life.

“Since he gets to only look but not touch, I say he is not.” That finally took Anthony to fully laugh. “Besides, no matter how much of a Queen I look like, it’s hardly any of our clan members to obey me, right?”

Anthony visibly grimaced at the way she unashamedly repeated his words. And to Maya’s surprise, he looked genuinely remorseful. “Maya...”

But she raised her palm to stop him. “I don’t expect nor require an apology.”

“Maya,” Anthony continued nonetheless. “Why don’t we leave our differences aside for just one night at least?” Why did he look serious? There was no trace of his playfulness in his voice now. “We’re about to tell the world that you’re officially our Queen tonight. Can you and Demetri not try to try each other for a few hours?”

Maya cracked a smile. “I cannot promise anything. It depends on how insufferable your brother will be, which I know he can be a lot. But I’ll try.”

He nodded, smiling. “I’ll have to do with that.” Then he bowed down to her and signed for her to link her arm with his. “Shall we, Your Grace? We don’t want to leave the King waiting.”

Maya tsked. “Such a gentleman.”

Eyes were on them all the way to the Dining Room, and the gossip of a secret affair would start soon, she was sure of it.

Maya couldn’t wait. And by the dangerous sparkle in his eyes, Anthony couldn’t wait either. As to confirm her thoughts, he said, “At least things aren’t boring around here anymore.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to make your insufferable immortality more bearable.”

Throwing his head back, Anthony laughed, and soon enough Maya joined him. When they were finally inside the room, there were still smiles on their faces.

But they vanished as soon as Maya’s eyes connected with Demetrius’ light ones. First, his eyes made a movement from her head to her toes, as if taking everything in, and they instantly grew more intense. Then, as if he remembered his brother was there too, his eyes got fixed on their linked arms.

For a second Maya was sure she saw his sharper-than-knife jaw twitch. And she hated how it took a man speaking for Maya to realize they had company. “The family bonding seems to have gone smoothly.”

Maya was met with the bluest eyes there could exist.

“Victor,” the short blonde woman on his side hissed, her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at Demetrius in fear. And truth be told, Demetrius did look like he wanted to murder the gorgeous Elven King in front of him, who looked cold as ice, definitely like he hadn’t implied that Maya had bonded with Anthony a little too much.

Maya had never seen that family before. Not in person at least, because she had seen all of their portraits, and she was almost sure she could tell who was who with her eyes closed, just by hearing their voices.

They were a strange family indeed, but there was no mistake the rumors of how close they were now that Maya looked at them. It had all started with King Robert forcing Princess Evelyn into a marriage years after he had killed the elven twins’ father. And if there was one thing Demetrius had done right in his five-hundred years of life, it was standing by their side when Maya’s father had wanted to kill them on that trial a few years ago, even if it was for his own selfish reasons.

Maya had voted against Silas wanting to sentence Vitctor, Evelyn and Arthmael to death, but they were her first years on the Faeries’ Council, and she hadn’t been heard.

“Your Grace.” The Alpha King was the first one to walk towards her and leave a kiss on her hand, followed by Lord Arthmael and then King Victor, who looked almost bored already.

Maya planted a fake smile on her face. “Welcome to our Court, Your Majesties. Please, let’s sit down so we can speak while we eat.”

“Of course.” Princess Evelyn smiled at her, a pretty smile that Maya instantly envied. Not only because of how ethereal the Princess looked, but because she looked like she had reached heaven just because her husband took her hand while he pulled her chair, and whispered, “My love,” in her ear.

It was nauseating how in love all three of the couples were. While, if Maya could kill her husband with a fork tonight, she would.

The dinner was more than awkward at first. Thankfully at least, she was sitting down in front of Anthony, so she could smile from time to time. Of course, if she could ignore the cups of blood in front of all the three siblings.

“Now, Demetrius, don’t tell me you haven’t made your wife feel welcomed yet.”

Maya’s eyebrows raised in surprise and she couldn’t hide her smirk. Everyone was already aware that Demetrius and Queen Alina were allies, but being on a first-name basis? That was a little too much. “His wife is right in front of you, Your Grace.” Fully intentionally, Maya’s words sounded a lot sweeter than they should have.

Demetrius’ eyes burned on the right side of her face, but Maya refused to look at him.

Anthony snorted in his cup of blood, immediately covering it with a cough.

King Julian was instantly on the defense, but surprisingly, Alina kept smiling. “Of course, Your Grace, I wasn’t trying to imply anything.”

“Oh, I know, trust me.”

“Maya.” Demetrius held her hand above the table, and to anyone else, it could have seemed like a lover’s grip. However, it was a little too forceful, and his eyes a little too threatening.

“Demetrius,” Maya repeated. “Were you saying anything, husband?”

He grinned. “Actually, I was not. I just wanted to hear you calling me your husband again.”

“But I do that all the time.” She smiled at the guests. “Don’t I, husband?”

The tension was making everyone uncomfortable, Maya could tell that. While Queen Estelle looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but not there the most.

Maya couldn’t get why people feared her husband that much. While he was borderline, terrifyingly insane, wasn’t that all the thrill? Why fear when you can challenge?

But she figured some appreciated their lives more than the thrill. Plus, she was sure King Victor treated his wife like she was a Goddess sent from heaven just for him.

After that, Anthony cracked a few jokes, King Julian followed him, and the tension let loose. They weren’t actually bad. They looked like they knew what the other would say before the words were even out. Like they were in sync with each other as much as Demetrius and his siblings were.

The sudden loneliness that she felt burned down her throat like acid.

“Please don’t tell me that’s Queen Maya’s blood.” Lord Arthmael looked uncomfortable at the idea, and Maya immediately stopped herself from pointing out that he had tasted his wife’s blood when he had marked her. That would imply the supposed-bond between her and Demetrius, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with. They had chosen to ignore it, so Maya could go with that happily.

“Unfortunately for Demetrius, it is not,” Anthony answered, making them all laugh. She knew what they were all thinking. She was brave to put up with them.

“It is time for us to attend the ball,” Lilith cut in. “People are already waiting for their new Queen.”

“It was a pleasure having dinner with you, Your Majesties.” And it was, actually, no matter the tension there. “We’re looking forward to developing our alliances.”

“Likewise, Your Grace,” King Victor told her.

Surprisingly, it was Evelyn who joined her on their way to the Ball Room. “You really are a surprise, Maya.”

Maya studied the beautiful elf in front of her as they walked slower than the others. “Why? Did you expect me to be dead already?”

By her grimace, Maya realized they were seriously expecting to attend her funeral instead. How sad.

“Well, here I am.”

“Here you are.” She paused, contemplating if she could ask something or not.

“Say it, Princess.”

“Well... are you and Demetrius—that sounded bad. He’s your husband after all, I just think... I think I saw some tension there.”

Maya laughed hard. “Trust me, you didn’t. If we could go for each other’s throats, we would.”

She shrugged elegantly. “True. I have a feeling he won’t kill you though. He might have a soft spot. You’re gorgeous, after all.”

“A soft spot, meaning I can sleep well at night for a few more weeks?”

“Probably.”

They were both smiling now, and Maya was once more happy that her father hadn’t managed to hurt Evelyn, her mate and her brother.

They were good people.

All thoughts of others left her mind as soon as Demetrius got into view, along with Arthmael. “Where were you?”

“Careful, husband,” Maya said as she walked towards him. “Our guests might think you care.”

Evelyn barely hid her smile on her husband’s shoulder as they walked ahead of them.

“What would happen if you kept your pretty mouth shut for one minute, Maya?”

Maya acted like she was considering it. “You’d be happy, and I cannot allow that, dear husband.”

“Stop irritating me, wife,” he hissed in a low voice, without warning, getting her hand and placing it above his as they walked down the stairs.

And the sparks... God, the sparks. Immediately, Maya was breathless. “Demetrius...?”

“Stop talking, dammit,” he whispered, and it felt like he would give anything for her to stop talking because he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. Because he felt them too. As strongly as she did.

This couldn’t happen. Why was this happening?

God, they were screwed.

Totally screwed.

“Ladies and Gentleman, I present you Lord King Demetrius and Queen Maya of the Kingdom of the Dead!”

Trumpets and music couldn’t silence the loud beating in her ears. Maya was itching to get away from him, as much as she could, yet at the same time to get closer, impossibly closer.

“Why are there so many bloody stairs?” she asked, irritated.

“Perhaps because we are in a goddamn castle, wife.”

This could go on forever, but when they were in front of Demetrius’ entire clan and other guests too, almost everyone looking at her like she was the disgrace of their history, she immediately let go of Demetrius’ hand and held her chin high.

She wouldn’t let some bloody, ruthless vampires get in her head. She had done it once, many years ago, when she was small and helpless, and she wouldn’t let them again.

They thought they intimidated her. Little did they know that she had survived, and they would continue doing so even if she had to face anyone and everyone alone.

Silence fell in the room, and everyone was waiting for either her or her husband to speak.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Maya started. “I am Maya Elwood of the Faeries’ Realm.” She used her mother’s surname, of course. “King Silas’ illegitimate daughter, as you already know.”

No one had expected her to mention her father that freely, but Maya had nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t her fault her father had decided to cheat on his wife, and she wouldn’t take that blame upon herself, nor would she hide her identity.

“Surely no one was accepting this turn of events. I wasn’t either, and your King wasn’t, as well. But if it brings even a small amount of peace between our kingdoms, then so be it. If your King and Queen can live together, then so can their people.” Taking a deep breath, Maya started walking among them slowly, telling them, ‘Look, I’m here, I’m real. I’m your Queen now’. “However, all of you have already heard of what happened to my guards just yesterday, haven’t you?” Now her eyes met Demetrius’ again. “That’s a mistake that shouldn’t be repeated. If any of you, without exception, come for me or my people again, be prepared to face the consequences. I will not be quiet and I will not be afraid. I expect the same respect you’d give me if—God forbid—I was a Vampire Queen instead. And now that we’ve made a few things clear, I cannot wait to get to know every one of you. Please, let’s start with the ball.”

Everyone looked at her dumbstruck, and that included her husband too. And then suddenly his eyes turned blood-red.

Was he angry?

Of course he was. She had managed to humiliate him once more.

And it was a surprise that it was Anthony who invited her on her first dance instead of her husband. The expression on his face was knowing. He was having the time of his life messing with Demetrius.

“I didn’t know it was a tradition here that the Queen has to have her first dance with her brother-in-law.”

“Didn’t you?” he sounded fake surprised as he spoke. “Such a shame. And you claim to have studied History and Law for many years.”

That surely got Maya to laugh.

And it surely caused Demetrius to look at her like he wanted to murder her.

His eyes remained red, however.