The last dance

part 17

They were late for the dinner she was f*****g hosting. Delaney couldn't believe her own actions. Instead of getting dressed, she and Damon had gotten distracted with other...things. She felt the blush creep onto her face but continued to race down the hall. Damon was right behind her.

They reached the large dark wooden doors that led into the dining room. So she slowed her pace and straightened her crown before nodding to a servant who opened the door.

The dining room was a giant room in gold and green colors. The light from three big windows made the colors stand out more.

Delaney was a woman with taste. Everyone in her court knew it. On the left side of the room there was a large fireplace with a fire already lit for the evening. Her dining table could hold up to twenty people, but this time there were only going to be four.

Delaney and Damon walked to his parents.

" Your highness", his father said, and bowed before Delaney. She gave him a small smile and turned to his mother who had crossed her arms and glared at her.

A growl was heard from beside her, and she saw Damon, whose eyes had turned black. " Bow before your Queen NOW" he said.

Loranda flinched but gave her a small bow. Now she was satisfied.

Delaney motioned for everyone to have a seat at the table and in no time the servants started bribing out the food. It was everything from roasted duck to steak and vegetables with wine and sauces.

"It smells wonderful. Thank you so much for having us." Richard said and smiled while putting food on his plate. Loranda nodded as she took a zip of her wine.

" Of course" Delaney said and smiled. She knew that Damon's mother disliked her, but she was not going to allow hatred in her family.

" So, mom, how do you like the new house?" Damon asked his mother between chewing and drinking.

" Its wonderful honey, but I have to say that i miss the old lands." His mother said.

Delaney nodded, not really having the energy to be in that conversation. Even if Damon helped her take the edge off things, she still had a war to plan and a wedding plus a coronation to plan.

She is looking forward to when Damon is king. Then people can bother him and leave her the f**k alone.

" So Delaney, how long have you been queen?" Loranda asked.

" I was crowned queen two hundred years ago" Delaney answered and took a zip of her wine.

" T-two hundred years? How old are you then? What even are you? "Damon's mother threw question after question at her or even waited for an answer.

" I am four hundred years old and what i am is not important", she answered.

" Don't you think your own mate should know?" Richard asked, trying to sound as polite as he could.

"Yes, but it is a private matter," Delaney said.

Soon after that, Damon managed to change the subject to training the new soldiers. The rest of the dinner moved on quickly and soon both her and Damon were heading back to their own room. She was tired, it had been a long day, and now she needed to rest.

They walked in silence, hand in hand. Damon was humming a melody she had never heard of before.

" You weren't part of my plans" Delaney said, not looking at him.

Damon stopped and tried to meet her eyes, yet she just averted her gaze.

" What does that mean" Damon answered, worried about every word she said. She sensed he was scared that she would reject him.

" I never expected to care for someone as much as i care for you. You change everything for the better and i don't know what to do with myself." She said and gave him a small smile.

" Delaney, you are going to be my wife, queen and Luna in three days. I am the happiest man alive", Damon said, and kissed her cheek. They smiled at each other and continued to walk back to their room, both very tired from the day.

Ten minutes later, they entered their room. Delaney still thought it odd to share her private chambers with someone else, and it was weird that she now lived and loved with someone she had known for almost two weeks. Arrangement marriages did work like this so

Her future had looked like it would have if she didn't meet Damon and Jason that day.

Delaney got under the covers and closed her eyes. She could feel Damon doing the same and cuddled with her. It didn't take long before they were both asleep.

-your highnesssss

- yourrrr highnessss

Someone was calling her, Delaney opened her eyes and saw one of the shadow-skeletons.

She sat up quickly yet still careful not to wake Damon.

" What the hell is going on?" She hissed back at the guard. But the shadow-skeletons only whispered in her ear, and then they were gone. She got up and started walking to the throne room, she waved her hand and vines started slithering onto her body. Creating a beautiful dark green dress that looked like it was made of leafs.

Delaney had never walked so fast before. She was almost running while channeling her powers to the fullest. Her eyes were glowing green, a sigh that she was fully charged.

The door swung open and when she walked in she saw him.

" Ash Noctum, what a surprise seeing you out of your cell". She said as she walked slowly to her throne, he was standing right in front of it, and she knew that she had to keep an eye on him.

" Your highness, still as beautiful as the last time we spoke", Ash said.

" First you declare war against me, and now you break into my kingdom, what the hell do you want? " Delaney growled. Her eyes were glowing stronger, the vines started growing larger around the room.

Ash gave her a taunting smile. " You should really be more careful about who you have around you."

Black smoke erupted around him, then, just like that, he was gone.

What the hell did he mean by that? Now she was angry that he dared to come to her own and f*****g threaten her too.

" Guards" Delaney said to the thin air. Hissing filled the room as usual. " Question every servant we have in the f*****g kingdom, find out what you can and catch the traitor, NOW."

"Delaney ?" Damon's voice sounded from behind her. "What's going on?"

Shit she had forgotten that he would probably notice and fel her anger.

" Well, my dear, it seems we had a visitor", she said. Damon sniffed the air and then he growled.

" Why do i smell Ash Noctum in here?"

" Because he came here to threaten us, we have a traitor in the kingdom" Delaney said and sighed, how the hell was she going to have a wedding and deal with all this? It was like Damon read her thoughts.

" Let me deal with the Noctum family, you worry about the wedding", he said and kissed her hand.

Damon led her back to their bedroom, since it was still 2 am, and she desperately needed to sleep more or else she was sure to be going to murder some innocent soul.

When they entered the bedroom, she stopped holding her breath.

" Come on lets go back to sleep,i have mindlinked the others to keep an eye out for them again" Damon said to her.

" They don't have to my guards are patrolling the borders" She said.