The Council Ch. 19

Hesitantly, Andrei leaned into the crib and very carefully picked the sleeping child up. He was one of the most badass vampires to walk the planet. His very name made others of his kind quake in fear. But holding this fragile little bundle in his big hands terrified him as nothing else ever could.

"You would never hurt her, love," Loretta smiled tenderly. "Not even accidentally." She could feel his fear through their bond as he gently passed their daughter into her waiting arms.

He stared down at them for a long moment and then he crossed the room to the door and turned the key so they wouldn't be disturbed. He undressed on his way back to the bed and scooted Loretta into a sitting position so he could gather the pillows against the headboard.

He climbed into bed, adopting the position he had used before. He pulled Loretta against his chest, freeing her of the nightshirt she had slipped on to greet their visitors. Silently he pulled the covers over them and then wrapped his arms around her, adding his support to her cradling of their sleeping daughter.

Andrei rested his chin on Loretta's shoulder and stared into the face of the child they had created. The sleeping princess in her mother's arms wrapped herself so tightly around his heart, nestling right beside the place his Rose lived.

"How can someone so tiny make such a big impression," he asked in an awed whisper. "I would die for her in an instant and she's barely three hours old." He couldn't believe that there had ever been a time when he had doubted his ability to love his adorable little daughter.

Loretta laughed softly, her heart full of her love for her beautiful vampire. She knew he had questioned himself and his ability to adapt to all the changes in his life. She had never lost her faith in him, had always known that he would be the most overprotective father ever to walk the planet.

"That's because you're her daddy," she smiled resting against him. "She is part of you as she is part of me. Loving her isn't a choice, Andrei, it's a given. We couldn't not love her."

She stared into Liliana's sleeping face, overwhelmed with the depth of emotions she felt for her child. They had almost lost her. It had been the blackest moment of Loretta's life but somehow a miracle had happened and her daughter had been strong enough to survive her shifting into a wolf.

The guilt she still carried for that decision surfaced as she watched the baby sleep. If things had been different then this perfect moment wouldn't be happening. Liliana stirred as if sensing her mother's distress. Her eyes opened sleepily and she appeared to look right into her eyes.

Loretta new it was a fanciful idea but for a brief moment she thought her daughter was looking deep within her soul. Then her little eyes closed once more and Loretta felt a wave of peace come over her. It was almost as if in that brief glance her daughter was forgiving her for the decision she'd been forced to make.

She let go of the last remaining guilt and pain she felt deep inside. Liliana was alive. If she hadn't shifted then the probability was strong that she would have talked and the vampires would have killed her. If she had died that day so would her daughter. They had both survived. It was time to look to the future, not be mired in a past which couldn't be changed.

Andrei sensed his mate finally let go of her guilt. She had hid it well but he had caught her pain a few times over the last two months when she thought he wasn't around to see or was too far away that he wouldn't feel it through their bond. He had tried to talk to her about it but she wouldn't discuss it any further than the night they had talked after she had been rescued.

He didn't say anything now, merely tightened his arms around his girls and placed a kiss on the side of Loretta's neck. He held them both close and closed his eyes slowly before he looked once more down at his daughter. How could anything be more precious than his little princess?

He let down all his guards, opened his heart completely to the two women in his life, his Rose and his Lily. Something within him shifted and peace invaded his soul. The broken piece that had lived in his soul for so long slowly closed over until there wasn't even a hint that it had ever existed.

Finally Andrei Romanov completed the healing which had started that night so long ago when he found a dying wolf in the heart of a war. When he had found his sweet Rose. Contented he closed his eyes once more and allowed himself to drift into sleep, his family firmly protected in his strong embrace.

*****

It was the early hours of the morning. Just about everyone had left though Alexei and Cedar had opted to stay over at the compound due to Cedar not feeling well enough to travel home.

Jared and Millie had returned to their bed, Demetri and Mara had left with Ashleigh and Nors. Freya had left at some point after Lily had been born. No one had seen her go. Babies and loving mates must have been too much for her to cope with. She was around quite often but always appeared uncomfortable around all the love that flowed so freely within the compound.

Rafe wanted to corner Caleb but the vampire was being his usual sneaky self. He was never away from Rhianna's side so there was no chance to pin him to the spot and ask the questions which were plaguing him. His sister appeared to be fine now, no hint of the strangeness which had occurred when the baby was born. Still, he was worried. He would always worry about his Annie.

He shot Caleb an irritated glare before he gave up and decided to tackle him later on. He kissed Rhianna goodbye, giving her a tighter hug than usual and causing her to frown slightly at him. He just smiled and headed off into the compound with Lacey.

"Did you and Rafe have a fight?" Rhianna asked as they headed home. She watched Caleb carefully, looking for signs of evasiveness. He had been acting strangely since the night of Council meeting. He had been keeping something from her and she didn't like it. She had tried to be patient with him but it was starting to get really irritating.

"No we haven't," Caleb answered carefully. He appeared calm but his thoughts were in turmoil. He was close. Very close. He could sense his presence as if it was a living thing. Caleb knew that his time was running out and he would need to act soon or The Guardian would act first.

Was it really only months ago that Caleb had finally pieced everything together? It felt like forever he had been keeping this secret from his mate.

He turned to look at her as he pulled the car to a halt at their home. He scented The Guardian instantly and he fought off a low growl. "Not now," he said on a tight mental shaft of thought. "It's my place to do this, not yours."

"You tried to hide her from me. You had no right! I am The Guardian and it is my role to protect her." There was anger in the deep voice that came back to him, a cold, hardness he hadn't heard directed towards him before.

"She is mine!" Caleb roared loudly.

"She belongs to our people!" The answering roar was louder and more vicious that his own.

"Gard! Please!" Caleb's plea was from the depths of his very soul. He needed to do this his way. He felt the other man retreat and tried not to sigh out loud with relief. His relief was short lived.

"Do it now. I will give you half an hour, then I am coming in. I will wait no longer, Callain," were the last words he heard before the mental link was broken.

Caleb stiffened at the use of the long forgotten name, frowned at the implicit threat in The Guardian's words. He was stronger than The Guardian but the other man held a tie so strong to his Annie that he could never hurt him, not without hurting her. He would not fight Gard. Which meant he had truly run out of time.

Would she be angry with him? He stared into her face, seeing a slight frown begin to form on her expression as he sat there so silently. She knew something was wrong, had known for months he had been keeping a secret from her and yet she hadn't tried to force it out of him.

His lips curled in a little smile and he reached out and touched her face gently which only served to darken her scowl. He remembered her from their life before, his beautiful Anakatrine. She used to have a temper that could flay a man alive when she gave him the rough edge of her tongue. Thankfully she only did so on very rare occasions. But he had a feeling this was going to be one of those moments.

"Caleb," Rhianna sighed, her eyes flashing with concern as he just sat there staring at her. "Are you going to explain why we're sitting in the car outside the house doing precisely nothing? It's almost dawn and I'm exhausted. It's been a long night."

"We need to talk," he answered carefully, finally moving to get out the car.

She followed him with a concerned frown on her face. He wanted to talk now? She'd been waiting for months for him to tell her what was wrong and he decided to chose this night, or morning, when she was so exhausted she just wanted to flop into bed and sleep for hours?

"Annie, do you trust me?" Caleb asked quietly as he took her hand and led her into the sitting room. He sat her on the sofa and then knelt on the floor between her legs, his hands framing her face gently as he looked into her eyes.

"With my life," she answered instantly, feeling a little afraid at his strange behaviour. She could read fear, trepidation and uncertainty in his eyes. Caleb was never like this. He always knew what he was doing and how he was going to do it. "What is it?"

"I love you, Rhianna Armand," he whispered softly. "I love you so much that every second apart from you feels like a knife to my heart. Always remember that, sweet one. You will always be my Annie, no matter what happens."

"You're frightening me, Caleb," she whispered back, her heart starting to thump wildly at the impassioned plea she heard in his voice. Had he done something so bad that he thought he would lose her? Didn't he know by now that nothing he could ever do would drive her away?

"Trust me," he sighed leaning forward to brush his lips gently with his. "Relax your mind, Annie. Let me in."

She blinked slowly at him and then nodded. It was dangerous for vampires to enter other vampires' minds. She knew that but she trusted Caleb as she trusted no other. He would never hurt her, he would rather die than cause her a second's pain.

He slipped tenderly into her pliant mind. He searched carefully, following her mental pathways until he found what he was looking for. It resembled a little black doorway with an oddly shaped hole running down the middle. There were only two people in the world who had the key to that lock, the man outside and the man kneeling before her.

Caleb mentally shaped the key and slid it into the lock. "Wake, my heart," he whispered mentally and turned the key.

Memories cascaded inside her head instantly. Long, dormant ones which hadn't been thought of in countless millennia. Shock, surprise, and concern washed through her as she stared at her lover; the memories tumbling chaotically within her.

A hidden part of her was now awake. It was exhilarating and also frightening. She felt the same and yet she knew she was different. Power flooded through her, a huge rushing torrent of energy that threatened to burn her up completely. She dampened it down with barely any difficulty.

Her eyes glued to Caleb's, she ran the gauntlet of new information quickly, understanding happening in a heartbeat. Her hand rose and she tentatively touched his face, trembling at the contact. "Callain," she breathed softly.

"Anakatrine," he answered, his hands shaking against her soft skin.

For a moment she stared at him in wonder. He had a different face than before but his hair was the same rich golden brown, his eyes the same beautiful hue which had captured her heart so long ago. She knew it was the same for him. She carried the same colouring but not the same face. It didn't matter though, their souls were the same, their emotions the same.

He was her King as she was his Queen.

The missing piece was The Guardian. The instant she thought of him she sensed him close by. She frowned then, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Caleb had known who he was for a long time now and he had chosen to leave her sleeping while he did what was required. He had been protecting her as he always had.

Caleb watched her expression change and stifled down a deep sigh. She was pissed. Gard was pissed too. He would have them both ganging up on him and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Annie," he groaned softly, trying to head off the coming explosion.

"Don't you dare 'Annie' me, Caleb Cullen," she said tartly, anger starting to war with the wonder of re-discovering who she was. She had been walking the planet for twenty four years now. For the last three she had been a vampire and could have been reunited with Gard. She was angry that she had been kept apart from him.

As if summoning the man just by thinking about him, the front door opened and he was suddenly blocking out the sitting room doorway.

He was tall with broad shoulders and long flaming hair that matched the colour of hers. She had never seen him in the flesh until now and yet she knew him instantly. Her memories told her everything about him. It was mildly disconcerting that she could know someone so well without ever having met him before. Well, not in this lifetime anyway.

Even his eyes mirrored hers in colour. They glowed with an almost zealous love as he stared at her mutely for a long moment. Then he approached slowly, sinking to his knees and bowing low towards the ground. "My Queen."

The deep sound of his voice sent a wave of joy through her. How she had missed him, missed hearing his voice, scenting his sweet smell, laughing at his ready wit.

"My Guardian," she answered softly, reaching out to touch his head gently. Power blazed within her again as she touched him, reconnected with this man who had been born her brother over six thousand years ago. It felt surreal almost and yet oddly comforting too.

"You can get off your knees now," she added with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Callain seems to be on his so I figured it might be prudent to remain on mine," Gard laughed softly, his eyes glinting with humour as he looked up at her.

"My name is Caleb and I'm not on my knees to bow down to a Queen," Caleb grated out through clenched teeth, shooting the other man a hard glare.

"From the expression on Anakatrine's face, you should be," Gard answered drolly, a hint of smugness in his tone.

"Stop it," Rhianna sighed, a hint of steel in her voice. "Both of you! We don't have time for this silly bickering."

She pinned Gard with a intense gaze, trying not to smile at the hint of chagrin on his face. "The old names belong in the past, brother. Stop irritating Caleb and call him by his correct name. You can call me Annie, most people do."

"He kept you hidden from me," Gard glared at Caleb as he spoke, his anger almost palpable. "Three thousand years I've been awaiting your return and he knew where you were and didn't say a thing."

"He's barely known anything himself," she argued gently, caressing The Guardian's cheek lightly to soothe his anger. "I assume it was in Europe that you pieced everything together?" Her gaze turned to Caleb as spoke.

He was watching her intently, seeing the signs of happiness and anger warring in her expression. Waking was confusing at best, it had been when he had realised who he was. Gard's appearance wasn't helping matters any. He had wanted to do this alone, to ease her into the shocking revelations of their past. But he had left it too late so now he would have to deal with whatever displeasure she may be experiencing.

"I went to see Gard about the Weres," he answered slowly. "I wanted to find a solution to the mating problem, so I could protect the pack and our people. I hadn't seen him in over a millennium. The moment I laid eyes on him his colouring instantly reminded me of you. Something appeared to crack open inside me and I remembered everything."

Gard had risen to his feet, moving to sit in one of the large leather chairs. He watched Caleb rise to sit beside Rhianna. He sat close to her but he didn't touch her, his eyes slightly anxious as he waited for her response. He felt it justified that the other man should feel discomfort. But he also knew how much he loved her and how he would die for her. He had already done so once before.

"I awoke you in Europe," Gard admitted quietly. They both turned to look at him and he smiled. "I scented something about him. It must have been you, Annie, but at the time I didn't know what it was. I became curious and slipped into his mind. I found the doorway and turned the key. I knew that once Callain was awake, I would find my Queen. I didn't anticipate he already had her firmly in his grasp. Which is why it has taken me so long to arrive here."

Rhianna rose and began to pace slowly around the room as she tried to deal with the torrents of information crashing through her mind. Caleb had known since Europe and hadn't told her. That irritated her immensely. Gard and Caleb had known each other a long time too and yet neither had recognised each other for who they were.

Everything had been moving towards this point in time, the point where their people required them to stave off the rot which was slowly killing them. And yet, neither of them had claimed their place as King and Queen and the rot was already receding.

Somehow, the dormant power within her had reached out and set it in motion the events required to bring re-birth to their people. Her meeting with Caleb, Rafe's joining the pack, the familial bond which had grown between vampires and wolves to the point that matings had occurred and a new life had been born this very night.

Her ability to read souls, to touch even the most hardened vampire and ease them towards learning to love again had all been a part of her power working as she had slept. Caleb's actions had been a mirror of hers as he had worked to shape the Council into something which could learn and evolve and guide their people to help themselves.

The vampire nation didn't need a royal hierarchy, they had moved on from that period of their evolution. Not an overt one anyway, but a covert one working in the background could help them to stay on the right path.

"Annie?" Caleb interrupted her musing and she stopped to look at him. She was annoyed with him but she bit her inner lip to stop herself lashing out in anger. She knew his actions were because he loved her and had this insatiable need to protect her. They had fought over this before and it appeared he still wasn't getting the message.

It hadn't been as much of an issue before but it would become one very quickly if he continued down this path now she was awake. She could sense Gard's smugness at knowing she was pissed at Caleb. She wanted to sigh loudly in weariness. They had always clashed over whose right it was to protect her. It would appear things hadn't changed despite the passage of time.

"So, how did you two manage to meet and not know each other?" she finally asked, trying to find a safer topic to discuss which wouldn't involve her temper fraying.

Gard grinned. "I am Caleb's Sire."

Her eyes went wide with shock even as Caleb grunted in annoyance at the hold the other man held over him in this lifetime. Her brother was her lover's Sire? The very thought of it made her head spin. If things weren't confusing enough trying to piece two lifetimes together into one.

Technically Gard was the oldest living vampire to walk the planet and yet, she and Caleb were the oldest souls. It didn't matter how long they had lived in this incarnation. The hierarchy when they had first walked the world had been a matriarchal one which placed The Queen above all others.