New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 12

"Who do you call master?"

"You fucking bastard!" she shrieked. "He will squelch your very existence. Your entire life will end with no meaning or purpose."

"Who do you call master?"

"You can't win, Gabriel," she said quietly. "Don't you understand? They are stronger than you because they are the first loved."

Before he could ask her another question, Helen turned her head to stare at an empty space in the room. She smiled and nodded her head as though she were listening and agreeing with whatever was said. Finally, she pressed her fingers to her lips, kissing them and waving towards the invisible entity.

"I've said enough. You will get no more from me Gabriel and you have chosen to fight against us. Go now," she said as she settled in the floor, leaning against the wall.

Sensing the walls fortified around her mind, Gabriel left her alone and proceeded to his office. When he entered the room, he saw Edward sitting in the one of the Queen Anne chairs near the fireplace. With a nod to his brother, he sat at his desk and logged on to his computer.

"Do you know anything new?" Edward asked quietly.

"Nothing that I can share with you," he said without looking away from the monitor. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Edward answered. "You kept your dick in your pants so your DNA and thoughts still belong to you."

"I promised that I would find them," Gabriel said while typing.

"You did. And you will," Edward agreed. "But can you convince the Council that I'm still in control? Can you convince me?"

Pausing at the keyboard, Gabriel turned to stare at his friend.

"Are you starting to lose faith? Is that all it took to defeat you?"

"Don't be so self-righteous. You have no idea what it's like to see the doubt in their eyes. In your eyes."

"It's not doubt," Gabriel said quietly. "It's disgust. All of the women in this world and you fuck a woman who's had more men than she's had years in existence," he said and slowly smiled.

"I was looking for experience," Edward replied with a laugh.

"And what you found was decrepit," Gabriel said returning his glance to the monitor. "Couldn't you smell our brothers on her? Even worse, I trained Amen's men during his last public reign as pharaoh and I could indentify at least seventy of them on her scent."

"It was an aphrodisiac."

"It was septic."

"You had already met Alena. Nothing could divert your devotion to her. It's strange how I never knew about her but yet the signs were all there."

"I've thought about that," Gabriel said. "Before I met Alena, well, I would have literally been there with you and Helen. "

"It wouldn't have been the first time we've shared," Edward said. "Eight years without a woman. How did you survive?"

"Eight years to an immortal..."

"Is fucking eternity when you've got blue balls. I would have died."

"Which brings us back to the present," Gabriel reminded him.

During the next several hours, Edward silently filled and emptied his whiskey glass as Gabriel swiftly moved his fingers over the keyboard then thoughtfully scan the results on his monitor. Edward smiled as he watched his brother's expression remain blank with no hint of his discoveries. Steady and true, Gabriel's strength was proving to be the saving ingredient of the New Kingdom.

"Do you know anything yet?" Edward finally asked.

"I know quite a bit," his brother calmly replied.

"Anything you can share?"

Looking Edward in the eye, Gabriel let his expression reveal his unbridled fear.

"I know we are in trouble," he finally said. "Call all of the brothers. We need to talk."

Contacting the remaining brothers of the Third Creation was not as simple as it used to be. Not so long ago, a conference call between the seven men was a simple thought process. Now, because of the infiltration into their thoughts, they could not trust the communication to be unedited. After a few hours of arranging the call, the group finally met via landline telephones.

"Greetings brothers," Gabriel said into the conference console. "I'm in a guarded office with only Edward and Heron inside the room."

"Heron," said a heavily accented voice through the phone, "you worthless ass. How could you do this to us?"

"Wait," Gabriel interrupted. "We will discuss Heron later. He will be held under guard until we can meet but we have little time before the Council reconvenes and I have much to share."

"Continue Gabriel," said a rich voice with an Italian draw. "We will not interrupt."

"Thank you Antony," he replied. "You all know of the experiment that has been conducted using your blood and understand that until we vanquish our enemy, we need to guard our communication. The female vampire used in the experiment is currently in our holding cell. She is our only source of information."

After a moment's pause Gabriel continued. "I have a partial understanding of our enemy. Helen refers to her master but he is only one of many. I believe the attack we have seen is from one general leading his army and I fear that there are many more."

"Tell us what you know brother," said a quiet voice through the phone.

"Helen referred to her master as one of the first loved. At first, I thought she meant a man that she loved but then I realized that the title referred to position and power. If there was a first loved, then it could be inferred that there was a second and now a third."

"Third?" Edward asked. "As in the Third Creation?"

"Yes," Gabriel answered simply.

"Then the first would be the angels," said the first voice over the phone. "What would they accomplish in this?"

"Not the seraphim surrounding the throne but those desiring to reclaim their former glory."

"The Fallen," stated the voice.

"Yes," said Gabriel turning to look at Heron. "But they are not alone, are they Heron?"

"Of course he has assisted them in ruining us," said a voice through the phone.

"His crimes will be judged soon enough. And none of you are innocent," Gabriel boldly reminded them. "Heron, tell us what you know."

"Man, in the worst possible state, is helping them," Heron answered with a wavering voice. "The Fallen and the Depraved have consummated and created one that is greater than either were before," he paused looking at Gabriel, "and greater than we are now."

The room erupted in angry voices referring to Heron in a variety of insulting names. Allowing his brothers to react to the statement gave Gabriel a few moments to collect his thoughts.

"Stop!" Edward ordered. "How do they regain their former glory? They aren't killing vampires."

"No," Heron answered. "We are destroying ourselves. Once we have fallen, betrayed or killed one of our own, we will cease to exist and the favorite sons will be out of the picture."

"Then what? Angels and man can petition for reconsideration?" asked a voice through the phone.

"No," answered Gabriel. "They will storm the throne and rule both heaven and earth."

"So we've failed," one of the men stated simply through the phone. "We're seduced by one woman and we lose everything?"

"Not just our possessions," replied another voice on the conference call, "but everything for all creation."

"I don't think it's that drastic," Gabriel interrupted. "We have not betrayed the laws given to us. Unfortunately, we have played into our enemy's hand."

"Not all of us," murmured Heron.

"What?"

"You, Gabriel, stayed strong. If they could have reached you then the coup would have occurred so quickly that we would never have known what happened."

"No matter the mistakes," Gabriel affirmed, "we fight together. We need to discuss our strategy to address the American Council tonight but first, have any of you noticed anything in your areas?"

"An amazing increase in the newborn population," one voice replied. "They come in from a different area but have no scent from any of your kingdoms."

"I am seeing the same but they are very mature for newborns," another voice said.

"Explain, Antony," Gabriel encouraged.

"They move in with financial support to operate successful business and very few can compete against them. I have tried to assist my patrons but these newborns are now operating most of the clubs, vampire and human, in Europe."

"And with the increase in newborns, we see an increase in crime," another voice added. "I've been considering following Edward's example to implement a Council as a judicial system. I spend all day in court. I should add that with their blatant feeding from humans, exposure is imminent."

The brothers continued describing the various changes and problems that they were experiencing throughout the New Kingdom and progressed to discuss Gabriel's plans for addressing the Council on Edward's behalf. Throughout the mansion, Council members bickered over the necessity of listening to Heron's complaint, Alena and Iona continued playing with the babies and practicing their telepathic skills and Helen stood to her feet, waiting to greet the visitor at her door.

When the conference call ended, Heron was escorted to his room leaving Edward and Gabriel alone in the office. After several minutes of silence, Edward walked to the bar, poured two glasses of whiskey and offered one to Gabriel. In a silent toast, they drained their glasses and agreed to seconds.

"Gabriel," Edward finally said, "the Council is my creation. It may have been my worst idea but the concept belongs to me. Each member was personally selected for their loyalty to the New Kingdom and to me. If your plan doesn't work, I'll simply dissolve the assembly."

"Doing that would play into the enemy's hand. Be patient. Trust me."

"I do. To tell the truth, I hate myself for blindly walking into this trap."

"The Council reconvenes in an hour. I need to do a few things first so you should see your mate and be ready. This battle will end soon."

"But the war continues."

"Yes but now we know who we fight."

"Knowing doesn't make this easier. I almost feel hopeless. In four thousand years, I've never felt this way."

"Edward, don't quit. Go. You have an hour and that's fifty-five minutes more than you need to be with your mate," Gabriel said with a teasing grin.

When Gabriel was finally alone, he sat at his desk in silence. He knew Alena would need to bring the children and join him at court but he needed a few minutes to rehearse his role. During his years of training the vampire armies, he had always taught that every engagement has two courses and those were not victory or surrender. They were Plan A and Plan B and both ended in victory. A species of people born to lead could never compromise with another species that had been castigated. With a nod, he strengthened his resolve and left his office to search for his moral reinforcement, Alena.

As Edward open the door to his apartment, he sensed rather than saw Iona racing down the corridor to leap into his arms. Her vampire strength and speed had improved so much since her recent change that he almost forgotten how both physically and mentally sluggish she had once been. He caught her in his arms and held her close breathing in her scent as he kissed her neck.

No words were spoken as they stood holding each other close saying everything with their touch. As their strokes intensified, their blood pumped faster. The need that could never be fully sated rushed forward demanding immediate satisfaction.

With a quick turn to the wall, Edward braced Iona against the surface while pushing her skirt to her hips. Once free from the restricting garment, she wrapped her legs around his hips pulling him close to her rapidly heating core. At once, their hands moved over each other reaching beneath the remaining clothing to comfort and arouse.

"Gabriel said that I only needed five minutes to do this with you," he said between kisses against her collarbone.

"Fuck him!"

"If I'm done with you in five ...."

"Shut up," she said with a giggle.

"How do you want it?"

"How much time do we have?"

"Forty minutes."

"Hard, fast and thirty nine minutes long."

"Thirty nine?"

"You'll need a minute to clean up and change your suit."

With a kiss to her lips, Edward ripped her thong away from her body while she struggled to unzip his pants. Fumbling with their clothes until they could touch each other intimately, they smiled at each other and paused in their motions. In a gesture of tenderness, he paused to look at the face of this woman he loved. Gently cupping her face in his hand, he stroked his thumb over her jaw and frowned in thought.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

"If I had just waited for you, we wouldn't have these problems. Or if I hadn't been so selfish, Gabriel would have brought you to me eight years ago."

"Everything has a reason."

"Are you always so strong?"

"No," she said with a labored breath, "but your hard cock is touching me and I'm going to die if it's not inside of me soon. Now."

With a quick kiss to her lips, he entered her in one swift thrust. After a momentary pause, he pulled out and entered her again continuing his thrust until he was deeply seated inside her warmth.

"Until I met you," he said with a strained voice, "I didn't understand what this was supposed to be. Gabriel understood."

"Alena did too," Iona responded. "Oh!"

"Don't mention your sister when we're like this."

"Too late," she answered with a grin. "She's screaming at me now. Ok, she's gone. Where were we?"

In Gabriel's apartment, Alena sat with her hands over her eyes while Gabriel laughed at her embarrassment. She pitched a pillow across the couch but he easily batted it away and pulled her onto his lap. With the children sleeping on makeshift mats on the floor, the new parents had been sitting quietly contemplating the event in their lives.

"Apparently my brother is putting this time to good use," he whispered nuzzling against her hair.

"You take longer than thirty-nine minutes undressing me."

"We'll be fine," he said in a serious tone.

"I know. I trust you."

"We will need to leave soon," he simply stated.

"The kids and I are ready."

"No, we'll need to leave America. My brothers are seeing an increase in newborns, crime, and overall chaos. We need to squelch it. Immediately."

"Ok."

"I know that nothing is as we had planned but I need you to be with me."

"We agreed that we'd never separate and I'm not spending one day without you. Wherever you go, I go. Correct that. Wherever you go, we go," she said with a wave toward the babies.

"Got it," he said with a smile. "Are you ready to do this?"

"I think so. My guard is up but I don't have a poker face."

"No, your emotions are on your face so keep your eyes down."

"Yes sir," she said with a mock salute and rose to leave.

With a quick tug on her arm, Gabriel pulled her back into his lap and clasped her close to his body.

"Tonight," he whispered, "you will see why mankind thinks of my people as monsters. You will see them tonight. You may see me as one tonight."

"With everything you need to worry about, put that thought out of your mind. I know you."

Again she rose to gather the children and he assisted until they both had a baby in their arms and were ready to leave the apartment. When they entered the Council's chambers again, Alena felt overwhelmed at the tension in the room. In retrospect, she could now clearly see that no one would have sacrificed Gabriel. He was their strong military leader, faithful to the New Kingdom to the end. But Edward was in an envious position as king of America and had allowed the rebellion to infiltrate his kingdom. His weakness would be expounded by anyone desiring to fill Edward's vacancy.

Hearing the door open behind them, Alena turned to see Edward and Iona enter the chamber. They were both dressed in conservative business attire with somber expressions on their faces. She acknowledged her sister and turned back to Gabriel with her eyes strategically viewing no higher than anyone's neck. The children were lying on a table in the center of the room, displayed before the Council for inspection.

"Members of the Council," Gabriel addressed in his strong, accented voice, "I present to you the offspring of the Third Creation. They were created by evil intent, but you can see, that they are what we are." Watching the reaction from the Council, he continued, "Read their minds. They are too young to block you. They think as human children amazed at the colors and smiles that they see."

"Gabriel," on Council member said, "we see you are correct. You have given these poor creatures life."

"My mate gave them a chance at life," Gabriel responded while reaching for Alena's hand. "Now I request that you let them grow and be welcomed as additions to the New Kingdom."

"Will you be their caretaker, Gabriel?" asked another.

"My mate and I will be parents to them."

"Your request is granted. We wish you the best."

"Thank you. Now, I bring to you the matter against Edward, king of the American Court. Since the inception of this continent, he has ruled the vampires of this land under the laws of the New Kingdom. His brother, Heron, has brought accusations against him. Accusations that you need to decide will justify his continuation or immediate dismissal as ruler."

"Where is his accuser?"

On cue, the doors to the chamber opened and Heron entered the room. Alena sneaked a glance at the man who had demanded justice against Gabriel only a few hours earlier. Now, as he approached to beg his case against Edward, he appeared younger and stronger. She might have even considered him good looking if they had met on different circumstances. His weakness had created a lifetime of fear and misery in less than one day.

"Heron, brother of the Third Creation, state you claim."

"I have no claim. As you are now aware, I had succumbed to the influence of our enemy and became a pawn within my own kingdom. I officially withdraw any complaint brought on my behalf."

A sigh of relief spread through the Council and several members grinned at the outcome of the dreaded hearing. Incoherent murmuring could be heard as the members contemplated their ruling on the matter. As the volume increased, Alena could hear the excitement in the mood as they reached a conclusion. All seemed well until one voice spoke aloud.

"Brothers," the Council member said, "I too rejoice that Heron as removed his claim. I dare say that I am more loyal to Edward than any of you. He sired me when I was just a mere human servant, happy to do his bidding until I fell terminally ill. He has been employer, father and friend to me for more than a century."

At his pause, everyone remain silent waiting for his next words. Of all the voices of opposition, the members were shocked to find the closest member to Edward delaying the ruling. Alena carefully reminded herself to guard her mind and remember to be strong. Gabriel was a very smart man.

"With that said," the Council member started, "I wish to state my loyalty to Edward, the American Court and the New Kingdom but I am requesting the Council to consider the claims against him."

"Efisio," demanded another Council member, "what are you doing? How can talk as two different men by declaring your loyalty and then demanding this ridiculous hearing?"

"Because there are some here who need to know the truth."

"And what is the truth?"

"That Edward is not impotent as the American king," Efisio stated.

"He may not be impotent but if you pursue this course, I believe we will see that he was ineffective in identifying and defeating the enemy. He willingly consorted with the woman and brought another in as his mate who acted under the guidance of our opposition."