CHAPTER SEVENTY

Aric spat out the word "no" as he rose to his feet. "No! Emily should have the throne; I have no desire to sit on it."

Leanor responded while attempting to maintain her composure, saying, "But the law says it must be a male."

His voice cracked with exasperation as he said, "Come on mom," he continued, "it's the fucking twenty-first century!!"

Emily yelled out, "He's correct," as she joined her brother in the position of prominence. "If you look back at the history of vampires in general, our people have always been led by men, and as far as I can tell, every single one of them has messed things up,"

Henry called out, "Here, here," as he moved closer to his companions and joined them. "You got my vote!"

Aric approached his mother and inquired, "What do you say?" as he stepped in her direction. "Would you be willing to ascend the throne if we were able to remove your father from it?"

Lady Leanor gave the three people who were intently staring at her some thought as she surveyed their fa