The Lycan Kings Heart Of Darkness

“So, you are really leaving? I did not believe Essex when he told me you were packing.” Mylie asks.

“Yes, I am leaving. We all know that I do not fit in here and I never have.”  I reply.

“Nes, you know that everyone in the kingdom loves you. Essex does not want you to leave and neither do I, especially now with this little one coming.” Mylie points out.

I let out a sigh as I looked at her. I know what she was telling me was the truth, but I needed to leave. There was something deep within me that was telling me that there was somewhere else I needed to be. The whole family was shocked when I told my father and my mother, I did not want the throne. Dad did tell me that he knew deep down that I did not want to be queen, but I do not think he expected me to leave. Essex is a better choice as king than I would have been. I never felt I fit into this world of royalty and high-status individuals. I had no desire to sit on the throne even if I was the oldest and by birth right the throne is mine. Essex might be my younger brother, but anyone that looks at him can tell that he was born to be king. His beloved Mylie is perfect for him. They found each other many years ago, considering she is the daughter of my father's second-in-command. Essex jumped up and ran to her the minute she walked into the dining room for breakfast after she had turned 21, and that was it. They have been together ever since. I was glad she turned out to be his beloved. The other women around here are whores and only want someone for their title. I knew a few had tried to convince him to take them as his chosen mate so they would be queen. Mylie is a sweetheart, and they are finally expecting their first child. 

“You know we can find you somewhere around here to call your own. That was you can stay here.” Essex told me.

“I know, but this is something I need to do. I feel as if I need to go like something pulling me to leave and so you could find myself. Essex, you know, I have never been happy being stuck inside. I would go bat shit crazy if I had to be stuck in this castle all the time.”  I explain.

“I know and I understand, but I hate that you want to leave. However, I know you need to do this. You have stayed here for far too long and honestly, I know it was for the wrong reasons. I know you did it for our parents, but they always wanted you to go and be the free spirit you are. Please keep in touch. I would have to have to send a few of my guys to track you down if we cannot get a hold of you.”  Essex tells me.

“I will, and you had better not fucking think of sending any of these assholes to track me down. You better call me and let me know how my niece or nephew is doing along with their mother. I will come back the minute you let me know that Mylie goes into labor so I can be here when she or he is born. I do not want to miss that.” I told him.

“You will be the first to know. I promise Essex will call you no matter what time it is.”  Mylie states. 

I smirk when Essex gulps. He knows better than to wake me up in the middle of the night. This would be the only reason that I would let it slide that he wakes me up in the middle of the night. I heard footsteps walking toward my room, and I knew my parents were coming. My father turned the kingdom over to my brother 500 years ago. Since then, I know that they have been enjoying their retirement. They were over the moon when Essex told them that Mylie was pregnant. They had been harping on and on about grandchildren for the last few centuries. Which neither of us was thrilled about. I looked up as they walked in. Mom walked over and hugged me, as did Dad. I know they do not want me to go, but they know that I cannot stay. I have always been a free spirit, wanting to go whenever and wherever I wanted to. I stayed here to make my parents happy but at the expense of my happiness.

“You know we do not want you to leave, but you must be happy. Please, do as your brother told you, be safe and call as often as possible so we know you are all right. While relations between different supernatural species have progressed, there are still those out there that would gladly kill because you are a vampire. Do not forget about the hunters.” Dad tells me.

“Oh honey, I hope you find what you are looking for and yourself while you are out travelling the world. Who knows, maybe you will find your beloved. My baby boy found his mate and I cannot wait for my daughter to find hers.” Mom cries. 

“Anything is possible, but I doubt I will find him. Do not worry. I will call every few days to check in and let you know that I am good.” I clarify. 

We spent a few more minutes hugging before they left. Well, Mylie is still here. Essex had to return to work. Ah the joys of being the king. I know she wants to ask but is worried about upsetting me. We talked about a few things as I continued to pack. I know she saw me cringe when my mom mentioned me finding my mate. 

“I believe my beloved is dead. When I was 1200 years old, I woke up in terrible pain. Mother and father came running into my room. They called Dr Thorton, but he could not find out why I was in so much pain. There were no visible wounds. He took some blood thinking someone was trying to poison me. My blood was clean. It lasted most of the night but finally died down early morning. After that, I always felt as if something was missing.”  I explain.

“Oh god Kynessie, do the others know? Why did Essex and I now know about this?”  Mylie asks.

“No, I figured it out a few weeks after reading up on the different types of pairing. I was probably mated, as they call it, to a shifter. I have no idea what type of shifter I was mated to. You and Essex were out of town at the time. I asked our parents not to say anything since it was over and done with by the time you had returned.”  I add.

“You do know that none of us would have cared that he was a shifter. Thankfully, the world now is different from the past.”  Mylie points out.

“I know that, but by the time I realized this, it was too late. I have no idea who he was, what kind of shifter he was or where he was from. This is why I did not tell anyone. There is nothing anyone could have done so it no longer mattered.”  I state.

Mylie and walked out of my room when I finished packing. I looked around the only home I knew for the last time. I knew I would be back to visit, but I would no longer live here. Everything I wanted or needed to take with me I have. I will have my parents send the rest of my things if and when I find somewhere I want to stay permanently. Everyone is there to send me off. I have one bag. My friend Tylania put an enchantment on one of my bags. It might look like your everyday messenger bag, but it is anything but. Tylania placed an enchantment on it. I love expansion spells. Even if a person were to open it, they would continue to think it was an everyday messenger bag, but the enchantment that was placed on it made it bottomless. I can put my whole closet and all the toiletries I want in the bag. Another fantastic piece of info about the enchantment is that the bag does not weigh anymore with it packed full of my stuff, and when it is run through security at the airport, they would find nothing within the bag that they could not see. I am the only one who can grab what I have packed. I found out that the first time I traveled with it. I was sure they would pull me aside and ask how I shoved all the clothes in there that I had, but they did not. I called Tylania later that same day, and she told me she had added a few extras to the enchantment. 

“Please call when you get to Tylania’s and let me know you have arrived safe. I will not be able to sleep without knowing you arrived and are safe.”  Mom says.

“I will. This is not good-bye but see you later. I will always come back and visit. I may need to roam far and wide, but this will always be home.” I tell them.

“We know and this will always be your home no matter how far you travel.”  Dad states.

I hopped on my 1990 Harley Davidson Electra Glide. This is my baby, and I have had her for years now. There was no way in hell she was not coming with me. My parents hated the fact that I was into motorcycles. Mom thinks they are death traps on wheels. Dad would prefer I drove a car but understands why I prefer motorcycles. I love my Harley, and she has been outfitted to the nines to match my personality. She is painted purple with chrome everywhere else. At first glance, no one would guess I was a vampire. While most of my mind kind are pale or damn near transparent, my brother and I have what humans would refer to as a sun-kissed skin tone. We got that from my mother, who is of Polynesian descent. My brother inherited most of his features from my mother. Essex is taller than our father at 6’6” with long curly black hair and dark golden-brown eyes. He is built like one would expect a man of Polynesian descent to be. Essex is a solid wall of muscle. He trains with our warriors and is a giant gym rat, as I call him. I am a mix of our parents. I am of average height at 5’4” with long, down-to-my-ass, wavy black hair that Miley has dubbed beachy waves. I look more like our father. My eyes are my most unique feature. They are a pale purple, or as Dad would say, they are the color of an amethyst. They are the color of amethyst, with a sprinkle of red in them. When I get mad, they start to glow a reddish purple. I love my eyes, and against my black hair, they pop. I had always wanted to add purple and red to my hair, so Tylania placed some spell or enchantment on me, and now as my hair grows, some of it grows out in streaks of red and purple.

“Hey Tanner.”  I chirped.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up. Let’s hurry and get your monster loaded so we can get in the air. This is going to be a night flight so you can rest.”  Tanner comments. 

I roll my eyes as we load my baby into the plane's cargo hold. Dad is making me use our private jet. Since I wanted to take my motorcycle with me, and since it would cost a small fortune (not that we cannot afford it) to have it shipped over, Dad is having Tanner fly me to the States. Tylania lives in Louisiana. I know she and her coven are allied with the three packs that share that state. Two are wolf packs, one being the pack that helps protect the Lycan King, and the other is a Lycan pack. That is the only Lycan pack in the States, and coincidently it is where the Lycan king lives. There are a few Lycans packs left. I know of four in Europe and one in Australia. I know one borders Europe and Asia. I have met a few Lycans who have all been very respectful. Honestly, they are more welcoming than most of the wolf packs around the world. I am incredibly good friends with the heir to the Lycan pack that borders Russia and Asia. Watching how humans and supernatural's have cohabitated over the years has been interesting. Well in this realm. For many centuries humans were unaware of the supernatural. Within the last one hundred or so years, that has changed. At first, it was tricky, but now everyone gets along for the most part. Of course, a few humans and supernatural's do not get along, but that is few and far between. I know several supernatural's that have found human mates/beloveds or whatever their species calls them. Tylania found her mate in the beta of the Lycan pack. I was so happy for her, and I could not wait to meet him. 

“Ready to get this show on the road?”  Tanner asks.

“Hell yes, let's get this metal bird in the air. I would like to get there as fast as possible. Hopefully since I get to sleep, I will not be to jet lagged when we land.”  I reply. 

He strutted to the cockpit and climbed into the seat. I roll my eyes as at him. I would be worried since Tanner is a notorious goofball, but he is also the best pilot I have ever seen. I trust Tanner to get me to where I need to go. Thankfully since it is a private plane, it is a straight shot with no layovers. I get comfortable and pull out a book. I love to read.

“Princess we are landing.”  A voice says.

I slowly opened my eyes to find Simon sitting beside me. Simon is the flight attendant. We have been friends for decades. He must be the one that was trying to wake me up. Shit, I did not even realize I was that tired. I did not sleep well these last two nights. I had that dream again. I look at Simon as he stands, telling me we will land in twenty minutes. I notice that my book is sitting on the seat beside me. Simon must have walked by and seen me sleeping and set it there. I fold up the blanket that is covering me so I can stretch. I look out the window, and all I can see is green. I love nature and everything associated with it. Do not get me wrong, I love my home and where we live. The city is excellent and has many different things for people to do, but something about being out in nature makes me come alive. 

“Finally, it took you long enough to get here.”  Tylania squeals.

“You hush; it is so good to see you again.”  I told her. 

“Is that all you have?”  A deep voice asks.

I let out a squeal of my own as I turned around. I am face to chest with a fucking giant. I looked up and into a pair of golden-brown eyes. Fuck, I have no idea who this guy is, but he is fucking tall. He must be 7’ or more, with curly blond hair that reaches his shoulders and the brightest hazel green eyes I have ever seen. He smiles at me, and damn, his whole face lights up. He is damn hot and has a wall of solid muscle. I have no idea how his t-shirt is not tearing as he moves his arms and his muscles bulge in the sexiest way.

“No, Tanner open the cargo.”  I yell.

“I was just getting there. No need to yell. Simon and I will start unstrapping your beast.”  Tanner snarks. 

I follow him into the cargo bin, and there, strapped down, is my baby. I watch as Simon and Tanner undo the straps. Once they released her, I threw a leg over her turning her on and revving her engine. I carefully guided her down the ramp stopping in front of Tylania and her giant.

“Damn, that is a nice Harley.”  The guy says.

“Thanks, but what is your name? That way I can stop calling you giant in my mind.” I pointed out.

“Oh god, I am sorry, this is Cahir. He is the beta of the Shadow Swamp pack and my mate. This is Kynessie.” Tylania squeaks.

Now it makes sense as to why this guy is so fucking massive. I reached out to shake his hand, but he pulled me into a bear hug. Damn, this guy is strong. I can hear Tylania laughing at the two of us. Most women would be pissed that their man was hugging another woman, friend or not, but Tylania knows I would never take an interest in her man. Not that he is not hot, but he is also not my type. She is the only person I talked to about what happened that night besides Mylie. I can tell Cahir is confused about why I do not have an arsenal of bags. Tylania explains the enchantment she placed on my messenger bag, and he nods.

“Is he not coming with us?” I ask.

“No, he must meet with Riordan, the gamma, to discuss a few things. Tiernan is out of town and is not expected back for another week. He had to travel to Europe to visit one of the other Lycan packs and a few wolf packs. I guess there has been an influx of rogue attacks; they are not just rogue wolves.”  Tylania explains.

“Do you stay at the packhouse with Cahir or at your place in the coven?” I asked.

“I go between. The coven is technically on their land, but we are still separate. I could technically stay at the pack house permanently and still be able to deal with running the coven, but I like to be at the house every few days to make sure things are well with the coven. Cahir will come with me when I need to stay at my house. No one in the coven cares since we all mingle together. It is not weird to see Lycans walking down the main street in the coven or vice versa.” Tylania states.

“That is awesome. I am guessing that I will be staying in your house.”  I comment.

“Yes, I figured you would be more comfortable there, and the coven knows you so that they will not be suspicious. It is nice because New Orleans is only fifteen minutes away, and Baton Rouge is only about an hour away. I would not wander around in the swaps until the pack knows who you are, and we have okayed it with Tiernan.” Tylania adds.

I have no problem with that. While I would not hurt any of the pack if someone were to attack me, I would protect myself. Tylania climbs on and sits in the seat behind me. She holds on tight as I take off. I know how to get to her place and do not need directions. I look around as we make our way there. While things have not changed, there is a lot that has. It has been a while since I have been here, so I expected a lot of change.

“Damn you renovated the place since the last time I was here.”  I pointed out.

“It needed to be renovated, and since I met Cahir, I figured I should make it so he would feel comfortable here, too. As you noticed, he is not a small guy.” Tylania comments. 

I laugh at her comment. I would have to be blind not to see how massive Cahir is. Tylania leads me to the largest guest room, and damn, it is gorgeous. I love the way she renovated the house. I noticed that the house is much larger inside than it looks outside. I am sure that Tylania has placed an enchantment on the house to make it larger inside. I mention this to her, and all I get is a smirk. Yeah, I know this girl too well. She told me that she and Cahir planned to go out for dinner but that I could join if I wanted. I told her I was tired and for them to have an enjoyable time. It sounds like they planned a date, and I will not intrude. I tell her that I am going to unpack and that I will find something here to eat. I can cook and find something in the fridge or pantry to fill my stomach. 

“Damn girl you look sexy as hell in that dress.”  I told her.

“Thanks, Cahir is here. I stocked the kitchen, so there should be plenty for you. I may or may not come back tonight so do not worry.” Tylania replies.

“Hey, I can feed myself, and I was not expecting you to come back. You two have a wonderful time, and I will see you when I see you. I do not need a babysitter, and I know my way around New Orleans I promise I will be fine.” I pointed out.

She hugs me as she walks out the door. Damn, Cahir has a smokin' hot ride. I am not a car person, but his shiny lifted Chevy Silverado is damn sexy. I wave at them as they pull out of the driveway. I close the door behind me and walk back into what is now my room. I decided to get my shit put away then I will cook dinner. I feel good about being here and feel this is where I belong.