CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rory and I eventually made it down to the private conference room we were in yesterday where a breakfast bar was set up. I eyed the bacon, trying not to drool, and Rory snickered.

"Hey, shut up," I pouted, piling it onto my plate.

He sat beside me with his own plate, filled mostly with fresh fruit and a bagel. Only my mom and Anthony had managed to make it on time. Rory reached over to my plate, and I fought the urge to bite his hand. He surprised me, though, by picking up a piece of bacon and feeding it to me, staring lovingly at me while he did so. My goddess, I loved him. He fed me bacon while tasting like bacon. Could there be a more perfect vampire?

"Goddess, you're perfect. Can I marry you?" I mused, sighing in ultimate satisfaction.

He smiled warmly at me, Anthony and my mom making overjoyed faces at each other. "Of course, love. Though, polygamy isn't legal in the state of Nevada, so we'd better figure things out with our kingdom first." He winked, and I melted. He was so accepting of Bastion being in my life. I took over his feeding. As sweet as it was, he was going far too slow, and he needed to eat his own food. He picked up a strawberry with his fork and popped it into his mouth.

At that point, the door opened to Bastion. He looked fresh from a shower with dark jeans, a plain white V-neck, and work boots. Damn, he looked good. His hair was still wet, and the shirt was clinging to his damp body sinfully, showing off his abundant muscles.

"Morning, baby," he muttered, giving me a sweet kiss on the lips before going to get his food.

At least his hefty helping made me feel like less of a pig. He offered to pour me some coffee, and I nodded. He handed it to me black, just how I liked it. I glanced up to see my mom and Anthony both focused on their conversation, which seemed to be tense. I considered listening in, but couldn't justify it. So instead, I turned to Bastion.

"How did you sleep?"

He flashed me a dimply smirk, finishing his chewing before answering me. "Amazingly. We were so tangled by morning that Rory had to help separate us so I wouldn't wake you."

Rory chuckled, taking a sip of his apple juice. "How about you? Have any... special dreams?"

My face turned fire engine red, and I had to wash down my bacon with a sip of coffee so I wouldn't choke.

"We did have an interesting conversation. She's currently mulling over a very unique proposition," Rory added nonchalantly.

My eyes widened and shot to our parents, who were now watching us with intrigue. "No shit? I'm looking forward to hearing about it."

I stood abruptly, nearly knocking over my coffee in the process. "W-why don't we start our meeting? I'm sure James will be here soon."

Both men covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. Assholes. My mom and Anthony leaned back in their chairs, but Anthony was the first to speak. "Right, we need to talk about the assault on the Queen."

All the joyful ambiance turned to instant tension. "Our next course of action could determine where we lead the kingdom."

Bastion growled at his words. "I say we kill the fuckers that did this. They wanted to kill her. It's only fair."

I patted his hand, making him relax. "We can't go attacking the pack. That would lead to an all-out war, and we are only six strong. We need to prepare."

"She's right, King Bastion. It's vital that we build an army before approaching the wolves. You of all people know how strong their military is."

He grunted in defeat. "They have over three hundred warriors, twelve council members, and an Alpha. Taking them down won't be easy, even with some vamps on our side."

"Surely not everyone will side with them. We must have some allies somewhere within the pack," I offered.

He shrugged. "Maybe. But how will we recruit them? I can't exactly start handing out flyers. They'll have me killed."

Silence spread across the table as we contemplated the dilemma. "We must trust the gods. They came to me after the attack to tell me that allies will come to us. They even mentioned more court members. Surely they don't expect us to win without an army."

Rory nodded in agreement. "We are at a standstill until reinforcements arrive. What I want to know, though, is why now? Why attack her out of the blue when they never had before?"

"King Bastion. Did anyone know of your mating?" My mother inquired.

He furrowed his brow. "No. I left as soon as you two did. The only person who even saw the mating call was Brett, but he wouldn't betray me like that."

My mom's eyes widened. "Brett? The Alpha's son?"

Both vampires eyed each other warily. "Look. I know how it looks, but he's been my best friend since diapers. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"What if he didn't know he shouldn't tell anyone, Bas?" I asked, keeping my voice calm to reassure him.

His hazel eyes pleaded with me to believe him. I sighed, rubbing my face. "Okay. So if he didn't say anything, that leaves two other possibilities. One: someone else knew that you had mated with me, or two: that's not the reason they are so pissed."

Rory butted in, pulling my hand from my eyes. "What other reasons could they have?"

"Is it possible that they know about the prophecy and were trying to fight it?" Anthony's question shrouded the room in deep thought. Were there active enemies to peace? People who didn't want the prophecy to be fulfilled at all? If so, that spelled trouble for the kingdom. But where would they have learned about the prophecy?

Everyone jumped as James burst through the door. "Queen! We have a huge problem!"