Chapter 1 - Darkness Approaches

The arrival of the Two Kings - The Border Of West Constantia: General Greyson

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Kade yawned, his jaw as flexible as that of a snake; showcasing his fangs proudly. He snapped his teeth and ran his tongue over them in hunger.

Lounging in the sun had drained his energy and built his appetite exponentially.

"Grey," He drawled at me, "I would like to have a meal now."

With a hushed voice, I bowed and asked, "What would you like sire?"

A sly smile spread across the Kings face, "You."

I wasn't a very bashful man, but the King was well-known for his charm and flirtatious nature, his voice alone could make even the strongest creature flush blood red. I was ashamed to say I always fell victim to the Kings charms; and although I was resistant, my heart still pounded wildly for him.

"Are you certain I would be adequate to subside your hunger?"

Kade laughed and it created creases on the sides of his eyes, "My goodness Greyson, you can say no to me, I would never feed from you." He smirked at my flustered state, playfully tilting his head and flashing his fangs at me. I averted my eyes to the ground beneath me. Why did I feel so thwarted?

Without much thought I mumbled, "I know better than to trust you."

His smile dropped and he sat up, pupils dilated and honed into the distance.

My own eyes followed in that direction and I placed my right hand onto the hilt of my sword. In the distance, where the sun beat waves above the ground, came horses.

Trotting in concession with one another, were royal horses; and perched atop them were royal guards.

"Alexander." Kade murmured underneath his breath.

I felt a shiver crawl up my spine at the name. Alexander Lemairtre, King of Were-France. Kade's older brother and his most despised enemy.

A royal guard made a gesture towards me and one of the foot-soldiers stumbled clumsily into Kade and I's makeshift camp, the soldier looked young- and judging from his entrance; clearly inexperienced. That observation alone didn't make me any less tense in his presence.

"State your case."

The soldier saluted with frantic movements and spoke in a stammering tone, "The King, his highness-"

I scoffed, "His no such thing here."

Flushed, the unfortunate soldier continued, "-he seeks refuge, for the evening."

A growl rumbled in my chest and my hand tightened around the hilt of my sword. Then a gust of wind rushed past me and a shadow loomed over me.

"Leave it to me Deidre."

Amber eyes stared down at me with curiosity, the werewolf King was clearly perplexed by me. I could feel it.

Although unwilling, I contradicted myself and bowed down to address the towering being, "Your Highness."

"You are like me." He peered down at me from his rough, tapered features, "Yet you serve a bloodsucker." He laughed then, possibly finding the entire affair too much of a paradox.

"What a strange little thing you are."

"I suppose I am." I murmured in meek defiance. Not my wisest decision but I would take the risk of losing a limb in return for disrespecting my Kings biggest opponent. My loyalties lied with Kade; and would lie there forever.

His eyes searched my face, etching my features to his immortal memory. I let him stare me down, my own eyes seeking out any possibilities of his intentions of being here. Was it for battle or simply a tactic to get his brother riled up?

The King hummed lowly, "No matter strange one, I am here to seek conference with your Master."

A small tug of his lips filled with mirth was given to me, "May I?"

Sending a brief glance to Kade, I lowered my eyes in silent question and he nodded curtly.

I stepped aside hesitantly, "You may."

Kade watched his brother with a look I recall seeing often on our travels around the world. He wore that same expression when he was about to kill.

His tone of voice certainly did not have the same effect.

"Brother." He smiled and if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that it was genuine.

Diplomacy was one of Kade's most valuable skills and weapons, he lured in his prey; made it feel safe. Then he would pounce and devour it whole.

Alexander seemed to share his sentiment by the looks of his sour expression, "I've come to relay information of importance."

"Really, I never would have guessed." Kade smirked sardonically. I withheld my own satisfied smile. I could fault the King for many things, but his humor was not one of those things.

I stood a reasonable distance away from the conversing pair, drifting into my own thoughts once in a while to be respectful to their privacy. But a name flitting into the conversation caught my attention. At first, I controlled myself, then the name was mentioned again and I couldn't help but blurt out.

"The human King?"

Kade watched me carefully, he beckoned me closer, "What do you know about him?"

"His reputation precedes him. There isn't much else I can tell about him... sire."

Kade and Alexander exchanged a look and I felt a frown slip onto my face.

"How far from here is this Kings territory?" Alexander asked.

Questions swarmed my thoughts. What could two powerful beings like them want from the humans? Much less King Oliver Moretti, a man who was rumored to be very well-natured and peaceful. He lived on the outlier borders of the land, close to the forests and water... his kingdom was a wonderland of sorts.

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Despite their differences, the brothers reached an agreement by the end of the day. At dawn, we prepared for a journey to the human kingdom- I didn't know much about the urgency of the matter- (it would bode me well not to ask too many questions) but I knew one thing for certain. Darkness was approaching.