(58) When all else is lost the future still remains

The vampire Reginald stood then, looking at Shan and Addie, and then out across the room. “My feelings are that the Were-sorcerer be allowed to do as he suggests. The Messenger is an old and true friend to us. I would hate to loose him because one man,” he shot a glance at Jacques, “wants, excuse the bad pun, to ‘shoot the messenger’.”

There was a brief roll of chuckles around the room before Reginald continued. “Who is that young man and how did a human get involved in this?” He pointed to Race, who was standing at stiff attention behind Shan, his face as pale as his prisoner’s at this point.

“He is my friend. Without him things might have turned out quite differently,” Addie told him. “He risked his life to distract the vampire in question, and his son, so that Shan and I could deal with them. Without him we and in turn all of you might be dead, truly dead, now.”

Race turned bright red at Addie’s words, staring down at the floor to avoid the looks from the assembled vampires. He only looked up again when Shan carefully put an arm around his shoulder and whispered, “If you ever do something so stupid again…”

“So you’ve said more than several times in the last twenty-four hours,” Race grumbled, engendering laughs from some of the nearby vampires, two of whom had come over to take control of his prisoner. At their request, because they couldn’t, Race removed the silver chain and then they marched the prisoner out of the room.

“I believe we owe the three of you a debt of gratitude,” the vampire running the conclave said. “Especially you, Addison.”

She smiled, holding up one hand to stop him before he continued. “I was quite serious when I said I have no desire to be the Queen. My personal opinion, for what it’s worth, is that Reginald would make an excellent King. He seems from what I know of him, and what I’ve seen today, to have compassion as well as strength, something that was sorely lacking in the last King.”

Jacques scowled at her words but said nothing, as one glance at the gathered members of the conclave told him most of them agreed with her.

“When can we get out of here,” Race asked rather plaintively. “I’m feeling a bit…” His knees buckled and only Shan’s quick action in catching him kept him from ending up on the floor.

“Now,” Shan growled. “Addie, are you coming?”

She nodded. “I’ll take him back home. You get rid of the garbage so that we can have the Messenger back as he should be.”

“And the woman who would not be Queen has spoken,” Shan muttered, a slight grin quirking his lips as he released Race to Addie’s care. Seconds later he vanished with the dhampir.

“Are you quite certain you won’t reconsider, Addison,” Reginald asked. “You would make an excellent ruler.” The sincerity in his voice said that he meant what he was saying.

“Quite certain.” She kissed his cheek. “I have two men, no, three actually,” she smiled to herself, “that need me more than any of you do.” That said, she tightened her grip on Race to keep him erect and slowly walked from the room.