15. The truth

15

THE TRUTH

T he door to the conference room opens with a loud thunk. It hits the wall with force and I jump at the abrupt sound.

I forgot this room is soundproof, so I couldn't hear the footsteps coming.

Kaine walks inside, his gaze going directly to my dad. He bows slightly. "King Scott, I have a lead on Lucien's location."

Dad stands from his seat. "WHAT?"

"The prisoner," Kaine explains. "Do I have your permission to go? I want to leave now before they have a chance to move him."

"Yes," Dad says. "Go."

Kaine bows again to Dad and then he leaves the room without any other word.

My heart leaps at the thought of Kaine bringing home my brother. I know that is all he's wanted since I arrived—to find Lucien.

Things between Kaine and me are so awkward now. I don't even know how to talk to him anymore. Everything is so messed up. And I can't help but think that I was the one to mess him up.

I never should've kissed Kaine. I only did it because I was confused. I felt backed into a corner and I thought kissing him would help me sort out my feelings. And, in a way, it did. After that kiss, I knew exactly where Kaine stood. Even if he said he ‘loved' me, he couldn't be with me. I knew nothing would change his mind about that.

Kaine didn't love me, even if he thought he did. For Kaine to love anybody, he's first going to have to love himself. And right now, he thinks he's unlovable since he's a turned vampire.

Still, I feel guilty about the way things are. They wouldn't be so awkward if I hadn't kissed him

"I think this should be good." Dad pushes his chair back. "I don't think I'm going to be able to do any more work tonight." He turns to Paul. "Please, feel free to stay for dinner tonight."

Paul stands as well. "I need to get home, but I'm certain my son will stay." He glances at Damek, who nods.

I stand up as well and lead Damek from the conference room. Even though the chairs are comfortable, my butt and legs are numb from sitting for so long.

"Do you want to take a walk outside?" I ask. "The flowers in the garden are starting to bloom and it's pretty out there."

"Sure." Damek squeezes my hand. "Lead the way."

Outside, it is quiet. A few bugs are chirping, but it's still too cool for many to be out. The lights from the nearby city mask the stars, though a few can be seen. It makes me miss the island—I'm still sad we had to end our vacation early.

"You're quiet," Damek comments as we walk down a long pathway.

I sigh. "Sorry. I'm just… thinking. I'm kind of nervous about meeting Lucien. I hope Kaine can find him." I pause, then add, "I also hate how awkward things are with Kaine."

Damek pulls me to a stop. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I turn to face Damek, my stomach in knots. "No, but we probably should talk about it."

He gently puts his hand to the side of my face, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. "You can talk to me about anything. We're in this together."

His words only make me feel worse. While Damek was fighting to make me a queen and give me a lengthy engagement, I was questioning everything and kissing another guy.

"You might be mad at me." My voice comes out low, barely above a whisper.

"Nothing could ever make me mad at you," he says.

I boldly meet his eyes, seeing the love in them.

He deserves to know, even if I'm scared.

I take a deep breath. "Do you remember when I told you that I kissed another guy? Right before we got engaged."

"Yes, I remember."

I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. "Well… it was Kaine."

Damek smiles . "Maddie, I already knew that."

I suck in a sharp breath. "You did?"

He shrugs. "It was obvious to me. But Kaine also told me. It was shortly after we got engaged—the night of our engagement party. He took me aside and told me what happened. And he gave me his blessing. He said that he knew he couldn't pursue you. He made me promise to treat you like you deserve."

My heart skips a beat.

Damek knows . And he doesn't hate me.

"And you're really not upset that I kissed him?" I ask.

He pauses. "Well, I'm not happy about it, but I understand it. After meeting your family, I understand it better than before."

"Thank you. I am sorry that I did it." I look up at him through my lashes.

"You don't have feelings for him?" His shoulders are tense.

I shake my head. "No."

His entire body relaxes at my reassurance.

"You saw what it was like for me at home." I lower my head. "You saw how my family treated me, and that is how all the incubi treated me. I thought I wasn't attractive."

Damek nudges my chin up. "You don't have to explain it to me. I trust you, Maddie." He wraps his arms around me and embraces me. I lean into him, letting him take my full weight.

"You really are the best." I put my head against his chest and sigh. "Thank you, Damek."

He kisses the top of my head and I know that this is supposed to be. It's not the dramatic feelings my cousins used to have every time they met a cute guy. It's actions. It's the things he's done for me because he wants me to be happy.

A few hours later, after dinner and after Damek goes home, I sit with Eden in the living room. Mom went to bed hours ago—she's still not used to the vampire sleep schedule. Dad and Julien are working on something, I'm not sure what.

Eden is quiet as she works on some sort of crochet project, but she glances up at me. "You look happy."

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. "I didn't realize it was possible to be so happy."

Her face softens. "I'm glad. You deserve to be happy."

"Damek makes me happy," I admit.

She grins. "I admit, I wasn't quite so excited before my wedding. I didn't like your father very much. It took me a while to get feelings for him. We didn't even sleep in the same bedroom for six months and the only reason we changed that was because the council started asking about heirs."

"But it worked out." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Eventually." She nods. "But it took a while."

I pull my knees up to my chest. "I was wondering about something. You said you were born a human, correct?"

She nods.

"And your mom was human?"

She nods again.

"Then how did you marry my dad? I thought monarchs were only allowed to marry royals and that royals couldn't marry humans."

She puts down her crochet project. "Mine was a special circumstance because of my mother. Occasionally, a vampire couple will give birth to a human. It's rare, I think one in a million, but my mother was a one-in-a-million case. She was also the firstborn to my grandfather, so she was the heir of her clan."

I put a hand to the best of my throat. "That can seriously happen?"

"It happened to my mother. There were also two other cases in vampire history," she explains. "But when a human is born from a vampire couple, there is something in their blood that makes them unable to be turned into a vampire. So my mother had to marry somebody strong. My grandfather arranged her marriage. She gave birth to three children before she passed away. I was the only human born to my mom and dad. You already know my dad changed me."

I blink, soaking in her words. "Wow."

"Yeah." She shrugs. "So that is my story. My family was the exception. I think my father was surprised that the Rune Clan wanted an alliance with us, just because of my blood. They were the only clan that wanted an alliance with us. So I really didn't have any options."

That must have been awful. She had no option but to marry my father. No wonder it took so long for them to grow to love one another.

"I'm sorry that happened. The other clans don't know what they missed out on. I'm very happy to call you my stepmother. Even though you had every reason to hate me, you didn't. Thank you for accepting me." I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.

She grins. "Your father and I had a complicated relationship when he met your mother. But after what happened, we finally worked out our issues. In a way, I'm glad the affair happened. And now that I've met you and grown to love you, I don't regret it. You were always meant to be part of our family."

As I look at Eden, I wonder how many women would be so accepting. In her shoes, I don't think I could. But she's not only welcomed me, but she loves me as a daughter.

"I know that I have a mother, but I hope you know that I see you as my mom too. I love you and am thankful to have you in my life."

Eden looks at me with tears in her eyes. "That means a lot to me, Madeline. I always wanted a daughter."

My heart aches at how full it feels.

Everything is coming together. And once Lucien gets back, everything will be perfect.

Well, other than the Nodin Clan still having it out for me.

"Are you going to come wedding dress shopping with us next week?" I ask.

She nods. "I won't leave you alone with Queen Rune and your mother arguing."

I laugh. "They promised to try to get along, but I think it would be best if you're there. Somehow, I don't believe those two will ever fully get along."

"True." She picks back up her crochet project. "I'm excited to see you in your dress. You are going to make a beautiful bride."

My breath gets caught in my throat.

A bride.

I'm getting married .

And I don't dread it.

I look at the ring on my finger and smile.

"He did good in picking out your ring," Eden says.

I keep my gaze on my finger. "He did. I honestly can't believe he asked me to marry him. It was such a surprise."

"He wanted to make you happy."

I look up. "He did. I just hope I'm worth all this trouble. I feel like I haven't put as much into our relationship as he has. He's the one who has fought for me."

"That's how it is. Sometimes he will give more and sometimes you will," she says. "Don't worry. The two of you will have a lifetime of fighting for one another. I have no doubts that you two will have a long, happy life with one another."

That sounds amazing.

"Did my dad fight for you?" I ask.

She nods. "Eventually, yes. It was after your mother. He felt really bad for what he did. We had our mate bond, so I could feel his emotions. It was hard to stay mad at him because I knew exactly how bad he felt. It worked out in the end. I'm glad I forgave him. A lifetime is too long to be mad at somebody."

Eden is right, though I'm certain not all married couples feel that way.

"Thank you," I tell her. "For your advice and for talking to me. I needed to hear that."

She grins. "You're welcome. I'm always here for you."