Invictus

It was late at night. Hidden in the edge of the forest were Marc, Max, Caden, Ron, and Akoni. They stood next to me as all my guards stood behind us. There were over a hundred of us as we stood and looked at the dark Palace in front of us.

"Do we truly want to start a war?" Max asked.

"They took our future Queen." Caden responded. "It wasn't just another woman. She is ours."

"Do you know how much casualties we will have? Do you remember the last time it happened? Many of us died." Ron whispered into the conversation.

"So you are willing to risk the life of your future Queen? Hide like a coward? Have those filthy cold blooded animals have their way with her?" Marc growled.

"Shut up." I commanded and they all turned to look at me. "If you don't want to risk your life, I am not asking you to be here. You can run back home. I am not leaving my mate inside that palace. I will die to save her."

"I wasn't saying that I don't-" Max began but got punched by Caden to shut him up.

"Just shut up and do what you are told." Caden growled.

Max's head slumped a little. I know he didn't mean to say that we shouldn't save Deidre. He was afraid of our future. A transparent barrier was between both their race and ours. We never declared war but we have always had disliked each other.

If I could avoid a war, I would but I knew that my lycan wanted to rip Aldric's head off his shoulders. I won't be able to stop him. Even I was still fighting for control from my lycan.

"We can't avoid it." Akoni said calmly. "It is a war that has already started the moment Deidre was taken."

I turned to meet his eyes and we both knew the truth. We will be fighting a long war. One that will break many of us and one that will end many of our lives. The weight of that sitting on my shoulders was unbearable. It was a weight that I had to carry.

We began walking toward the opening, allowing them to see us and smell us. A few rogue werewolves that were pets to the vampires came out growling. One of them shifted and stood before me.

"What is it that you want?" He sneered.

I smirked. "Pet, bring me your King."

He growled at my nickname and made a sorry attempt at swiping at my face. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it until it snapped. I leaned down to his now whimpering form and whispered in his face.

"Bring me your King." I commanded.

The werewolf in him knew the threat. Immediately, he lowered his head and nodded before clutching his broken wrist to his chest and running for his life toward the palace. The other werewolves looked hesitant. My power was forcing them to obey and their wolves knew who I was. It was hard for them not to obey what was superior to them in their face even if they decided to switch sides and work for the vampires.

Their betrayal was evident and my lycan wanted blood but I gritted my teeth and waited for the King's arrival.

An hour later, a slender pale man walked up to us. He wore nothing but all black but his piercing red eyes glowed with power. Several other vampire soldiers stood alongside him, protecting their King.

"Prince Invictus, what can I do for you?" He said coolly. His hand waved in the air in a friendly dramatic gestured but his postured told me he was anything but welcoming.

"You have something of mine." I replied.

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't say? Who?"

My jaw ticked. "You know. I demand her back, safe and unharmed."

He shrugged. "If I knew who this person was I will give her back to you without a fight but I don't."

"Lying piece of sh!t." Akoni muttered.

The King's eyes blazed red and his eyes narrowed into slits. "Do you not trust my words, Prince Akoni?"

"You are-"Akoni started but I stopped him by raising up my hand. I took a threatening step closer to the the Vampire King. His soldiers sneered at my boldness.

"I don't have the patience to play guessing games with you. This is the last time I am going to say this, hand her over or you will regret it."

"Regret?" The King's calculating eyes moved to mine from Akoni. "What is there to regret?"

"You think I won't rage war on you but we lycans are anything but fearing of you. I will bring down your rule hard. I will wipe every last creature that reeks of your scent. I will not stop until I get what I want and that is the end of your race if it is the last thing I do." I said deathly low.

His eyes faltered a little and the glow dimmed slightly before he set his jaw and squared his shoulders.

Deidre

Aldric pushed me onto the hospital bed. The doctors began pulling out needles and IV's. I rocked and struggled. When Aldric attempted to pin me down with his hands over my body, I kicked him in the chest hard, sending him across the room toward the wall. The sound of body slamming into the cracking wall halted everyone's action.

They stood and watched as Prince Aldric pushed himself off the wall and came zipping to my side gripping my neck tightly as he pulled me closer to his face.

"You will regret that." He sneered.

"Fvck you." I wheezed out and used my hand to punch his side. He grunted and ordered everyone to leave before straddling my hips. His hands came back up to pin above my head.

"Know what I want to do with you?" He purred. "It has been years since I have taken a woman as my pet. I want you as mine."

"I will never be yours."

"Ah, well that will change as soon as I drain you of all your blood and put mine in yours." He said.

"You can't be serious." I said and stopped struggling. He leaned down and kissed my nose.

"No, my pet, I am not kidding. You will be mine." He whispered huskily.

The door to room whipped open and a slender pale man that carried a power aura around him walked in. He glanced over at us and his expression morphed into fury. His eyes blazing as he stared at Aldric.

"Get off her." He commanded.

Prince Aldric looked like he was going to argue but he slowly got off from me. I crawled off the bed and edged myself to the corner of the room. Prince Aldric's eyes were on me.

"C'mere Deidre." The pale slender man commanded.

I shook my head. He grinned and spoke again. "You will be safe. I promise."

I still shook my head. He was a vampire. I can smell it off from him. I will die before I trusted one of them.

"Father, she's mine." Aldric said.

"You took something that didn't belong to you." The man replied back angrily. "Do you know what you have done? Her mate is outside our borders right now threatening war."

"Then give them war! I am not giving her up!" Prince Aldric roared.

The man zipped to Aldric side and gripped him around the neck as he sneer into Prince Aldric's face.

"You will do well to know who you are speaking to, son. She is not yours. We will release her back to her mate." He said threateningly. Prince Aldric looked like he was conflicted but at the end he gave up and his eyes looked down.

"Fine." He snarled.

The man who I now know is Prince Aldric's father nodded and dropped his son as he walked over to me and put his hand out.

"Let me take you to your mate."

I placed my hand in his and allowed him to leave me out of the room but the look in Prince Aldric's eyes told me he wasn't done with me. There was something cold and bad behind them.

I arrived at the edge of the border and as soon as Invictus saw me he was moving already. In seconds, he was before me, ripping me away from the vampire King.

"It is a truce." Invictus growled impatiently as he pulled me close to the crook of his arm. "But don't attempt this mistake again or I will not go easy next time."

The vampire King nodded. "We will maintain our distance and I will try to keep Prince Aldric away from Deidre but once he has taken a fancy it is hard for him to stop. He dwells in the chase and if I know my son well, he will not stop until he gets what he wants."