Mice and Men
Mice and Men
Emory
+25 BONUS
I can’t move as Rainier continues to translate the story about the hybrid. It is nothing but a terrifying monster, a mindless killing machine. My breath quickens as panic sets in, making me want to run away. I want to hide under the blankets of my bed and shut the world out. I don’t want to believe my baby could turn into the beast in the story with no ability to reason and only an insatiable urge to kill.
I touch my abdomen with my fingers, feeling protective and terrified of the life inside of me. Perhaps I could teach them to be good. Even if they have these bloodthirsty urges, I can guide them to control themselves so they won’t hurt other people. Humans thought that wolf shifters are like the werewolves in myths that were mindlessly violent, but we aren’t like that at all. I could make sure my child learns they don’t have to be anything other than what they want to be and not just what their base urges lead them to.
all right, Emory?” Rainier asks. “You’re looking kind of pale. And that’s saying something coming from me.”
“Are you
I check my watch to see it’s lunch time, and it gives me the perfect excuse. “I think I’m just hungry. We should go have lunch.”
That’s why I came to get you, actually. Queen Agatha is inviting you to have lunch with her again today. You and your sister are both invited, of course.”
“We shouldn’t keep her waiting, then.”
We all stand up to start putting the books away. Willow comes over with a book trolley to collect the books from us. Rainier scoops up half the books on the table and hands them individually to Willow.
“Long time no see, gorgeous,” he says with a salacious grin. “Where have you been hiding all this time?”
“None of your business, Rainier,” she replies with a cold glare. “If you have no further need of assistance, suggest you leave the library.”
1 do need assistance with something.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her in an attempt to be funny and suggestive.
She is not amused. “If it has nothing to do with any books in this library, then I can’t help you. Please leave.”
“Willow, come on….”
She turns and walks away with the trolley before Rainier can say anything else. He lets out a defeated sigh and we all leave the library together.
“How do you know Willow?” I ask, curiously.
“We know each other from a long time ago. I thought she had left the castle. I didn’t know she was still around or had come back.”
“You have a history together?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “You could say that. We’re old acquaintances at best.”
I could asked him more questions, but my mind is too preoccupied with the story of the blood wolf and
1/5
Mice and Men
what that could mean for all of us.
Kane
+25 BONUS
King Peter did not send a letter back this time. Instead, he sent a messenger. This is the same one I had seen for the past few weeks, the smooth-talking man who has a talent for spinning King Peter’s angry vitriolic words into something bearable. He looks like an ordinary vampire with the same pale skin and icy blue eyes as most of the rest of us. His hair is cut short and slicked back.
King Peter seems to trust this messenger the most because he’s promoted him to the status of a diplomat.
He bows low. “Your Majesty, I am now Lord Alistair. Vampire King Peter has sent me to be his representative so we can work on a peaceful resolution to the misunderstanding between our two kingdoms.”
“Misunderstanding?” I repeat with a scoff. “That’s what you want to call it? You tried to invade my land, and your troops are still camped at my doorstep ready to draw blood.”
“The situation may have regretfully escalated, but not to the lengths that it can’t be remedied. King Peter believes we can put this all behind us and renew the friendship between our kingdoms again.”
“And what would he want in return?” Rainier challenges, his arms crossed over his chest as he stares down at Alistair’s pointy face. “He does seem to enjoy making demands.”
Alistair gives a bland smile. “I trust you may understand that King Peter has been distraught over the welfare of his children. He cares for them deeply. All he asks is that you allow his son, Prince Jacob, to return home where he belongs.”
“No way,” Rainier counters. “We’re not letting him go so you feel comfortable attacking us with nothing to lose.”
“My king has learned of his son’s injuries and only wants to have him treated by his royal physician. Surely, we can all understand that everyone is deserving of compassion and should be treated accordingly.”
I look down from my seat on the throne at Alistair’s face, which does remind me of a weasel, and contemplate my next move. I know I can’t let Jacob go-not until we have assurance that King Peter will not attack us once his heir is back in his grasp. I need to buy us time.
“I will send my own doctor to heal Jacob’s injuries and to make sure he is well taken care of,” I offer. “He will continue to stay in the castle as he heals.”
Alistair’s pale blue eyes blink before he starts, “Surely, Prince Jacob would be better healing at home than here-
“Surely, we can provide adequate care for him here,” I cut him off. “I have a competent doctor in the castle, and I assure you that Jacob will be getting the care he needs.”
Knowing he’s beaten, Alistair gives another dry smile and bows low. “Thank you for your compassion, Your Majesty. I will inform King Peter of your merciful consideration with and take my leave for the evening. I will let His Majesty know of the situation.”
Mice and Men
+25 BONUS
I dismiss him, and the weasel scurries off. He will be staying in the castle in a bedroom furthest away from mine. I have many s**nts and guards watching his every movement should he try anything. I even double the security in the dungeons.
“I don’t like that guy,” Rainier remarks. “He reminds me of a rat sniffing for cheese.”
I stand from my throne and step down the podium stairs. “The cheese being my downfall, I take it.”
“1 expect him to scurry around like a little rodent for his master.”
That makes me smirk in amusement. “Perhaps you should prepare some mouse traps.
Rainier’s eyes light up in delight. “That would be entertaining and useful. Good idea.”
“Just make sure you don’t get him injured. I already have enough trouble to deal with.”
Rainier salutes me before walking away from the throne room. I decide to look for Emory. I go to her bedroom and only find Helga who tells me that the princess should be having lunch with my mother. This new development still concerns me.
I go outside toward the gazebo and find my mother and Emory having a pleasant lunch of tea and pastries. Lola is there eating colorful macaroons. My usually stoic mother is laughing at a story Emory is telling her. I don’t remember seeing the queen laugh like that in years.
My mother notices me first as I approach the gazebo. “Hello, darling. What are you doing here?”
I walk over to her and kiss her on her cold cheek. The familiar scent of roses and vanilla remind me of my childhood. “I was about to ask you the same question.
“I’m having lunch with Emory and Lola. We were discussing her childhoods. She was telling me this amusing story of the time she played a prank on her brother.”
I turn to her, eyebrows rising in question. She explains, used to scare my younger brother by hiding in his closet and pretending to be a vampire about to bite him and bleed him dry.”
“We’re the bogeyman in your childhood stories?”
“I’m sure we were the bogeyman in your world,” she replies. “How did you scare vampire children into behaving?”
“We don’t.”
That’s not true. I heard plenty of stories involving terrifying ‘werewolves’ while growing up. Terrifying children to stop misbehaving is a universal thing amongst all sentient species. When it comes down to it, we are all more similar than what we would want to admit.
“Don’t lie to the girl, Kane,” my mother chides. “You used to chase your brother pretending to be the big bad wolf.”
Emory gives me a knowing look, smug in her righteousness. I have to resist the urge to kiss that look off her face. I will have to do that later. I won’t kiss her in front of my mother-not yet anyway.
“Have you eaten, Kane?” my mother asks. “Darling, you must eat. You’re getting far too thin these days.”
“I’m fine, mother.”
3.5
Mice and Men
+25 BONUS
“Come take a seat. We have those butter biscuits you enjoy.”
1 take the empty seat beside Emory. Food will do nothing to put meat on my bones. Only blood will do
that. But they do taste good, so I help myself to a cup of blood and the butter biscuits, leaving the macaroons to Lola. I pour the blood into my cup carefully and stir it with a spoon.
My mother takes a sip of her blood. “There’s a matter of importance I need to discuss with you, Kane.”
“About what?”
“We should renovate the nursery in the castle as it’s been some time since we had a baby to take care of. And we’ll need to purchase wth all the things you’ll be needing to take care of the child. Your old things won’t do at all.”
I stare at my mother in shock, trying to comprehend what she’s saying. I try to play dumb. “What do you mean? What baby?”
She puts down her cup to give me an exasperated look “Are we really doing this, Kane? You are far too old to be pretending like you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I truly don’t know what you’re going on about, Mother.” From my peripheral vision, I can see Emory’s guilty face. Turning to her, I stare at her in disbelief and betrayal.
She swallows hard. “She knows.”
Turning to face her, my eyes widen. “You told her? How could you?”
She winces. “It just slipped out. It felt wrong not to tell your mom. Besides, she sort of already knew.” “Did she tell you how much she wants grandkids? She’s been using that line on me for years.” “You’re being dramatic, Kane,” my mother rebukes. “Emory simply wanted to share the good news with me, the grandmother of your unborn child. It’s not as if I couldn’t hear the heartbeat.”
She says ‘grandmother‘ with such relish. She can’t even hide her glee at the news even if she wants to. “We were going to wait until Emory was past her first trimester to tell anyone. You know how risky pregnancies are for our kind.”
“I am very aware, which is why Emory needs to have a support system. You are far too busy to be here every moment of the day. Emory could use all the help she can get before and after that baby comes.”
I resist the urge to stab myself in the eye with a butter knife out of frustration mistakenly thought my mother was trying to poison Emory out of disapproval of our relationship. Instead, my mother approves wholeheartedly and is practically frothing at the mouth at finally becoming a grandmother. This shouldn’t be a surprise as my mother has been nagging me about having an heir for decades.
“The baby might need a particular sort of care considering their parentage,” my mother continues. “With the baby being half–vampire and half–wolf shifter, it’s certainly going to be a handful.”
A movement in the corner of my eye makes me turn to see the weasel of a diplomat standing nearby and listening to our conversation. Before I can get to my feet and run after him, Alistair is already rushing back to the castle. I don’t know how much he heard, but it was likely more than enough. He will no doubt share the news about Emory’s pregnancy with King Peter as soon as he can get his hands on a phone.
Mice and Men
Emory notices I am truly upset and worriedly asks, “What’s wrong?”
I grab a biscuit off a plate and take a bite. “King Peter’s rat just found some cheese.”
