Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Lazarus POV

I walk behind my precious queen as we leave the meeting. She did so well. She stood her ground with the council. I have no doubt when she meets the vampire council; she will be able to stand tall with them as well. She is so much stronger than she gives herself credit for being.

I know she is worried about her siblings. I will do everything to care for them. We have a large staff we can handle all of their needs. Handling Luanne will be the biggest problem. I understand why Willow doesn’t want to crown her. I will stand by her decision, but it would make things easier.

Willow is on a mission. I can tell by the walk she is walking. She is going to handle Luanne tonight. She has been through enough today. I hope Luanne is reasonable. The woman has not been sensible since she got here. All she wants is money. I could pay her off, but if I did, that would upset Willow. I will talk to my mother about it. I do not want to do anything behind Willow’s back, but paying off Luanne may be our best option.

“Lazarus, I want to speak to Luanne alone,” she says.

She leaves me to handle her business with Luanne; this is the perfect time for me to consult with my mother. I wave mother over to me. She is busy managing the staff. When she finishes, she hurries over to see if everything is okay. I know she thinks something is wrong.

“We need to talk privately,” I tell her.

“Okay, I gave instructions for the children. I have them each in a room. They will have everything they need my morning. I still need to arrange a nanny and school,” she says.

“Perfect, but we need to talk in private about something else,” I say.

Mother follows me back to the kitchen. The staff is busy so that we can speak alone in the kitchen.

“What is wrong with you, son? You look as if you are up to something,” she says.

“I think I know how to handle Luanne if she does not agree to Willow’s terms, but I want your opinion,” I say.

She wrinkles her nose at me. She only does that when she is worried or thinks I am about to do something foolish.

“I am listening, son,” she says.

I look out the door to make sure no one is close by to hear our conversation. “We should pay Luanne to leave the children with us. We can give her a house. We can send her on her way,” I say.

“What did Willow think of this idea,” she asks.

“I was not planning on telling her. I thought you could give it to her. Then we could go on with our lives. I have no problem helping her raise her siblings here. They do need us,” I say.

She wrinkles her nose at me again. I know she thinks I am screwing up now.

“You want to start your marriage off with a lie?” she questions me.

“It is not a lie. It is a simple solution to a very complicated problem,” I say.

“Lazarus, I think you should discuss this with Willow. If she agrees, then yes, do it. Son, do not start your life off with her with a lie. It will eventually come out. Things have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass when you lie,” she says.

“I will talk to her. She is trying to talk to Luanne now. If that doesn’t go well, then I will offer to pay her off,” I say.

“Son, I know you are trying to do what is best for her. I am sure you only have the best of intentions for her and these children. Do not go behind her back ever. It will ruin your marriage. Trust me; I know better than anyone how a lie can destroy a marriage,” she says.

“No need to bring all of that up now,” I say.

“Speaking of old lies. Your father will be here for the wedding,” she says.

“You do not have to invite him,” I say.

“How would it look if the vampire king was not here to see his son get married,” she says.

“Willow needs someone to walk her down the aisle. How about her oldest brother? Do you think you could help him with that?” I ask my mother, trying to change the subject.

“I can, and I will do everything for her. Did she see the dress?” she asks.

“Yes. Willow says she is wearing it,” I say.

“She does not have to wear it. I wanted her to have it if she wants it. It is a fairy tradition for the mother to pass down her wedding dress. Considering the situation, I thought I would offer,” Prissy says.

“Mother, you have no idea how happy it made her. Willow is one of a kind,” I say.

“Actually, I can see myself in her. Do not break her heart, Lazarus. Don’t ever hurt her,” she says.

“I have no intentions of ever hurting her in any way. She is concerned about the vampire hybrid process. You might talk to her about it,” I say.

“Lucky for me, I never had to make the change,” she says.

“Hey, your son is a vampire. We are not that bad,” I say.

“I know my son. I never wanted to be dependent on having to feed to live. I was able to get around it. Have you thought much about your hybrid transformation?” she asks.

“I am good with it. I would do anything for peace among our tribes and for Willow,” I say.

“You really do care for her,” she says.

“It is crazy. I thought this would be a contract marriage where she did her thing, and I did mine, but the moment I saw her, I changed for the better. I am in love with her,” I say.

“Are you really?” I hear a small voice from behind me.

I turn to see Willow standing in the doorway.

“Yes, I am in love with you,” I say.

She rushes to me. She jumps in my arms. She kisses me.

“I am going to let you two talk. I need to check on the children,” she says.

She exits the room while Willow continues kissing me with more passion than before. I want her. I want every inch of her. I want her heart, her soul, her body.

“Willow, I need to be perfectly honest with you about what mother and I were talking about earlier. Please do not get angry with me. I only asked her opinion. She advised me to discuss it with you. I want to tell you what I think about Luanne,” I say.

“First, let me tell you she is completely unreasonable. She blames me for her not being able to come to my father’s funeral. I never said she could not come. She chooses to be dramatic. So I am all ears if you have an idea on how to handle her,” she says.

“Willow, I think we should pay her off. Hear me out before you get upset. We keep the children. We have the staff to care for them. We give her a house. My family has several. We give her a lump sum of cash. We send her on her way. Then everyone is happy,” I say.

She stands in front of me in silence. I can tell she is thinking about this from all angles. I know Luanne put her through hell as a child after Brooklyn dies. Every person in both the fairy and vampire realms knows about what happened. It was not her fault. I am sure with Luanne pushing to give her away to me did not help their relationship any. That should have been handled differently, too. The council never listens. The correct thing to do would have been for me to meet with her before. I could have eased her into coming with me, but they insisted it is done another way. I know she was scared. She did not know my family or me. The council handles things the way they want to handle things with little regard for others.

“Lazarus, I want you to propose this to her. I will stay out of it. You should act like I do not know. She will not take it if she thinks I am okay with it. She has to agree to leave all of my siblings, even the baby,” she says.

“I will go talk to her now,” I say.

I kiss her on the forehead. She closes her eyes. Every time I kiss her sweet forehead, she acts as if I am doing it for the first time. She is so starved for love and affection. She will never have to yearn for it again. I plan to shower her with all of the love she can handle.