Chapter 36: Chapter 36
Chapter 35:
Sanaya’s P.O.V
“Where are we going?” I asked after I’d regained my composure. Thank you mother for embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend!
However, I was even more embarrassed by the fact that I’d confessed to Keith that I was in love with Lancelin and he had to hear it indirectly rather than directly from me. But maybe Lancelin was trying to save me from embarrassment by pretending to not have noticed my little slip of tongue in front of Keith?
“First, we need to drop by ReefWood HQ for a little help and then we’ll be heading off to Sanctium.” Lancelin opened the passenger side door to his car for me and once I was safely buckled in, he went to the driver’s side and got in.
“What is Sanctium?” I asked Lancelin. “And where’s Martin?”
“Martin had to take the day off.” Lancelin told me sounding a bit disappointed.
“Wow.” I blinked. “Martin never takes time off. Something serious might have happened for him to want an entire day off.”
“Actually,” Lancelin let out a heavy sigh. “Tanya’s engagement just got confirmed with Steven Mallick, a future Chrone from another coven.”
“Shit!” I cursed. “Can’t you do something to help? Martin must be devastated!”
“I would like nothing more than to help Martin but none of us, or any other species for that matter, like to intrude on Mage business.” Lancelin told me as he started the car and headed out of our complex.
“Why? Don’t they fall under your jurisdiction since they are living in your dimension?” I asked, confused. I was well aware that I needed to learn a lot more about supernatural politics now that I’d chosen to be with Lancelin and Acelin had only taught me a bit more than the basics.
“Mages are a completely separate entity with their own rules, jurisdiction and cultures. They don’t fall under any of our rules because the eleven and half dimensions that exist right now were created by five of the greatest mages the world had ever seen.” Lancelin explained.
“Eleven dimensions!” I was beyond surprised. “I had no idea so many species existed! I’ve only ever met Incubi, mages and if I was lucky enough, the odd vampires that had visited Acelin’s office. And what is this half dimension? How can a half dimension even be possible?”
“Well, technically, no one knows what a half dimension is or even what it looks like.” Lancelin shrugged and continued. “We call it half dimension because the five Ancestor mages, Alexander, Pallatos, Verna, Shinou and Tuhin died before the final dimension was completed forming. Mages are self sacrificing so they didn’t think of themselves first and instead focused on building worlds for the other species. The final dimension, which we now call Shadowland, was supposed to belong to them but since the Ancients died, the rest of the Kings all came together to show their support for the mages and granted them the right to stay in any dimension they pleased and that they would be free from any other supernatural rule.
“And as for species, there are vampires, dragons, shifters and many more. Each species has their own dimensions and then there is Sanctium, as I mentioned earlier. It’s like a middle ground for every one of us. Every species King or Queen has a castle in Sanctium along with their designated land to rule. But mostly it’s a land free of human influence. It’s also where I’ll be crowned shortly.”
Everything was going on fine until he added the term ‘shortly’. I knew something was up the moment he mentioned crowning. Up until now, I was quiet enjoying learning about all the dimensions and different species from Lancelin. I was also hoping that he would introduce me to them one day, when I’m truly able to be with him. But now that Lancelin mentioned his coronation…the gap between us is about to be stretched even farther. A lump formed in my throat at the thought of being separated from Lance. How was I going to deal with it?
“How ‘shortly’ is the coronation?” I asked Lance, looking down at my hands as they numbly lay on my lap.
“Winter Solstice.”Lancelin told me almost apologetically as the car came to a stop.
I noticed only then that we were in a parking space in front of ReefWood HQ. We had reached our destination and somehow it made my heart sink as my mind told me that this is probably what our relationship should be. Just Mr. Eustein and Ms. Johnson, an Incubus and his secretary. Nothing else.
“I’m not giving up, Sanaya.” Lancelin’s hands came into view as he unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled me on to his lap. He lifted my chin up so I could meet the molten amber of his gaze; the intensity so powerful that I couldn’t turn away. “In fact, I wanted to meet you outside of work today to tell you that I have found a way for us to be together without me needing to feed from anyone else.”
“You have?” It felt like a huge weight had just been lifted off my shoulders.
“By turning you into a vampire.” Lancelin told me hesitantly. “If that happens then your life span will be the same as mine and you’ll only need to drink a little amount of blood every other day to keep you healthy. Hell, you can even drink my blood! But that means we could be together forever! There will be nothing between us anymore.”
“But we’ll never be able to have children.” I had asked Acelin once, a long time ago, as to why different species don’t intermix. That was when he had told me about the hybrids and the mound of bodies they had left behind which had led to the drastic conclusion of creating separate dimensions for the species and forbidding intermixing of species to avoid another such bloodbath.
“My mother suggested test-tube babies and I agree that it’s a very good idea.” Lance smiled. “Acelin was once again the harbinger of good news that my mother wants to meet you and apologize for the earlier misunderstandings. She also accepts you as my partner.”
“That’s it…really?” I blinked several times to make myself believe that things were actually turning out in our favor. “So we can be together without any more problems?”
Lance caressed the side of my face with his fingers. “I’m sure someone will always be ready to cause problems, but there’s nothing holding us back anymore.”
Yes! I could finally be with Lance without worrying about how our future is going to look like or if he might leave me in a few years when I start to age. There really was nothing holding us back anymore. Maybe my mother was right about that protection thing after all…although with supernatural fertility rate being lower than humans, I doubt I had any need for protection.
I had to refrain myself from jumping his bones right then and there because we were on the side of a road in a busy industrial area and also, I was pretty sure most of ReefWood staff were falling out of the windows, trying to spy on us. Or at least that was Tanya, Sophia and Zach.
“Today has been just full of surprises, hasn’t it?” I asked him instead, planting a tender kiss to his cheeks as I got off his lap. Lancelin had to grab something from his office and sitting on his lap wasn’t exactly helping things.
“There is more to come, just you wait and see.” Lance smiled as he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Little did I know that my worst nightmares were about to come true.
The pendant around my neck began to glow with a bright green light, distracting me momentarily…and then it was too late.
Because two things happened next simultaneously.
A shot rang out, loud and clear over the honking of the traffic.
The driver’s side window was splattered red.