Blood Match

Chapter 57: The Lion and the Legacy

Tristan and Liam returned to the manor. As they entered, Tristan’s stomach growled loudly enough that Liam heard it and began to laugh.

“I guess someone is hungry. Come on, let’s raid the kitchen and find some food,” Liam said, grabbing Tristan’s arm and pulling him toward the back of the house.

As they walked, servants were busy clearing the remnants of the afternoon meal the workmen had just eaten. The manor was busy but somber. It was as if it were holding its breath in anticipation of things to come. Liam could feel the energy thrum along his nerves like electricity.

As they entered the kitchen, they were greeted by the laughter and banter of the kitchen staff. Chef Claude presided over his team like a benevolent king, firm but exacting, his eye never missing a detail. Liam pulled Tristan over to the table that sat on one side of the kitchen. This was where the staff usually grabbed a quick bite between prepping meals for the family.

Liam caught Anastasia’s eye; she was Claude’s second-in-command. With practiced efficiency, she had two bowls of beef stew, crusty bread, and two tall glasses of Estrella Galicia, a good Spanish beer, set in front of them.

As they ate, Liam reached out with his thoughts and touched Leo’s mind. Bringing Tristan into the link, he recounted their trip to the Sun Chamber site. He also asked Leo to see if Maria and Alexi could join them in the study in half an hour. Tristan and he would come just as soon as they finished filling Tristan’s stomach.

Liam could feel the tremor of protest from Tristan’s thoughts at his comment, as well as Leo’s laughter rippling across the bond. Then, as clear as if he were in the room with them, they both heard Leo’s voice:

He was always a bottomless pit, even as a teenager.

They both burst out laughing, earning a few curious looks from the kitchen staff.

Tristan and Liam walked into the study. Leo was sitting on the loveseat, with Alexi and Maria on the couch opposite. Maria and Alexi rose as Tristan and Liam entered.

Liam kissed Maria on the cheek and greeted Alexi with a handshake. Tristan followed suit, hugging Maria for a moment longer. She gave him the once-over and, satisfied with what she saw, gave him a light slap on the cheek.

Liam went over and sat beside Leo, Tristan taking the armchair to the left of the loveseat on Liam’s side. Leo draped an arm around Liam and exhaled, as if all the tension had suddenly left his body.

Liam looked into Leo’s eyes for a moment. No words were spoken, but an infinity of meaning transpired in that brief space of time. Turning to look at Alexi and Maria, Liam spoke.

“I will accept the Corona De Fuego. It was Fernando and Genevieve’s wish. But I will not lead alone. Alexi, you have led the Corona since it was founded. Will you stand as my second?

Maria, will you stand as my advisor and confidant? There is much for me to learn, and who better to teach me than you?”

Liam waited for the import of his words to register.

Maria and Alexi looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Liam.

Maria spoke first. “I would be honored to stand by your side and serve.”

Alexi nodded. “I too will serve. I am yours to command.”

Liam nodded, accepting their pledge of loyalty. Standing, he went over to Alexi and took his hands, placing them between his own.

“By the sacred trinity, by Hecate’s might, we are bound in truth, by darkness’ light.”

As Liam spoke the words, Alexi felt the power flow through Liam’s hands and into his own. He looked up in wonder.

Then Liam spoke again. “Five hundred thousand, so many.”

Alexi was startled. Only he knew the true number of Coronados worldwide, and Liam had just spoken it as if he had always known.

Leo sat forward but didn’t say anything. Tristan, too, looked over at Alexi, speechless.

Liam simply smiled. “We are bound, Alexi, soul to soul, blood to blood. I to you, and you to me.”

Liam reached over and took Maria’s hands. “Sister, thank you for choosing to walk the road beside me. The Crown and Santa Muerte will stand in service to Justice and Mercy.”

Maria reached out a hand and patted Liam’s cheek. “I saw the light in you from the first time we met. I had a feeling that there was fire inside you. I guess I was right.”

She looked over at Leo. “You have chosen well. Fernando and Genevieve would be proud.”

Leo stood up and moved to stand at Liam’s side. “They are,” he said, looking into Liam’s eyes.

The sun had set. The night was brisk, and the scent of snow hung in the air. Maria stood next to Alexi on the same hill Tristan and Liam had stood on hours earlier. The woods around them were quiet, almost too quiet, as if even nature knew something was about to change.

Seven hundred years, seven full centuries, the door below had been shut, a relic of a different time. And now it was open again, and all the vampire world wondered what that might mean.

Alexi spoke, his voice shattering the stillness. “I remember the day Don Fernando ordered the chamber sealed. He said it was a relic of a bygone age; we had become too civilized for such things. He wished us to find a way to coexist and eliminate the need to punish vampires with such methods. What is Leo thinking?”

Maria looked down at the site, fires burning in braziers on either side of the unsealed door. The runes carved there caught the light, symbols etched by Nightsouls and imbued with the magic they had learned from their adopted mother, Hecate.

“He is sending a message.” She turned from observing the site and looked into Alexi’s eyes. “Justice will reign in obedience or in blood. The choice is ours.”

As they turned to leave, Alexi took one last look back at the site.

“Fernando, your lion cub has grown, and now is king. Let’s hope he has the wisdom to go along with his claws.”