Royal shuffle: Vampire's mate
Chapter Forty-three

ANDREA

I walked back to my throne room where my council sat waiting for me. My first order of business as soon as I resumed was to see to Esmeralda's death once and for all. Killing her wasn't enough, so I decided to have her burnt. I had sent out a search for William, I needed him to have the same treatment for my mind to be at ease.

I still haven't heard from Leo since the incident. He and Adela had moved to the vampire territory, and I wasn't sure I wanted to fetch my child just yet. What if she still hated me? What if she still thought that I killed her brother? I looked up at the life sized portrait of Leo that was hung right outside the throne room and choked back tears. Mercy had cost me my child. Mercy had cost me my sister.

I entered into the throne room, and regarded all the council members with disdain. They kept their gazes lowered to the ground. I took my place at the head of the table and looked at them, remembering how these same people treated me when Esmeralda....

"Shall we begin, your majesty?"

I looked over at the councilman that asked, and shook my head.

"No. We're expecting people."

And as if on cue, the doors opened to Stacy and Savannah. I smiled widely at the power suits they wore, and their stilettos muted by the lush rug.

"What are you two doing here?"

"They are the new council members?" I replied.

Murmurs sprang up amongst those who sat at the table and I laughed.

"That's not all," I said, standing up. "Your services are no longer needed as members of my council."

"But your majesty," councilman Peter said, "We were elected by our constituents, you can't just remove us."

"Oh, yes, I can. As I speak to you, elections are ongoing in all your constituencies. Your position would be replaced soon enough. As for these two," I said, pointing to Stacy and Savannah. "They are the Queen's elects."

I turned around and left the council meeting, deciding that I didn't have the strength for it today. I felt a light kick in my lower abdomen and I gasped, smiling at the baby growing inside me. Stacy and Savannah thought I was crazy for wanting to keep him, but I thought that this was the moon goddess' apology for the hardship I went through. I knew this was my second chance to be better. A better mother, a better queen. He wasn't Leo's replacement, but he was my child nonetheless.

I walked the length and breadth of the palace, circling the grounds. I still hear the whispers, the mutterings. Many still believed that I killed my son, and that my sister's death was purposeful. Apparently, many doctors and nurses had heard I and William that might, and now I was also called a cheap whore. I knew that nothing could be done about that. Esmeralda's hold on my palace might have lifted, but there were still people that were brainwashed by her lies and charms. That, I could do nothing about.

I walked to the back of the palace and into the graveyard in the forests. I walked past the graves of past kings and queens, and arrived at the grave of the only prince. My son. I couldn't hold back the tears. They flowed freely down my cheeks in buckets. There were a lot of things I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was, how I wished I had handled the situation better, how I wished I had been there on time. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me, how much I loved him. I wanted to tell him how much his death broke me...broke everybody.

"I'm sorry, my baby..." I said, falling to my knees on the dry ground, mourning the child that had opened my womb.

I ran my hands against his gravestone, and cried even harder. If only I had been on time, I would be holding my child and not crying at his grace.

"Andrea..."

My blood ran cold, and anger bubbles up inside me as soon as my brain registered and recognized the voice. I turned my head slowly to see Leonidas standing there with a hat on his hand. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and fixed his eyes on our son's tombstone.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, rising to my feet and brushing the dead grass off of my dress.

"Um...I came for us to talk about some things," he replied.

"Like what?"

"Adela. I..."

"What happened to her? Have you sat back and watched someone else kill our only surviving child?! Again?!!" I screamed.

I saw him visibly flinch at my words and derived some satisfaction from it. It wasn't fair that I got to live in misery and agony and guilt and pain everyday and he's not. Why does it have to be only me?!

"I'm really sorry about Leo. I admit that I could have done more, been more..." he started.

I laughed, cutting him off. "Now you think you should have done more, which I think is weird because all you had to do at the time was believe me. All you had to do was listen to me, fucking take me seriously! But what did you do?!" "Andrea..."

"You thought I was crazy..." my voice cracked and fresh tears ran down my cheeks. "You thought that I would...you thought I...you thought I killed my son...my own child..."

Memories of my son's last smile at me before jumping off flashed through my eyes, memories of his skull cracked open, and his dead body brought back to his bed...memories of Adela. My Adela.

"I'm sorry, Andrea. I know that nothing can ever make up for the pain we suffered..."

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.org is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away!

"We?" I scoffed. "You didn't suffer, Leo. I did. My daughter hates me. She's afraid of me. She thinks I killed her brother. Does your daughter hate you, Leo?" I asked.

Leo lowered his head in shame and sighed. "No, she doesn't."

"Does she think you're a murderer, Leo?"

He shook his head again. "No."

"Is Adela afraid of you, Leo?"

"Look, I see where you're going with this and..."

"Is she fucking afraid of you, you fucking bastard?!" I yelled, my blood boiling with rage.

"No."

"Do your people look at you and talk behind your back? Do they gossip? Have they lost respect for you? I bet they look at you as their hero, getting rid of the bitch that killed her son, their heir..." "Andrea. I know that no manner of apology will do..."

"Then maybe you should stop then. On second thought, there's something you can do for me to forgive you," I said, smiling.

Leo raised his head, hope shining in his eyes. "What is it?"

"Die."

I smiled wider as I watched the hope die, and the light extinguish from his eyes. Was I being vengeful? Yes. And I had every right to be. None of this would have happened if he had paid attention. None of this would have happened if he hadn't been stupid enough to think I'd stab myself. None of this would have happened if he wasn't stupid enough to think that the daughter of a man who's father I almost killed had come back to 'help'. I watched as Leo's e he s fell on my bump and all the blood left his face. I rubbed my stomach affectionately, feeling my baby kick against my hand.

"It's true..." he whispered.

I smiled, "Yes, it is."

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.org is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away!

"You didn't waste any time, did you?" He asked, bitterness oozing from his tone.

I shook my head, "Oh no, I didn't. Remember when you had me locked up like a common dog. Yeah, that's when it happened. You wan to know who the father is?"

Leo nodded his head, defeated.

"Yes," he muttered.

"William."

His head shot up, and his eyes turned red. I smiled as tears pooled in his eyes. He quickly turned away, but I wasn't quite done yet. I enjoyed seeing him in pain, and I wasn't quite satisfied yet. I turned with him until I was standing right in front of him again.

"Do you want to know how he did it?" I asked.

Silence.

I smiled bitterly as the memories came rushing back. The bittersweet memories. I remembered how Esmeralda had induced my heat and how William had felt inside me. I remember how I tightened my legs around his waist and begged him for me. I sighed when I remember how he had tuned my body to the frequency he wanted and taken me to heights. I realized that the very idea of having a foreign dick inside me had turned me on more than I would have liked to admit. But now, I didn't care about Leo.

"He fucked me really hard. Better than you ever had. He made me come so hard, I think my pussy clamped him down for a while."

Leo looked down and away but not before I caught the tear roll down his cheek. I smiled even wider. I enjoyed knowing that I was still capable of causing him so much pain. It was not nearly enough for the ones he caused me, but it was honest work.

"I said I'm sorry, Andrea. How many times do you want me to say it?" Leo said, exasperated.

"As many times as I long to hear it. Until you mean it."

"But I do..."

I scoffed. "No, you don't. If Esmeralda was still here, only the goddess knows what you would have done to me. Maybe you would have asked for my head."

Leo ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Listen. I came here because I wanted to apologize for the things I did. I understand that I could have done better, been a better partner to you, and I failed. I'm also here because..." "Hi, mom..."