Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 165 Rome wasn’t Built in a Day
Ann couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from it, staring at the being on the cold, metal slab in front of her and almost forgetting to breathe.
Greyson and Bartholomew stood at her side with a grim expression that was almost identical, and the Elders a*s*sembled at the edges of the room watched curiously as Lexi circled the creature slowly with a deep scowl creasing her forehead.
“This shouldn’t be here.” She muttered as she bent forward and peered closely at the creature’s twisted face, its features contorted in a menacing snarl that had persisted even in death.
Ann understood the confusion as to why the beast didn’t emit any odor, as the skin seemed to be paper thin and had broken apart in places, revealing the ma*s*s of flesh underneath.
Lexi lifted her head and suddenly fixed Greyson with a hard stare.
“You’re saying there was no stench, or scent whatsoever when the creatures were attacking?” she asked, the thinly shrouded disbelief in her words hanging in the air accusingly.
Greyson met her challenging stare and frowned a little as he spoke.
“I wasn’t there. There was a faint smell of… I suppose decay at the site of the battlefield, but there’s no one left alive to ask. All I know is we didn’t scent anything when we arrived anywhere near close to what you’re apparently experiencing.” He answered grimly.
Lexi nodded thoughtfully as she circled around again.
“I would hazard a guess to say that there wasn’t any prior indication of their presence before the ambush though. It would at least account for the ease with which they were set upon. Their training and superior abilities should have negated any risk of ambush.” He continued.
“But That would make no sense. The very nature of these beasts…you should be able to smell them… I don’t understand why you can’t…” Lexi replied, frustration tingeing her tone as she sighed loudly.
“Do you know what they are then?” Bartholomew asked, the faint light of hope blossoming in his eyes.
Lexi nodded curtly.
“Yeah, I think so.” She answered wearily, falling silent briefly before she exploded loudly, “Why the f*’k didn’t you all do something about Narcissa sooner? I already knew she was a vile piece of work with how she had treated Ann… but this?” She trailed off in disgust.
“Lexi, what is it?” Ann asked in concern.
As her shoulders sagged slightly, the door opened quickly and they turned to see the stoic faces of Adam and Allen enter the room, with the Royal escort closing the door behind them and waiting outside.
“Sorry for the delay. What did I miss?” Adam apologized as he made his way over to Ann’s side and froze momentarily as he cast his eyes over the scene before him.
“Not too much. Lexi was about to tell us what this is.” Ann answered softly as she watched her friend with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Look, you really should speak with my father about this as well, you know? There’s only so much I can tell you about this, it’s not…” Lexi faltered a little before taking a deep breath and continuing a little less shakily.
“What you’re looking at, it’s not naturally occurring. It’s not a daemon either…welL.it is…but it’s not.” “That makes no sense…” Greyson said with a frown, as Lexi turned to him and scowled.
“It f””*g does make sense, let me finish talking.” she snapped impatiently as her eyes flashed the scarlet red that indicated her temper was flaring dangerously.
“This,” Lexi continued as she gestured to the beast, “is made up of different demons, but it’s not naturally made this way.”
“So it’s a hybrid?” Allen asked as he frowned in confusion.
“Oh forf**k sake. No. It’s not a hybrid otherwise I would have said that it was a hybrid. Fine, I’ll be blunt. Some motherf*uc*ker ripped various daemons apart and then stuck them together with vile magick long after they were dead. Do you understand now?”
A horrified gasp rippled around the room as the Elders hurriedly conferred amongst themselves.
“Wait… but that’s…” Ann began tentatively, wishing on so many levels that she was wrong, but knowing deep down that she wasn’t.
“Necromancy. Fleshcraft. Whatever you want to call it.” Lexi hissed as she interrupted Ann, “It is the most despicable dark magic that exists. I will say this though. If Narcissa did this, then she is far more dangerous than any of us ever imagined, and if she didn’t? Then the level of depravity and darkness that it takes to maintain this magic on so many creatures speaks of an insane amount of power and darkness.”
A murmur of agreement rippled around the room from the elders as they frantically conferred and took what notes they could.
“Regardless of whether or not this is the work of one individual or many, both scenarios are terrifying. We are either dealing with a veritable army of powerful dark magic wielders, the likes of which we have not seen since the Daemon Wars, or we are dealing with a few individuals that are capable of magick that rivals even that of the Goddess.” Bartholomew murmured in horror.
“You need to discuss this with my Papa. These are his people that are being violated and most likely murdered to serve a cause in death, that they were never intended to in life.” Lexi all but growled, “He will want to help put a stop to this, mark my words.”
The Elders exchanged hesitant glances as Ann exhaled heavily and nodded.
“Agreed. Please extend an invitation to your father. We will see to it that he has a secure location to travel to and from as needed.”
“My Queen, do you think that is wise?” An indignation rose from the sidelines of the Royal Elders, “Allowing a Daemon unfettered access directly to the Enclave?”
Lexi whipped her head around to face the Elder who had raised his objections and sneered.
“You all know that he poses no threat, and he himself helped during the Daemon wars. Do not allow your prejudices to taint your view of myself, nor of my Papa. I came to you, at the request of your Queen, my best friend, to offer my help with the knowledge that I have. If you can’t respect me for what I bring to the table, then at least respect your Queen and her capability to make decisions for the benefit of your kingdom.” Lexi hissed furiously.
The Elders glanced across at where Ann stood with a slight smile playing at the edges of her mouth and bowed his head. There was no way that he could refute any part of Lexi’s words without speaking against his Queen, so instead, he chose to bite his tongue and remain silent.
“I understand your concerns although I can promise you that they are baseless,” Adam spoke softly, yet firmly, causing all eyes to focus on him. “Initially before I met Lexi’s father, I too had misgivings. The history between our races is long and not altogether pleasant, however, Lord Barothroz has been nothing but welcoming, transparent, and supportive. Including his invaluable a*s*sistance in uncovering Narcissa and her coven’s plot to gain control of the Monarchy. He was also present at her capture and arrest.”
The room was so silent, you could almost hear a pin drop as Adam continued carefully.
“I would like to reiterate, that both myself and your Queen, feel very strongly that an individual should be judged on their own actions, and not the actions of their race or of preconceptions that you may hold.” He said finally as the Elders stared back at him with neutral expressions on their faces, but mixed emotions in their eyes.
“I’m sure that both Lexi and her father will be welcomed for their input,” Bartholomew interjected in an effort to alleviate the awkward silence that had followed. “Until then, I know that there are many questions that the elders have, Lexi. If you would be so kind as to answer them as best you can, it would be very much appreciated.”
Lexi nodded curtly as Bartholomew approached the table and motioned her over as he began pointing to various parts of the beast before them and Lexi answered eloquently, managing to reign her temper in at the suspicious glances that were now thrown her way from some of the Elders.
“It seems we have a lot of work to do in changing the att*itudes here,” Adam murmured grimly as he leaned closer to Ann.
Ann rubbed his back gently as she strained to listen to what Lexi was saying.
“It’s fine, Adam. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we have all the time in the world moving forward. Patience is key when it comes to inst*itutions.” She answered softly as Adam grunted his acknowledgment.
It wasn’t ideal, but at least they hadn’t dismissed the idea completely of both Lexi and her father being within the Enclave as needed. If it was going to take baby steps to open people’s minds, then that was what she would aim for.
The most important thing to focus on right now though, was ensuring that Narcissa and her coven were stopped, regardless of what monstrous beings filled their ranks.