Luna's Lovers [Beyond the Veil 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Luna looked to her brothers who were both looking decidedly uncomfortable and shrugged. “What can I say, I have two amazing men as my mates. Of course they would want the night for themselves.”

  Tomas was frowning and Edwin was trying to hide a smirk, unsuccessfully. “You know, Luna,” Tomas said softly. “I really do not want to ever hear anything about your relationship at night with your mates. Because, as my little sister, you do not have one. Will never have one and should you become pregnant it will be an act of the Gods and Goddesses. Pure, dumb luck. Got it?”

  “Good point. Okay. I will try to keep all of the delightful ways that I…” She trailed off with a grin. She was going to tell them all of the delightful ways that she used her mates’ bodies, but that might have been pushing it. “I’m just happy that the two of you are here and safe.” She gave them another hug, had to.

  “We’re just glad you are alive and happy,” Edwin said. Pulling back from the hug he brushed his fingers down her cheek. “You’d better get going. We’ll call or text in a couple of days to let you know how things are going. Same way we used to as kids to get things past mother,” he said, staring hard into her eyes.

  That had her smiling and she nodded. “I recall the way that the wording went. Use that.” No one else would understand their secret language so it would be perfect. “I will teach it to my mates so that they will be able to understand it as well. If you ever feel compromised used normal wording, we will know you are in trouble then.”

  “We will,” Tomas said. Leaning in he kissed her cheek. Drawing back he shook his head and smiled. “Be well, little sister. We will see you soon,” he said softly. Nodding to her mates, her brothers left and climbed into their car.

  Luna watched her brothers leave and then felt the heat of Volker as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She was crying, something that he had instantly sensed more than likely, and he was giving her comfort. “It’s so hard to let them go after losing them before.” She admitted to her mates in the darkness of the old Observatory.

  “You’re not losing them,” Kris said softly coming up next to her. He turned to face her and slid his arm around her stomach, his hand sitting on her hip. “They are just doing what is necessary to keep all of you safe and off your other brother’s radar.”

  “I know. It just hurts,” she whispered and looked up at Kris. “It would be like having to let one of you go in order to keep me safe. I couldn’t do that one so don’t even dare try to suggest it.” Okay so that wasn’t the best analogy but it was damn close.

  “We’re not going anywhere,” he whispered. Leaning in he pressed his cheek to hers and squeezed her hip. “Besides, we’re much too stubborn and pigheaded to actually ever do something like that. We’d just kill the bad guy and get on with life.”

  “That’s a very darn tootin’ good thing because I never, ever want to be without you. It’s good that you both realize the importance of keeping your mate happy,” she said with a grin. “Because it’s true. Keeping me happy is a good thing because it means that I will keep you happy, or something like that.” She knew it was utter nonsense, she was talking to fill the void left with her brothers’ departure. “Take me home?” she asked quietly, suddenly.

  Nodding he pressed a kiss to her skin and, for a moment longer, held her close. Finally he stepped back, his arm slipping from her waist as Volker’s slid off her shoulders. “Let’s go,” he said softly.

  With a nod and one last look at her brothers’ retreating vehicle she moved with her mates and into their SUV. It was time to go home. It was time to plan and time to figure out the best way to put these bastards down for good that wanted her crown.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Here are the latest images we got of the Palace,” Edwin, her brother, told her. Passing the datapad over, he leaned back.

  They were back at the observatory six weeks after their initial meet. They’d had many since then but this was the first chance they’d had to smuggle out actual images. About damned time.

  Volker leaned over her shoulder as she began to flip through them slowly. “Stop,” he said softly. He put his finger on the screen and moved it back one image. Then he looked to her brothers, Tomas giving him a slow nod. “Shit,” he murmured in her ear.

  “What?” Luna was looking at the palace and frowning. “I don’t see what you are seeing.” Obviously she wasn’t built for war or for strategy because they all saw something that she simply wasn’t seeing and it bothered her, a lot. “What is it that I’m missing?”

  “Holy shit,” Kristjan said on her other side.

  Volker touched the image and enlarged it a bit. Then he pointed to the image of the man he’d just pulled up from the background. “That would be a Vhampire. To be even more specific, that is my brother who should have been killed about two hundred years ago and was reported killed. He went rogue, went on a huge rampage raping and slaughtering humans. It was passed off as a plague and cleaned up. Those on the team after him reported he’d been terminated and his head taken. Obviously they lied.”

  “Holy shit are they all going to die painfully,” Kris whispered.

  “Which means that they are still in contact with you and know what you are doing. Who you are mated to. Volker,” she whispered in horror. “Jesus.” Even though she wasn’t human she had lived as one for years and picked up a lot of her mannerisms from them. “He’s going to be very hard to kill.” That was an understatement. If he was Volker’s brother he would be nearly impossible to kill. “Question is, well two questions. One, why would they lie about it and two, why would he be helping my brother?”

  “I haven’t had any contact with them in forever,” Volker told her. “They won’t know shit,” he muttered. He slid an arm around her and held her to him, his chin on her hair. “Domnik was always after wealth and power. He’s the second son so he gets nothing without me dying. He’s doing this to get money and a favor out of your brother. And when he’s done with him he’ll kill him to keep his secret.”

  “Which I’m sure that my brother doesn’t know.” Luna rubbed her temples and honestly felt ill. “Okay. So first things first, we have to get the bastards that lied about your brother in detention, now. Cut them off before they can run to him because if they lied then they have helped him in the past. We need to cut off all resources that we can from this end. Secondly, shit, secondly I need to appear before the Council so that they realize I know who I am and ask for help in regaining my throne.”

  “Uh, problem with that, little sister,” Tomas said.

  “What?” Kris demanded.

  “Well,” he scratched at the back of his head. “Two of the Council members were members of the team that killed Domnik. Or, reportedly killed Domnik,” he muttered.

  “What?” Luna’s eyes were wide and she felt ill. She could feel her stomach heavy and gagged. What the hell her issue was she didn’t know but stress plus her right now were not good combinations. She walked away from the four men, pacing and fanning her face. She felt the tears threaten but refused to let them fall.

  Finally she walked back to them and after a deep breath asked, “Okay. What’s the plan?”

  Her brothers and her mates were eyeballing one another, and communicating if the eyebrow wiggles and half winks with little muscle twitches were anything to go by.

  Kris looked down at her and sighed. “We need to get another shot of Domnik, one preferable where he’s with your brother, in the same few feet of space. It will conclusively prove that he’s alive and the team lied on an official report. If we can prove that the highest ranking Vhampires, the leaders of the clans, can remove the two from the Council and go after the others and lock them up. But right now, the image is good but not good enough. We need a clear and no nonsense shot to nail them all to the wall.”

  “And how is it that you plan on getting that?” Even as she asked the question Luna knew she wasn’t going to like the answer. She was going to in fact hate it if the looks on he
r brothers’ and mates’ faces were anything at all to go by.

  “Well,” Edwin drawled out, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shifting about nervously. “There’s only one way to ensure those two are in the same place at the same time. Volker, you have to make the call,” he said to her mate.

  Volker was still staring at the image on the datapad screen. He nodded and looked to Luna. “I have to, baby,” he said softly. “Anyone else, even your brothers and it won’t put them close enough. But if there are rumors I’m coming for him, he’ll ensure that your brother believes that he’s there to protect him which means he’ll have to hold a meeting with him, in private. It’s what we want for a picture and the proof to start righting these wrongs.”

  “I don’t like it,” she said simply. “At all.” She took a deep breath and then added, “But I trust you. I have faith that you will do it and get back quickly. You will not take any undue risks with your personage or I will have to hurt you when you get back to me. Do you understand me?”

  “So I can’t get hurt or you’ll hurt me more?” he asked, his lips twitching. “Got it,” he said, shaking his head as he let out a breath. “What’s their schedule like for the next few days?” he asked her brothers, looking to them.

  Tomas was the one to answer after taking the datapad back from her and looking something up. “Brother dearest has a number of closed meetings on the books and then a ball planned for six days from now. The best we can figure out is that all the meetings are with landowners around the Palace. We think it’s his annual, I’m raising the taxes again and if you bitch I’ll kill you here and now speech.”

  Nodding, Volker looked down at her again. “Then now’s the time. We know where he’ll be and that any and all news will reach him quickly. And the ball is a great time to put in a personal appearance so they see me, or think they do. Domnik will grab him and likely pull him into an empty room to tell him what’s going on. We need to be ready for that, even if he does it as a protective measure, that’s all we need.”

  “We’ll meet up with you on the other side in three days,” Edwin said. “If you can manage it, get to the village south of the Palace and the inn on the west edge. It has red glass in the windows, you can’t miss it. Ask for Doctor Parsons,” he said.

  Luna didn’t like this, in the least, but she had to trust in Volker because he had been doing things like this a great deal longer than she had even been alive. Looking to her brothers once more she smiled. “Keep him safe for me?” It was a demand more than a request. She needed Volker to remain safe for her. “And what will Kris and I be doing while you are dancing at a ball?”

  “I doubt I’ll be dancing at a ball,” he said softly.

  “She wants us to keep him safe?” Edwin muttered. “Does she even have a clue what he used to do for a living?”

  Volker shot them a dark look full of menace then looked back to her, his expression soft once more. “You and Kris should start looking for houses for when this is done. We will need a place to crash here when you feel like getting away from it all. Nothing too big but lots of privacy,” he said quietly. “No neighbors within a good mile on each side.”

  “Sounds good to me. Enough room so that my brothers can stay with us if they so desire as well, right?” So that she could question her brothers about Volker’s past, one that it seemed she had absolutely no idea about.

  “If that is your desire, yes.” He nodded. “I wouldn’t ask them about my past, I seriously doubt they know anything beyond the propaganda. Interrogate Kristjan if you want something vaguely close to the truth,” he said, smiling slightly.

  “That sounds like a plan.” Luna, however, looked to Volker and added, “I would rather have the full truth from you. I know that I haven’t asked, I haven’t pried but I would like to know more. About both of you.”

  “Anytime you want to know,” he said with a wink. Looking to her brothers he tipped his head. “I’ll see you in three days. Try not to be late or I’ll be very upset. You won’t want me to come looking for you.”

  “We will be there,” Tomas said. Holding out his hand he shook Volker’s and then Kris’s. Looking to her he held out his arms. “Come on, baby sister. Give me a hug and then we need to get moving. We have a bunch of things to do before we go through the Veil.”

  Luna did just that. She all but jumped into Tomas’s arms and gave him a great squeeze. Hugging him tightly she whispered. “Take care of yourself big brother. I need you in my life now that I have you again so don’t do anything stupid okay?” she whispered with a smile and pulled back.

  “I would never,” he said, frowning at her. “Edwin on the other hand…” He rolled his eyes at her.

  “I don’t do anything stupid,” her other brother said. “I may, on occasion, do something I should have thought through a little better but it’s never stupid.” He held his arms open to her and hugged her when she stepped up to him.

  After giving both of her brothers big hugs she stepped back and away from them. She felt Kris taking her hand in his and Volker once more taking a place at her back, his arms wrapping around her middle. “I will miss the two of you. Take care and please for the love of the Gods be good?”

  “Who us?” Edwin asked as both he and Tomas pasted on wide-eyed innocent looks.

  Volker snorted behind her. “You’d be better off asking a pair of the devil’s minions to behave than these two, love. They are…Oh, how should I put this,” he let out a low hum. “Let’s just say that they have a certain reputation from back in the day that, knowing the little about them that I do, would suggest they likely have still been up to the same things. Even while hiding out.”

  Luna shook her head and just grinned. “Well I guess that they will just have to ensure that you aren’t caught,” she teased. “I would however appreciate you guys at least not getting caught so that you will be there for Volker when he needs you?”

  “As if,” Tomas said, apparently seriously miffed she’d dared to even suggest such a thing.

  This time it was Kris who snorted. “Dare I remind you about that time?” he asked. Looking to her he grinned. “I did a little research and found out that they once were involved with a princess from another realm.”

  “And we had cake and danced all night, it was wonderful,” Edwin said, cutting Kris off with a glare.

  “Oh good lord. Is there a realm that is never going to speak to our House?” she asked teasingly. “Okay well we will deal with all of that later. Right now we will deal with one issue at a time. First we get our home back, second we right the wrongs that our brother did and then we will worry about everything else.”

  Once her brothers were gone and she, Volker and Kristjan were back in their truck driving back to the safe house she asked the question again. “I’d only worry about the ones your brother, on the throne, has made promises to. Those are the ones you actually need to worry about. Tomas and Edwin have never done anything too horrible. They’ve pushed a few boundaries but, for the most part, know how not to cause waves.”

  “That’s what I was thinking as well. They will be the ones that will give us the most issue. Especially with them trusting him knowing that our Realm is a matriarchal line.” She didn’t look forward to the whole tangled mess that they would have to unweave, but she knew that they would be able to because she had four men with her that loved her. Her mates and her brothers.

  “That and, depending on what he promised them,” Kris said quietly. “They could come looking for it from you. He would have had to make many promises within your own realm to the others of the royal lines. Those ones we’ll need to worry about first off. They will be the ones who will help him keep his place.”

  “This is true,” she said with a sigh. “Well whatever it is that he promised them they will not get it. I want my world back, I want my people to understand that they are protected and aren’t going to be used as fodder for whatever plan that my idiot brother cooked up.”

  “Good.” He nodded. An
d nodded some more. Then he looked to her. “So, how exactly do you plan on convincing them that you are the better option over your brother? You do have to consider the fact that they will be thinking why bother trading in for another of the Blacks.”

  “She’ll convince them,” Volker said softly. “All she’ll have to do is talk to them. She’s sincere, honest and her emotions show in her eyes and on her face. They will know she speaks the truth.”

  Luna smiled at Volker and winked. “That and they all know that the power flows through the women in my realm. They know that no matter what my brother will never truly be able to do for the realm what I could. Even if he had a daughter the power wouldn’t flow to her. It flows to the first-born female child to the queen.”

  “You know that, we know that and yes, even they know that. But you need to remember that your brother killed your parents, tried to kill you and his other brothers, all to get the seat of power in the realm.” Volker shot her a quick look. “He’s managed to keep it all this time, Luna. Which means he has something big on those that are helping him to keep it.”

  “He’s got dirt or…” Kris trailed off.

  “Or he’s got something, or someone, those of any power hold dear to them,” Volker finished.

  “Which means that we have to figure out what the hell he has on them so that we will be able to either pull the plug on what Alphonse has on them, or back out of the promises that he has given to them.”

  “More or less,” Kris said. “Hopefully you can figure that out when you’re there.”

  “I’ll be doing a lot of digging,” Volker said. “And really, the Palace isn’t that hard to get into so I’ll have the run of the place by day four. Since the ball is two days later that gives me a good amount of time to poke around and read all his correspondence.”

  “Which reminds me. When we take over the Palace I want all of the little holes to be filled. I want our home to eventually be solid and impenetrable.” She knew that they would spend a great deal of time on Earth, but she would want to go back to her home from time to time. She would have to in order to rule.