Elena was sure a fight would ensue any moment from now if no one could intervene. The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned tense with the two brothers exchanging deadly glances.
Brandon Sinclair took a sip of his liquid without breaking eye contact with Gabriel. He placed the glass on the table and only then did Elena notice stains of blood on his lips.
Blood! Yes, he was drinking blood casually! The thought of it brought a dread in her. What if she turned out to be the royal family's next meal especially with the fact that the king hated humans.
And speaking of the king, he walked into the room escorted by two vampire knights. He was tall, almost as tall as Gabriel, but with blood shot red eyes and a far much paler skin. His very presence scared the heart out of Elena. If she'd be asked to define a walking corpse, the vampire king would make a great example!
"You two are still having your silly fights?" He asked walking around the table. Brandon sat close to his mother and only then did Elena notice the striking resemblance.
"My Lady," the king greeted Elena, his voice betraying his art of endearments.
"Your Majesty," she replied with a slight bow.
The king's eyes moved across the table and settled momentarily on Gabriel's before he whipped his head to an empty chair, as if staring at the bastard longer would ruin his day.
"Where on earth is Lilith?" He asked the queen.
"She'll be here soon. She always likes to wander around the palace. I wonder when she'll get enough of it!"
"Congratulations... son," the king said, which caught Gabriel off guard. Elena noticed how he gave him a disbelieving look.
"Let's eat," the king said and served himself a steak and tea. Gabriel served Elena which she was grateful for especially with the looks she was getting from the mother-son pair. She suddenly felt like an alien in her new home. And above all, questions run across her mind.
For the next few minutes, they ate in silence until Brandon wiped his mouth with the napkin.
"I think it's time you made your royal decree father," he said.
"What royal decree?" The king asked, softer than when congratulating his bastard.
"Our kingdom is the only one without a crown prince. Even the humans are more civilized than us."
"And you want me to declare you the crown prince?" The king asked, pouring himself the same liquid as Brandon.
Elena new that the crown prince title would naturally be given to the King's eldest son, which was Gabriel in this case. It still alarmed her he was not given the title yet. Or maybe the vampires worked differently.
"Who's more fit for the title of not Brandon?" The queen inquired. "He has what it takes to run the kingdom in your absence, and your blood runs thick in his veins." She made sure to give Gabriel a disgusting look.
"Do you presume it's my mucus that runs in Gabriel's veins?" The king asked working on his fork.
"I didn't..."
"Quiet woman!" He reprimanded. "If anyone has to get the title, he has to earn it. I don't want my kingdom to be run through favoritism."
"I'm ready to do anything to earn the title father," Brandon said, now standing with his fists on the table. "I'm sure I'll outdo him."
Elena looked at Gabriel who had been silent the whole time. He hadn't touched his food, and when she met his eyes, he was staring right at her.
For a moment, Brandon's words turned into background noise as she swoon in the melt of his golden orbs. Oh Gabriel! She thought. How much pain did his family cause him!
She held his dangling hand from underneath the table and gave him a comforting smile. Being judged for who he was, and never chose to be was something painful. But she was not going to sit here and watch as they insulted her husband.
"Who has better claim to the crown prince title if not for your eldest son, Your Majesty?"
The table fell silent, all eyes on this frail creature that dared intervene in matters of importance regarding the royal family, and in the king's presence at that. Even Gabriel tagged her hand in retort, but Elena stood firm.
"I thought the rules applied everywhere. His Highness said we humans are more civilized which I thank him for. Unless the civilization he meant was one based on favoritism."
"The civilization you're talking about is close to extinction, but thanks to us you are seated there with your blood intact," the queen spoke, a smile dancing on her face.
Elena cowered back in her seat. It was stupid of her to have spoken in the first place!
"Excuse me," she said and left the table embarrassed.
"I never knew you'd marry a spokeswoman, brother," Brandon jested but the look he got.
"Enough with this fights between you two!" The king said, rising tall as he was. His shadow fell over the table.
"You two. You'll go out into the werewoods and find the rogues. Whoever brings me the head of the rogue leader gets the crown prince title."
"But..."
"No buts woman. If you think your jellyfish son will accomplish that, consider him the crown prince." He left before his day would get ruined.
Gabriel walked back to his room and found Elena curled on the bed, but he could tell she was not asleep. He walked beside her and sat on the soft material beside her.
"It was foolish of me to have reacted that way in front of the king," Elena said, still curled.
"No!" He tucked the strayed strands of her hair behind her ear. "It wasn't."
Elena sat up confused by his reply. "The queen hates you... They hate you because you're not like them."
"I know and have lived with that fact all my life." He found her eyes. "But what you did today. No one has ever stood by my side like you did!"
Elena " ".