52 Weeks
by Wizardtho
Chapter 25:
Once Aro steps back up the stairs and nears his throne, I reach my hand out. I want his thoughts on what happened, and to know his thoughts.
He gently kisses my hand as cover for touching me. I smile and cup his cheek, offering aloud, “I am glad this is over, Brother. Thank you for waiting until I was awake to attend the sentencing.”
In my mind, though, I’m explaining that I didn’t intend for my shield to go on the offensive, nor did I plan on taking their heads myself. I’m also asking his thoughts on Dom, and wondering if another fighter trained by Major might be useful in the coming days.
He smiles in return, tells me to think nothing of it, then sits on his throne. His cloak hasn’t even settled fully before he calls, “Dominic, it would only be proper to appease your new queen with a formal introduction, would it not?”
Dom immediately looks from Aro to Major, who nods silently. He then seeks my eyes before saying aloud, “Of course, Sire. It was not my intention to offend.”
Major walks with Dom up to the dais steps, but when Major continues up to stand behind me, Dom bends a knee at the bottom and bows his head, “Queen Isabella, my name is Dominic Thatcher. Though I am generally a nomad, I have a home base in the United States. As you have already seen, I am a fire starter.”
I get a trusting vibe from Major, so I’m hoping he’s telling me to run with this. I take a breath, then notice the room has been cleared of all but elite guards. I calm slightly, then say, “Dom is what you prefer to be called, correct?”
He nods, so I offer, “Please stand, Dom. I prefer looking into people’s eyes as I speak with them.”
Once he stands, his hands clasped behind his back, I continue, “As you have surmised by now, I have a physical shield.”
He smirks slightly, “Yes, my queen… one with both defensive and offensive capabilities.”
I nod, “I’ll get straight to the point, then. I am in need of someone trustworthy to help in my training. I will be coming up against a very draining physical power in the near future, and my shield must be at it’s best to withstand the onslaught it will receive.”
He gasps, then says as he looks between all 3 kings, “I’m sorry… you intend to fight? To be part of the guard? Forgive me for overstepping, but that is not a wise decision, My Queen.”
I chuckle, then shake my head, “I agree; becoming part of the guard would truly not be wise on my part, Dom.”
I look to Marcus, and with his silent nod, I tell Dom, “We believe the Romanians have rebuilt their forces, and have acquired many powerful vampires. My shields, both mental and physical, are needed to bring Queen Didyme home. She is alive, but Lord Marcus is being blocked from sensing her by a vampire with a very intense physical power. I was able to shield him and allow him to sense his mate, but blocking the vampire’s power drained me considerably. Hence needing to train my shield, and needing a trustworthy vampire with a physical power to help in that training. You would again be under Major’s command if you choose to stay, and there are a select few you would interact with while on duty. Anything having to do with my powers, daily schedule, guards, and so forth would -of course- be confidential. If you choose to stay, all would be laid out for you in your contract for service, as will the consequences of violating said contract.”
He lets out a heavy breath as he runs both hands through his hair, then looks again to Major. His eyes land on me after a minute, and he asks, “So I sign this NDA, and I see the contract. Do I have to take you up on this, or are you actually giving me a choice?”
I smile, promising him, “You are being given a genuine offer, Dom. You are not being forced into service. Once you sign the NDA, you will be given a temporary suite to stay in, and you will have 48 hours in which to make your decision. If you decide to leave, there will be no hard feelings. You may live out your life as you see fit, understanding that if you violate the NDA, you will have to deal with the consequences.”
His eyes land one-by-one at each person on the dais, then they come back to me. He nods, then says, “For you, My Queen, I can handle sticking around for a day or 2.”
I nod, then say, “If you will follow Major and Lord Marcus, I believe they can get you the non-disclosure and contract to look over. Please make sure you direct any questions to them, or if needed, ask to speak to me personally. Heidi, please see that a suitable suite in the guest wing is made up for Dom by housekeeping, then report to Marcus’ office, to show Dom where it’s located in the castle.”
As Dom follows Marcus and Major from the room, Aro whispers to me, “I believe we will have a new addition, Isabella… at least for the short term. Major got only truthfulness when he spoke to Dom, and his relationship lines are clear and on point for Marcus. For me, his thoughts were curious but non-violent. He still has a great respect for Major, which will go a long way in convincing him to stay.”
I let that information settle, then decide, “Either way, we’ll know for sure soon enough. For now, I want to find out who the spineless asshat was that tried to attack me from behind.”
Aro mentions with a slight smirk on his face, “Your language is quite colorful today, Sister.”
I let out a purposefully long breath, then say, “I would say being murdered gives me the right to be a little pissy. Then, on top of that, someone else tries to kill me the day I wake from changing. Could I have gotten through the trial with a few less cuss words? Sure… but I didn’t want to. I mean, I don’t think I’m that hard to get along with, do you?”
Both men laugh outright, plus I can hear Jane and Demetri snickering at the steps. Shaking my head, I kiss Caius’ cheek, then state, “Are you ready? The sooner we find out who the man is and why he tried to attack me, the sooner we can spend a few minutes of quiet time together.”
Standing, I turn to Aro as he states, “Isabella, the ladies of the castle have never entered the dungeon. It’s unheard of.”
I pat his cheek, assuring him, “There’s a first time for everything, Dear Brother, and I intend to face this man before he dies. I won’t hide and cower. It’s just not me.”
He looks at me for a moment, nods his head, then offers, “If you insist, you might want to change into something you don’t mind getting dirty in. Housekeeping is not meant to keep the dungeons clean, and you’ve already stated you didn’t want to ruin your outfit.”
He had me there. Sucking a bit of air through my teeth, I agree, “It looks like I’m changing first, then. I don’t exactly know if my shield will keep me from getting dirty, and I’d rather not test that theory out in this skirt. I really do like it.”
Once Aro steps back up the stairs and nears his throne, I reach my hand out. I want his thoughts on what happened, and to know his thoughts.
He gently kisses my hand as cover for touching me. I smile and cup his cheek, offering aloud, “I am glad this is over, Brother. Thank you for waiting until I was awake to attend the sentencing.”
In my mind, though, I’m explaining that I didn’t intend for my shield to go on the offensive, nor did I plan on taking their heads myself. I’m also asking his thoughts on Dom, and wondering if another fighter trained by Major might be useful in the coming days.
He smiles in return, tells me to think nothing of it, then sits on his throne. His cloak hasn’t even settled fully before he calls, “Dominic, it would only be proper to appease your new queen with a formal introduction, would it not?”
Dom immediately looks from Aro to Major, who nods silently. He then seeks my eyes before saying aloud, “Of course, Sire. It was not my intention to offend.”
Major walks with Dom up to the dais steps, but when Major continues up to stand behind me, Dom bends a knee at the bottom and bows his head, “Queen Isabella, my name is Dominic Thatcher. Though I am generally a nomad, I have a home base in the United States. As you have already seen, I am a fire starter.”
I get a trusting vibe from Major, so I’m hoping he’s telling me to run with this. I take a breath, then notice the room has been cleared of all but elite guards. I calm slightly, then say, “Dom is what you prefer to be called, correct?”
He nods, so I offer, “Please stand, Dom. I prefer looking into people’s eyes as I speak with them.”
Once he stands, his hands clasped behind his back, I continue, “As you have surmised by now, I have a physical shield.”
He smirks slightly, “Yes, my queen… one with both defensive and offensive capabilities.”
I nod, “I’ll get straight to the point, then. I am in need of someone trustworthy to help in my training. I will be coming up against a very draining physical power in the near future, and my shield must be at it’s best to withstand the onslaught it will receive.”
He gasps, then says as he looks between all 3 kings, “I’m sorry… you intend to fight? To be part of the guard? Forgive me for overstepping, but that is not a wise decision, My Queen.”
I chuckle, then shake my head, “I agree; becoming part of the guard would truly not be wise on my part, Dom.”
I look to Marcus, and with his silent nod, I tell Dom, “We believe the Romanians have rebuilt their forces, and have acquired many powerful vampires. My shields, both mental and physical, are needed to bring Queen Didyme home. She is alive, but Lord Marcus is being blocked from sensing her by a vampire with a very intense physical power. I was able to shield him and allow him to sense his mate, but blocking the vampire’s power drained me considerably. Hence needing to train my shield, and needing a trustworthy vampire with a physical power to help in that training. You would again be under Major’s command if you choose to stay, and there are a select few you would interact with while on duty. Anything having to do with my powers, daily schedule, guards, and so forth would -of course- be confidential. If you choose to stay, all would be laid out for you in your contract for service, as will the consequences of violating said contract.”
He lets out a heavy breath as he runs both hands through his hair, then looks again to Major. His eyes land on me after a minute, and he asks, “So I sign this NDA, and I see the contract. Do I have to take you up on this, or are you actually giving me a choice?”
I smile, promising him, “You are being given a genuine offer, Dom. You are not being forced into service. Once you sign the NDA, you will be given a temporary suite to stay in, and you will have 48 hours in which to make your decision. If you decide to leave, there will be no hard feelings. You may live out your life as you see fit, understanding that if you violate the NDA, you will have to deal with the consequences.”
His eyes land one-by-one at each person on the dais, then they come back to me. He nods, then says, “For you, My Queen, I can handle sticking around for a day or 2.”
I nod, then say, “If you will follow Major and Lord Marcus, I believe they can get you the non-disclosure and contract to look over. Please make sure you direct any questions to them, or if needed, ask to speak to me personally. Heidi, please see that a suitable suite in the guest wing is made up for Dom by housekeeping, then report to Marcus’ office, to show Dom where it’s located in the castle.”
As Dom follows Marcus and Major from the room, Aro whispers to me, “I believe we will have a new addition, Isabella… at least for the short term. Major got only truthfulness when he spoke to Dom, and his relationship lines are clear and on point for Marcus. For me, his thoughts were curious but non-violent. He still has a great respect for Major, which will go a long way in convincing him to stay.”
I let that information settle, then decide, “Either way, we’ll know for sure soon enough. For now, I want to find out who the spineless asshat was that tried to attack me from behind.”
Aro mentions with a slight smirk on his face, “Your language is quite colorful today, Sister.”
I let out a purposefully long breath, then say, “I would say being murdered gives me the right to be a little pissy. Then, on top of that, someone else tries to kill me the day I wake from changing. Could I have gotten through the trial with a few less cuss words? Sure… but I didn’t want to. I mean, I don’t think I’m that hard to get along with, do you?”
Both men laugh outright, plus I can hear Jane and Demetri snickering at the steps. Shaking my head, I kiss Caius’ cheek, then state, “Are you ready? The sooner we find out who the man is and why he tried to attack me, the sooner we can spend a few minutes of quiet time together.”
Standing, I turn to Aro as he states, “Isabella, the ladies of the castle have never entered the dungeon. It’s unheard of.”
I pat his cheek, assuring him, “There’s a first time for everything, Dear Brother, and I intend to face this man before he dies. I won’t hide and cower. It’s just not me.”
He looks at me for a moment, nods his head, then offers, “If you insist, you might want to change into something you don’t mind getting dirty in. Housekeeping is not meant to keep the dungeons clean, and you’ve already stated you didn’t want to ruin your outfit.”
He had me there. Sucking a bit of air through my teeth, I agree, “It looks like I’m changing first, then. I don’t exactly know if my shield will keep me from getting dirty, and I’d rather not test that theory out in this skirt. I really do like it.”