Daric’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #5)(18)
Author: J.S. Scott

“It’s a trick. Some sort of illusion,” Daric rumbled, his face contorted with agony…, and yet, with hope.

His father approached him with a sad smile, laying a hand on Daric’s shoulder as he stood in front of him. “Know the truth, son. Feel it inside me. I was granted this brief visit because you are ready to take your place as King. You proclaimed it and it will be so. You were left without the power or knowledge of a King, and it must be passed on. Now. ”

Hannah stepped back as the members of The Vampire Coalition rose to their feet, their faces showing their confusion, bodies preparing to defend Daric if needed. Daric caught her hand, keeping her close to him.

“I have no desire to be King,” Daric said flatly, his eyes locking with his father’s stubbornly, knowing that the man who stood before him was the spirit of his parent.

“You proclaimed yourself King when you manifested the Carvillius Sword. You are King, Daric, as you were always meant to be,” his father answered.

“I was never meant to be King. The title was yours and then meant to be Nolan’s,” Daric answered harshly.

Daric’s father shot his son a look of remorse and closed his eyes. Hannah squeezed Daric’s hand, her heart breaking as she looked at the agonized and confused look in the eyes of her mate. Light emanated from his father’s bejeweled hand, illumination that seemed to be radiating from the older man’s palm and into Daric’s body. She felt her mate shudder, and moved closer to his body, plastering herself along his side, sending comforting thoughts into his mind. She wasn’t entirely sure exactly what was happening, but Daric had his father here, something she knew he needed if he was ever going to completely escape his past.

The glowing light faded and the ancient king slowly removed his hand from Daric’s shoulder. “Now you have the ancient knowledge and power to be King. I have merely been waiting for you to declare yourself, as you should have done a thousand years ago.”

“I was angry when I said that earlier. I don’t want to be ruler. I just want to watch over my people,” Daric said, agitated.

His father stopped, his hands behind his back, and stared at Daric. “What do you think a King does? You are doing what you were always meant to do. But you’ve been doing so without the full power to lead.”

“I was not meant to be King!” Daric exploded, his expression fierce.

His father sighed. “Actually, you were. I did wrong by you, Daric. I never loved you any less than I did Nolan, but I knew Nolan’s time on the earth was limited and I was losing my mind, so I threw all my energy into him, knowing he was going to leave me just as your mother did. I didn’t plan what happened. I regret that I hurt my people, and that I hurt you. I hope that you can forgive me some day.”

“I don’t understand. Nolan was your heir, the favored son,” Daric questioned without rancor.

“Nolan was never destined to be King. He was born without the marking of a Carvillius King, a mark that always bears the Carvillius Sword. I knew he would never live to be King. When you were born with the mark, I should have treated you equally, but the realization that I wouldn’t have Nolan with me for long made me focus all of my attention on him, because I wasn’t well enough to see anything except another loss. The very fact that I knew I would lose him sent me deeper over the edge of madness. It was never that I loved you less, Daric. I should have prepared you to be King.” The older man resumed pacing with a long sigh. “I should have passed the title to you after your mother died. I wasn’t capable of being King anymore.”

Hannah’s chest tightened as she watched the older man struggle with his guilt and remorse. She knew Daric’s mother had died soon after he was born, a victim of the fallen.

“I thought you were grieving for Nolan so desperately that you let yourself go with him. I didn’t think I was valuable enough or worthy enough to make you want to stay.” Daric answered hoarsely.

The ancient king stopped, shaking his head as he looked at his son. “I was mad long before Nolan died, Daric. I couldn’t live without my mate. It doesn’t excuse how I behaved or how I treated you, but I hope someday you’ll forgive me. It wasn’t lack of love for either of my sons, it was the dementia I suffered because of losing my mate.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then?” Daric asked, his voice tormented.

“I was weak, pathetic, my mind broken. I didn’t want Nolan to know his fate before his time. It wasn’t fair to you, but I wasn’t thinking like a king. I was functioning on the level of a child.”

“Nolan had a right to know, and I should have been allowed to know that my brother was going to die,” Daric answered, his voice irritated.

“You did have the right to know and I don’t blame you for your anger,” his father responded immediately. “I just wasn’t strong enough or sane enough to deal with it properly. I’m sorry, son. I failed both you and my people.”

“Nolan?” Daric asked, his voice choked, unable to utter anything except his brother’s name.

His father smiled weakly. “He walks with me among the Ancients, with his true mate. Maya was not the female for him. His female awaited him beyond. He’s happy, Daric. His destiny wasn’t here on earth. He asked me to tell you that you will always have his love, even though you’re not together right now.”

Hannah watched Daric’s face soften, his precious memories of his brother rolling through his mind and into hers. “Tell him I feel the same,” Daric answered hoarsely. “And that I miss him.”

“Rule well and long, King Daric,” his father answered quietly, his intense eyes focusing lovingly on his son. “Lead without guilt and knowing that I was a broken, weak king who failed my people and my son. All that happened was not under your control. Nothing you could have done would have ended things differently. I walk with your mother just as Nolan walks with his true mate. You have found your true mate here on earth. All was fated before your birth.”

Hannah shivered as the elder king’s eyes moved to her. “Thank you for loving my son. You will make an excellent Queen.”

“I still don’t want to be King,” Daric grumbled.

His father eyes pierced him sharply. “You are King. Your sons will be princes and all will be as it should be. Don’t be so damn stubborn.”

My sons.

Hannah caught the whispered thought as it went through Daric’s mind and his world finally righted itself. She felt his acceptance and his forgiveness all at once, her heart rejoicing that he was finally at peace with his past and his family. Maybe some good would come from this fallen attack after all.