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Alessandra
I HAD BEEN SEARCHING the palace for Sebastian, but I couldn’t seem to find him anywhere. And I needed to find him. There was something I really wanted to discuss with him before the two of us tied the knot.
A thought had come to me—a way to prevent Caroline or Kade or any of the other Stark vampires from trying to take the throne back from us.
“There you are!” I breathed a sigh of relief when I found Sebastian sitting at his office desk.
He glanced up at me as I entered the room and shot me an obviously forced smile. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, noting the look on his face.
“I’m just wondering if there’s a chance we can actually find my father.” His eyes lifted up to meet mine. “Alive.”
I crossed the room and sat down on his desk in front of him. “Why would you want that?”
“He’s my father.”
“I understand that,” I said slowly. “But don’t you think finding him would hold you back?”
A puzzled look crossed his face. “Hold me back from what?”
“From being King, of course.”
“I would gladly give up the throne if it meant that my father could take over and deal with all of this instead of me,” Sebastian replied.
“Do you really think that would be doing the best thing for the kingdom?” I questioned.
He nodded. “My father has been King of the Stark coven for two-hundred-and-three years.”
“And he’s been gone for two,” I pointed out. “Is the coven really better off with someone who will just abandon them?”
“Even so, he’s much more qualified to deal with all of this than I am,” Sebastian insisted.
“That’s why you should consider yourself lucky.”
His eyebrows shot up in question. “Lucky why?”
“That you have me, silly.” I leaned in closer to him and, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulled him against me. “Remember that I’ve been the only ruler of the Allegro kingdom for the past five years. Not as long as your father, of course, but long enough to learn how to effectively manage and keep order of a coven. Between you and me, things will be golden around here.”
“I suppose,” he mumbled.
“Anyway, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” I continued, swiftly changing subjects. “What would you say if I told you there was a way we could prevent Caroline from taking over or Kade from becoming the next heir to the throne?”
“I would say I’m intrigued,” Sebastian replied. Then he frowned. “Unless you’re suggesting that we have a child.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting,” I said, shaking my head.
“Then continue.”
I met his light blue eyes. “So, I know that we originally agreed that when we got married, we would eliminate the Allegro Coven, but... what if we didn’t? What if, instead, we eliminate the Stark Coven?”
He held my gaze. “You want me to become Sebastian Allegro.”
“Yes, that’s essentially what would happen,” I agreed with a nod.
“I thought you were ready—and willing—to lose what remained of the Allegro kingdom when you married me.”
“I was. And I am. Trust me. There is nothing that I want more than to destroy what remains of the Allegro,” I told him. “But I also want our future as the most powerful King and Queen of the vampire world to be set in stone. If that means we have to merge into the Allegro Coven, rather than the Stark Coven... then so be it.”
“Hmm.” His eyes flicked away from mine and moved past me. He looked thoughtful, as though he were actually giving it some consideration.
I held my breath, hoping he would go along with this. If he did... Well, I would have felt a lot better about everything.
When his eyes moved back to mine, he shook his head. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry. If my father were to ever find out that I took the name of someone who he viewed as an enemy...” He trailed off.
You care too damn much about what your father thinks, Sebastian.
That was what I wanted to say, but of course I couldn’t. I knew that I was walking on thin ice. I didn’t want to say anything that could potentially change his mind about marrying me when our wedding was just hours away.
“I do have another suggestion, however,” Sebastian went on.
My eyebrows lifted. “Oh? I’m listening.”
“What if we formed our own coven? Rather than carrying on the name of the Stark Coven or the Allegro Coven, we create a new coven. A coven of our own, a coven with our own rules and policies.”
“I could get on board with that,” I agreed with a nod. “Of course, it raises the question: where shall we live?”
“Hmm.” He hesitated for a moment. “I suppose we could flip a coin.”
“That seems fair.” I smiled.
“I just can’t believe that the Stark and Allegro kingdoms will be no more,” Sebastian murmured.
I noted the odd look that had crossed his face. “You’re not going to change your mind on this, are you?”
His eyes flicked up to meet mine. “No, I don’t foresee myself backing out of this. I’m fairly certain that it’s the right thing. It just feels... strange.”
I nodded my understanding. “A world without both of our covens will be strange, but I’m convinced that it will be for the greater good.” I paused for a moment. “What should the name of our coven be?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think we’ll be able to come up with something at this very moment.”
“True. It is a very big day for us,” I replied, my eyes locking on his. “Are you excited?”
“As excited as I’ll ever be,” he murmured.
“Good.” I moved in closer to him, allowing my lips to linger just over his as I whispered, “I’ve never been more excited for anything in my life.”
Except, even as I said the words, I knew it was a lie. There was something that I was looking forward to far more than marrying Sebastian.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on his precious little slave.