Luis leaned against the backrest and closed his eyes while Gerome drove them through Munich. He dreaded going back to the palace because he had no idea how his relationship with Gerome would change with the daily routine, but maybe they could preserve their honeymoon feelings a bit longer.
If they both tried their best, they could do it. They’d gained so much in this last week that they couldn’t take a step back now. He also planned to move into the master bedroom so he could share a bed with Gerome every night.
Luis squeezed Gerome’s hand and smiled at him. Tomorrow’s looming confrontation threatened to push him down and crush his mood, but he shoved the thought roughly aside. Worries didn’t have a place in his life right now. Everything would work out. He firmly believed it.
****
King Harold readily agreed to meet Gerome, so he got ready to meet his old man. Luis would wait in their apartment with D until Gerome’s siblings came and met them there.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Gerome pressed a kiss to Luis’ lips. “I love you.” He pulled him close and buried his face in Luis’ neck.
“I love you, too.” Luis hugged him back, and together, they stood in silence for a few seconds. “You have to go,” he finally whispered.
“I know.” Gerome stepped back and opened the door. “See you in a few.”
“Yeah, off you go now.” Luis made a shooing motion with his hands and Gerome stepped out the door.
Silence surrounded Luis, and he took a deep breath. D waited in the living room, which left Luis alone in the entrance area. In a few more minutes, his in-laws would be there. He didn’t sleep well last night because he’d been slightly nervous and, now, it increased. What if something went wrong and they were thrown in jail? Or what if Gerome’s older brother ratted them out and King Harold expected the whole confrontation? They’d be lost. What if he never saw Gerome again?
He sank down against the wall next to the door, his legs too weak to hold him up. Thinking about the worst outcome didn’t help at all, but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying.
He didn’t even want any coffee this morning. What would happen if the king punished them? Could he do that? Or what if Gerome had to fight his father? What if he got hurt? Or killed? Luis didn’t know how strong King Harold was, and therefore, he had no idea if Gerome could beat him.
Luis rubbed a hand over his face. It was wet with tears. Shit! He shouldn’t be crying. He needed to be strong. They only had this one chance.
A quiet knock on the door interrupted his racing thoughts. Showtime.
He opened the door, and there stood three of Gerome’s siblings. Gordon, Eleonora, and a man Luis didn’t recognize. “Hey.”
“Hello, Luis. This is our brother Darius. He finally got his act together and decided to stand with us on the mating issue. Darius, this is Gerome’s mate Luis,” Eleonora said.
Luis shook Darius’ hand. “Nice to meet you.”
D, who would escort him to the meeting room to make sure nothing happened and then wait outside because the king wouldn’t allow him inside, appeared from the living room, a scowl on his face. He really could look threatening if he needed to. But, if things went wrong once they were all in the meeting, he’d be able to find help.
“And this is D, my bodyguard.”
The siblings all shook D’s hand, and then Darius addressed Luis directly.
“I apologize for not attending your meeting yesterday. I told Gerome I wouldn’t support him, but after I received a couple of calls, I couldn’t stop myself from coming here today. It’d be wrong not to help you.” He looked down as if ashamed of his earlier decisions. His brother’s refusal to help them had hit Gerome hard, even though he hadn’t mentioned it aloud.
Luis wanted to know which one of the siblings had called Darius, or if they’d all “persuaded” him to help. In any case, he was happy. The extra support could change the outcome.
“Thank you,” he said and nodded at Darius. “Where’s Marian?”
“She has to take care of something. She’ll be here, don’t worry.”
“Okay, then let’s go. Gerome’s already left.”
Eleonora walked beside Luis while Gordon and Darius walked in front of them and D followed behind Luis. Were they protecting or watching him? He didn’t know. Their behavior was strange, but Luis didn’t want to ask. They’d grown up here, and they certainly knew the palace better than he did. They would also have a much better sense of looming dangers, so he would accept being surrounded.
After a couple of minutes, the door to the meeting room behind which Gerome supposedly talked to the king entered his line of sight. Marian appeared from around another corner, the queen next to her. Luis stopped short. They’d gotten the king’s mate involved in this? She might be a great support to their group, but she’d been under the king’s thumb so long who knew what she’d say or do?
The queen’s eyes widened as she recognized her children, and she hurried across the last few steps and threw her arms around Eleonora and Gordon. She actually managed to get Darius into the embrace as well.
“I can’t believe you’re here! Why didn’t you say something? Marian, you could have told me!” She laughed and cried at the same time as tears streamed down her face.
“Mother, we have something important to do, and we need your help. If everything goes as planned, we’ll have the opportunity to see each other more often. When we go in there, you have to help us. Please. For all of us. If something happens, we’ll have your back, okay? You’ll hear soon enough what we want, but please know we can and will protect you,” Gordon said, determination lacing his voice.
She released her children and stared at them. “What have you done?”
“You’ll see. We have to go in there. Now.” Eleonora stopped the reunion when she simply opened the door. She didn’t stop to knock or hesitate for even a second.
Luis followed her with the others at his back. Blood rushed in his ears, but he wasn’t going to back down. They’d win.
He entered the room just in time to see the king’s baffled expression. “What are you doing here?”
They stopped in front of King Harold and surrounded him in a half circle. The man, his face blank, stood and looked at his children.
Gerome strode over, taking a place next to Luis. “Father, we’re here today because we have to talk to you about the mating laws. We, all of us, think they are more than outdated and wrong. Everyone should be free to choose his or her partner. It’s wrong to buy a mate, and it’s wrong that the submissive mate’s rights are taken away after mating. We all ask that you change the law. Make it illegal to own a mate. What the covens and packs are doing is nothing more than human trading. This has to stop. Now.”
The king stood in silence. Either he was in shock, or he was calculating his next move.
“Matings are a tradition as old as our society. Not once have the rules been changed. Just because you think it’s wrong doesn’t mean I will throw the whole society into an uproar. Think about what you’re doing before you speak next time. I will let this issue pass without punishment. Next time, things won’t be so easy.” He stared at each of his children.
Damn, he was an even colder bastard than Luis thought. Any normal parent would be happy to see their kids, but not him. Although, his own parents had sold him, so they probably weren’t any better. The hate he held for them had lessened a bit, but Luis still didn’t get it.
“I’ve thought a lot about this. Luis and I have worked out our problems, but none of us here will allow this practice to go on. You know it’s wrong, and I won’t stand for it. Think twice about simply dismissing us. You lost all contact with your children because of your mating rules. They ran so they could get away from the threat. I stayed, and you managed to pressure me into mating Luis, for which I still haven’t forgiven you. I know you don’t care about that, but that’s beside the point now. You’ll have grandchildren besides Angela, and if you want to see them, you better not drive your children away. They came back to stand with me on this, but we will all leave if you don’t give in. It’s as simple as that. Luis and I will move out and fight the laws on legal grounds. It doesn’t matter how long it takes or how much it will cost. You decide. I would have liked to do this differently, but it seems that there is no alternative that you’ll understand.” Gerome stared at his father. Their features, so much alike, carried matching, stubborn expressions.
They’d never talked about leaving, so Luis wasn’t sure if Gerome was bluffing or not, but he’d go wherever Gerome wanted to go. He’d follow him anywhere. And he’d fight for their cause.
“No, I will not—”
“You will.” Her back straight, the queen stepped forward. “For the past forty years, I’ve been nothing more than a slave to you. You tell me what to do, what to wear, what to eat... everything. You even decided how many children we had.” Her face contorted with anger. “You will change that now or I will leave. And I will make sure all mates will be free as well. I have connections. I know people. I’ve waited for this moment for a long time. Change the laws. Today. Now. Call a meeting with the Elders and be on the right side of history. You will lose this fight, but you can ‘save face’ and do the right thing, or you can allow yourself to be known as the king who failed and lost his mate, his children, and his dignity. Make no mistake. The laws will fall. It’s only a question of how.”
Her chest heaving, she stared at her mate. Luis didn’t doubt she’d make it come true. Did she really have connections in the other covens? Could she convince the other mates to leave as well?
“You will not go against me! Do you hear? You are mine! You belong to me, and you will respect me!” the king spat, fire blazing from his eyes.
Luis suppressed the urge to step back. The king mustn’t see his fear. Would he attack the queen—his own mate? Gerome and Gordon stepped closer to her side, flanking her and showing the king they would protect her.
“You’ve used me long enough. This will stop today. You can’t win this. Will you lose with your children, grandchildren, and me at your side or without us?”
Silence fell over them. The king’s face was unreadable. He didn’t say a word for a long time until he sighed deeply.
“You have no idea what you’re doing. The covens won’t be the same if these laws cease to exist. But I guess it’s better to guide them through the transition. I don’t want my family to go into the underground and fight me from there. You know what you’re saying is more than blackmail?” Anger still laced his voice.
“Thank you. I know you don’t understand the reasons behind this, but believe me, it’s the right thing to do. Let’s call the Elders and change the laws today. I think it’s important for us to attend the meeting and explain things to them.” Gerome’s voice didn’t soften a bit, despite the victory. Until the laws were officially changed, they had to make sure the king wouldn’t change his mind. “I also want the mates to attend this meeting. I want to speak to them alone, or better, Luis can speak to them and let them know they can leave their mates if they want to. They might not trust us yet, but it will come over time. I want to provide a safe haven for them here.”
Queen Mathilda and the others nodded their approval. Luis wanted to hug and kiss his mate for thinking about those mates already trapped. He’d make sure none of them were left behind or forced to stay in an abusive mating.
“You can’t invite mates to an official meeting. You can’t!”
“Dare me. Come on. Dare me. I’ll make the calls myself if necessary. And believe me, when I’m done, you’ll wish you had called them yourself.” Wow, the queen really wasn’t messing around. Her back ramrod straight, she appeared not to have a streak of fear inside of her. Luis had severely misjudged her. But then, so had the rest of those present.
“Just to be clear, this stays between us. No one will know what happened in here. No one. I will call the Elders now, and you can all listen. Does that please you?” The last words came out between clenched teeth. The king wasn’t happy, but that was understandable. He’d need some time to come to terms with these new developments.
“That sounds fine,” replied the queen.
Luis finally drew a deep breath and smiled. They’d won. They’d really won.