That was damn cool to me.

  Rain returned with medallions that were on these necklaces. I recognized them. They usually were around his neck.

  “Legend, pick up Azura. Follow me.”

  Legend lifted Azura from the floor. We followed him through the Château. This place was huge and I hadn’t seen half of it. He led us to the farthest part of the east wing of this door. No one spoke or said a word. We all traveled down the spiral staircase and approached a set of double doors made out of stone.

  “Is this . . .?” My father nearly gasped with wide eyes.

  “This is it,” Uncle Rain replied. “This is the tomb where our mother and our grandparents lie . . . This will be Azura’s resting place, too.” Rain handed the other key to Essence. “We have to open it together. But, before I do, I have to tell you all something. Once I open this door, King Allemand and Queen Christione will wake up. Purebloods can never ever die. Our mother won’t wake up, of course.”

  We all had heard about the tomb of our ancestors, but I thought it was a story. I didn’t think it was real.

  Legend nodded, but my father and mother were looking as confused as I was.

  “You mean they’re not dead?” my father asked.

  “No, they’re sleeping. Is everyone ready?”

  I was nervous. How did he know that this would happen this way? What if it was a trap? Ignoring my fears, I watched carefully as he and Essence put the keys into the lock and unlocked it.

  A rumbling sound occurred as the stone doors slid open. Once the doors finished opening completely, a gust of dust eased out causing us all to cough. They opened to reveal a room that was still lit by torches. We walked into the square room and it was spacious enough to fit all of us. Three stone-like coffins sat in the middle of the floor. Their names were etched into the stone: King Allemand, Queen Christione, and Princess Valerie.

  Legend placed Azura next to their tombs. Rain went to Allemand’s tomb and slid the top off, placing it on the other side of the room. We all stared inside at his corpse-like body. His wrinkled hands were folded across his chest and he looked as if his body were deteriorating. He was wearing French-inspired royal clothing, nothing less than what I expected to be worn by a King of his stature.

  Suddenly, his eyes opened and it scared us all, but he wasn’t moving. He was staring directly at me. Out of everyone standing there, why was he staring at me?

  “Purebloods must have pure blood. You have to give him your blood, Ulysses,” Mirage said when she noticed no one knew what to do. “That will give him the strength that he needs. He only needs a little.”

  I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. Rain stepped to the side reluctantly. I took a deep breath before walking over to the tomb. King Allemand’s eyes continued to follow me until I was standing right above him.

  “Does anyone have a knife?” I asked.

  “Here,” my father said as he took a dagger out of his back jeans pocket.

  I took the dagger nervously in my hand and sliced the inside of my other hand. Mirage took my hand and put it up to my great-grandfather’s mouth. He drank from my hand. It only took him a few gulps before he was able to sit up in his coffin. As if magic was performed, he transformed in front of our eyes. He looked so young, trapped at the age of his early twenties. As our elder, he didn’t look any older. He stared at each of us with a look of pride.

  “Ma famille. Vous êtes tous belle,” he uttered in French.

  We all could understand him. We didn’t speak in French often to one another, but we were still very familiar with the language. He said that we were his family and we were all beautiful.

  He took a good look at me and continued, “Le Roi. Mon arrière petit-fils.”

  He recognized me as the King, his great-grandson.

  I nodded at him with a grin. Rain opened up Christione’s tomb. I gave her my blood to drink. Instantly, Christione rose out of her coffin, looking much like Azura. It was kind of eerie, yet incredible at the same time. Azura was her doppelganger. I passed the painting of her in the hallway and never paid attention to how much they looked alike.

  Christione gasped without words as she stared at us in awe. As they regained their strength, Allemand got out of his coffin and helped Christione out of hers.

  “Celle Divine,” Allemand said as he stared at Rain. Rain bowed before him. Allemand placed his hand on his shoulder. “Merci.”

  “It was an honor and a pleasure, grandfather.”

  King Allemand’s eyes fell upon Azura’s body lying on the ground. He clicked his tongue against his teeth. Queen Christione went to her body and stared sadly.

  “She was murdered this evening by a Raven. The Ravens have been taken care of,” Rain said. “They won’t be a problem anymore.”

  “Put her body in my wife’s coffin,” Allemand expressed in English with a thick French accent.

  Legend picked her body up and placed her in Christione’s coffin.

  We all stood in a line, waiting to see what would happen next. When Allemand’s eyes stopped upon Mirage, they narrowed instantly. He seemed leery as he approached her.

  “Mirage Oleander . . .” Allemand said. “Where is Evan?”

  She bowed before him. “He was murdered, your highness. He was only doing what the Préfet instructed. They said that if he didn’t put you and Christione in this tomb, they would kill him.”

  He hummed as he rubbed his chin. “Yet, they killed him anyway.”

  Mirage lowered her eyes with shame. “Yes, your highness.”

  “Do you have ill intentions with this family?” He stared deep into her.

  She lifted her head high. “No, your highness.”

  “Good.” He walked over to Legend. “You have grown into such a man, Legend. You have taken Mirage to be your wife?”

  “Yes, your highness.”

  Allemand hugged him and then Christione did the same.

  “Onyx . . . You and your wife have given birth to the next King. . . a Pureblood.”

  “Yes,” my father said. “His name is Ulysses.”

  Allemand smiled and gave him and my mother a hug. Christione hugged them next.

  When Allemand stopped in front of me, he looked deeply into my eyes. I bowed before him. He removed the crown from his own head and placed it on mine. I looked up at him with wide eyes. I had no idea he was going to crown me at that moment.

  “A King with your power should never look so afraid. You are the King now and we will do what you say, King Ulysses.”

  He and Christione bowed before me. Everyone else followed suit. This felt so weird and I was going to have to get used to it. I accepted my fate. As I stared at everyone, I realized that this was what I was born to do. They were going to rely on me to keep this Kingdom running.

  “Hail! King Ulysses!” Allemand declared.

  “Hail! King Ulysses!” everyone chimed in.

  After a few more minutes, we covered Azura’s coffin. Uncle Rain stared at Valerie’s coffin as if she were going to rise from her grave. Allemand stood beside him.

  “She was so beautiful. We will never know why she was born human, but we loved her nonetheless. You will always have your mother in your heart as I will always have my daughter in my heart.”

  We all walked out of the room. Rain and Essence locked it up.

  Rain tried to hand the keys to him.

  “No. The key will always belong to you and your wife,” Allemand said. “My daughter wanted you to have it. Your mother made me promise that you would be able to keep it because it is connected to your memory of her.”

  Rain and Essence put their necklaces back around their necks. As we headed back up the stairs, we all were having our own conversations with one another. King Allemand seemed most concerned with talking to me.

  “I want you to think about what you’re going to do while King. What rules do you want to change? Don’t answer that, but think about it. We shall throw a grand event in a few days. Then, we shall discuss with the family how Pigalle Palace is to be.”

  “All right,” I replied, swallowing the hard lump that was in my throat.

  I looked over and noticed that Rain was staring, listening to our conversation. I saw the jealousy in his eyes, but it went away as quickly as it came. It was tough for him to step down and allow me to rule before he thought I was ready. I was sure I was going to make mistakes as the new King, but with time, I would be perfect. Then, Rain smiled at me. I smiled back.

  CHAPTER 21

  ULYSSES

  Being the King of Pigalle Palace wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We had partied and all the vampires in the Red Light District were invited. We had a blast. Allemand loved to have fun. He was so laid-back and cool. That’s what I liked most about him. I spent part of the night talking to Nicole on the phone. I would’ve loved for her to come, but no mortals were allowed.

  The first thing that I changed was I wasn’t going to wear that heavy crown. I didn’t like the way it felt on my head. I put that in a display case. It was time to get with the new times. Allemand’s crown was a family heirloom, so a grand display case was the perfect home for it.

  A few weeks later, I sat down with the entire family to discuss what I had already changed.

  “Club Vaisseau is opening back up as the family business tonight, but I renamed it to shake off the bad vibes the Ravens have given it. It’s now called Club Azura. I took a crew down there and we cleaned it up and did some new decorating.”

  “I love that name,” Essence stated.

  “Azura would love it too,” Rain added.

  The rest of them agreed as I handed them the flyers I already had circulated around the Red Light District.

  I continued, “We will all do our part to keep the family business running smoothly. The blood lab will be back running too. I also want to put a blood lab in Paris soon.”

  They gasped. A murmur of how insane that was filled the room. I put up my hand and they stopped.

  “If you don’t mind me asking,” Allemand said, “why do you want to do that? Vampires are to only remain in the Red Light District.”

  “Well, for those like myself, with human friends in Paris. I plan to visit them from time to time and I would like access to blood without having to drink from anyone. This will lower the urge to want to kill. Vampires will run it. The lab will have a ‘V’ symbol to let everyone know that this blood is for vampires only. We will not fool them into thinking it’s for anything else.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that you want vampires to be able to roam amongst humans without fear?” Allemand asked.

  “Exactly. We make them aware that we are here, but we aren’t going to harm them. We are to remain anonymous. When you enter the lab, you go to the front desk and check in. No one will know if you’re there to donate or if you’re there to get a drink. UV coating will protect the lab so no one will know that vampires are running it with an underground train system that will lead back into the District. When you are let into the back, the donors will be led to a room to give blood and the vampires will be taken to a chamber to be replenished.”

  “Nothing like this has ever been done,” Christione said. “But, I love the idea of that. I’m not comfortable with knowing we will be able to coexist with humans and I’m not sure how they will respond to that either.”

  “They are already curious. Enough of them come to the Red Light District because they heard about us. Instead of making them forget everyone on their way out of the club, we can make them comfortable around us. They can still decide to give freely like they were doing at the club,” I replied.

  “Well, we support you,” Rain said. “We will give it a try and see how it works.”

  I smiled.

  “Does this mean that we can go into Paris anytime we want?” My mother raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes, but if any vampire kills a human being, they will receive the maximum punishment . . . They will be arrested and face death . . . I have officers ready to carry out the duty.”

  They all nodded.

  “What about the changing a human into a vampire rule?” Legend questioned.

  “That remains the same. If a human is transformed, she or he is to become the mate of that vampire. We still have to be responsible. New vampires are too uncontrollable . . . Grandfather, I have a question to ask.”

  “Sure,” he replied.

  “Am I arranged to marry anyone?”

  “No. You are free to marry freely. Are you ready to be married?”

  “I’m smitten, but it’s not a big deal yet. As everyone in this room knows, I have a colossal appetite for women and I plan on entertaining a lot of them.”

  Laughter filled the room. I laughed with them.

  “You’re an available King. You can do whatever you want to. It doesn’t matter what any of us say. We can’t judge. If you wish to have a hundred women at one time, then that’s your business. You are no longer a child,” Allemand replied.

  “Thank you, Grandfather. Those are the main things I definitely wanted to add. As time goes on, I’ll be tweaking things. You all ready to open the club tonight?”

  Everyone was on board to make the Grand Opening of Club Azura phenomenal. The meeting was adjourned and everyone went about his or her own business. I took my cell phone and called Nicole. I was able to take a flyer by her house earlier, but she wasn’t home, so I left it on the door.

  She answered, “Hey you.”

  “Hey, Nicole. Did you get the flyer?”

  “Yes, I did. That was from you?”

  “Yeah, it’s my family’s club. We’re opening tonight and I really want to see you there. Come have a drink with me.” I smiled into the phone.

  “I’ll see you there.”

  “Is it all right if I pick you up?”

  “Sure. Can I bring my friends?”

  “Of course. Will they behave?”

  “Yeah, they will,” she said. “I told them all about you. They’re intrigued, of course. I made them promise not to tell anyone.”

  “It’s okay if they know. Have you made necklaces for them, too?”

  “They made their own . . . They practice too.”

  I replied, “No shit. So, I’m going to have a room full of witches?”

  She laughed. “No . . . silly. We aren’t witches. We are Enchantresses.”

  “Got you. I can’t wait to see you.”

  “Same here. I’ve been thinking about you nonstop.”

  I felt my dick get hard. “Oh yeah? What you been thinking?”

  “I’d rather show you than tell you,” she replied. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “All right. I’ll see you around ten.”

  “Okay. I’ll be ready,” she said.

  “Later,” I replied.

  “Bye.”

  I ended the call. I left out of the room and walked down the hall. I was going to have to go shopping for something to wear to the Grand Opening, so I had the driver take me.

  Flashing spotlights, a brand-new sign highlighted in blue lights, and the line was wrapped around the block. Club Azura was ready for action and the Grand Opening looked like a Hollywood red carpet event. My dad was working the front door and he was wearing his stern face to keep the line from getting too rowdy. I stepped out of the limo with Nicole on my right arm and her three homegirls behind us. She looked so good in that red dress and fishnet stockings.

  We stepped into the club and it looked fabulous. I had it decorated with black leather bar stools, couches, and lounge chairs. The blue lighting made it classy, yet gave it a modern feel. It was definitely the place to be that night. I couldn’t wait to have stripper nights as soon as the poles would be installed. This place was going to be the “IT” spot for any and everybody.

  My mother was at the front door, making sure everyone got stamps on their hands for admittance.

  “Hey, son,” she said.

  “Hey, Mama. This Nicole and her friends, Sasha, Tyra, and Kimora.”

  “Hello, ladies. Enjoy your night.”

  “Thank you,” they said in unison.

  It would’ve been nice to have all of them at one time, making them all scream out my name with pleasure, but I wasn’t worried about having her friends. I only had my eyes on Nicole. Her ass was shaking underneath that dress—it had me staring every time she moved.

  We walked to the bar. Legend was working the bar and I was surprised to see Rain on the other side. It was good to see the family doing the things they used to do. I had moved the VIP area upstairs, and got rid of a few of the rooms. We headed up that way and the ladies had a seat on the couch.

  I hired a few female vampires to serve drinks in skimpy little outfits and it looked as if everything was all running smoothly. I ordered a few bottles of champagne for my guests. As I looked down at the dance floor, I understood why Azura loved running the club so much. I smiled at her memory. She would’ve liked to see us like this, working together. I didn’t know what the old days were like, but she would’ve been impressed.

  The music was blaring, the beat pounding as bodies grinded on one another. The different hues of blue flashed over the dance floor. I nodded my head to the beat.

  A pair of hands wrapped around me. I turned to see Nicole smiling.

  “This place is fabulous, U.”

  I liked the way her nickname sounded. It was better that she was the first one to give me a nickname.

  “Thank you, baby.”

  She smiled at me calling her “baby.” I licked my lips and sucked on my bottom lip as I peered at her. I was trying to be on my best behavior, but by the heat was coming from her body. We were going to end up fucking before the night was over.

  She motioned for me to bend down to her lips. I did what she said and she kissed me. Her friends’ eyes were wide with curiosity. Nicole kissed a vampire right in front of them. She wanted to show them that I was harmless. They seemed to be comfortable with being in a place full of vampires. It was made clear that no one would hurt anyone. We were all going to have a good time.

  “I want you right now and I don’t want to wait,” she said. “Is there somewhere we can go?”

 

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