“As you said, it is not to be broken,” Salem ran a hand over his face. “I came back to tell my father. I did,” his eyes sought out Tegan’s, “but he would not be persuaded to call on the Ancients.”
“And you almost killed yourself trying to call them yourself,” Marcus said from his chair, where he had sat quietly, listening.
“I was young and foolish,” Salem stated again with a grimace to his Second.
“You were seventeen,” Leonid sneered. “You sought to fight alongside any Elite Guard and be a warrior, but when you try to defend your actions, you blame adolescence?”
“How does any of this story make you my sister?” Michael asked Tegan.
“When your father left my training facility, never to return, Celeste discovered she was pregnant,” Leonid answered for her.
“As a result of Salem’s recklessness, your grandfather, pushed the wedding to Mikayla to happen sooner rather than later,” Marcus explained as he saw his friend and Principal Elder, struggling with the past revelations. “Both Houses were eager not to upset the Ancients after the failed attempt of Salem’s to dissolve the binding.”
“I knew you married mom so young,” Michael shook his head in disgust, “I thought it was out oflove,” he scoffed.
“Ididlove your mother,” Salem tried to reassure his son, “but it came with time,” he admitted solemnly.
“So… you’re the Heir.” Michael sat and assessed Tegan with open hostility.
“Not necessarily,” Salem flushed as he refused to meet his son’s eye.
“By the Ancients,” Michael stood in indignation. “You didn’t love her, but you slept with her anyway when you werein lovewith someone else?”
“A binding ceremony demands consummation,” Marcus interjected quietly. “It’s thought that since the Ancients bless the union, they are present through the actual ceremony and the beliefs of our Elders is that a consummation on the night of the ceremony will also be blessed by the Ancients.”
“Are you kidding?” Sloane looked appalled. “Do they think the Ancients arewatching?”
Despite herself Tegan let out a small laugh, she had asked the same thing of her father when he told her this story.
“You knocked mom up on her wedding night?” Michael was still disgusted. “Of course you did,” he walked over to the window and stared out over the grounds before turning back to the room. “So, who was born first?”
“Celeste was killed in a raid a few months after my binding ceremony,” Salem remembered. “I was told she had been killed after her funeral rites had been performed. I never saw her after I left the training facility before I was married. How is she my daughter?”
“There were no funeral rites for Celeste,” Leonid admitted. “Well, not when I said they were. I knew Celeste was pregnant, it was hard not to notice, she was getting bigger every day. Celeste’s family disowned her when they learned that she was pregnant. They considered her ruined. I removed her from my training facility and sent her to my home at Silver Lake where I was to follow. She was content to rest there, get ready for her child,” Leonid’s head bowed. “It was on her journey there that she was attacked.”
“Drakyhn,” Salem said with hatred.
“Yes. She was skilled, one of the best I have ever seen, but she was eight and a half months pregnant. She had chosen to travel by car, believing it to be quicker and safer,” Leonid’s head was still low, “I got there too late.”
“We were told she was dead on discovery,” Marcus said into the quiet.
“I lied,” Leonid raised his head and looked straight at Salem. “She was alive, barely. I was able to get her to a hospital.”
“A hospital?” Sloane’s surprise was evident.
“She was heavily pregnant, both she and the babe inside her had heartbeats, weak but they were there. If I had called for Sentinels, they wouldn’t have gotten to her in time,” Leonid passed a hand over his eyes. “The hospital intubated her.”
Salem’s eyes were wet with unshed tears. “No… how could you keep this from me?”
“Because it was one of the last things that she said to me,” Leonid snapped. “Save my child and don’t let him know.”Leonid glanced at Tegan. “The hospital managed to keep Celeste alive in an intubated state and when she began to fail, I gave them permission to perform an emergency birth.”
“If she didn’t want anyone to know, why are you telling us now?” Michael asked.
“Because I have been called home,” Leonid stated. “The Vampyre Council have come for me after all this time. I have been given a directive to attend Council or suffer the consequences.”
“Why?” Marcus asked, he leaned forward. “I thought they were…” he trailed off uncertainly.
“Dead? Disbanded? Disinterested?” Leonid’s scorn was mocking, but it did not seem to be directed to anyone in the room.