The Vampire Ambassador
Chapter 12

I woke up and noticed something was off. I reached over and the bed was empty. The worst thoughts filled my mind. Was Erik hurt? Is he okay? Did he leave?

I jumped out of bed still naked and ran into the living room where he was on the phone in the kitchen fixing some coffee. I breathed a sigh of relief as he turned around and looked at me like I was crazy.

He was wearing only his jeans from last night, his hair was still messy from sleep, and I wanted to jump all over him then and there.

"Hold on one second," he said into the phone. He put his hand over the speaker. "Are you alright, love? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just didn't know where you went to when I woke up." He chuckled and put the phone back to his ear and continued his conversation.

I returned to my bedroom and put on some linen pajama pants and a T-shirt before I went back into the kitchen and fixed myself a cup of coffee.

Erik was sitting on the couch watching the news intensely. I sat down cross-legged next to him as he turned the volume up with a stoic expression. I took a sip of my coffee as the view of the camera panned over to the front of the office of the council.

"Here is where the deliberations will be held," the reporter said, "King Johnathan will be making his statement shortly about Queen Raines." I slowly set my cup down and put my feet on the floor.

"This isn't going to be good," I whispered. Erik put his hand on my thigh. "That's what I was on the phone about this morning with Sir Patrick. It appears that Johnathan wants to make a public statement concerning you and the crown."

"As far as everyone else knows," I said, "I'm the one who holds the crown. Didn't he already announce that after I was taken?"

"He did," Erik answered, "But apparently something has changed. I believe once he saw you the other night he considered it a threat."

I put my head in my hands and stood up, pacing the floor behind the couch.

"Mel," Erik said, "It's going to be okay."

"But what if it's not?" I exclaimed, "I'll be damned if that son of a bitch humiliates me. I don't care that I don't want the crown; he has no fucking right to do this to me."

Some noises came from the T.V. as the camera panned in front of the council building where Johnathan came out.

Wearing a replica of my dad's fucking crown, of course.

I gritted my teeth hard as I propped my elbows on the back of the couch to listen.

"My dear followers," he started as he stood behind a podium, "It has come to my attention that Queen Raines has abandoned her kingdom. Since the night she left, I have had to pick up the pieces that she left behind. We all thought we could trust her after the truth about the late King Malachi came out, but it appears that the damage dealt to her was too much to handle.

"If you see her, please watch your surroundings closely. She is a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any second. You need to keep your wits about you and contact your council members to apprehend her. She will not be punished, but she needs help. The mental load of losing her parents and being in captivity so long has taken its toll on her and I, along with the council, believe she is in dire need of the correct mental rehabilitation so that she can return to her kingdom healthy."

He cleared his throat and continued as my blood boiled hotter with every word he spoke. "While her Majesty is in rehab, I plan to take back over the kingdom as long as it takes for her to get the help she needs. She will more than likely be with King Donovan, who is oblivious to the fact that she needs more than a shoulder to cry on." He looked straight into the camera. "Queen Raines and King Donovan, if you are watching this please come to the council and let us get Melody the help that she needs. A kingdom is nothing without its rightful leader." He then scanned back over the crowd. "Thank you for taking the time to be here today."

He then stepped out of view and the screen went back to the reporters in the station. Erik clicked the T.V. off and the only noise in the room was the ticking of the clock and my heavy breathing.

"Mel-," Erik said before I cut him off by holding up my hand. I stomped over to my purse and yanked my phone out, sending my purse flying into the wall on the other side of the room. I dialed uncle Harry's number as fast as my fingers would go. It immediately went to voicemail. I then called Sonya.

"Hello?" She answered.

"What the hell is uncle Harry doing?" I hissed, "I thought the council was on my side!"

"Honey," she said with a guarded tone, "Harry went in with all intentions of getting the council to vote with him on your side. Your uncle Johnathan swayed them to vote against Harry, 5-2."

I threw the phone across the room, smashing it into tiny pieces. I tried to slow down my breathing but it was no use. I was so livid I could explode.

"Look at me," Erik said, standing in front of me in a flash. He put his hands on my shoulders and the instant touch of him calmed me down some. I closed my eyes and focused on him.

"Focus," he whispered, "You're fine. We can beat this."

"How?" I asked, opening my eyes and letting the tears begin to fall, "They all think I'm insane."

"Just call up a meeting," Erik answered, "We can have it at my castle. I'll have all my guards on high alert for us."

"You knew about this already," I said, jerking out of his grip, "You were on the phone with Sir Patrick this morning!"

"He was calling me to warn you," he replied, "He didn't have your new number or he would have called you directly. That's why I turned the news on this morning."

I sat down on the couch and sighed as I rubbed my temples. I then sat up straight, took a deep breath, and held out my hand. "Dial his number, please."

Erik dialed the number and handed me the phone. He put his hand up to his mouth with anxiety riddled all over his face.

"This is Sir Patrick," he answered.

I cleared my throat. "Yes, Sir Patrick. This is Queen Raines. I just watched the news and I wanted to contact you personally to set up a council meeting."

"Of course," he said, rustling some papers on the other end of the line, "When and where?"

"Tonight," I answered, "At King Donovan's castle. 7 pm sharp. We will have dinner and agenda prepared."

"Sounds good," he replied, "We will be there."

"One question, however," I said, "There will be no apprehension of me tonight, will there? Because I would like the opportunity to express my concerns to the council. What Johnathan has accused of me is absolutely incorrect."

"Of course not," Sir Patrick answered, "There will have to be a mental evaluation and assessment completed before any medical diagnosis can be made. You would have to be deemed mentally unstable before any apprehension to a facility."

"Thank you," I replied, "We will see you tonight."

"See you then," he said, hanging up the phone. I gave the cell phone back to Erik and stood up. "Looks like I had better pack."

"You have all of your clothes still at the house," Erik said, "Unless you just have something you need to take."

"I have a few things," I replied, putting my finger to my lips, "I'm going to hop in the shower first." I walked into the bathroom and turned the water on, letting it heat up before I got in. Erik of course joined, lathering up some soap on my hair and body.

I tilted my head back and let the hot water run all over me. I tried to push the extreme anxiety I was feeling to the floor, but it was hard. Erik could feel my emotions running all over the place, so he gently took the sponge over my back trying to ease the tension.

"Hey," he whispered in my ear, "It's going to be okay. There's no way in hell they would say you're crazy."

"I know," I sighed, "But it's just the fact that I have to face Johnathan in a room full of the council. It terrifies me."

"Well," he said, taking the sponge to my neck and massaging with his other hand, "I will be there with you every step of the way. Just like I told you last night, nothing will ever come between us again. I will protect you with my life."

I smiled as his calm aura swirled all around me, easing my anxiety and fear. I knew I could do anything with him standing by my side.

I took my turn to wash him off and we both got out. I slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and Erik put his same clothes back on. I began to throw some of my clothes in a bag, along with my dress from the other night. I then walked over to the dresser where my parents' crowns sat. I traced my fingers over the gems on each of them before putting them gently in my bag.

I walked out of the bedroom, taking a long look before I went to the kitchen. This was the most normalcy I had felt in a long time since everything was perfect with Erik at his castle. I hated to leave it behind, but I knew that my kingdom needed me.

We left the house in a rush. There were cameramen at the gates of the community and thankfully Erik's windows were tinted so dark you couldn't see inside. Of course, they knew I would be with him, and they knew the vehicle he drove.

"At least you're famous too," I chuckled as he floored it once we hit the main road.

He smiled over at me and grabbed my hand. "As long as it's because of you, I'm fine with it."

We drove the rest of the way making small talk. I decided that I wanted to change a few things in the castle if he would let me, and of course, he said yes. I wanted to brighten the bedroom; the dark tones were too depressing for my taste.

We pulled into the castle as guards tried to hold back the news crew. They must have several groups of them trying to get a glimpse of Erik and me.

Erik parked his Jeep in the back and we took the back entrance to the castle. We walked up and into his bedroom where I set my bag on the bed and began to unpack my belongings. Erik went to the closet and changed into some dark brown slacks and a dark blue button-up. I couldn't help but stare as his back muscles flexed when he took off his t-shirt.

"Enjoying the view?" he chuckled as he looked in the mirror. A blush spread across my face as I kept unpacking.

Always, my love.

I heard him chuckle under his breath again before he went into the bathroom to freshen up. He came out a few minutes later as I was setting my crown on the dresser. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing the side of my head.

"I have to get the agenda ready," he said as he looked at my crown, "And the menu for tonight. I'll make sure the chefs prepare their best meal."

"Sounds good," I said, turning around and wrapping my arms around his neck, "I love you."

"And I love you," he whispered, planting an innocent kiss on my lips. He pulled away and smiled down at me. "I'll come get you around 5:30 if that's okay?"

"Sounds great," I answered, "I'll see you then."

He gave my forehead another kiss before he went to leave the room.

"Hey," I called out before he left. He turned around and looked with an eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

"If you see Maya," I replied, "Tell her to come see me."

"I surely will," he said with a smile before he left. I walked over to the closet and tried to decide what to wear. I pulled out a black pantsuit and shook my head, thinking that something else would be better. I then pulled some dresses out and laid them out on the bed.

One was a light pastel blue color, knee length, and sleeveless with a turtleneck made of tulle fabric. The next one was a dark red maxi dress made of cotton with regular short sleeves and a U-shaped neckline. The last one I had pulled out was black silk, a high-low design on the bottom with a train about a foot in length, and had thin straps not quite spaghetti style with a v-shaped neckline.

I put my finger on my chin before I pulled out several pairs of shoes; black stilettos, silver wedges, and black flats. I groaned because I couldn't decide what to wear about the time Maya came bursting through the door.

"You're back!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around me in a hug. I laughed as I hugged her back. "Yes, I am. How did the other night go?"

"It was good!" She answered, "I found out that Mason, the guy I was with, got around a lot so I decided I didn't want a chance of catching anything. We danced the night away though!"

"That sounds fun," I said, walking back over to the bed as I kept trying to decide what to wear, "I got Erik to bring me home and we talked for hours. We decided to put everything behind us and move forward." I sighed as I looked at the clothes. "But now Johnathan is stirring the shit pot and we have a council meeting. I need help deciding what to wear."

"Ohhh," Maya said, rubbing her hands together with a smile, "I can help with that!"

"And that's why you're my best friend," I replied, smiling.

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