Pride x Familiar (68 page)

One of the Primatriarchs stepped closer to my
desk – Marianne Sandoval Sanreal.

She had short, blonde hair and unnerving crimson
eyes that resembled rubies with a dark center.

She fixed those eyes on me now.

“We’ve analyzed the data you provided. We
believe only a Core equipped starship could have performed the
necessary course corrections that allowed it to enter the habitat
via trans-space.”

I felt my stomach fall.

For Crescent to possess a Core equipped starship
meant they were now on equal footing with us.

If Marianne and her people stated as much, then
I had little reason to doubt them. The Sandoval Family owned
enterprises dedicated to starship construction and design. In
short, they were master shipbuilders.

Xanthia turned her aquamarine eyes on Marianne.
“Core equipped? Then it’s built like—”

“Yes,” Marianne cut in smoothly and smiled like
a huntress, “it’s just like
Paloma
.”

The two women eyed each other for a long
moment.

Marianne arched a questioning eyebrow at Xanthia
as if to ask ‘what will you do now?’.

For a heartbeat, I watched Xanthia pressed her
lips into a thin line.

“Very well,” the woman said. “You have
permission to head out.”

Marianne’s smile grew wider and eager. “This
will prove most interesting.”

“And fruitful I hope,” Xanthia added, not
sharing in Marianne’s elation.

Marianne shrugged lightly. “At the very least,
it’ll allow us to test our Pathfinder against theirs.”

Xanthia’s eyes narrowed. “You’re confident you
can hunt them down?”

Again Marianne shrugged lightly. “Confident?
Yes, since we’re fairly certain of where to look for them.”

I could sense Xanthia’s unease with Marianne’s
response.

I was certain the other women could as well.

Xanthia asked, “When will you leave?”

“Tonight.
Paloma
is fueled, loaded and
ready. My daughter is eager to head out.”

I frowned inwardly.

Her daughter, Shizuka Sandoval Sanreal – a
Familiar who Awakened five years ago and demonstrated an innate
talent for piloting.

I had files on her, but she was a difficult girl
to pin down. Not as troublesome as Fallon Acacia, but troublesome
nonetheless.

I felt the stage had suddenly grown wider. It
stretched beyond the confines of Pharos. New actors and actresses
were stepping into their roles, yet I had no idea how the next arc
would play out.

That brought a troubling thought to mind.

I swallowed and asked cautiously, “Now that the
Ravana has been recovered, have the Seeress’s said anything
new?”

Xanthia faced me. “Nothing. Not a word.”

I looked at the women standing before me. “No
word from any of them? No change in their predictions at all?”

Some of the Primatriarchs traded uncomfortable
looks.

I hid my uneasiness. “Then what do we do
now?”

Xanthia folded her arms under her breasts. “We
wait and see. Let’s see how well Serenity can tame that young
man.”

I frowned inwardly, yet remained outwardly calm.
“She’s not that kind of woman.”

“No, but all men are ruled by their passions.
Serenity is not without her charms.”

I bit back a retort.

How could this woman even suggest such a
thing?

To speak of my younger cousin in that manner was
most
displeasing.

However, Xanthia wasn’t looking at me anymore.
She was looking through me and into the distance. “Interesting
times lie ahead.” She frowned down at me. “However, I’m a little
concerned by your daughter’s meddlesome behavior.”

“Which of my daughters?” I asked guardedly.

“Simone Alucard Raynar. It appears she’s quite
enamored with him. Something of a childhood crush that’s blossomed
into
love
.”

I felt my innards tighten.

Damn this woman for peering into everything.

I swallowed discretely. “Is that a problem,
Primatriarch?”

Xanthia looked uncertain.

No, she looked distinctly troubled.

She inhaled deeply and then said, “I’m curious.
I wonder if we could influence a different pairing.”

“What?”

She smiled, showing me her perfect teeth. “Well,
what if we introduced someone new into the mix?” She narrowed her
eyes. “After all, we’re not certain who inherited Lisanna Ekaterine
Alleyne’s bloodline. We’re still trying to determine if the
Alucards or Ventiss families share in her descendants. There could
be others out there that we don’t know of.”

I stood up slowly. “Lady Primatriarch, I’m not
following you.”

“Oh, in what way?”

“I was of the understanding we wanted to avoid
the outcome the Seeress’s have been envisioning.”

“Unfortunately they’ve been less than clear on
how to go about that.” Xanthia planted her hands on her gentle hour
glass hips. “So, why don’t we try provoking a little reaction from
them.”

I couldn’t believe what this woman was saying or
thinking. “You wish to influence their visions.”

“Of course. I wish to see if it’s possible to
alter the course of the river of fate.”

I swallowed noticeably this time. “How?”

Xanthia took a deep breath. “By introducing a
new character onto the stage.”

I was almost afraid to ask but did so
nonetheless. “Who?”

“Someone guaranteed to bring a little conflict
into the play.”

#

(Serenity)

Clad in black armor-skin, the guardsmen escorted
me down the steps and corridors leading to the containment cell.
The squad of six men dwarfed me. Ordinarily I would have felt safe
in their presence, but on this occasion, I had trouble hiding my
fear.

After a long walk, and after passing through a
half dozen security checkpoints, and a half dozen quatre-steel
reinforced doors, I finally arrived at my destination.

A sparsely furnished cell block.

It wasn’t all that small, around five by four
meters in dimension with a ten foot high ceiling.

But there was no confusing it for anything other
than what it was.

A cell with transparent walls and ceiling,
offering no privacy from the multitude of surveillance holocams
aimed at its interior.

The guardsmen, my personal bodyguards, fanned
out around me with heavy rifles carried in their arms.

I nodded at Paulson, their commander. “A little
space if you please.”

He didn’t question me.

In mere moments they had repositioned themselves
in a crescent a few feet behind me.

I approached the transparent cell wall before
me.

The light was constantly on.

I saw that he had fashioned a blindfold out of a
torn bed sheet.

He lay on the bunk bed, arms neatly folded over
his chest.

His voice came through clearly through the
hidden speakers.

“What do you want?”

He knew I was there without even looking at me.
He didn’t even raise his head.

“More tests?” he asked. I heard him laugh
softly. “No, that can’t be it. You’re not from this place, are
you?”

I cleared my throat and calmed my nerves as best
I could. “No, I am not.”

He was quiet for a short while. “Then who are
you?”

“Caelum Desanto, my name is Serenity Alucard
Raynar.”

Again he was quiet for short while. “The Raynar
Primatriarch.”

He lifted his head from the uncomfortable
pillow, and raised the blindfold away from his eyes. “Serenity…a
pretty name.”

He climbed off the bunk and slowly approached
the transparent wall.

In response, I heard my guardsmen shift their
bodies behind me.

The cell block floor was elevated so he stood
looking down at me. Then he crouched, and regarded me from head to
toe with keen eyes.

“Serenity Alucard. A pretty name for a pretty
woman. I never imagined you’d be so young.”

He ran his gaze over me twice more, stopping at
my chest.

“Ah, what a pity.”

He stood up and then walked back to the bunk
bed. Then lay back down, slipping the blindfold back over his
eyes.

I blinked a few times.

I had read his dossier but even so I wasn’t
prepared for this sort of response.

I thought I heard a few mutterings between the
men behind me. When I glanced at them they quickly averted their
eyes and stood in rigid attention.

Caelum’s voice came through the speakers. “I
don’t get it. You’re an Alucard. Why is it you’re nothing like
Simone?”

My breath choked.

What—what the Hell did he just insinuate?

I sucked in a lungful of air. “I don’t know what
you mean.”

Lying on his back, he raised his hands above him
and made fondling gestures. “Anything less than a Dee cup is a
waste of time.”

“Ah—what did you say?”

“Forget it. Go back. I have no interest in what
you’re offering.”

“Wh—what?”

I restrained the urge to kick the wall in front
of me.

Again, I heard the men mutter behind me.

Again, they averted their eyes and stood in a
protective stance when I glanced at them.

Turning back to the cell block, I closed my
eyes, and struggled to regain my self-control. Coughing into a
fist, I cleared my throat.

“Caelum Desanto, since you know who I am, don’t
you think it’s worth your while to listen to me.”

He sighed loudly. “Very well, I’m
listening.”

“We all know that you’re quite capable of
leaving this containment facility. We know there’s nothing we can
do to stop you.”

“Then why try to hold me here?”

“Because…because it reassures us. It makes us
feel that we’re in control of the situation—in control of you.”

He raised his head, and the mask. His eyes met
mine. “Go on.”

“That being said, we have no desire to be your
enemy.”

“That’s good to hear. Go on.”

“We have a proposal to offer you.”

He sat up on his elbows. “I’m listening.”

“We’d like you”—I swallowed quickly—“we’d like
you to join us in protecting Pharos.”

“Pharos? Not the Raynar Pride?”

I had to laugh at his question. Would he even
consider affiliating with the Raynar Pride? I had issued a
declaration that guardianship over him was to be transferred to the
Raynar Pride. The Lanfears had grudgingly agreed, but Caelum
Desanto had yet to be asked what he thought.

As a Familiar, he didn’t have a say in the
matter.

But he wasn’t an ordinary Familiar anymore.

Telling him what to do and expecting him to
follow through didn’t go hand-in-hand any longer.

I needed to tread lightly, and very smartly.

Perhaps this would have been easier if my
breasts
were bigger?

I stepped up to the transparent wall, then
reached out and touched it. “Would you settle for just protecting
one Pride?”

“Is that what you should be asking?” He sat up
and swung his legs off the bunk. “Lady Primatriarch, let me ask you
something.”

I nodded guardedly.

He stood up and walked over to the wall, then he
crouched down as he had before. Even then he still looked down at
me.

“You want an assurance that I won’t go on a
rampage. You want an assurance that will convince you that you can
trust me. That I’m not a threat. You want something that will gain
you leverage over the other Primatriarchs. Something that will
elevate your Pride over the others.”

I smiled weakly at him.

I hadn’t given him enough credit. He understood
both our situations well.

He smiled at me, a knowing, somewhat arrogant
smile. “You know what’s inside me, don’t you.”

I nodded faintly. “Yes. The Artifact known as
the Regalia. It’s what bonds you to your Warlord. It allows you to
command it as though it’s part of your body.”

He nodded in response. “The Regalia inside me
cannot be removed. You cannot unbind it from me the way you did the
other Artifact I used.”

“Yes, I understand that.”

“Which means, that if you want it out, you have
to kill me.”

I swallowed. “We have no intention of harming
you.”

“And I have no intention of letting you harm
me.” He touched the wall. “You want to know why I haven’t broken
free?”

“Yes….”

“It’s because the Prides have something that I
want. Rather, there’s something they can do for me.”

I raised my chin a little higher. “What would
that be?”

He held up two fingers. “Two things.”

I nodded hesitantly. “I’m listening.”

He folded on finger down. “Simone Alucard. I
don’t want her harmed or inconvenienced. I owe her a debt of
gratitude, and she means a great deal to me.”

I frowned slightly. “Simone would never be
harmed.”

“Perhaps. Let’s just say, I don’t want history
to repeat itself.”

I blinked and couldn’t help my eyes
widening.

Upon my reaction, he nodded with a solemn
expression. “I lost Lisanna because I trusted those close to me. I
don’t intend to lose Simone the same way.”

I swallowed heavily.

The young man before me had the appearance of
Caelum Desanto.

But the young man speaking to me was someone
else.

“Who—who are you? Who are you really?”

“I am Caelum Desanto. That hasn’t changed and
won’t ever change. But I’m also Kallum Kampfer. I can’t help that.
I have his memories, his experiences, his love and his pain.” He
touched his chest. “I have everything. It’s been a struggle to sort
through his life and keep it separate from mine. To that end, you
have my thanks for keeping me in isolation. It made things easier
for me.”

His eyes flickered as he looked at the men
standing several feet behind me.

I hardened my voice. “You can trust them. I
trust them with my life. You can trust them with your words to
me.”