The Queen has Arrived [Tristan]

[Dawn Roseburn]

The cool fall air was getting on Dawn’s last nerve, and she had only arrived at New York less than three hours ago. Already she missed the heat, the ocean breeze, and the smell of tropical flowers in the air. To her, New York smelt like one big exhaust pipe with someone spraying a can of aerosol as if that would mask the nauseating smell. While sitting in the rented limo…courtesy of Vaan…her brown eyes stared out the window and couldn’t help but scrunch her nose up seeing the tall buildings. The long road to the Vampire Mansion was not helping her fried nerves either. Inside, her wolf was growling and huffing. The she-wolf was eager to get the hell out of the leather seats, ready to put her feet on solid ground.

Trapping her nails over her jean covered knee, Dawn glanced down at her bag of clothes then down at the flats on her feet. There had been no way she was going to wear her normal boots or high heels on an airplane when she knew it was going to be a long flight without the added pressure on her toes. But now with her about to arrive at the threshold of vampire hell, heels would be the added comfort of home she would need to make it through the introductions. If only Quentin had checked in sooner with Vaan. If only there weren’t whispers of a possibility of something have happened to the Ambassador to make Dawn take command and leave the island. Sighing heavily, she unzipped her bag to change her shoes. The feeling of well worn leather wrapped around her toes and calves felt wonderful almost making her believe she was back home instead of in a limo in New York.

“Mrs. Roseburn, the mansion is less than a mile ahead.” The driver glanced in the rear view mirror for but a second before pointing out the mansion growing on the horizon. Nodding her head, her fingers closed her bag and mentally prepared herself for the worst possible unwelcoming welcoming ever. Dawn rolled back her shoulders straightening out her back which added to the royal air she had adopted since marrying Vaan. As much as it annoyed her, as much as she hated it, Dawn was Queen of the Lycans. She was an alpha queen and dared anyone to tell her otherwise. There would be no room for any vampire to question her status.

The car turned into the long driveway, the tires crunching over gravel to finally stop at the door to the mansion. The driver cut off the engine and started to get out of the car as if to open Dawn’s door but she stopped him. “Please, don’t. I can manage, thank you. Make sure to take a nice tip off my husband’s account for yourself.” Giving the driver a smile, she slipped out of the limo with her bag in hand. One bag had been all she had brought along for the trip. She prayed to Luna it wouldn’t be a long one. Already her wolf cried out for her mate missing him so deeply it almost hurt. The loss of his hand in hers while she walked up to the doors was missed as well.

Her eyes stayed locked on the door not admiring the mansion, or its landscape. She was not there to vacation. The she wolf had merely arrived with the intend of learning where there hell Quentin was and why wasn’t he talking to Vaan as regularly as he use to. A single finger reached out and pressed the door bell out of politeness, not because she had no desire to knock the door down with a single punch.

[Tristan Holt]

This was not going to be a good day, technically the sun had set but still this was his day. Tristan knew that blasted lycan king would make an appearance eventually but this was taking the cake. Vaan was one thing, he was certain he could handle but he wasn’t the one coming. No, it would be his new bride and Queen he would be housing for this particular visit.

His informants were not telling him much about this Dawn Roseburn, they were singing a song he had heard before. The Captain of the guard had finally captured the heart of the elusive king, the man who loved many but truly only held a few within the depths of his true heart.

Vaan, the only being in this world he viewed as his intellectual equal even if he was a lycan. Tristan had eyes and ears everywhere but still his spies had yet to penetrate the thick, solid stone walls of the lycan court. Damn Vaan and his secretive little world upon that pathetic island. Much had to altered for the arrival of not the king but his bride, a woman he would prefer to avoid as the only time he had happened to be in her company, he had found her cold, distant and common.

Tristan had no say in how the lycan king took as a life companion but the guard was never his type. Sure it would be a challenge to play with another of Vaan’s toys, try to seduce her but was it really worth it?

Still there was much to do, the kitchen had to restocked as both human food and blood was running low. Every month this occurred around the same time, and this particular lycan visit upon the behalf of the king was simply an annoyance, a frustration especially when blood donations were at an all time low. The sound of the rubber wheels was getting louder and closer, their guest was almost here.

With a nervous servant by his side, Tristan headed out of his office. The sound of the human’s frantic heart aroused his hunger, causing his throat to slightly tighten. Blood would be welcomed but not yet, he would not feed until later. He still had Anna, his wee blood slave if he desired a bite to eat before the long hours of day sent him into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The smell of dog quickly dashed his hunger, turning his thirst into disgust. He often wondered how he ever managed to bed Rebeckah with that vile smell clinging to her very flesh. “Get the door vermin” He venomously spat the human, who nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the tone of his voice. It was cold, emotionless and acidic. Standing at the top of the stairs, he watched the man clearly run down towards the door, knowing that he could easily trip and injury himself.

[Dawn Roseburn]

Dawn knew what she was stepping into by coming to the vampire coven. This would not be her first time dealing with vampires, nor her last. She had meet Tristan before on his one visit to the island. It had been then that she had set a very cold and bitchy reputation for herself in the eyes of the Vampire Master. He had dared test her when he had seen a female guard protecting the King of the Lycans and she had accepted the challenge. Her claws had slashed across the chest of the great and mighty vampire leader, leaving behind marks to show he wasn’t as invincible as he claimed to be. Her inner wolf had begged to drain Tristan of all his blood for trying to threaten her king’s life…and the life of her future mate, not that Dawn had realized that at the time.

Keeping her spine straight, Dawn refused to look anything less than the proud Queen she was…even if she hated the damn title given to her. She hated it because she was no Queen and Vaan calling her one in front of the court didn’t make it any more believable. Outside the massive wooden doors, it was easy for her lycan ears to pick on Tristan’s voice. She had to grind her teeth to keep from shoving the doors open before the human could. However, she reminded herself she was a guest, only there to find Quentin and get back to the tropical island.

The door opened and the scent of fear washed over her noise making it scrunch up. So typical of a vampire to frighten his servants. Stepping inside, her heels clicked on the wooden floor. If she had wanted to, she could have made her steps impossible to hear, however she’d save that little fact for a later date. She never knew when stealth would be needed. Allowing her wolf to show through, her eyes glowed and changed from dark brown to a molten gold color. Holding her bag in one hand, her eyes turned up to the stairs, easily spotting Tristan trying to merge with the shadows like the devil he tried to make everyone think he was. “Thank you for allowing me to come on such short notice, Tristan.”

[Tristan Holt]

The servant shivered, consumed by fear of the man standing mere feet away from him. The thought of what might occur, sent shivers up and down his spine. Tristan Holt was a force to be reckoned with, a man not be crossed by human or vampire alike. He wasted no time in opening the door for whoever was on the other side. The door opened to reveal a face he had never seen before, then again he had not seen many outside of this coven. He had not be able to step outside of these four walls since he had become indebted to this vampiric coven.

A woman, a woman unlike the vampire and humans who wandered the halls of this coven. She was exotic in his eyes, much like Lady Serena, Julian’s mate. Not her looks but the way she held herself, her confidence and the emotions within her eyes. No vampire or blood slave acted like this unique woman but who was she? He had not the balls nor the backbone to ask, fearful of how Tristan would react if he did. Tristan hated to be kept waiting, this servant was taking too long with the door.

The sight of Dawn, brought back many a memory of his time upon that blasted island, both good and bad. The seduction of the fallen queen and the angry of the future one but that was all in the past now but he would never forget the look of pure rage in her eyes as she thrust her claws into his chest, the injury had scared, a reminder of that moment in history. The she-devil in human form, the wolf always lurking beneath the surface, ready to strike within a moments notice. He would not make the same mistake twice, drop his guard because she was merely female. This woman was more deadly than most females, a true alpha female.

“Yes, rather short notice indeed Dawn” He spoke, descending the stairs his eyes firmly locked upon her form. It had too short, the notice had only been received days before this very visit, that got on his nerves, the reason for this royal visit was obvious. However he would wait for her to ask him, inquire about the disappearance of the ambassador. The lycan had simply vanished within the city limits, no-one seemed to know anything.

“I would have thought Vaan would have sent someone with you” He added, knowing that this very woman was beyond independent. This was learnt through his observations of various members of the court, including key members of the guard including the woman who stood mere meters away from him. Tristan had discovered much, but he was keeping his mouth tightly shut….for now at least.

[Dawn Roseburn]

Turning her brown eyes away from Tristan up on the stairs for a second, Dawn eyed the servant who was giving off a new scent aside from fear. Curiosity was oozing off his body. She knew that scent all too well after watching over and practically raising Prince Henry and Duke Richard. Those two had always been wondering off to investigate this or that around the palace. Oh yes, between them and Vaan she never had a dull moment on her beloved island. However, she wasn’t in the tropics. She was in the middle of a deadly game where vampires played from the shadows and she would have to watch her back much closer than she did back on the island. Good, she thought she was growing soft around Vaan’s pretty words and the Duke’s daughters constantly wanting to play games with her since she was their grandmother. She hoped her softness wouldn’t reflect in her eyes. Those thoughts only caused her eyes to harden even more while staring at the servant. Not because she hated the poor man who was stuck in the damn mansion, but because she couldn’t afford to give away too many of her own emotions.

“If you’re looking for an apology from me, you won’t be getting one.” Though the words had a bite to them, Dawn allowed her true voice to rise up. She still had the ability to entrance any man like a siren would to a sailor. Tristan knew the reason for this visit. Why play games? As much as she wanted to get straight to the point, Dawn would have to play nice for a day or so. If she found even a hint of a vampire having caused Quentin’s disappearance, she could promise Tristan’s head on a platter for Vaan. Stepping farther into the mansion, she stopped a few feet away from the stairs. Her golden eyes watched his movements closely, more than ready for a backlash at her words despite their sweet tone.

Of course, it would have excited her wolf to have Tristan attempt to fight with her. Her inner wolf lived for fighting; it might have been why she was so attracted to Vaan in the first place. If anyone was going to be able to keep up with her animal nature, it would be him. And if Tristan fought against Dawn, it would only bring her mate to New York to defend her. She was Queen after all, no matter how much she hated it, her King would come if she was in trouble.

“I believed I frightened the male more than my mate did if he didn’t come along.” Dawn hated scaring her own men but she did not need her hand held for this. No amount of bodyguards would keep her safe if someone truly wanted to bring harm to her. And no amount of protecting would help whoever tried to harm her before she would feast from their neck to eat them. Speaking of eating, she shifted her chest slightly making sure the moon pendent was still around her neck. It wasn’t silver which would have injured her as well but the belief in the artifact was more than enough. She trusted in the Mother Moon, Mistress over all creatures of the night.

[Tristan Holt]

This was starting to get on his last nerve, the blasted alpha female just had to be standing before him, instead of Vaan. Vaan in could deal with, the man was easy enough to read, and easy enough to get along with, even if it was only for a moment. It would at least mean civil interaction, even if the conversation was limited to political matters and the state of each of their ruling states. Dawn was a complete different kettle of fish, she was a closed book, impossible to win over with small gestures of swift kindness if only for the length of the visit. She was a diamond in the rough who would fight tooth and nail against him, to achieve her goal, the discovery of the location and fate of the lycan ambassador.

The very history between them, the source of the prickly and tenuous feelings between the two of them. Tristan could not care less, about her opinion of his character but this was visit was important, this visit had been coming for a long time, the lycan ambassador had fallen quiet, his letters and calls had simply stopped. The lycan court was clearly worried, he had been a lone wolf in a cement jungle ruled by his vampiric coven. Any member of his coven could have been responsible for the ambassadors’ disappearance, so for now he would tolerate the brooding queen’s presence within his household, searching every shadow, questioning and interrogating each vampire that lurked in the lengthy corridors and vast rooms of the mansion.

An apology? Unlikely, pig would sooner fly before Dawn apologised, vice versa. Tristan would never dream of falling to his knees, before the enemy and begging for forgiveness, he would rather chop off his own limbs before even attempting such an act of humiliation. “I never excepted one Dawn” He was holding back, sugar-coating his words to hide his frustration. The thrill of fighting the lycan queen was something that have to wait for another day, another time. However the outcome outweigh the desire to cause her bodily harm, it would only end with driving Vaan to New York if he fought Dawn and that would most likely permanently damage their already strained alliance. Tristan would not let that happen.

Tristan scoffed at the very thought of Vaan frightening him or his sons. The man was not someone to scared of, it was almost laughable. “You must be weary from your journey Dawn” He was trying to steer the conversation and her along, and towards her room. “After all it’s not good for your pups” Tristan added, the comment was completely out of left field but the musky, heady scent of pregnancy was clinging to Dawn like a second skin. Every vampire within the mansion would smell this, someone would try to use it against her but not Tristan, well not at the moment anyway.

[Dawn Roseburn]

The topic of Vaan coming to New York to face Tristan was out of the question. Dawn was not about to put her mate’s life in danger if someone had harmed Quentin. If someone had harmed the ambassador, Vaan might be next if he arrived in the vampire coven. The question of why they would harm the lycan was a question she would have to solve if she caught wind of him being hurt or worse, dead. Did she think Tristan had a handle in the lack of communication between Vaan and Quentin? She doubted it since that would mean a strain in their alliance. But if Quentin had learned something that might being trouble for Tristan…Dawn wouldn’t put it past the vampire to make sure the news didn’t reach Vaan’s ears. Of course, he would make sure he didn’t get his hands dirty in the process. For now, she needed to enter this situation with a clear mind without too many suspicions.

How a person or even a vampire was feeling was easy to pick up on for a being with a very sensitive nose. Even if annoyance wasn’t written across his face, Dawn picked up on the subtle scent of it cleaning to Tristan. “You’re holding back your true annoyance at me. I’m not a diplomat, Tristan; don’t expect me to always hold my tongue in check.” A dark smirk sat on the she wolf’s lips at the knowledge the Vampire Master was trying to behave himself. They had always butted heads so for him to be in the mist of holding back any snappy comments was highly amusing for Dawn. Sooner or later one of them was going to lash out and then everyone had better get the hell out of the way. Her wolf salivated at the idea of sinking her teeth into his neck to make sure he never made another sound or plotted another scheme again. However, a fight would bring Vaan to the city…exactly where she and her wolf did not want their mate to be.

Dawn’s eye twitched at Tristan’s fake attempt to act like he cared about her well being. Clearly he was ready for her to get out of his hair. “I find that after being trapped in a plane for so long I’m more awake then you might understand.” Her wolf hated being in tight places without an escape for very long. Call it claustrophobia or whatever you wanted, but she had almost ripped off the arms of the chair she had been sitting in during the ride. It was his words about her pups that stirred a deep threatening growl from the Queen. Like any other mother, she would not tolerate the idea of her pups being mentioned while they were in her womb not by a vampire while she was in his territory. “Don’t you dare lecture me on how to raise my pups.” Yes, plural pups because from experience with her family Dawn knew she was in for a litter instead of a single pup. Taking a deep breath in, she fought against her animal side not to punch Tristan for bringing up her pregnancy. She knew it could be used against her and hated having it thrown back in her face.

“Shouldn’t you know better than to mention a lady’s fragile status when her mate doesn’t even know?” Arching an eyebrow, Dawn stared at Tristan without blinking.

[Tristan Holt]

This was starting to get rather awkward. The tension was clear, you easily cut it with a knife, if it had physically been possible. Tristan was trying his best, fighting back the urge to strike the lycan queen, she was simply getting on his last wick. Malicious, sadistically twisted images past through his mind, oh the pleasure of hearing her scream in sheer agony, oh that would be the day!

The moment Vaan crossed his mind, it was if a freezing cold bucket of water was being poured over his previous thought train. Such thoughts would have to repressed, controlled the entire time that Dawn was sleeping his hall, whilst she wandered through his corridors. This visit was going to be difficult but he would survive somehow. He knew well enough, that he was not the one who within this very household that would want to cause Dawn bodily harm, the list was long and his eldest son’s name was most likely near the very top next to his own name.

Security would have to beef up, he would have to speak to the most obvious to offence and soon. The fire needed to put out before it even was sparked into life. For if Vaan came to New York then everything that had been tediously protected and worked through these past few decades would be worthless, it would collapse like a house of cards. What had happened to Quentin? It was the big question on his and Dawn’s lips, this had happened under his nose. Whoever pulled this off was seriously stealthily and that worried him immensely. Who had the mental capability to pull such a stunt off and carry on within the very walls of his manor. The walls were thin, the walls talked and information always bleed back to him, and his ears in the very end. However this time, this had not been the case.

What was going on within the very hierarchy that he had founded, that he and his former mate Victoria had created together from scratch. She was right, she was no diplomat. Once a solider, always a solider which showed with her aggressive take on every situation that he had observed her encounter. Yes his memories of this was limited but he had seen enough over the last few strained decades.

“If you didn’t hold back, I would question if you were feeling well” This was a weak attempt at humour in her company, Tristan knew it would likely either fall at the wayside or she would take offend one way or another. “Do what you wish but I would watch your back if you wander the halls early in the morning” He started, knowing she would see his warning as a threat “I can’t control every vampire within my coven, every second of the night and day Dawn” Of late, various youthful vampires, young pathetic things were rising above their stations and this was not acceptable in any decade, in any century in his vast lifetime.

This was unexpected twist, he had not seen this coming. Vaan did not know that his beloved mate and queen was carrying his child. Oh the fun he would have with this key piece of intel, something that even the King of lycan did not know. “Now this is unexpected Dawn, keeping secrets from your mate”