LycanKing by Anastasia Maltezos Page B

frowned. "What assignment are you talking about?"
    "I thought you already knew. I will travel with a few of his guards in a few days to show them where Balkathan's lair is."
    Anger bubbled in her breast. "No! It's too dangerous."
    "Mama, we won't be riding up to Balkathan's front gate. We'll be a distance away. The king wants to attack in two weeks, but he wants to scout the territory first."
    "I won't allow it! Katya, what if Balkathan has soldiers hiding in the woods, prepared for such invasions?"
    "We won't make it as far as the woods, Mama."
    "I don't care! You will refuse the king at once."
    "Refuse me of what?" came the dry comment from the door.
    Eve stiffened as she glanced up and saw Drago stride into the room. "How dare you ask my daughter to return to the place that nearly destroyed her?"
    "Actually, I didn't ask her. She offered her assistance."
    "Your Highness, I'm so sorry. I tried to tell my mother I offered to help."
    He raised an imperious hand. "Don't worry yourself. I can understand why your mother is against it."
    "I still want to do this!" Katya said firmly. "Mama, I want to help the king in any way I can. The lair's entrance is hidden, camouflaged and only I know where it is." She paused, taking a deep breath as Eve watched her silently. "I have to do this. You taught me all my life how to be strong and fight for what's right. You taught me never to give up, to be strong and…and to face my fears head on and fight them." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Well, I fought hard when I was in Balkathan's lair. Some battles I won and the others I lost," she added, her voice trembling, "and now all I can think of is all those women and men imprisoned there who can't escape. All those people who didn't have someone like you in their lives to teach them how to survive. I escaped because of all the things you taught me." Her face hardened. "If showing the king's guards where the lair is will help those prisoners, I will do it."
    Eve felt the back of her eyes burn. Drago was standing silently to her side and she could feel his gaze on her, watching her intently. She drew in a shaky breath. "Katya, my darling girl, I am so proud of you. You've already faced your fears with bravery and courage. Now, I must do the same." Slowly, she rose, casting a sad look upon her daughter and Drago. "You both forget, I know where his lair is, too. And it's time for me to do what I've been too afraid to face these past four centuries." She tensed, knowing how they would both soon react. "I will leave at once and attack Balkathan myself."
    "I forbid it," Drago roared. "He'll have you killed before you enter his gate."
    "No, he won't," she told him quietly as she met his furious gaze. She braced herself, knowing he was going to hate her in a minute. "Balkathan is my father."
    " What! " Katya screamed.
    Eve's heart fell as she watched Drago's expression change. He looked stunned. "Your father? Why did you never tell us?"
    "When is a good time to tell people the demon who's been destroying villages and creating bloodshed is your father?" She paused, taking a deep breath. "He turned me into a vampire four hundred years ago, thinking I would rule with him and stay by his side forever. He'd already killed my mother because she knew he was insane and would never follow him." She winced at the expression on Drago's face. He was looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. "I ran away from him and travelled as far away as I could. I stopped in China and lived in a temple with monks who took me in and taught me that my curse could be used for good. They taught me hand-to-hand combat and how to use every weapon with a skill, unmatched. Each generation of monks who lived, passed all their knowledge to me. I stayed with them for two hundred years. When I returned, I knew my father was still looking for me, but instead of facing him and fighting him, I hid and lived in the shadows, never staying in one place for more than a few