{Ben}

  The next time I opened my eyes I was in my bed and changed into my night clothes. My clothes that I sleep in at night are mostly just sweatpants and a t-shirt. I sat up and my body protested in pain. My muscles were sore and I felt like I had got hit by a bus. At least the effects of the spells the witches cast wore off. I was determined to see that battle to the end.

  I couldn't believe that Alastor felt the need to knock me out when I was perfectly capable of walking out of the location myself.

  "Oh thank goodness! You're awake!" I heard Delilah say.

  I looked over at her. "What are you doing here?"

  "You had me worried sick! You've been out for a whole day. I mean guess that makes sense considering you did look pretty beat up when one of your coworkers brought you home," Delilah said.

  "What did he say happened?" I asked.

  "He said you got into a fight with another mafia," Delilah answered.

  I couldn't help but laugh. Of course Alastor would tell his warrior to say that! Delilah won't know the truth about me until she's dead.

  Delilah blinked. "What's so funny?"

  I shook my head. "It's nothing."

  "Okay, um does Victoria ever have to deal with getting into fights with another mafia?" Delilah asked.

  I gave her a look of disbelief. "Seriously?"

  Delilah nodded. "I'm serious."

  "Okay, think about what you just asked," I said. "Victoria is leader of the most powerful mafias ever. So, what does that tell you?"

  Delilah paused and then frowned. "Well that sucks and she's dealing with seizures now? What happens if she has a seizure while she's dealing with conflicts?"

  "She just deals with it. And hopefully she has enough cover to keep her safe through it," I answered. I paused. "Why the fuck do you care anyway?"

  "Honestly, I don't know. I just do," Delilah said.

  I rolled my eyes. "If you don't know why you care then stop asking about her. If you ask me, Victoria's doing a great job as a leader so far. She's shut down a couple of conflicts with other mafias stepping onto her turf."

  "And she's having seizures," Delilah said. "Glad I'm not the leader."

  "But you still have to learn your place as the Don's spouse," I said.

  Delilah nodded. "I know."

  I was getting ready to get off the bed when my cell phone rang. I reached over on the nearby nightstand and picked it up. "Hello?"

  "Hey there, it's Walter," Walter said. "I need you at the house again."

  "Why? What's going on?" I asked.

  "I'll tell you when you get here," That was all Walter said when he hung up.

  That phone call made me panic because Walter sounded panicked and I knew it had something to do with Victoria.

  Delilah frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

  "Something's going on with Victoria. I need to go over there and see what's happening," I said.

  "Seriously? You just woke up! Can't you stay and rest for a while?" Delilah said.

  I shook my head. "No, I'm good. If Walter needs me to help out with Victoria and he sounded panicked. So something big must be going on."

  "I see," Delilah said. "Can I-"

  I cut her off, "No. She clearly doesn't want to see you at the moment. And you're walking on thin ice with her, so it'd be best if you didn't come. Besides, you'd be wasting your time over there anyway."

  "Fine," Delilah pouted.

  I chuckled. "You're cute when you pout like that. I got to get dressed. I don't know when I'll be back today."

  I gave Delilah a kiss and she left the room so that I could get dressed.

  ***

  "So what's going on?" I asked. As soon as I got to Victoria's house Walter greeted me at the door

  "Come with me," Walter said.

  I followed him down the hallway to a place that looked like a study room. Much like the room that I have in my house for when I need to sit down and do long hours working on paperwork.

  I stopped short when I saw that on top of the desk sat what looked like a mini altar. It was made of gold and had a small bowl on it and sniffed it only to find that it was full of blood.

  I gagged. "Okay seriously, what's going on with Victoria?"

  Walter took a seat on one of the couches in the room and sighed, "Her power surges seem to be getting worse. She's been taking the medicine that's required which is what's in that bowl. It's the blood of her parents and my blood mixed in. The scary part is she keeps half-shifting during her power surges."

  My eyes went wide when I heard. "Half-shifting? Did I hear that right? That's not good! Not good at all!"

  "That's exactly what Satan told me," Walter said.

  Half-shifting happens when a supernatural being that needs to shift doesn't completely shift into their natural form. Victoria's a demon and if she's half-shifting that means her demon form is trying to separate itself from her original body before its time.

  "That's gotta be painful! That means, her demon form is trying to separate itself from her original body before its time. If that's happening now, it'll be even worse when she finally does get rid of her original body," I said.

  Walter frowned. "Yeah that's why Satan's come up with an idea but it involves locking Victoria up and I don't like that idea. Not one little bit. I'm pretty sure Victoria might panic and try to escape not knowing what the fuck is going on. I just don't want her to get hurt."

  "And she won't get hurt," I heard Satan say and I just about jumped a foot in the air because it startled me that he just popped up out of nowhere.

  "Your Majesty! Sorry it's just startling that you can just pop up out of nowhere," I said as I bowed to him.

  Satan rolled his eyes. "You may rise. It's important for a ruler to be able to sneak up on their enemies when needed. And to be light on their feet so to speak." He looked at Walter. "She won't get hurt because she'll be lightly sedated, she won't know what's going on."

  Walter's eyes went wide. "What! That's even worse!"

  "Do you have any other ideas? Besides, it won't be forever. It'll just be until we can get her to stop half-shifting. It seems her demon form is rejecting her original body," Satan said. "It makes sense considering her original body is being kept alive through magic."

  "How long do you think we'll have to keep her sedated?" Walter asked.

  Satan shrugged. "I have no idea. Until then you'll have to be the stand-in for Victoria."

  "But I don't know what she does," Walter started.

  Satan rolled his eyes. "She has a second in command for a reason. I will have William talk to you and guide you through it just like he does with Victoria."

  He sighed, "Fine."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "I can do it," I said. "I can help take care of the Royals while Victoria's out of commission."

  Satan looked at me. "Are you sure? Because you're already leading Satan's Crew."

  I nodded. "I can do it at least to help Walter out because he never received any training for this type of situation. And there's no way I'm letting Delilah lead the mafia. Nope that's not happening. She's the type of woman that once you give her an inch, she takes a mile!"

  He nodded. "Alright then. For now follow me because we need to get Victoria moved to the room where her treatment will begin. And once we get her situated we'll have to brief her other mates on what's going on with her."

  Walter and I nodded in agreement and followed Satan to Victoria's room.

  ***

  {Delilah}

  I've been feeling so worried about Victoria lately. Jenny seems even more on edge about Victoria than normal and it's making me worry because that means something big is going on.

  I called Jenny to see if she had any updates about Victoria's condition and she surprised me by asking me to visit with her at her house. This is the first time in years that I've been in her house. She left home the day after her birthday. I asked where she was going to live and she said she was living at a friend's house and left because she couldn't stand being around Howard.

  When I got to her house she ushered me inside and she had me sit at the kitchen table.

  "Would you like anything to drink?" Jenny asked.

  "Water please," I said.

  She went into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses of water and came back with them. After she sat down at the kitchen table only then did I notice that she looked tired.

  "I'm worried about Victoria," Jenny said. "Every other time I go over to her house she's having some sort of seizure and it looks painful. Not only that I'm also busy working with David to raise our son-"

  My jaw dropped. "You have a son? I have a grandchild?"

  Jenny nodded. "Yep you have a grandchild. No, I'm not letting you see him because I don't trust you around him."

  "So why am I here?" I asked.

  "I needed someone to talk to because everyone else is busy. And that includes Jaxon," Jenny said.

  "Oh," I said.

  There was an awkward silence between us when Jenny's cell phone rang. She answered it, "Hello?" She got up and walked out of the room. I got up and followed her and just stood around the corner trying to pick up on what the conversation was about.

  "What do you mean she's being moved to the hospital? Is it that bad?... Seriously?... But I thought the medicine was working… Is it okay if Delilah and I come visit?... Only when she's sleeping? Why? …. An induced coma! Is that really necessary?... Okay, okay we'll be there soon, alright then bye," Jenny hung up the phone and rolled her eyes. "Delilah I know you were listening."

  "Yes I was but why are they moving Victoria to the hospital?" I asked.

  "It seems that her seizures are getting worse and she's being moved for other treatment. At least that's what I've been told. Honestly, I can't help but feel that there's something more to this story and we're being kept in the dark for whatever the reason," Jenny said.

  "You are correct!" I heard someone say.

  Jenny and I just jumped a foot in the air in surprise when we saw Walter's father standing in the doorway.

  "When did you get here?" Jenny asked. "I didn't even hear you knock on the door!"

  Alastor smirked. "Oh I have my ways. Jenny, before you go to the hospital I need to have a conversation with you."

  Jenny nodded. "Sure." She looked at me. "You can go ahead without me. I'll be there in a little bit."

  I nodded and said goodbye. When I got in my car, I drove to the hospital.

  ***

  {Jenny}

  Once Delilah left I looked at Alastor. "I think we need to have a discussion about you not fulfilling your end of the bargain yet. Do you know how hard it is for me to not put poison in that bitch's drink?"

  Alastor snorted. "Well thank you kindly for holding yourself back. Don't worry Delilah will be dealt with in due time."

  I raised an eyebrow. "When?"

  "The end of year after Victoria's birthday," Alastor said.

  "What! But that's like three months away! No fair," I whined.

  Alaster smiled. "Yeah I know. Life isn't fair but she'll get her just desserts so be patient. Victoria made a deal with her father that she would lead the Royals for one year and after that she's free to do whatever she wants."

  "But why?" I asked. "Why does her father want her to lead the Royals so bad?"

  "Isn't it obvious? Her father was the previous leader and it is her duty and her birthright to lead with her being the firstborn," Alastor explained.

  "And can she refuse to be leader of the Royals?" I said.

  "Well at the moment no because she and her father made a deal. If her father had his way she'd be the leader of the Royals for the rest of her life," Alastor said. He shrugged. "He might require her to be leader for longer even after the deal is finished. But as I just said, be patient. Things will happen in due time."

  I sighed, "Fine. It's not like I have a choice but to wait anyway."

  Alastor suddenly changed his posture towards me and smiled a flirtatious smile. I felt somewhat uncomfortable as he looked at me from head to toe. At the same time I felt a delightful shudder down my spine. That made me pause because I've never felt that way about anyone looking at me like that before. Not even when I was David and when David would give me that look, I didn't feel anything by it.

  "Well, well, well! I never thought that in my old age that I'd find another mate!" Alastor said.

  I paused. "Huh? A mate? Me?"

  He nodded while still keeping his flirtatious smile. "You're coming with me because you and I have a lot to talk about."

  I went to say something but I didn't get a chance to because he snapped his fingers and I instantly passed out.

  ***

  {omniscient}

  Once Delilah got to the hospital where Victoria was at she rushed to the receptionist. The lady paused from her work and looked up at her. "Yes?"

  Delilah was going to respond when she heard Ben say, "Delilah follow me."

  Delilah nodded and did as she was told. But once they rounded the corner to Victoria's room, they heard Victoria scream bloody murder. Three Doctors and two nurses rushed into Victoria's room.

  Delilah frowned. "What's going on?"

  Before Ben could answer Victoria's scream turned a roar as if she were a beast. That happened because Victoria was half-shifting again. Ben's face went pale as if he'd seen a ghost. He turned to Delilah. "Wait here."

  Delilah was going to object but one sideways look from Ben told her to keep her yap shut.

  While Delilah waited outside Ben rushed into Victoria's room. One of the doctor's stopped him. "Name?"

  "Oh, I'm Ben. I'm one of Don Victoria's mates," Ben said.

  The doctor nodded and sighed, "She half-shifted again."

  Ben looked over at Victoria in horror to see that her horns were sticking out of her head and looked like they were trying to go back in. The same thing was going with her wings and half of her fingers on hands were claws.

  "Where's Walter?" Ben asked the doctor.

  "He's on his way at least that's what we were told. He wants us to give her the shot now. It will take some time before it kicks in and it'll leave her confused and scared. So she needs someone that she knows, preferably one of her mates to keep her calm before the medicine kicks in," the doctor responded.

  "I can do that. She'll be fine with me," Ben said.

  "Alright then, take a seat beside her bedside. We'll be giving her the shot now," the doctor instructed.

  Ben did as he was told and one of the other doctor's in the room pulled out a huge needle. His eyes went wide when he saw that. He grabbed Victoria's hand and made her look at him.

  She looked at him and whimpered. "What's going on? I don't know why but I feel scared. Why am I scared?"

  "Shhh, it's okay. You're at the hospital, the doctor's are going to help you to stop half-shifting," Ben explained, trying to stay as calm as he could. He thought he was being silly because he's a demon and he's afraid of a stupid needle. "Victoria, look at me and don't look around. Just look at me, okay?"

  Victoria nodded but once the needle went into her arm she screamed bloody murder.

  "Shhh," Ben said, while trying to console her because she started to fight the nurses who were holding her down.

  "Make them stop!" Victoria cried.

  "Victoria, open your eyes and look at me," Ben pleaded.

  Victoria opened her eyes and they were red from her crying from pain. She looked over to see Delilah standing out in the hallway staring at her. "What's Delilah doing here?"

  Ben sighed, "She wanted to come visit you. I don't know why but it seems that she actually cares about you now."

  Victoria scoffed. "Oh I'm sure she does. She only cares because her actions have caught up to her. If I had been a normal child with no special background then she would've just done whatever she wanted and not been punished for it."

  "True. Let me guess you don't want her to come inside?" Ben asked.

  Victoria grit her teeth. "Nope. She can watch me from outside the room. There is a window. So just open up the curtains for a little bit."

  "When?" Ben asked.

  Victoria looked at him and frowned. "What?"

  "When do I get to show her my betrayal?" Ben said.

  "In two months…" Victoria said as she started to get sleepy. "That's one month before the wedding…"

  Shortly after that she fell asleep and once Walter arrived he sat down beside Victoria's bedside.

  "She just fell asleep," Ben said. "And Delilah's outside watching."

  Walter scoffed. "Of course she's outside, that woman just doesn't know how to take no for an answer. And why does she care so much anyway?"

  Ben shrugged. "I have no idea. Hell, Delilah told me that she doesn't know."

  Walter rolled his eyes. "Wow, that lady is something."

  "You can say that again," Ben said.

  While Walter and Ben talked about what was going on with Victoria, Delilah sat outside in the hallway watching. She felt frustrated and jealous that the one person she hated up until now is doing just fine without her.

  She tried to figure out exactly why she hated Victoria to begin with but couldn't. At this point she wanted Victoria's forgiveness and she was feeling jealous more than anything because everyone else around her could talk to her like a friend. While everyone else could go in and visit with her Delilah had to stay outside and watch from a distance and that hurt to know how much she was hated by Victoria.

  After thinking about what was going on for a while she smiled and made a resolve to gain Victoria's forgiveness no matter what.

  "Mark my words Don Victoria," Delilah muttered to herself. "I'm going to gain your forgiveness and I'll be by your side like everyone else is. And if I can't be by your side… Then no one else will…"

  She started planning on how to gain Victoria's forgiveness as she walked out of the hospital and went home. But little did she know that her plans would backfire on her big time.