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The sex isn't a major part of it, nor is it graphic. If you're looking for masturbation fodder, look elsewhere. There will be many slow times in this story, just like there are in life. Other times, things will fly at you too fast. There will be boring days, and exciting days. It's just how it's flowing.

 

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Chapter 67

 

 

Breakfast Monday morning was a loud, hectic affair, with our pups being warned to keep Derrick's status as Alpha a secret until the assembly. Alejo gathered the pups for school and headed off in the Sprinter as everyone else headed for either a Regent van, the Bell, or the airstrip.

 

Amelia was taking Eric, Jennifer, Marcus, Gail, and Allison to Boston and Bangor. Fred was flying Mom, Dad, Jack and Opa to Florida so Mom and Dad could have time together while the Baron spent some time with Jack, hoping to help him with his recent depression.

 

I made an exception and let Ted assign a crew to take the G-700 to New York to take the Alphas home. Leonard, Johnnie, and Todd were going with them, to look at real estate for schools.

 

Since the helipad on the office downtown was completed, Ted was taking Josh, Billy and I to the office in the Bell, to meet with the princes. Derrick and Brandon were riding with us, so they could talk with Mike before we discussed how our packs would be arranged. I had texted Dr. Phillips, asking him to have an assembly just before lunch, to announce Derrick's new status to the students. Frederick wanted to spend some time in the magic library with Grand-pére, and Scott planned to spend the day with Bea and the girls.

 

We landed and by 8am, I was sitting at the conference table with the princes. As I looked around the table, none of them would look me in the eye. After a few minutes of this, I finally asked "What is going on this morning? Someone needs to speak up. George?"

George looked up and said "Sire, as you know, I, well, we, have tried to ease you into the role of King. We feared overloading you so we withheld information several times."

I sighed and said "And I get the feeling you're about to reveal more that you've withheld?" When they all nodded, I said "I do understand your reasons, but please, stop trying to protect me from myself. Today, you tell me everything. No more surprises. Now, George, what have you not told your King?"

George said "Sire, as you know, the human governments are aware of our existence. They all recognize our right to govern our own, but lacking a true government, they've withheld recognition. The major countries have been briefed on our expectation of a King and agreed that they would recognize you, and the nation, when you claimed your throne. Last night, we contacted the US State Department, and the governments of the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, China, and Japan, alerting them that you had claimed your throne. We've heard back from them all, and you are now recognized as our King."

 

I interrupted "You're saying we're an independent nation? I'm afraid to ask, but what is this nation called?"

George lowered his head as he said "Igor won this argument. We are the Nation of Dracul. In one of his lives, Igor lived in what was called Wallachia, now part of modern Romania. He used the name Vlad, and became a Knight in the Order of the Dragon, giving him the surname Dracul, meaning dragon. His grandson, Vlad III, became known as Dracula which means son of the dragon. Bram Stoker became enthralled with the name when he found it meant `devil'. There is no evidence that Stoker actually made the connection, though most seem to think he had. Igor wanted to tease the humans with the truth, just below the surface."

 

I put my head down and rubbed my temples with my palms, then looked up "Tell me you're joking. Tell me I don't have to be known as Dracula."

Reinhardt quickly said "Oh no Sire. You are King Gregory, King of Dracul. Like Elizabeth is Queen Elizabeth, Queen of England."

I sighed "Thank the gods. So let me see if I have this right. I am the King of Dracul, but we have no actual territory."

 

Reinhardt said "The Council approached the leaders of the Allied powers at the end of World War 2, asking for territory. We were given a regional unit of Greece, called Karpathos. It includes three islands in the Aegean Sea, near Rhodes. Karpathos, Kasos, and Saria, along with a few smaller ones. We have quietly encouraged the human residents to move off of Kasos, and now there are just over a thousand permanent resident vampires who run a tourist trade there, all loyal to the Kingdom. We have spent the last seventy years building a royal residence and small defenses for it."

 

George then said "When we started, Igor was convinced that he would rule the Council, so he went along with it. By the 1950's he lost interest so we were able to control who is on the island and everything that happened there."

"So I have islands? One with a residence?"

"More like a palace, Sire. You might even call it a fortress, because we started with underground bunkers and built up from there. Right now, you have roughly 36,000 square meters of residence." Hasim said.

 

"Well, my current house is 38,000... Wait, you said square meters? What's that in feet?"

Billy had his phone in hand as he said "387,500 square feet. Ten times our current house."

"That can't all be residence. You're including the grounds, right?" I said.

 

"Oh no Sire, that figure is heated and cooled space. It does include the rooms for the household staff. Of course, the bunker spaces, out buildings, and housing for the rest of the staff aren't included in that figure. It's a combination of Hohenzollern Castle in Germany, and The Palace of the Grand Master, in Rhodes." Reinhardt said.

 

"That seems like a lot of money and a lot of building just to lead a couple million vampires." I said.

 

George said "Sire, there are approximately 33 million vampires. All of the buildings were paid for by the old Council. Like I said, Igor originally expected to be living there. Also, the Councils held a conference call last night after you had gone to bed. We suggest 5% of the pack taxes collected worldwide to fund the monarchy, to pay staff, upkeep on the residence, a security force, travel, and other expenses."

"I'm afraid to ask what that means, but humor me. How much is 5% of the taxes?"

Dimas said "Last year, worldwide, the Council collected $825 Billion. So, we expect roughly $42 Billion next year, Sire."

 

I was stunned. I looked around the table, then asked "So if I'm understanding you correctly, the Council has been collecting taxes for centuries? From what I know of conditions, I'm assuming this money has not been spent on the care of vampires?"

The Princes that had been on the Council the longest looked down in shame. Finally, Hiroki spoke up "Like most leaders around the world, we lost sight of things Sire. We have discussed it, and we all will be transferring our personal fortunes to the crown in an attempt to make amends. We are all willing to step down, if you feel it appropriate."

"No, you're not stepping down." I quickly said, then asked "But if you give your properties and funds to the crown, what will you live on?"

 

Sam Houston said "Our homes will be owned by the crown, and we'll be getting paid from that 5% Sire, as will you and your family."

George said "Before we go into those details, we should also tell you that we'd like to change our titles. Under the old Council, the title of Prince was fine, but under a King, only your heirs and family should be Princes. We suggest the Council of 9 be called Dukes, and the Council of 27 be called Barons. Your polyamorous mating causes a slight issue though, as the wife of a King would be his Queen, or Queen Consort, and the male mate of a King would be a Prince Consort. If Bea is the Queen, she outranks Scott and Billy. We'd suggest she be the Princess Consort?"

I said "Whatever you decide is fine on titles. I'm concerned with all these salaries. That's cutting into money that can be helping vampires around the world."

 

Reinhardt explained "With respect Greg, we know your priorities, so we did some rough estimates. The old Council paid world governments for the services our people use. We expect to continue this at the same levels. After paying this, and what we propose for the monarchy, we still have $500B a year to spend how you like, for education or housing or whatever goals you have. Another option we considered was to simply fund the monarchy from our surrendered fortunes."

 

Dimas said "We need a lot of discussion if you choose to do that, and someone to manage that separate fund, but we estimate that this option would actually give you an annual budget closer to $60B."

"That's still an insane amount of money. What would I ever spend that on?"

Hasim said "Upkeep of your homes, staff salaries, security, housekeeping, cooks, servants, pilots, gardeners, and many others. Transportation for you and your family, as well as salaries for you, Prince Joshua, your mates and your pups. The salaries of the dukes and barons, and those household staffs, our transportation. The list is quite long, Sire."

 

Joan Fabre added "And with the changes you've asked Alphas to make, well... There's no nice way to put this, Sire, but most are accustomed to a comfortable living, and if they must give up their business interests to serve, many will choose the business and money over their packs. We may have to go as far as providing salaries and expenses for Alphas, and put all businesses under the crown."

"That sounds like socialism, Joan. I don't think that will go over very well." I said.

 

"Actually, Sire, it would be a return to feudalism, and any vampire older than 200 would understand this. I expect we will end up with a more modern version that combines some aspects of feudalism, capitalism, and socialism. Other than the youngest among us, most expect to save and provide for themselves throughout their lives, so we don't need to account for a system similar to your Social Security." Duke Honda said.

 

I sighed and said "I'm realizing how difficult all of this is going to be. I'm re-writing how vampires have done things for thousands of years. Making these changes for my pack was simple. Making these changes worldwide might be more difficult."

Billy told me through the bond that we had to go so I said "We have a lot to discuss, so plan on many meetings like this over the next week or two. For now, I need to go down to the school for Derrick's assembly."

 

The princes, er, dukes all followed me as I headed to the assembly hall in the school. It seems word of the changes had spread because when I entered the room, the students all silently stood and bowed their heads in my direction. My pups were all gathered in the front row, and we joined Derrick and his mates on the stage, along with Brandon, Jarrod, and Dr Phillips. With the Dukes standing behind Josh and Billy, I stepped forward and addressed the gathered students.

 

"From your reaction, I think you're already aware of part of what I'm going to say. Yesterday, the Council of Nine was dissolved, and vampires of the world are, as of this morning, governed by a King and a Council of Dukes. I am that King. This won't mean much to you, in your daily lives, but one change that does affect all of you is this. As King, I can no longer serve as the Alpha of your pack."

 

There were murmurs of distress from the students, but I raised my hands and motioned them to be quiet. Then I went on "This doesn't mean that I no longer care about your future. It means that I care for the future of all pups like you, around the world. I am your King, and will continue to work to improve your futures. To do that, I have to focus on everyone, and have appointed a new Alpha to serve the Pittsburgh pack. Most of you may already know him, so I'll stop wasting time and introduce you to your new Alpha, my son, Derrick Warnick." I motioned for Derrick to step up as the students stood and cheered him.

 

Derrick looked around the room and smiled, then motioned for quiet. When he felt he could be heard, he said "I really don't know what to say, other than thank you for that warm welcome. I won't lie to you, I was concerned that you might not accept me as your Alpha, and having your support really means a lot. Most of you know my one mate, Stephanie, but I'd like to introduce you to my other mate, Jamie."

Stephanie and Jamie joined Derrick at the front of the stage as he went on "I'd also like you to meet your new Beta, my brother, Brandon."

Brandon joined them and was waving to the cheering students when I felt it. Tears fell from my eyes as an emptiness hit me. I looked to Billy and could tell he was feeling it too. Before I could ask him about it, Tommy and about a dozen of his men came rushing onto the stage, surrounding us, shouting "Sire, you have to come with us, now!"

 

"What? Where? What's happened?" I asked, confused.

 

"No time, Sire. We have to get you to the plane." Tommy said, as he started pulling me from the stage, toward the side exit door. More of his men were with Joshua and Billy, as others gathered our pups to join us. They led us to the elevator and hit the button for the roof.

 

When we all got to the helipad I shouted "Stop! I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

Tommy looked around at my gathered pups and the dukes and said "There's been an explosion at the house, Greg. We don't know what's going on, but we have to assume it's an attack, and we need to move you all to safety."

 

I knew Billy had been doing the same thing I had, searching our bond for Scott and Bea. We couldn't feel them, they were gone. "NO! I'm not going anywhere but home to find my mates!" I shouted as I struggled to get away from Tommy as he pulled me towards the helicopter.

 

George grabbed me and shook me "You are the King now Greg. Others will find your mates, but you have to act like a King, and keep yourself out of danger. Get in that helicopter, now!"

 

"All our planes are out of town, George. Where are we going to go? And how?" I said, challenging him.

 

"We have two more helicopters landing here as soon as you're airborne, Sire. We're taking you, all your pups, and the dukes to the airport. Your plane is already running and ready to go to Dracul." Tommy said.

 

I looked at the faces around me. The dukes were counting on me to rule. My pups were counting on me for a future. If Scott and Bea were gone, Billy and I were all they had now. I took a deep breath and nodded.

 

"Fine." I said, as I picked up Charlie to carry him. Billy picked up Davie, and we headed towards the Bell. I turned to make sure all were present when I saw Derrick, Brandon, and Morgan standing back. I handed Charlie to Clint, then ran over to Derrick "You three ride with Josh in the next helicopter."

"No Dad, we're not going. My place is with my pack, Brandon's place is at my side. I'm sorry, Dad, but we have to stay." Derrick said with a determined look in his eyes.

 

I pulled them both into a tight hug as I said "Please, be careful. Take care of your brother. I love you all, more than you know."

 

When I stepped back, I saw the tears streaming down their faces. I turned and ran to join Billy and our pups in the Bell. As soon as the door was closed behind me, we took off. I saw the other helicopters landing to pick up Joshua and the dukes, along with several more of Tommy's security people. The flight to the airport took five minutes, and when we landed, Tommy started guiding me towards a huge, 4 engine jet. I didn't know what it was, but from the red and black paint scheme and the large dragon on the tail, I assumed it belonged to the Nation of Dracul.

 

As we were climbing the stairs, three more helicopters landed and I watched as Josh and several of Tommy's security people got out of the first, and headed our way. The second held Sam and Tanya, and the third held the dukes. The last thing I saw before I entered the plane was Ted, Mickey, and Clint running from the helicopters to climb the stairs of the plane.

 

Clint took us to the upper deck and helped get all the pups into seats in the center lounge, while Yuan led Billy, Josh and I to a lounge towards the front of the upper deck. Hiroki led the dukes to seats on the center deck. Tommy sent his security people to the rear of the center deck, then joined us in the lounge.

 

I heard Ted over the speakers telling Clint and his assistants to prepare for takeoff as the huge jet started to taxi. Clint quickly checked that we were all buckled in, then picked up a phone. After a brief conversation I saw him dial a different number and heard him say "Cabin ready." I felt the huge jet turn onto the runway and only pause for a second as the engines roared to life and we were quickly airborne. Ted had us almost vertical as we climbed high into the air over Pittsburgh, then he slowed the climb and turned east.

 

Once we had leveled off, Billy and I looked around and counted: Joshua, Tanya, Jesse, Jeremey, Chipper, Charlie and Davie were with us. Derrick, Brandon, and Morgan were staying in Pittsburgh, Eric was in Maine. I had to assume that Val and Millie were with Scott and Bea, and were lost.