Chapter 77: 77__A born King

The look in his eyes was resolute, the most sincere she had ever seen before.

Maia looked coyly to the side, stunned to find her heart fluttering in her chest and her lips wanting to smile.

Wait. She frowned at herself.

Just a minute ago, she was angry with him! How could he turn the tables so quickly? Glancing over, she gave him a narrow-eyed look. This sly sorcerer. Was he pulling his Vampire moves on her, taking away her anger?

Rogan frowned in confusion when he saw the look she gave him. Clear disappointment tugged down the corner of his lips. “What’s wrong? You… you don’t believe me? You think I’m lying to you?”

Maia blinked. “Hm?”

He released a heavy breath. “Maia, I swear on my life—”

Her hands curled into the front of his t-shirt and jerked him forward for a quick, hard kiss.

Rogan blinked in shock and stared at her. The kiss had been so quick, he’d have missed it had it not taken place on his own lips.

She released his shirt and held her hands politely together, looking away like she hadn’t just kissed him. “I believe you.”

His brows rose. “Say again?”

“I should have stayed angry a bit longer, but I can’t help it. Damn it all to hell,” she muttered.

Staring at her in slight wonder, Rogan vaguely realized she was starting to sound more and more like him. “You’re saying you believe me?”

“Of course,” Maia said, giving him a peek from the corner of her eye. “If you haven’t noticed, I tend to have a hard time letting you go. I blame your Vampire charms for that.”

His mouth twitched at the corners as he watched her complain about his vampire charms with her nose pointed to the ceiling like her being madly in love with him had nothing to do with it.

Releasing a breath like he was releasing all the anxiety that had been filling his chest, Rogan took her hand and turned her to face him.

Maia’s cheeks were pink, glowing from all the giddiness she was struggling to contain.

She was insane, wasn’t she? Happy to stand here with this villainous Vampire Sorcerer who had just sworn his loyalty to her after everything. Ah, who gave a damn? The way he looked at her was enough to convince her that she had him hooked on her like drug!

A sudden giggle left her making Rogan blink.

“Are you… okay?”

Maia nodded. “Mm-hm.”

Slowly nodding, he glanced towards the door. “Will you go somewhere with me?”

“Where?” she asked with a high tone of disappointment. “Can’t we just stay at home?”

“We need to do something urgent, Maia.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her chin on his chest and looking up at him. “Let’s stay at home just today? We just finished being angry at each other, I don’t think we should see the outside world yet.”

“Yes,” Rogan immediately agreed, nodding. “Fuck Cassius, they can wait. If you want to stay home, we’re staying home.”

He scoffed out a disbelieving laugh, still nodding in agreement. Oh, the power her little hands had when they wrapped around him could probably make him sign his soul away to the devil.

Sighing contentedly, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Let me clean up.”

Maia’s blooming smile crumbled when Rogan reached for the glass of Trojan.

“No!” Shoving his hand away, she smacked away the glass.

“Maia!”

Open-mouthed, Rogan watched as the glass shot off the table, spilling purple juice everywhere.

He looked at her. “What was that for?”

Satisfied, Maia wrapped her arms around him again. "I'm protecting you! From the trojans.”

Tilting his head, Rogan pointed at the spilled juice. “Do I *look* like I could get killed by a bit of juice?”

She frowned. “You said so! The Trojans!”

He flicked her forehead with a finger, making her blink. “A potion. Not damn juice, a specific potion containing Trojans would have done the job. Besides, I’m free of Ursula’s spell now, Trojans will have no effect at all.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Really? So… in other words, you lied for pity?”

Rogan scoffed. “I did no such thing.”

“You lied.”

“Don’t call me a liar.”

“Liar, liar, sorcerer underpants on fire!”

He jerked her against him. “How dare you mention my underpants, young lady?”

“*Ahem!*” came the tiny sound of a throat clearing.

They both looked at a high chair at the center kitchen table.

A green-haired pixie was twirling a finger in the air. “Am I, uh… interrupting something here?”

Rogan snatched up the poor creature. “How dare you step foot into our kitchen?”

“Help!” squealed the poor pixie.

Rogan lifted his angry gaze to Maia’s face, pausing at the wide-eyed look she was giving him.

“I mean…” he began, slowly lowering the pixie and gently petting his head. “What are you doing here, little buddy?”

Maia’s lips twitched at his forced gentleness, but she forced them still.

“Well!” said the offended pixie, dusting his clothes. “I thought you’d like to know that there are people at your door. Didn’t think I’d get attacked for it! I mean, *really*! What has the world come to?! A good deed goes unrewarded!”

Walking away from the complaining pixie, Rogan headed for the door, his guard up.

He felt Maia right behind him and glanced at her as he reach for the door.

“Need me to get my weapons?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “I might. Let’s see first.”

The door was pulled open and they both stepped out onto the front steps of the grand house.

Maia looked at the four strangers before her with a deep frown of unease. “Who the hell are they?”

Rogan looked at them with an expressionless face, wondering what the hell they were doing there.

“We’ve been looking for you, Rogan,” said one of them.

His cat-like green eyes stared straight at Rogan, no shadow of a smile on his mouth.

Squaring his shoulders, he starting coming up the stairs, getting closer and closer to them.

Maia grew tense. “Who are they?!”

The man reached them, but before he could even touch Rogan, he was welcomed with a spinning kick, sending him flying off the stairs and landing face-first on the ground.

“Maia!” Rogan chided.

Breathing heavy, she straightened, lowering her leg and fists. “Stay back unless you want to get hurt! Touch the Sorcerer and I will break your legs in four places. You have been warned.” She turned to Rogan. “Who the hell are they? Do you know them? Let me get my weapons.”

She started to hurry past him, but Rogan caught her arm and tugged her back. “Can you relax? We’re not under attack or anything.”

Blinking in surprise, Maia looked back at the guy who was being helped off the ground by his three friends. “We’re not? But… then who are they? And why did they say they’ve been looking for you?”

Another of the four looked cautiously at her, pale-faced. “Apologies… for trespassing this way, but we’re not here to fight.”

He sounded like he was about to cry so Maia lowered her guard, suspecting she would soon feel guilty for her actions. “You’re not? Well, who are you?”

“We’re…” began the pale-faced guy. He slowly raised a hand and pointed at Rogan. “We’re his nephews…”

Maia’s eyes popped wide open. “Nephews?!” She glanced at Rogan, seeing no reaction on his face. “You have nephews?! You’re his nephews?!”

The four guys nodded.

“Oh, my God,” she squeaked, covering her mouth with both hands.

Rogan shrugged a shoulder, his hands in his pockets. “It’s not a big deal.”

“How is it not a big deal?” Maia whined. “I kicked your nephew in the face!”

“Well, why did you do that in the first place?” Rogan demanded, shaking his head as he watched her descend the stairs to apologise from up close.

“I’m really sorry, I had no idea. Are you alright? What’s your name?”

“K-K-Klause…” said the guy, holding his jaw. “

Maia blinked. “klause? Like Santa of the North?”

“Maia, come over here!” Rogan called exasperatedly. “They’re not here for a chit-chat.”

“Actually… we are,” stated one of the men.

“Oh, yeah?” Rogan asked them. “Well, come back another day, boys. We’re gonna be busy all day today.”

“We heard you got rid of her,” said Klause.

Rogan looked expressionlessly at them as Maia returned to his side. “So?”

The eldest of the brothers stepped forward. “Rogan, getting rid of Diana—"

“Your mother, Blaire.”

The one who spoke released a breath of discomfort. “Our… *mother*… Do I really have to show respect for that woman?”

Rogan said nothing, only looked at him.

Blair sighed and cleared his throat. “Getting rid of… our *mother*… was the most iconic thing to ever happen in the history of Cassius’s existence! Don’t walk away now.”

Waving those words away, Rogan pointed at them. “Didn’t you four leave? About a decade ago. You lived amongst humans.”

Blaire nodded. “We did. After all we contributed to your fight against Viktor, Di… our mother became unbearably controlling. She… threatened to kill us… if we contacted you again.”

“Not to mention she was getting insanely obsessed with gaining power to kill both you and Viktor,” added Klause. “It only got worse when Grandmother died.”

Blaire nodded. “Exactly. When we heard she was finally gone, we returned.” He smiled. “I’m really excited about the future of Cassius now that you’re King, Rogan.” He looked at Maia with reverence. “I’m hoping she’s our Queen. If she can kick like that, I don’t foresee many Kingdoms trying to attack us.”

Rogan raised a brow and exchanged looks with Maia. “Who says we’ll be your King and Queen?”

The guys looked at each other with anxiousness.

Klause looked like he would cry. “But… if you don’t do it… who will?”

Rogan looked smug. “Perhaps if you beg—”

“We’ll do it!” announced Maia happily.

Rogan blinked. “What—”

“Really?!” said Blaire, smiling from ear to ear as his brothers cheered.

Maia nodded cheerfully, ignoring the look Rogan was burning into the side of her face. “Yes, we will,” she reassured them. “So don’t worry. Rogan here will take care of everything. Okay? Cassius has a bright future ahead.”

With eyes shining with tears of adoration, the four guys all dropped to a knee. “All hail, our Queen!”

Rogan gave them a look. “Yeah, I didn’t say—”

“Now, now, Rogan,” said Maia, laying a calming hand on his chest.

He looked at her. “We didn’t discuss this, little love.”

Maia smiled up at him. “Yes, we did. When your brother was here, I remember we agreed. Rogan, this is meant to happen, you’re meant for this. Okay? I can see it clear in your eyes, you want to do this. I don’t know why you’re hesitating.”

He huffed out a grumpy breath, looking away. “I mean… I don’t know…”

Maia held his cheeks and made him face her. “Rogan… that throne is rightfully yours. It’s a throne that your mother was robbed of, I think she’d be happy that you take care of it for her. Okay? That’s what you are. More than an evil sorcerer, a villain, or whatever else you think you are. You’re a *King*.”

He looked silently into her eyes, inhaling deeply.

After moments of deep silence, Rogan looked at his kneeling nephews.

“We’re coming to Cassius. Prepare things.”