Author's note: SO MANY thanks to my reviewers, the feedback has meant a lot to me! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done, but with The Covenant and some other writings, plus house work and school and stuff, I've just been so busy! Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and yes, it is a cliffy. As always, please review!

Disclaimer: Ok, anything that was in Underworld, in ANY of its incarnations, belongs to Sony, and Len Wiseman and Co. I only own the characters created for the fic, ok? So don't sue me. Savvy?

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CHAPTER 22: LIES AND INTRIGUE SURROUND US

Sun had long fallen below the horizon by the time the group of lycans, hybrids, and vampires reached Ordoghaz. They walked up to the main entrance, Marcus and Lucian in the lead. Marcus opened the doors and they entered the mansion.

"Everyone, if you would be so kind as to follow us to the throne room, there are some announcements to be made," Marcus declared loudly.

Several faces turned and stared in shock when they saw the arrivals, gaps and worried whispers filling the room. Not one being moved as they passed, the arriving group heading straight to the back, making their way to the throne chamber. The Death Dealers let them pass, just as Brian had promised. Soon though, the vampires were warily following, trying to figure out what was happening, why Lord Marcus had brought lycans to the mansion, letting them walk with their heads high.

Lucian smirked when he saw the ancient ones, vampires he knew, had served and then fought before his first "death". His head held high, he tightened his grip on Sonja's hand as they walked through, her strides keeping her right behind him.

"I have waited six hundred for this," he said to Marcus. "Six hundred years. For them to know why this began. Can you have any idea?"

Marcus honestly thought about those words. He thought about the war, why it started, what Lucian had been through. He felt the lycan Singe's memories stir, he felt what it was to be lycan for the first time. But Singe had not been a lycan for more than fifty years. Not even one century of what Lucian had been through. He glanced at lycan hybrid. "No. I can not begin to."

***

Dominique silently crept down the hall, making sure the coast was clear before signaling for Brian to follow her. They snuck towards the throne room, having been alerted that Marcus and the others had arrived.

"You should go back, I can take care of myself you know," Brian whispered to Dominique. I'm very grateful for you telling me about Anya's plan to kill me, but I'm aware now. You don't have to help me any more."

Dominique turned to him. "Trust me, you need my help," she replied dryly. "You did get beaten by a girl, did you not?"

Brian glowered. "Anya. And she's a LOT older than both of us, our ages put together even!" he hissed back. "Besides, you would not stand much chance against her, you're younger than I am! And not even a Dealer!"

Dominique rolled her eyes. "But I'm female. I would have seen it coming and called for help. Plus," she added, smirking, "I wasn't sired by her."

"Oh, you just had to bring that up," Brian said with a pout. "Who sired you? Kraven?"

Dominique narrowed her eyes. "No. That was Erika," she replied through clenched teeth.

Brian sneered. "Seems I've hit a soft spot. Well, fine. Lead away, if you insist upon helping me. Or have I insulted you enough for you to abandon me yet?"

"I think I'll stay!"

"Fine."

"Males."

Katharine rolled her eyes at the immature display and waited until they were far enough away for her to leave the room she had been hiding in while they crept down the hall and argued like children.

***

Anya glowered as she watched the procession heading for the throne room. Her eyes were the color of ice now, rage filling her. She would make Brian pay for this, backstabbing prick. She cured herself for ever turning him, cursed him for being so ungrateful. She cursed Marcus for humiliating her time after time. They would pay tonight though.

She was not going to give up without a fight.

"I don't know what you're planning, Marcus, but I'll stop it from working," she vowed and descended the stairs to follow the others. She wondered what is was exactly he planned on doing to regain control, but whatever it was, it would fail. How could the covens accept him after seeing his acceptance if the lycans?

He had not been so accepting of them before though. Now they merely suited his needs, nothing more. That was the way of Elders, she had learned that lesson very well. Perhaps, too well. For Marcus, at least.

But Anya did have to wonder how Lucian had escaped death a second time around.

***

Marcus was not at all happy about this arrangement. He sat in the throne, looking at all of the vampires that could fit in the room with the lycans and hybrids. Those that couldn't were in the adjacent room, as well as the security room where they could watch on the monitors. It was time to come clean.

Erika smiled at him reassuringly. She had faith in him. He returned the expression quickly, then sighed and stood to his full height. He took strength in the fact that at least one of them had faith he could do this.

Even Elders could feel fear.

"I'm certain all of you, except for those that came with me," Marcus said with a slight glare, "are wondering what is going on. I'm about to tell you. And I'm going to start from the very beginning."

"Not long after Alexander Corvinus, my grandfather, became the first immortal, he married, still unaware of everything that had taken place within his own body. He fathered at least three children, all of you know the legend. Well, it's true.

"Lycans and vampires are in fact both from Corvinus blood. We do share a common ancestor. And, it is in fact possible to blend the species. Despite what Viktor, Amelia, and I told you for so long, it is indeed possible. I have now become one of these hybrids myself. Because of my blood, Corvinus blood. Direct descendants of Corvinus can take both strains of the virus. Myself, even though born a vampire, can accept the blood of a lycan, or the bite. Michael Corvin, whom the Death Dealer Selene helped, is the human descendant, now a hybrid as well."

Marcus paused, sighing. He knew he had to say this, he had to admit this as well, even though it was only himself that was telling him to do it. There was nobody else that knew, none of them would ever know the better. Except for himself. And the remains of a dead lycan, who wanted to do one last service to his leader.

"And Lucian, the lycan descendant of Corvinus, has become a hybrid as well."

***

Brian and Dominique were almost to the throne room when he heard someone approach from behind. He turned, his eyes narrowing when they landed on the same prick he had seen in bed with Anya earlier. The male vampire held up a gun, smirking.

"Now here's a dilemma, who to shoot first?" the vampire sneered. "The sloppy Death Dealer, or the treacherous servant girl?"

"I'm hardly the treacherous one," Dominique spat in contempt. She glared at him defiantly.

Brian sighed. He was afraid this would happen. Now he not only had to protect himself, but Dominique as well. At least it would be easy to do with this particular vampire, as he wasn't even aiming the gun at anything vital. He could tell the gun was aimed it himself, not Dominique, and it was only aimed at his leg.

"Shut up, bitch," the male snapped, stepping forward and now pointing the gun at her. She stepped away from him, backing up until she reached Brian. "Unless you want to die slowly after I kill him," he said, once again aiming the gun at Brian.

Come one, just a few more steps closer, only a few more feet, Brian silently encouraged the male. As soon as the vampire was close enough, Brian would be able to get the gun away and the male on the ground. But something he did not count on happened.

Several loud gasps were heard from behind, startling all three of them. The male let off a round, and Brian felt Dominique crash into him, knocking them both to the ground. They hit the floor, Brian taking the brunt of the fall. He quickly got up and kicked the male, pulling out a small dagger and stabbing him in the heart.

"You should never ever try something so stupid with a Death Dealer. No matter how young they are," he growled. Pulling the dagger out, he knocked the gun from the vampire's hand and watched him fall to the ground.

A small moan from Dominique captured his attention and he turned to see her on the floor still, her stomach bleeding.

"I think he shot me," she said weakly, making Brian smile even as he knelt to tend to the wound. "But I don't think it's fatal."

Brian nodded. "You're right, it isn't. But it will hurt for a day or so. Just be thankful silver is only effective on lycans, not us," he replied, smiling softly at her. "Come on, let's get you bandaged," he said, picking her up.

"But, what about Lord Marcus and the others?" she asked him. "Don't they need to be told Anya plans t have them assassinated.

"Listen, I highly doubt we have anything here that can kill Marcus and Lucian now. Besides, they're old, powerful, they're bound to expect something from her," he reasoned. "And we can go and let them know after your all cleaned up."

Dominique smiled, then became thoughtful. "Brian, what was that gasping about?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. Guess Lord Marcus must have made a very surprising announcement."

***

For the first time in several centuries, Lucian knew what it was like to have everything turned upside down. He was the lycan descendant of Corvinus? But that was impossible, how could he be of Corvinus blood? The lycan side of Corvinus was supposed to have been killed before the lycans were enslaved. He had found that out after stealing several books forbidden to all but the Elders and Council, not long after his escape.

"Viktor was did not want it to be known that vampires and lycans were in actuality from the same source," Marcus explained. "When he awoke after I had enslaved the lycans, at first he had believed the lycans were not to be tamed, but killed. He hated them, we all did really. But none like Viktor. Why, even I do not know," the Elder admitted. "But when I and the Council convinced him of their value, of the growing hatred and suspicion within the mortal world, he agreed to allow their presence. On one condition," Marcus paused and stared at Lucian. "The identity of the Corvinus lycans was never to be known. The Council of course agreed happily, as they were for it themselves, and it was done."

Almost everyone in the room began whispering, shocked at this revelation. Lucian felt Sonja grab his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. He smiled gratefully at her.

"So you see, Lucian, you never needed Michael. You would have changed without his blood, just as I did," Marcus stated, voicing what Lucian had kept thinking since the hybrid Elder had stated his true heritage.

"I should have had Singe test my blood," Lucian whispered more to himself than anyone else. Sonja squeezed his hand. "We always used blood from wounds, or someone would volunteer to give, but if I had done it."

"You had no way of knowing, my love," Sonja whispered back comfortingly. "You had no reason to believe your blood was any different from the others'. Do not be troubled, perhaps everything worked out for the best, in the long run," she told him.

"Perhaps."

"What all does this mean?" asked one vampire. Several others nodded, soon everyone was, asking what this meant for them, what it meant for the war.

"Silence!" Marcus shouted and sighed wearily. "The war is nothing but a lie. Viktor's lie. The war was not started by the lycans They were slaves, our guardians during the day. Ask those in here that were around more than six centuries ago, ask them what the lycans did. They will not say, but they know. Viktor made everyone of them swear they would never tell. But even they do not know the truth. He lied to them, told them Lucian had killed Sonja, Viktor's daughter."

More gasps and hushed murmurs, more shocked expressions, though this time there were many faces that simply looked guilty, afraid even, and certainly confused.

Lucian felt Sonja step closer to him, though he doubted she even realized she had. He pulled her close, holding her back to his chest, his arms tightly around her waist, protectively. "It will be all right," he assured her.

Marcus rolled his eyes and sighed again. Lucian smirked, glad not to be in Marcus' position. He'd been in it plenty enough times with his pack.

"Would the lot of you shut up!" Marcus yelled impatiently. Crickets would have been deafening in the silence that followed. "Thank you," he remarked dryly.

"Welcome back, Marcus," a female, mocking voice said from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned to see Anya, with about twenty vampires behind her, many Death Dealers. "So glad you could visit." Before anyone could blink, the sneering vampire raised a gun and aimed it at the Elder. "I hear your heart is still weak enough to die by bullet."

With that, she pulled the trigger.

***

"OW!"

"Sorry, but I had to get it out."

"I know, but still, I think it felt better going in then coming out, which is not right, in my humble opinion."

"Whatever. Have you ever had this happen to you before? No? Didn't think so. Besides, that's a fairly good size you know."

"And there's blood everywhere now."

"Yes, well, this usually cause bleeding!"

Dominique sighed. "Fine, just, get that thing away from me," she demanded, pointing at the bullet that Brian had just gotten out of her side. The wound burned even more now, but at least the blasted thing was out. She stared forlornly at her ruined shirt laying beside her on the counter. "Well that's ruined. If only it were black," she grumbled.

Brian rolled his eyes. "At least you're salvageable. Be thankful for that," he told her, wiping away the blood. "Although this has made you more irritable than before," he commented dryly, which made Dominique slap his shoulder hard, which then caused him to knock her wound, which of course caused her to let out a sharp cry of pain. Brian glared, then softened when he saw the grimace on her face. "Hey, be careful. You can slap me around as much as you like, but at least wait until you're healed," he chided her gently, smirking.

Dominique grinned. "So, you're giving me permission to slap you around once I'm fully healed?" she asked him smugly.

Brian's smirk grew. "Certainly. It's not like they hurt."

"You!" she exclaimed, raising her arm as if to slap him, but then dropped it and simply glowered at him, pouting as he went on cleaning her stomach. She wanted to smack that grin off his face, but she refrained, remembering how much it had hurt the last time she had slapped him. She shivered as he started to bandage the wound, his fingers tickling her.

"Cold?" he asked, not looking up as he quickly worked.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm sitting here on a cold counter, topless except for my bra, and in a freezing cold room, I'm hot actually," she replied cheekily. She opened her mouth to say something else, but no sound came out before his mouth covered hers, his tongue quickly entering. She moaned despite herself, responding to the kiss.

Brian pulled away after a moment, then finished bandaging the wound. He threw away the leftover gauze and bloody cloth, along with her shirt. He smirked when he turned around, satisfied with her shocked, expression.

"Knew that would shut you up."