The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 64

Xandar met Lucianne's orbs that were sparkling with curiosity before he smiled at the beautiful sight and ran his fingers down her soft hair as he explained, "Bernard IV was the Director-General of the Secret Service that used to exist, sweetheart. The Service started with him, who took in creatures of any species as long as they possessed enough aptitude, attitude, mental stamina, emotional stability and psychological mastery. They operated independent of governments and monarchies, loyal only to civilians but...” He took an uneasy gaze around the room and continued, "His successor didn't possess the same vision or nobility that he had, and soon, it became evident that politics played a role in how the Secret Service operated." Lucianne looked around, and then back at her slightly guilty husband and said, "Let me guess, his successor was a lycan?"

Xandar gave a slow nod, staring at her fingers he was clinging onto as he uttered, "And the lycan was his daughter." Lucianne's mouth gaped open while the rest of the wolves and lycans tried their best to keep their shock to themselves.

The vampires were becoming even more impressed with this royal couple. They definitely feared them now that they had met, but some part of them couldn't help but...like them. If it were another Lycan King or Queen, they'd definitely turn defensive at any information that tarnished a lycan's reputation. Xandar and Lucianne were, oddly, not doing anything close to that.

Rafael quickly added after Xandar, "It wouldn't be fair to blame the lycans as a whole for the successor's...incompetence, Your Highnesses. Bernard IV was a lycan as well, and things went great! He became a legend!"

Xandar forced a smile and said, "That's very kind of you to say, Rafael. But the fact is as quickly as something legendary was built by a lycan, it was also quickly demolished by another lycan."

He turned to his queen and completed the story, "The rulers of every species in existence reached a unanimous decision to dissolve the Service. And that was the end of it."

In the quiet, devastating atmosphere of loss, Greg suddenly commented with a gleaming smile, "Finally. Something about the damn subject that's worth learning about." Even his animal paid attention to a historical tale without effort for once. Xandar then pointed out the obvious, "About sensing a decipio's manipulation...I've never read about such a thing."

Rafael chuckled and said, "We're not taught that over here either, Your Highness. But, in the unpublished royal archives, now in faded ink, it says that Bernard IV and his espions were the only ones who had abilities that others did not, and not because they were born that way, but were trained that way. So, Your Highness," his eyes shifted to Lucianne when he expressed his enthusiasm, "I would very much like to know how you trained your senses to smell things that others cannot."

All eyes fell on Lucianne, who had to disappoint them when she said, "Well, my sense of smell had always been a little better than most, Rafael. You see, I can smell things like silver, oleander and mercury, substances that are scientifically proven to have no distinct odor. I'm...born this way. So, I guess I don't qualify to be an espionne in The Secret Service if it still existed today."

Rafael continued questioning, "Does it also mean that, for usual scents, you are innately born to smell them better?

"Uh......don't know?" Lucianne muttered obliviously. How did one even measure that?

Rafael got to thinking, and when his eyes went to Pellethia's cup of red liquid, a smile spread across his serious face. He took her cup away, earning an annoyed, "Raf, that's mine!" from the empress, which he ignored when he asked Lucianne, "Can you smell this, Your Highness?" Greg had his arms crossed when he shook his head in disapproval of what Rafael was doing, and said, "Don't patronize her. It has to be blood." Lucianne immediately said, "It's not.”

Her friends and family stared at her when Greg blinked. His eyes widened as he studied the queen's face that was nothing less than sure.

"It's not?" Greg asked more in disbelief of her smelling abilities rather than the disbelief of the drink not being blood.

"Of course it's not. Blood scent would have circulated in any room. We've been here for more than an hour. No one smelled anything yet. There's no way that's blood. What it smells like is more of..." Lucianne turned to the cup as she started sniffing from where she sat, "...raspberry, strawberry and a whiff of...something fizzy. What is it, Pelly?"

"Phosphoric acid, Aunt Lucy."

"Ah. New one." Lucianne took a mental note.

Greg digested her unusual ability and muttered, "A very new one."

Lucianne then asked Rafael, "Anyway, do you mean to say that we just might be able to defend ourselves with our noses...and other senses?"

"I do believe that it's possible, Your Highness. And the good news is that the decipios who attacked weren't even that skillful, so—”

"Weren't even that skillful?" Xandar questioned.

Christian went on, "And those decipios are considered good news?"

Rafael's mouth promptly shut, and Lucianne stroked Xandar's hand as she explained, "Perhaps what Rafael was trying to say is that with the most basic practice, we'd be able to go around their...mind-attack, darling. That's good news. We don't have to train very long to protect ourselves." Without peeling his eyes off Rafael, he pecked a kiss on his wife's hand before he asked, "And what is a skillful decipio like, Rafael?"

Xandar, Christian and Toby remembered their conversation with him and Amber at Falling Vines, about Rafael being the most powerful decipio in the empire. If anyone could provide an insight on manipulation powers, it would be him.

Rafael's sights instinctively went to Lucianne, who gave him an encouraging nod as he explained, "Well, a skilled one would be able to enter your minds slowly and subtly to avoid detection for as long as possible. From whatever you've both just told us, Your Highnesses, it seems lik these never...bothered to enhance their innate ability. They barged right into your minds. Only below average players do that. And instead of building walls and caging you in your own minds, a very good decipio would be able to slither his way in. Less effort, better results." "That's amazing!" Lucianne praised in awe.

If it was anyone else who said that, Xandar would've torn off that creature's head and thrown it out of the window or, if he was feeling civilized, he would use his royal prerogative to subject the creature to solitary confinement for the rest of its living days. Since this was his little freesia, all Xandar could do was sigh in despair at her amazement of the very power that almost killed her, and mutter, "No, baby. It's not. It's deadly."

"Well, I'm not saying that it's not dangerous, Xandar. But to have the ability to manipulate someone without them knowing just opens up a whole new level!"

"One that I hope we won't have to unlock, my

love."

"Better to unlock it now than later, don't you think?" Lucianne asked.

Toby muttered, "I knew this was coming."

Christian questioned in suspicion, "What is?"

Greg rolled his eyes because, unlike his distant cousin, he knew what Toby meant. Those infected with the Blackfur gene were just so slow.

Toby exchanged a knowing glance with his best friend and said, "Lucy is going to get Xandar to agree that we should practice with a few skillful decipios over the next few days or weeks to be ready for the next attack. Can't believe she's already getting my vote on this even before she said the words."

Rafael was the most excited. "I have no problem with volunteering in these practice sessions, Your Highnesses!" His enthusiasm was not shared by many of his own but he didn't care. If neither Pellethia nor Octavia stopped him, he was going to go with it.

Juan murmured, "Well, better now than later." Similar murmurs spread amongst them, especially the pack leaders.

Lucianne looked at Xandar with doe eyes as she awaited his decision, and the king sighed in defeat before pecking a kiss between her eyebrows as he repeated everyone's words, "Better now than later, then."