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I really didn’t want to deal with it, but I wasn’t complaining. Amaros was so busy planning the invasion that he wasn’t focused on Kali. Right now, he wasn’t even on the property. And I’d sent all the other vampires away from the rotunda so I could speak to my brothers. But we still had to be careful, just in case anyone was listening.
“No,” I answered slowly. “She told the Shadows to get away from her. And they did.”
Viggo shook his head. “Fucking unbelievable. They tried taking our heads when Pax and I walked in there a couple years ago.”
“I know,” I muttered, my eyes staying on Kali’s back.
Shadows didn’t learn discipline. They fought against any type of hierarchy. Which was why they were useless in the war. They didn’t give a fuck about what Amaros wanted. He was trying to change it. By using me to take control.
Before humans were aware of the existence of vampires, Shadows stayed hidden just like vampires. They were solo creatures and were perfectly happy blending into the human world. Something they easily did since they could walk in the sun. Though the population of Shadows used to be nonexistent. Older vampires let a rumor spread that male vampires couldn’t mate with humans. That when they felt the urge to mate, to only do it with female vampires. It was a tale that was spun for years, making the birth of Shadows rare.
From what Amaros had told us, most vampires believed Shadows were a threat to our secret life. That humans would discover their black blood. It wasn’t until the war broke out that the birth of Shadows skyrocketed. Largely because of Amaros. He wanted to build a superior army and planned to use the Shadows to do it. It wasn’t working exactly how he wanted, and I could tell he was getting frustrated.
“I’m telling you, there’s something about her,” Viggo mumbled. “Her blood smells different. And now the Shadows act like that? I bet that come her birthday, she’ll have black blood.”
Pax blew out a breath. “Let’s hope not.”
I snagged one of Viggo’s cigarettes and put it between my lips before lighting it. I’d been on edge since we got here. Going to the Pen only made it worse. If Kali was a Shadow…I didn’t even want to think about it. They had a different mentality from regular vampires, and if she was one, she would be even more difficult to handle. She already hated being here, and being a Shadow would make that even worse.
“What are you going to do with her when we go to Project Peace?” Viggo asked, pulling me from my thoughts. “She sure as hell can’t go with us.”
“I know,” I gritted out. “I’ll figure it out.”
I exhaled, waving away the smoke as Kali turned around. She crossed the rotunda, and her scent engulfed me as she got closer. Though it was different from usual. My gaze dropped to her body, inhaling another deep breath. Yesterday, she’d started her period. I thought I’d noticed before she did. I could smell the blood when she was sleeping. Luckily, the cooking staff consisted of human women, and they had products that I’d gotten for Kali. I’d put them in my bathroom before she woke up, and even though I knew she’d used them, she hadn’t said a word about it to me.
“What are you three talking about?” she asked as she fell into the chair next to me.
“Zan’s obsession,” Viggo muttered under his breath before giving her a wide grin. “Nothing you need to worry about, Kali.”
She rolled her eyes, and before I realized what she was doing, she snatched the cigarette from my fingers. As she moved to bring it to her mouth, I stole it back.
“That’s bad for you,” I growled, smashing it out in the ashtray.
She raised an eyebrow. “You were just smoking it.”
“I can’t die from it,” I said simply. “You have human lungs.”
She scoffed. “Viggo smokes around me all the time.”
Viggo grabbed his pack of cigarettes off the table and stuffed them into his pocket. “Don’t even think about it. I can smoke whenever I want.”
She laughed lightly. “I’m not worried about that. This life is going to kill me faster anyway.”
“Don’t,” I said firmly. “You’re not going to die.”
Her eyes cut to mine. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
I caught her wrist and heaved her onto my lap, ignoring her protests. She wriggled against me as I locked my arms around her.
“Do you remember the promise I made last week?” I murmured in her ear.
She tensed slightly. “Yes.”
“I’m keeping that one,” I whispered, brushing my lips on her cheek. “Don’t forget it, Kali. Even if it seems like I’m not. Understand?”
She snapped her head to the side to look at me. “What does that mean?”
“Just don’t forget it.” I glanced at my brothers when they both got to their feet.
