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“We’ll work on getting you on my schedule later. You’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll lie with you until you fall asleep.”
Ethan looked up at him skeptically, but Marcus could see him weakening. He was truly dead on his feet after all the packing, traveling, and organizing. There was a lot more work ahead of them as well between the house and dealing with the Ministry. Ethan needed to be sharp to get through it all.
“Promise?” Ethan asked petulantly.
Marcus laughed and pulled him toward the stairs. In the bedroom, they stripped down to their boxer briefs and stretched out in bed. Ethan rolled onto his side, and Marcus curled his muscular frame around Ethan, soaking in his warmth and instinctively protecting him. There was a dancer’s litheness to Ethan that made Marcus more aware of his own lumbering size. But where he’d felt too large and in the way as a human, with Ethan he became a mountain of strength, an impenetrable barrier that kept all threats at bay.
Marcus had thought he’d understood love when it came to dedicating himself to his family, but Ethan showed him a type of love he hadn’t been able to imagine. Ethan was the breath in his lungs and the blood in his veins. He was Marcus’s joy and sorrow. His tomorrow.
When their conversation in the closet had drifted to transforming Ethan into a vampire, Marcus couldn’t deny that the idea excited him. He’d never have to worry about Ethan growing old, getting sick. Most injuries would be shrugged off and quickly healed. As vampires, they would have centuries together. Not a few short decades, if they were lucky.
But such a decision was not to be taken lightly. Ethan would have to feed on other humans. He’d have to give up walks in the sunlight. Humans would hold a new danger if they discovered the truth about him. Vampires would challenge him, try to kill him, because of the clan he belonged to.
And then there was simply eternity stretching endlessly out before them.
Marcus would say nothing to sway Ethan one way or another. If he elected to remain human, Marcus would cherish the time they had together, no matter how short it was.
A soft snore rose from Ethan and Marcus smiled. He’d managed to fall asleep inside of five minutes. Marcus wasn’t tired in the least, but he was content to lie there for a while, listening to Ethan snore and feeling his body pressed against his own. He’d never felt this kind of peace before, and he wanted it to be a permanent part of his life. To have that, Ethan needed to be safe.
Marcus ran his teeth over his bottom lip again and again as Ethan’s suggestion played over in his head. He and his brothers couldn’t be the only ones who wanted this kind of peace and safety. There had to be others. Alliances could be formed. Promises made. It would be awkward and uncomfortable at first as they learned to trust each other, but it was worth it if it kept Ethan safe.
Very carefully, Marcus extricated himself from Ethan and tucked the blankets around him before silently walking to his office. Sitting down at his desk, he pulled out a single sheet of blank paper and a pen. It took him only a few moments to make a short list of four clan names.
Montgomery
Arsenault
Wagner
Fernández
To his knowledge, each of them had started with a single strong vampire leader who had eschewed the typical power struggles that had formed the Ministry in the first place. These clans kept to themselves and were never linked to the usual battles that ended in piles of bodies.
Marcus felt that he could trust these clans. Form an alliance with these clans within the Americas. With them, he could feel that he’d be able to get some justice for Julianna and Ethan’s family. It wasn’t enough to claim the blood of the vampires who slaughtered them. Marcus needed to change the rulers that allowed such a thing to happen. He needed to make sure others would not suffer the same loss they did.
He quickly dipped back into the bedroom and pulled his cell phone off the charger. He texted his brothers the four clan names. They had a starting point for after the dust settled. He had a plan.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Marcus glared at the collar shining around Ethan’s neck. It wasn’t as visible as it had been at Winslow’s house. Tonight, he’d asked Ethan to wear a new suit he’d had made for him. It had arrived that morning and fit him perfectly. The dark-navy jacket and slacks against the white button-down shirt only seemed to set off the damn collar rather than make it less noticeable.
Or maybe it was just him. He would have preferred Ethan wear a nice tie with an interesting design.
