“It’s good to see you,” he said.
“It’s good to see you too,” Ronan said. “I didn’t think we’d ever see you again, at least not like this.”
“Neither did I.”
They released each other, and Ronan stepped back to rest his hands on Lucien’s shoulders. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Yes, we do.”
Callie kept her hands clasped in front of her as she watched the men. The love between them was evident, but there was something a little awkward in their embrace; she doubted they did it often. From what Lucien told her, his friends were his family, but they didn’t share much about themselves.
Their bond was born of their necessity to fight the evil threatening to ravage the world. It was obvious when he talked about them that he loved them, but they kept their pasts to themselves. She suspected it was because many of them had memories they preferred to forget.
When they turned toward her, Callie lifted her chin and tried not to be intimidated by the man with the reddish-brown eyes. The power oozing from him crackled against her skin.
“Ronan, this is Callie,” Lucien introduced.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Ronan said.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Callie said and was proud her voice didn’t quiver.
Ronan studied her for a minute before he turned to wave out the door. Callie’s nervousness increased when a man with auburn hair and a beautiful woman with dark blonde hair and striking violet eyes entered the room.
The man embraced Lucien, and they hugged before separating. The woman bowed her head to him in greeting but made no move to hug him.
“It’s good to see you alive,” Lucien said to Willow.
She smiled at him. “You also.”
Lucien inspected the bite marks on Willow and Declan’s necks. He lifted an eyebrow at his friend, and Declan smiled in return.
“You never know what kind of curveballs life is going to throw you,” Declan said.
Lucien held his hand out to Callie. “No, you don’t.”
Callie hesitated before approaching and taking his hand in hers. She held it a little too tight but then, she was a human surrounded by vampires who were all studying her with open curiosity.
“Callie, this is my friend, Declan, and his mate, Willow.”
He’d told her about vampire mates during one of their many conversations. He explained how Ronan had found his mate in a hunter and how they’d joined with the hunters to form the Alliance against the Savages.
He’d also told her about Declan and Willow. She knew Willow had been in the woods with him and she’d gotten away.
“Hi,” Callie greeted.
They both smiled at her, but their eyes were assessing as they ran over her. Callie threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin as she tried not to feel like a lab specimen beneath their inspection. She also found herself inspecting the bite marks on their necks; from what Lucien had told her, those bites were evidence of their mate bond.
When Willow broke into a smile that lit her beautiful face, Callie couldn’t help smiling back at her. Her attention shifted to Declan as he studied her with his striking, silver eyes. Those eyes shone with warmth, but something about them made her think he saw more of her than she wanted him to see. She almost stepped behind Lucien to hide from that insightful gaze, but she refused to back down.
“Is Kadence here too?” Lucien asked.
“No,” Ronan said. “And she’s not happy about it.”
“Who else is here?”
“Killean, Nathan, Saxon, Saber, Logan, and Asher. There are some other recruits here too.”
Lucien glanced out the open door, but he didn’t see any of the others. They were most likely hidden in strategic places that would allow them to attack if this had been a trap.
