Scotty
I’d been whisperinginto Ego’s ear that it was sundown, and he could wake up now, for at least twenty minutes. Around the room, our friends watched me from their spots. Generally informal, just dealing with each occurrence as it came, showing up however they showed up, they’d all put on white robes the second Ego fell asleep. I had no idea when they’d had time to get them or why, but I didn’t know where the compass had appeared from either.
Ego remained stone still in my arms, and I was starting to worry. Rosie had promised to wake King and Sky up the minute Ego returned, and we weren’t taking any chances on doing it even a second earlier in case their voices had reached him somehow, and were helping to keep him calm and coming back to me.
Suddenly, he jerked, rocking in my arms like he was in the midst of a fight, and that was when I saw him—the attacker. He was fighting Ego off while my vamp clutched him as hard as he could.
“Ego, let him go,” Lysandro’s voice cracked like a whip through the room.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his friend Benji tiptoe into the room, hugging the wall. He either didn’t want to be seen, or he didn’t want to distract Lysandro. I couldn’t be sure which.
Ego released the Master vampire, who sprang backward, putting his back against the wall to survey the room. I saw him take in all the pillar and votive candles, and off the white-robed witches assembled around the room. His gaze passed right over the spirits who were present, so I assumed he couldn’t see them. Then his gaze reached Lysandro and he smirked.
Ego pushed me into the corner of the couch until it almost hurt, then sat in front of me protectively. Anger poured off of him in waves. My first instinct was to rub his back and settle him, but I knew that wasn’t the right call
“Brother,” the asshole vampire said to Lysandro.
I heard several gasps around the room, but Lysandro merely stood up impossibly straighter. “Vesper, I should’ve known it was you.”
I took a good, long look at this Master vampire, this Vesper, and cringed. If he’d gone to Ego before turning him, seduced him, my baby vamp might be in a very different place right now. Vesper didn’t have Lysandro’s eccentricities, but an old-time charm with his dark brown hair and even darker eyes. Like Lysandro, and Ego now, not a mark marred his pale, pristine skin.
Vesper sneered. “And I should’ve known the fledgling found you. Always so pathetic. Tell me, Dro, have you sired any children of your own yet?”
At the nickname, Ego whimpered. He’d have never hurt Lysandro intentionally, and if this asshole called him Dro, then Ego had been poking at a wound.
“Unlike you, I know the responsibility that comes with having a fledgling.”
“Our mother taught you nothing.” Vesper spit on the floor—which, rude.
“No, our mother taught you nothing. She always let you stray too far and get away with too much. What you’ve done to Ego is proof of that.”
Vesper’s gaze tracked from Lysandro to Ego. He saw me peeking around Ego’s back and took a step to the side. “Ahh, the anchor.”
Ego jumped to his feet, yet still hunched down in front of me, spreading his arms wide. “Do not look at him,” he hissed around his fangs.
“How dare you speak to me like that.” His gaze bore holes into Ego. His own canines descended before he continued, “I will put you in your place.”
He looked around the room again before landing back on Ego. “I don’t know how you got me here. It should’ve been you who came to me.” He thumped his chest. “What are these? Witches? They can’t help you now that I’m here. You will leave with me, Ego, and you will obey me.”
“Never.” Ego shook with barely-controlled rage. This wasn’t the situation for my dick to wake up, but there was something about him when he let his nature take over that just really did it for me.
“You never understood the bigger picture. Did you, Vesper?” Lysandro said, smoothing down his shirt. He had so many mannerisms that reminded me of Mr. Harry, that I wondered exactly how old he was.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lysandro gestured around the room. “The witches might not be able to harm you on their own, but they brought you here. And you don’t control these thresholds.”
“But I do own him,” he said, pointing at Ego. “And I will be taking my child.”
“He’s no child of yours,” Lysandro snapped, showing the first sign of his own anger. “And unless he goes willingly, you will not be going anywhere.”
Vesper ignored him and focused on Ego. His dark eyes began to swirl with dark gray, storm-like clouds. “Ego, my child. My fledgling.” He held out a hand Ego’s direction. “Come with me.”
Carefully, I sat one hand in the center of Ego’s back, grounding him and reminding him that I was here. I willed him to understand just by touch that he belonged here with me.
Lysandro snorted daintily. “As if. We never had anchors, so you don’t understand how it works. Your only chance at him would’ve been in the Veil. But not here, not now, not when he has his anchor by his side.”
Vesper hissed, showing his fangs in a way that I thought was supposed to be scary, but looked more like an overexaggerated Hollywood B movie. “My fledgling will come with me and join my harem.”
