Page 93 of Call of the Blood

“No,” Lexi said quickly. “Everly⁠—”

“It’s private and safe, and I’ll be able to talk to him about everything without everyone hovering over us,” I explained as she gave me a desperate look.

“Please. You can do that here and⁠—”

“I’ll make sure he calls you,” I promised. I had to face this. She risked her life for him. That won me over. I wouldn’t try to stop them. “I will. He’ll need some adjusting time. He certainly can’t see you early on as he gets used to being a vampire. That’s a safety issue for both of you. But I will make sure he calls you as quickly as he’s able.”

Lexi looked at her Alpha, who was staring at Alexius. I don’t know what the two ancients were considering as they stared at each other, but eventually, Callahan looked at his wolf and nodded.

“It will be fine,” he said carefully, not promising anything beyond fine. “As he becomes safe to be around, we will discuss your options and his with them. There’s no reason to think this is forever going to be a problem. The need for time is one we can’t avoid.”

“Okay.” Lexi nodded, her eyes still on me. “Call me regularly? Let me know if he’s getting up, how he’s doing, even if he’s not ready to talk to me? But you tell him it’s not over until he says so, okay? He won’t get to ghost me. Not after everything.”

“I’ll tell him,” I said, smiling at her willingness to actually fight for this. It showed she had considered some issues already. There was a chance Declan woke up a vampire and tried to restart his life because losing his previous life was painful. I had sat on that fence myself for a while, wondering what to do about him and old friends. I let the old friendships fade, but I had decided not to give up my brother.

And I tried not to think about how that was either the best decision I could have made or the worst. Henry was going to do something, eventually. His mental state pointed to that. I either brought it faster, or perhaps I’m now going to be able to help Declan better than if we had been caught even more off-guard. Who could ever know how things might have played out under different circumstances?

With a sudden need, I handed over my crutches to Alexius, who was clearly unprepared for the suddenly responsibility. But I didn’t let his fumbling stop me from reaching out to hug Lexi.

“Thank you for getting him out,” I told her, making sure the hug was a good one.

“I am certainly interrupting, but I need Alexius.” Maria’s voice broke through the good moment.

Lexi and I ended the hug, and I took my crutches back as Alexius glowered.

“Why?”

“I’m getting phone calls from someone,” she answered with a tight smile.

“Ignore them,” he said, nostrils flaring. “You can do that. If you do pick up, tell someone that he knows my number and can call.”

“Has he tried yet?” Maria put her hands together in front of her, almost looking innocent with the question.

“No, because he knows better,” Alexius growled.

“Then perhaps you should call him⁠—”

“No. He’ll come to me,” Alexius quickly snapped.

“Why? What game are you playing? You’re not one for them.”

“Because I said so.” Alexius looked at me. “Now, if that’s all we were needed for, there are arrangements to make to get back to Savannah, and I need to coordinate with my staff about Declan’s arrival and his quarters. I was busy during the day and couldn’t get to it.”

“Bad day when the vampire is busy during the daylight,” Callahan said mildly. I wondered if there was a bit of humor to it, considering Callahan was up what felt like literally every minute of the day forever. I really wondered when he ever slept. “We’ll be out of the way. The pack has business.”

“The pack always does,” Maria said lightly, smiling. “Give Corissa my warmest regards at your date night.”

“I certainly will,” Callahan replied.

Once the wolves were gone, Maria looked at me.

“Callahan and Corissa have date nights that not even their packs can get in the way of. Their best have to hold down the ships so they can spend time together. They go somewhere private in the city and turn off their phones. I’ve caught them on occasion. It’s rather sweet. He’s a different werewolf with her.”

“That’s nice,” I said, nodding. “Now…” Alexius was already walking away, and I crutched over quickly, trying to keep up.

He slowed, realizing how fast I was moving.

“I assume it’s Isa⁠—”