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Chapter 17
Ren
“Stubborn bastards,”West muttered as we headed down the hall of my estate to the main dining room. It was early for lunch, but we’d eaten breakfast at dawn, so I was more than ready to dig into whatever the cook had prepared. Even if my stomach seemed to be mostly made out of knots at themoment.
“There’s a lot of history,” I said. I didn’t have to ask to know it was the fae he was still grumbling about. “Obviously a lot of the recent history has not been very good. I get why they don’t trustus.”
“He made it sound as if we’ve been running amuck, ruining everything for them. Of course he didn’t mention all the timesthey’veintruded on us or lashed out without any real provocation. That attack on the lands near my estate? They made a couple of huffy comments and then less than a day later came at us pouring down rage for not realizing they changed theirminds.”
“Hey.” I tugged him back as the other alphas went ahead of us into the dining hall. “You know I don’t think your kin—ourkin—deserved what happened to them there, right? I’m not saying the fae have always been right. They sure as hell should have left my mother alone. But of course the stories they pass on to each other always make them sound like the victims. Everything’s a mess right now. But maybe if we untangle it, we can find a way to both be stronger forit.”
West’s mouth twisted. His frustration showed in every inch of his body, from the flare in his eyes to the tension in his limbs. But as I held his gaze, his shoulders came down. He swallowed audibly and leaned close to me, his cheek brushingmine.
“You know I don’t mean any of this venting as an attack on you, don’t you?” he said, his throaty voice going abruptly gentle. “I don’t believe in the fae, but I believe inyou.”
“I know,” I said. “And good. Because that’s all Ineed.”
I touched the side of his face, and he turned his head to kiss me. Just briefly, but with enough hunger to leave me wishing we didn’t have a whole bunch of company waiting for us to join them for lunch. My mate tasted more delectable than any feast that could be waiting inthere.
West made a frustrated sound as if he were thinking the same thing. “I didn’t think I could want you more than I already did,” he murmured. “But now that I can have you… You have no idea how much I’d love to carry you to my bed and keep you there for at least an entireday.”
An eager shiver tingled through me. “That sounds like an excellent plan for after all this is done,” Isaid.
He grinned. “I’m counting on it,then.”
The other alphas were already grabbing food from the bowls and platters laid down the length of the long table. A tang in the air told me deviled eggs and beet salad were among the offerings. Kylie was sitting on the other side of the chair that had been reserved for me, next to the rest of the kin who’d joined us. Somehow I wasn’t surprised to see Felix had claimed the spot across fromher.
“Are you really going to eat all of that?” she was saying with wide eyes as I took my seat. Felix’s plate was heaped with enough food to form amountain.
The fox shifter brandished his fork and licked his lips. “You’d better believe it. Gotta fuel these muscles, you know.” He flexed a leanbicep.
Kylie giggled—her flirty giggle, not her dismissive one. She leaned her chin onto her folded hands as she looked at him with lowered eyelids. “Well, I can’t argue with the importance ofthat.”
I raised an eyebrow at them as I reached for the eggs. “You two are getting alongwell.”
“Felix made it very clear that he’s sorry he ever doubted my awesomeness,” Kylie said, smiling. “And it turns out he’s come here to do maintenance on the house before, so he knows whereallthe fun stuffis.”
“I hope you don’t mind me giving your friend a little tour, dragon shifter,” Felix said to me. “I’ve got to admit I’m getting a little addicted to spending time with her.” He winked atKylie.
“Better than having you at each other’s throats,” I said. Although I had the feeling maybe there had been a little necking going on, of the happier sort. It was good that Kylie was enjoying herself rather than stressing about missions I didn’t think it was wise to bring her along for. Funny how she’d ended up getting that enjoyment from the one guy who’d doubted her when she firstarrived.
Kylie’s phone chimed. And chimed again. She fished it out of her pocket to check the messages, her brow knitting. After she’d typed in a couple of texts and read through the replies, she glanced over at me and thealphas.
“You know that brother of an acquaintance I have who works for the security equipment company? They had an order come through early this morning for a bunch of armored trucks. All different spots around the country—but including the cities you said the vampires have a major presence in. They’re supposed to be delivered tonight. That seems like more than just a coincidence, don’t youthink?”
My shoulders tensed. “It does. An armored truck could drive through a bonfire, couldn’tit?”
“Maybe even break through our gates,” Nate said, his facedarkening.
“What about your dragon fire?” Kylie said. “I’ve seen the way you can melt things. You could still take them down,right?”
“Only where I am. If they’re coming at us in those from all over…” I set down my fork. A chill had flooded me, so intense I didn’t think I could swallow anotherbite.
I might be able to protect one estate, but the others… We couldn’t evacuate everyone. What would we tell the other kin? To just flee and hide wherever theycould?
“We’ll figure something out,” Felix said, looking at Kylie rather than me. He couldn’t have faked the worry—not just for us shifters, but also for her—that was shining in his eyes. “We’ve never let the bloodsuckers get the better of usbefore.”
Kylie gave him a soft smile, reaching across the table to clasp his hand. I watched them, a slow warmth spreading through me, easing back the chill. It was amazing the way these two who’d spent their first encounter making evil eyes at each other were now taking comfort in each other’spresence.
