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"Has she played once since moving here?"
Leo grunted. "No."
"Just talk to her." He looked to Laurie and back to Leo. "Your protective bullshit has created a wall between you. I've seen it before, back in my time, with chronically ill patients, ones I couldn't heal completely. It's natural to want to coddle and spoil those you love, but sometimes all it does is make everyone so fucking lonely and distant that it ends up hurting all involved."
Laurie tilted his head. "You're quite astute, Dr. Vale."
"Call me River. Even if things don't pan out with Nora, Yesenia and Leo are married and we're family. We'd better get used to the idea."
Leo studied him a beat. "Are you giving up on Nora?"
He sighed. "I didn't fucking say that. But she has a say, maybe more so than me, in what happens. And I'm not a goddamn mind reader, so I don't know exactly what the immediate future holds."
Leo glanced at Laurie and then back at River. "My main concern is if you'll be able to protect her, if she does want you. This isn't the twenty-first century, which sounds extremely cozy, from what Yesenia has told me. Here people are violent, and ruthless, and often don't worry about laws or the authorities. Will you be able to deal with that?"
"Honestly? With a handful of opponents, I could. I don't like using my power to manipulate the body for harm, but I will in self-defense." He cleared his throat, fucking hating how he had to admit this next part. "But if there's some extra training I can take, for fighting, I'm up for it once I'm healed. The reason I ended up looking like a butchered carcass when I arrived here is because I was jumped by a gang of vampires—more than ten of them—and I had zero chance of winning against that many fuckers on my own."
Leo steepled his fingers in front of him and leaned back in the chair. "I would readily agree to the training, if only to make your sister happy. However, Khan is in charge of all fae witches in England and has the final say over what type of training you can receive. You'll meet with him in the next few days, so make sure to ask him then."
River frowned. "But I'm staying in your territory and I'm the fated lord of a vampire. Wouldn't that make it your call?"
Leo shook his head. "No. Khan can give his permission when it comes to individuals in my territory and how I can handle them, like with Yesenia. But it's very much divided upon species lines, to the point those of mixed background select which they identify with most at maturity and forever pledge loyalty to that heritage for the rest of their lives."
River rubbed his forehead. "Things are fucking complicated in this time."
Laurie chuckled. "I've heard how you and Yesenia mixed more freely with not only shifters and vampires, but also humans in the twenty-first century. I wish it was the same here. If so, it'd be easier to run my business without constantly worrying if a fight was going to break out over a minor slight."
River focused on the younger Yates brother. "Yeah, I've heard about your place and the fancy term you use for sex club. Pleasure house seems a bit upper crust and stuck up for me."
Laurie shrugged one shoulder. "We'd be shut down immediately if we dare to call Nyx's Kingdom a sex club. You have to be more delicate to avoid the authorities." Laurie took out a card and handed it to River. "You should come visit one day. And if it's with my sister, I won't even charge you."
Leo swore. "Bloody hell, don't encourage him to bring Nora to your pleasure house, Laurie."
River took the card and Laurie raised his brows. "Why not? I know Yesenia's been trying to convince you to bring her. I still can't believe you haven't given in to her yet."
Not wanting to hear about some hidden fantasy of his sister's, River pocketed the card and changed the subject. "I'll talk to Khan about the training." He paused and decided, what the hell, maybe he could try being nicer to his in-laws. "Do you have any pointers on talking with him? I've been reading a few books, and Yesenia's told me some, but the only Dark Lord I've met is married to my sister. I don't know how the fuck to treat one who's a stranger."
Leo raised his brows. "I'd start with how you speak and cut down on your swearing. I'm more used to it, given how Yesenia is my wife. But Khan's not, and the last thing you want to do is anger the Wielder of Nightmares."
River hadn't known anyone with that type of magic back home. "That power sounds fucking terrifying."
"It can be. But as long as you follow what you've read and heard from Yesenia, you should be fine." Leo paused and then added, "I might as well give you some useful bits of advice now too, to really give you the best chance at getting on Khan's good side."
And as Leo went through what River should and shouldn't do with William Khan, River did his best to listen and not irritate his brothers-in-law on purpose.
By the end, Laurie had invited himself to dinner and River was a bit more relaxed around the Yates brothers.
Hell, maybe he could even be friends with them eventually.
But none of that was quite as important as his upcoming meeting with Dark Lord Khan. River got the sense he might stay in 1890, especially if Yesenia could bring Meadow here as well. And for the first time in a long time, he might have to kiss some ass instead of speaking plainly.
He fucking hated it, but he'd done worse as a child to avoid his father's wrath. Khan should be easy by comparison.
ChapterTwelve
Two days later, Leo Yates watched as the medium-brown-skinned William Khan of the fae witches and pale-skinned Everett Black of the shifters walked into his study.
The three Dark Lords of London had been meeting weekly for months now, in an effort to better share information regarding their shared enemy: the French vampires in London.
