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Matéo stepped forward. “My family was slaughtered by vampires, Sasha. I was forced to watch them die. And then I escaped by sheer luck.”
Her face softened.
“Believe me when I say that I didn’t like this idea either when Rose brought it to me.” Matéo looked at me, eyes hosting an affectionate sheen. “But she’s a tenacious woman and I think she has the right idea. It wouldn’t be the first time you invited Domingo to the inn with his clan, would it?”
Sasha raised her eyebrows and then smiled gently. “No, it wouldn’t be the first.”
“So, it wouldn’t be strange at all to extend another invitation.”
“They always did seem to like me, even after I got engaged to Donovan.”
Matéo nodded and then turned to Sasha, his posture relaxed and friendly, his eyes soft and his mouth quirked into an innocent grin. “I don’t see the harm in doing it again.”
She squinted at him while tapping her upper arm. Though her arms were still crossed, they were more relaxed than they were initially. Eventually, she dropped her arms entirely and nodded. “You don’t have to convince me more than that.”
“We’ll be waiting in Rose’s office,” Matéo replied. “Take all the time you need, Sasha.”
My lips tightened into a flat line as we wandered into the hallway. Behind me, I heard the distant sound of my sister sitting in her chair, taking out her phone, and putting her call on speaker. The line trilled. It clicked. I shook my head as I tugged Matéo into my office and shut the door.
Several deep breaths later, he tugged me into his lap on the sofa and buried his nose into my cheek.
“Breathe,” he instructed. “All good ideas need time to percolate.”
“This may not be a good idea, Matty.”
He chortled. “Good ideas aren’t always safe, little boxer.”
“It’s just…” I exhaled hard. “I’m worried.”
“We’re all worried. But you have a point. We’re out of moves that won’t get us annihilated. It’s better to just greet the bull even while he’s pointing his horns at us.”
I slumped into his arms. The whole thing weighed so heavily on my back that it made it impossible to sit up straight. My brain was a mushy mess of fae magic and whatever memory Matéo had received—one that had practically changed his entire view of his family.
But before I could ask anything about what happened with Bruise, a knock interrupted us. I didn’t move from Matéo’s lap when my sister stepped into the room.
“Tonight,” she said firmly. “Donovan has reluctantly agreed to amplify security. Lars has also reluctantly agreed to speak to his master. If Domingo agrees, we can shut down the tavern from eight to midnight.”
“That’s our usual business hours,” I pointed out.
She bowed her head, grabbing the knob on her way into the hallway. Over her shoulder, she sighed, “Yeah, I know.”
***
Apprehension thickened the air of the tavern. Built biker wolves lined every wall along with armed clan vampires strewn throughout the room. Sasha stood behind the bar with Christopher and a rather timid-looking Grunt, the three of them observing the crowd that ebbed and flowed.
And no one spoke a word.
Nina and Charlotte joined us as well. Nina’s impassive gaze roamed the room, continuously landing on Lucius who appeared more like a Ken doll when standing next to one of the bikers. It was as comical as it was serious—and I wanted to laugh either way.
I frowned.
Did I make a huge mistake? He’s not even here, I thought while twirling the chain of my necklace.What if he decides not to show up at all?
A murmur of voices slithered throughout the room when the tavern door squeaked open. Lars marched in first, the picture-perfect representation of any fashionable runway goth, leading the way for his master. Domingo strolled with a leisurely pace into the room, appearing more aloof than usual. This wasn’t his usual scene.
Or maybe he was still salty about the last time he was here. Who knew?
Domingo commanded the very air in the room, practically sucking the oxygen right out of the molecules. If such a thing were even possible. His boots clapped against the wooden floor, the sound softening when he reached the plush area rug just underneath the single table set up in front of the bar. Every eye in the room was transfixed on the ancient vampire.
