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I looked back and forth between the two, events moving so quickly my head was beginning to spin. “Who?”
Dylan ignored me, addressing Jordan with a solemn demeanor. “Jeremy has rallied more people to his side. He’s hired shifters from all corners of the country and he’s coming for you. He plans to get you out of the picture before the next Black Moon ceremony.”
Jordan shook her head, pressing her knuckles to her brow. “He wouldn’t dare. He knows the consequences.”
Dylan’s face remained unchanged. “He knows the consequences, and he’s going to try anyway. You need to watch your back, Jordan. He’s coming for you.”
Chapter 5
JORDAN
Adenofvampireswas no place for a human. And yet, I had no choice but to let Sky tag along to my next meeting with the highborn members of the Leyore coven. My cousin, Jeremy, was a looming threat and I needed to root out traitors in our midst before any more damage could be done. This was also the perfect opportunity to declare Sky my consort; the announcement alone would be enough to settle the discourse surrounding my solo claim to the throne.
At least for now.
But if I presented Sky to my people, they would eventually expect us to seal the bond, or sign a contract. I didn’t want either of those things for Sky. If she chose to accept me as her mate, or sign her services to me, I wanted that to be her choice, not her duty.
I groaned loudly and slumped in the car seat. Beside me, Sky eyed me with concern, her brows knitting together as she watched me sink further down the seat. “You’re really not looking forward to this, are you?”
“Oh, I’m thrilled,” I prattled in an overly cheery tone. “Uncomfortable attire, pestering highborns and every set of eyes in the room watching my every movement. Who wouldn’t be excited?”
Sky shrugged and turned her attention back to the open window, closing her eyes as the breeze whipped her hair.
It had been just shy of a week since Sky agreed to move in. All of her belongings had been carted to my apartment, a collection of assorted clothing and coffee cups that Sky couldn’t bear to part with.
She had refused to share my bed at night, but when I offered to get her a bed of her own she had refused that too. Instead, she took up residence on my couch, despite my best efforts to get her something more comfortable. On the bright side, the time we spent together warmed the human woman to me. While neither of us really knew how to navigate conversation, the times we did speak were pleasant.
I worried that all progress would go to waste the moment she met the rest of the highborn vampires. While nobody was outright cruel to humans, at least not anymore, the highborn had a way of looking down on humans, thinking them inferior beings compared to creatures of the supernatural. And if her blood was as intoxicating to the others as it was to me… I hoped having both Dylan and River nearby would be enough to prevent any possible catastrophes.
I glanced at Sky from the corner of my eye. She wore a pale gray evening dress, spun from a delicate fabric that glistened when she moved, like liquid silver over her slender form. She had picked it out for herself during an extravagant shopping spree.
That trip to the mall had been the highlight of my day, watching her flit from one aisle to the next, frowning at every item of clothing until she found the perfect dress. I wanted more days like that. I wanted to share my life with her.
I had yet to tell her about the twins, about the circumstances that landed me on the throne in the first place. But I couldn’t risk that just yet. There was too much to lose. I wanted to share my world with her, but I worried that it would scare her away entirely.
I considered confessing everything, right then and there. But the car jerked to a stop and the moment was over.
Sky gasped at the sight of the grandiose building, a towering structure in the heart of SoHo. The daunting air of aristocracy made my stomach turn. But I had a job to do. And if I could do it well, we may just make it out in one piece.
Dylan poked her head over the driver’s seat. “I’ll be watching from the shadows. Good luck in there.”
The meeting with the highborn council was just as grueling and tiresome as I expected it would be. After Sky and I made an entrance, I was immediately whisked away by two swanky vampires in pinstripe suits. Over my shoulder, I watched Sky give me a small wave, and spotted the hazy shape of Dylan right behind her, blending into the shadows like she said she would.
I felt some semblance of relief knowing that Sky wouldn’t be completely alone out there. Vampires were not nosy creatures, but a stray human in their midst was bound to draw their attention.
In the meeting room, the council members argued back and forth about what was to be done with Jeremy. That brought up the issue of locating him in the first place. Dylan had managed to track him down right here in Manhattan, but after she gleaned his plans, he disappeared again. Now he could be anywhere, and who knew how many supernaturals he had on his side.
I analyzed each member from my seat at the oval table. River sat at my right hand, an oddball in her red velvet suit and tasseled undershirt. An old-fashioned mad hatter of a royal adviser. But her icy blue eyes skirted from member to member, betraying the keen intelligence beneath.
“What do you think?” I mumbled under my breath, daring a glance in her direction.
“None of them seem particularly suspicious,” River replied, her lips barely moving as she whispered the words. “I don’t think any of them would side with Jeremy. He’s a loose cannon they can’t control. But that doesn’t mean they won’t step back and let him mow you down.”
Unfortunately, she was right. Until I could secure my place on the throne, coming into my full power on the night of the Black Moon, these people would be more than happy to steal my position. Most of them hated Jeremy and the chaos he sowed, but they would also be happy to let him cut me down if it meant swooping in afterward to take what was left in my wake.
I sighed quietly, smoothing out the apricot folds of my dress. My mother always told me that I left little to the imagination with what I chose to wear and this revealing dress was no different. The truth was, I simply couldn’t stand the patchy fabrics and suffocating layers that were a staple of vampire highborn. To them, I was Princess Leia in her gold bikini, but at least I could sit down without popping a button. Besides, I had piled on enough gold chains and shimmering pearls to at least exude some sort of regality.
I caught River’s eye, as the voices rose around us. “So we’re on our own then?”
