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Nikolas hadn’t moved, though his gaze tracked her like a hawk. She didn’t blame him. He didn’t know if she might lose control again and attack him or the humans. “The Council has summoned you. They require your presence at the upcoming Gathering.”
The Gathering? The thought was slow to form. Ah, yes, the vampire meeting.
It was a struggle to even curl her hands into fists. “You could not refuse them?”
“No. They’ve threatened to annihilate the entire House if you do not attend.”
Her entire House. She was the Head of House Haven, or at least she thought so. Unless Nikolas had taken the title for himself. Though, if he had, she would not be alive.
“When is the Gathering?”
A flicker of hesitation. “In four days.”
“Four days?” The fact that her voice failed to convey the proper amount of outrage frustrated her further. Blood. She needed more. A lot more. “Why did you not wake me up earlier?”
“The Council sent the message a few hours ago. I came as soon as possible.”
“We cannot waste any more time.” Gabby fumbled off the bed and swayed when she tried to stand. Nikolas was there in an instant, cradling her in his strong arms. “Thank you,” she wheezed out. “I need to hunt. I need to regain my strength before the Gathering.”
Although Nikolas said nothing as he sprinted out of the cave and into the tunnel toward the surface, she knew where his thoughts dwelled.
There was no way she could recover her full strength before the Gathering.
Felix sat up in his bed and stopped feeding from the enthralled human woman in his lap when the door to his private chambers opened. His second-in-command, Nasir, stalked in with the fluid grace common to their race, the corner of his lips forever curled up slightly as though he was thinking of a private joke. He stood close to six feet tall, with his brown locks tied back in a queue.
Felix took his time closing the bite on the woman’s neck before laying her limp form next to him. He stood up and stretched before wrinkling his nose. “Must you wear that?”
Nasir was dressed in a black shirt featuring a popular band logo and faded, worn out jeans with brown boots. He looked as out of place in Felix’s nineteenth century bedroom, with its oak four poster king-sized bed, red and gold wallpaper, and velvet maroon drapes, as an Easter Bunny on Halloween.
“It’s perfectly presentable. You should try living in this century some time,” Nasir said, his eyes glinting with amusement.
“I learn what I need to.” He found modern advancement like phones and internet as useful as did anyone else. In a more serious tone, he said, “So, has she risen?”
“Nikolas disappeared after the Council messenger left. We assume he went to wake Mistress Gabriella. Many others have returned to Haven in the last few hours.”
“But was she seen?”
“Not yet. We can expect to see her at the Gathering.”
Historically, the Council hosted the Gathering in its stronghold in the Ural Mountains every fifty years. The heads of the vampire houses discussed any governing issues or settled territorial disputes. This time, Alistair, the Vampire King, had invited human diplomats as a faith gesture for the continued peace between vampires and humans. Due to the humans’ attendance, the Gathering would take place in Las Vegas, the only city in the world under vampire rule. Felix had no interest in the political maneuverings. He hadn’t even attended the last one and had sent Nasir as his representative.
This time, though, he would attend and use the event to get what he wanted.
Namely, forcing his mate to return to his side.
“I wonder about that,” Felix mused with a smile. “She dared to go aground without requesting the Council’s permission. I wouldn’t put it past her to ignore the Council’s summons.”
“I doubt Mistress Gabriella is that reckless. The Council has threatened her with the total annihilation of House Haven if she fails to attend.”
Felix changed into a fresh shirt with openings in the back for his wings, discarding the bloodstained one. “The Council knows her weakness.”
Nasir rolled his eyes. “You still bent on retrieving her?”
“What do you think?”
His second-in-command’s smile disappeared, replaced with a seriousness he only summoned when their House, Eden, was threatened. “She’s not an easily controlled human anymore. House Haven is as powerful as us. They won’t give up their Mistress without a fight.”
“You insult me,” Felix said without heat. “It doesn’t matter how powerful Haven is. She’s my mate. The Council’s threat is just the beginning. She belongs to me.”
