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“That depends,” Rukia retorted. “What are you making? Puppy chow?”
***
In a whirlwind of activity, the crew in Paracel had finalized plans for the summit ahead of them. In the thick of their preparations, Rukia was bustling around trying to arrange room accommodations for every arriving party—with the exception of the Raeths.
Being teleport-capable, the Raeth sovereigns and their crews wouldn’t need a place to stay overnight in Paracel. They could easily tap their heels together and wish themselves back home, and that made Rukia’s job easier. As Rukia had learned over the past year, all Raeths were teleport-capable, but that didn’t mean that they all had equal talent. While some could teleport over great distances and bring other parties with them, others could only transport themselves short spans and would have to ‘regenerate’ their abilities before their next movement.
The Raeths who were coming to the gala were all vastly more powerful than the average of their breed. Four sovereigns would attend: Nina, the single neutral party of the entire Peace Accords arrangement; Ezekiel, a stoic but shrewd Raeth who preferred to stay on the edges of conversations; Nero, by far the most jovial and welcoming Raeth she’d ever met; and Isaiah, the bane of her existence.
They’d each bring two of their own clan members to complete their entourage, but Rukia had no doubt who was in charge. A sovereign, as she’d been told, always had the final say when it came to their clan.
Vampires, on the other hand, required accommodations without windows. Fortunately, Paracel’s central compound had been built on the assumption that they’d need as many guest rooms as possible. That meant that nearly the entire underground floor of the structure was composed of suites, the only exceptions being the state-of-the-art kitchen and the infirmary.
Gideon’s brainchild, ironically. For a man who’d loathed vampires nearly his entire life, he’d certainly made the right decisions on how to host a rather large group of them.
Aidan and Lucy had offered to house all the attending werewolves—the North American alphas and their betas. Though quite a feat, their large home here in Paracel was well suited for the task. And werewolves, obviously, had a thing about being close to pack.
Putting down her pen with an exhausted sigh, Rukia stood up from her chair and leisurely trailed a hand through the decorative water feature on her desk. Soothing, the cool stream coiled lovingly around her fingers, tickling her fingertips and kissing over her sensitive palm. The bubbling fountain was a calming reminder of her element while she worked in the confines of her office.
Water droplets cascaded back toward the fountain as she stepped into the hall and made her way toward Gideon’s office, just feet away.
As was typical, he was heads down and typing furiously on his computer. Out of the diverse greenery that surrounded him, the age-old bonsai tree that perched on the corner of the massive cherry wood surface was by far her favorite.
Plopping down unceremoniously in a guest chair opposite him, Rukia sighed to catch his attention. “The guest rooms are assigned.”
Gideon glanced up, the molten gold of his eyes shining in the vivid light of his office. “Thanks, Rukia.”
“How are you feeling about hosting your father-in-law?” Rukia shot him a coy look. Due to the limited accommodations, Rona’s sire and his wife were staying in Gideon’s home.
“Drake and Toni?” Gideon sat back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “Whatever you might imagine, Drake is far less scary once you get to know him. If you’d believe it, he actually has a sense of humor.”
“I don’t believe it. That man has never laughed a day in his life.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him of your preconceived notions,” Gideon retorted sarcastically. “It’ll amuse him to no end.”
“Speak of the devil, when are they getting in?”
He checked his watch. “Should be here within the next half hour. All of the councilors are coming on the same plane except Lucius. He’ll be coming with Circe.”
“Rona told me that Lucius signed on as a Councilor once again. That true?”
Earlier this year, Lucius had been abducted by a human terrorist organization, self-named theCitizens of the Light, that set out to rid the world of immortals. Over the last two years, they’d made several attacks against various headquarters and groups, but Lucius had unfortunately been the first abduction.
He’d been mercilessly tortured for days before Circe, a Raeth who could psychically track anyone, had rescued him from their clutches. TheCitizens, however, had nearly killed the ancient vampire by testing their weapons on him and interrogating him for information about the immortal breeds.
It hadn’t been the first time they’d nearly murdered an immortal. When Gideon first met Rona, the two had confronted a senior member of theCitizensto beg for peace under a white flag. Victor, one of the leaders of the group, had pulled a gun on them and nearly killed Rona before Gideon intervened and took the other man’s life.
In the months that followed, theCitizenshad leveled a threat against Gideon’s life, a retribution they hadn’t yet made good on. Rukia prayed it stayed that way.
Gideon nodded. “He did. After much discussion, I’m told.”
“Are Lucius and Circe driving?”
“No, Isaiah will teleport them here.”
Stiffening at the mention of her arch-nemesis, Rukia huffed in annoyance. “Lovely.”
Silence spanned through the space between them before she glanced up. Gideon knew her far too well, and when she met his eyes, there was a question in them.
