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“How does a primal entertain? I have to ask because most of the vampires I know are shitty hosts.” I meant that in the nicest way possible. It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t eat food so they didn’t think up elaborate dinner party menus.
“Probably like Dan used to,” Nate added. “I love your dad, Evan, but when it was his night to host game night, snacks would be like a single bag of chips. Between like five of us, and one of us was a shifter.”
Fen gasped like he couldn’t think of anything worse.
“Well, he doesn’t eat,” Evan defended. “And I’m sure that was before he married Mom and Papa and inherited Albert. Albert would never allow someone to go hungry in his home. Even when we were on the run, somehow Albert and Eddie would find food and make sure everyone ate their fill. I often didn’t ask what was in those tacos of Eddie’s. Especially on the dinosaur plane.”
“That was a good idea on your part,” Trent assured her. “Though I have to admit, brontosaurus was pretty damn tasty. And nobody chide me about eating endangered creatures. I assure you those suckers weren’t in any danger of going extinct there.”
Well, of course my wolf would try all the weird meat. “I’d like a list of everyone Alvis met with regularly and we’ll see if Trent recognizes their scents. I’d like to ID anyone he doesn’t normally see, though I’ll still need to talk to the people on that list.”
Casey closed his laptop. “I think we should look into the witches down here. There are around twenty, and while each one passed all of Sasha’s tests, we can’t discount the idea that they could still be undercover agents for Myrddin. There are two in particular I’m interested in because I know they were in Alvis’s circle.”
“Relda and Jade aren’t agents of Myrddin.” Evan’s shoulders squared, and I was starting to understand this was her “I mean business and I’m going to argue hard” stance. “They’ve been down here for years serving the citizens of the Under faithfully. Do you forget how they helped nurse Lee after he lost his eye?”
Casey stood. “No, I don’t forget, but I also know that sometimes Myrddin can play a long game. He knows the king has returned, and that will move his timeline up. We’ve reached a dangerous time in this war. We can’t trust anyone outside of the inner circle.”
“Are you in the inner circle?” Evan challenged. “I don’t see much of you so how would I know? Or perhaps I’m not considered inner circle. Should we have badges?”
“I’m an academic, Your Highness.” Casey got somber quite fast. “One who has been working on this plane risking my life for twelve years while Trent and Sasha trained you. I’m not saying you haven’t done your part. You were children and you needed to grow up, but I did my growing up here and I did it by wading through the blood of my friends and fighting people I still love. I work for the Nex Apparatus. Until she or your father dismisses me, I will be here and I will give my advice. I am not a yes man. I will give counsel as I see fit, and it will not be dependent on the whims of a princess.”
A low growl came from Fenrir’s throat, and I worried I was going to have to step between him and Casey—who I was kind of proud of for that speech.
Instead, Evan was the one who placed a hand on Fen’s chest, and she softened her expression. “Stand down, Fen. I was being a brat because I’m still processing the fact that my parents are back and it didn’t go the way I thought it would. I’m starting to understand that I had unrealistic expectations. Casey is right. He’s been here for years longer than I have, and the academics have never faltered when it came to supporting my parents. Not once. Not even when they had stakes to their hearts.” She turned back to Casey. “I apologize. And you know I don’t go by a title.”
Casey nodded, showing he accepted the apology. “But you do now. It’s important that you acknowledge your royalty. Anything less is to say your father is not the king. You are Princess Evangeline of Vampire and Lady Evangeline of the High Fae. I know you have trouble with your Fae relatives, but you must acknowledge them now that your father is back. Devinshea might be able to bring them to our side.”
“I don’t like politics,” Evan said with a frown. “I prefer being a fighter.”
“You and me both, sister.” I was on Evan’s side in this. “I prefer to leave the politics to the men and kick a little ass.”
“What Casey said is correct though.” Trent’s arms were crossed over that glorious chest of his. “We’ve all been in a holding pattern, and now the war will begin in earnest. That means we need to deal with the wolves.”
“There is no dealwith the wolves.” Fenrir stepped back, and I could see he was emotional. It was there in the way his eyes darkened, how his hands clenched. “You know what they want from me, Father. I will not do it.”
“I didn’t say you needed to deal with them politically, son. I know what it means to have a mate. She is the one thing you can never sacrifice,” Trent said.
“That’s the problem. The wolves don’t see me as a mate,” Evan replied, her tone calm as though she knew she needed to keep Fen from losing his cool. “They see me as a crush their king has who will be easily forgotten once he’s properly mated.”
“Then they’ve never heard him call for you.” Trent moved toward Fenrir, his focus going to our son. “Fenrir, you called to her when you were sixteen. We were on the wolf plane and the mountain troll attacked. You thought you were going to die, and you called to her in wolf form. That was a mating call, and it is only performed for one female in your whole life. Make no mistake. I will always support your relationship with Evan. I wouldn’t ask you to give her up any more than I would give up your mother. When I say we deal with the wolves, we do it on our terms. You are a king. They will take you as you are or they will face your wrath.”
I found him extremely sexy in that moment, but I did have a few questions. “Are you saying they’ll bow before Fen or die? Because that seems pretty rough, babe.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Trent hedged.
“He means they can accept me as their king with my mate at my side, choose to leave me alone, or I’ll kill every one of the fuckers who come after her,” Fen promised. “That’s what he’s talking about. There have been several attempts on her life, and they didn’t come from Myrddin. Up until now I’ve been forced to negotiate to protect Evan. I won’t do that a second more. I will kill anyone who thinks about harming my mate, and I will do it with the full force of the King of All Vampire behind me.”
“And His Grace, the High Priest of Faery,” Evan pointed out. “Papa might not like our relationship, but I assure you he’ll like those wolves far less. Honestly, the one they should be afraid of is my mother.”
“They should be afraid of me.” I wasn’t about to allow a bunch of wolves to harm my son or his mate. I wouldn’t let them hurt anyone, but especially not two kids who kind of belonged to me.
Fen’s gaze softened, as though my acceptance had calmed him in some way. “Yes, they should. My mother has killed far greater enemies. And she trusts Casey and the academics. Please forgive my lapse of control. I need a run.”
“That’s not what you need,” Evan said under her breath.
He probably desperately needed his mate, but he’d made a deal with her brothers, and Fen seemed set on keeping his promises.
“Let’s go,” Trent offered. “I’ll have Eddie take us back to the bayou. It’s a full moon, and it’s been a while since the townsfolk have had a werewolf sighting.”
