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Stiffening in his eager embrace, Blair pushed his chest away and scowled at the brute. “I’ll bite you.”
“Tempting, Blair.”
Drake laughed heartily, but it was a dismissive sound. She knew he was head over heels in love with his Elemental wife, Toni. Drake’s eyes flicked up and over her shoulder.
“Sire.”
“Thank you for waiting, gentlemen,” Nina replied. “I apologize we couldn’t get here sooner.”
Kane nodded. “Did you figure out what was tripping your borders?”
“Not yet, but I will.” Her lips twisted to one side. “Isaiah’s petitioned for entry, so I suppose I’ll allow it.”
A fissure of air signaled the arrival of their final councilor and his mate—along with Isaiah, the Raeth sovereign who’d teleported them there, and his Elemental better half.
“An Elemental and two Sylth Raeths in our foyer,” Kane whistled. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
Drake raised an ebony eyebrow at the group the Raeth sovereign had teleported in, an impressive number even though it was clearly within the scope of his abilities. “Are you going for a record, Isaiah?”
“If four is impressive to you, vampire, you’ve clearly spent too little time around powerful Raeths.” came Isaiah’s bland reply.
Rukia, the Elemental who was his mate, clutched at his waist affectionately, completely nullifying Isaiah’s gruff façade.
“Watch out, Drake, he’s in rare form today. Nothing a bit of shopping downtown can’t fix.”
Even as the Isaiah’s features instantly softened when he glanced down at his mate, Blair’s attention was already on the handsome vampire who loitered amid the newly arrived troop.
Lucius bowed his head in deference to his sovereign. “Thank you, Isaiah.”
Burnished gold skin signified his south Asian descent, his well-groomed brunet locks styled away from the attractive lines of his face. At six and a half feet tall, his athletic frame was easily recognizable, but it was the kindness of his soul and their blood bond that always gave him away.
Blair’s smile grew wider as she drew close to him amid the animated chatter that had broken out between the new arrivals. Good-natured greetings were exchanged while Lucius’ deep brown eyes caught hers.
“Sire.”
Leave it to Lucius to portray such deep, affectionate emotion with only one word. Opening his arms, Blair caught him around the waist in an eager embrace.
“Fledgling.” Rearing back, Blair gave him a warm smile. “Slumming it with the Raeths?”
“Hardly. They’re rather an aristocratic bunch.”
Blair mockingly shuddered. “Don’t remind me.”
“It’s good to see you, Blair.” Circe reached out and squeezed her shoulder, offering her a tight smile. “Though I wish you’d reconsider this.”
“I’ll be fine, Circe. But I appreciate the concern.”
Nina glanced at Drake. “Shall we?”
Circe took that as her queue, sharing a chaste kiss with Lucius, while Isaiah and Rukia said their goodbyes. Moments later, all three of them disappeared out the front doors.
The remaining group began to move towards the council chambers. Blair let the other vampires stalk through the space ahead of her, noticing all of them had become silent as the grave. She resisted the urge to sigh.
Lights flickered on ahead of her, illuminating the windowless space. It was a place she’d been hundreds of times, and she’d always hated the sterility of it, the way it felt like a cage or a prison. Honestly, she had no idea how Lucius didn’t run out of there screaming every time he entered.
No one spoke as they stiffly took their seats. Surprisingly, no one took the head of the table. Not Drake or Kane, who normally sat there, nor Nina as they so clearly expected her to. Instead, they all sat across from one another, Nina and Blair on one side, and Drake, Kane, and Lucius on the other.
It was wholly indicative of their sentiments.
