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“I do so enjoy egging you on, my love.” Blair’s lips claimed his in a brief kiss, pulling back to stare at his mouth as if she hungered for more. “But I also enjoy calling our junkyard home. I’m game to give it a go if you are.”
Kaien had to know for sure. “To stay here? You don’t want me to renounce my position as Nina’s second?”
Features turning somber, Blair said, “This is your clan.Ourclan. I would never ask you to relinquish your life, Kaien. Especially not when it’s defined who you are; when it’s part of the very fabric of your being.” She smiled then, a soft twist of her lips that called him to claim them once more. “But that doesn’t mean I want to be a shut-in.”
A harsh laugh burst out from Kaien’s throat. “I’d never expect it of you, kitten. And fortunately, teleportation has its advantages. We can go to Wyoming for breakfast and be home by dinner.”
“Good.” Another peck on his lips that had him growling for more. “I think I’ll enjoy my own personal taxicab … and juice box.”
Blair’s sharpened incisors had pierced his neck before he’d even registered her last words, the jolt of blissful ecstasy slamming through his system. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around her frame, drawing her luscious jasmine scent closer to him while he reveled in her kiss.
Mewling at his taste, Blair’s lips claimed his throat in wanton need, her visceral desire for him permeating the mating bond that glowed blindingly between them. Eager, Kaien angled his chin up to allow her better access to his vulnerable throat, trusting her completely.
Nothing could compare to offering his mate what she needed, to provide what she coveted so fiercely.
When she pulled back a minute later, she lovingly sealed the puncture wounds with a practiced draw of her tongue. Her mouth was on his in the seconds that followed, and he tasted his blood on her lips.
Now accustomed to the sensation, he smiled into the iron-rich kiss, knowing she’d demand nothing less of him. Kaien simply couldn’t get enough of her.
***
Later that evening, each immortal society’s delegates arrived on site in Paracel. With the house in Lexington occupied, they’d agreed to meet in the Elemental’s sprawling territory instead. The charming community located in northeast Iowa was home and headquarters to the Elemental society, and where Gideon, their leader, and Kaien’s brother Aidan permanently resided.
It’d served as a gathering place before, and was large enough to host all of them comfortably.
Encircling Blair’s waist with his arm, Kaien’s eyes tracked the movements around them as they greeted one another. Everyone mingled, the barriers between them long since dropped in favor of cordial communication and genuine relationships.
Years ago, these interactions would have been impossible. Now, it seemed commonplace.
This time around, nearly every delegate had hitched a ride with a Raeth. Teleportation was a far easier method of travel than by plane or car, and Kaien was happy with the development.
It meant that trust had been firmly established—and trust between the supernatural societies would prove essential in the coming war.
There was no denying it now. TheCitizenshad breached their lands and taken immortal lives. And while the human forces had been decimated in the attack, they’d succeeded in killing thirteen vampires. It could not go unavenged.
Nina, assimilating into her position as uncontested leader of the Peace Accords delegation, asked for everyone to take their seats in the following moments. Although there was clearly a spot for each of the immortal breeds, more than a few raised an eyebrow when Isaiah teleported his chair to where the Elementals were gathering.
“Stirring the pot, Isaiah?” Riaz smirked, kicking back to recline in the lounge chair and netting his hands behind his head.
“I’ll be sitting with my mate,” Isaiah replied blandly, barely glanced up as the Raeth sovereigns Nero and Ezekiel entered the room. “How you arrange yourselves is no concern of mine.”
Beside him, Rukia smirked devilishly and nestled into Isaiah’s shoulder. Following a beat of stunned silence from the other dignitaries, the other mated couples followed suit.
“What is this, a dating service?” Nero’s dark brown eyes glinted with humor as he watched the commotion unfold, one corner of his mouth curling.
Soon, Kane and Nova sat next to each other with Gideon and Rona side by side, evidently appeased with the new arrangements. No longer were they set apart by creed or breed. Now, they were simply immortals, unified with one purpose: to stop theCitizens.
Kaien’s ankle hooked over his opposite knee, and he leaned back in his chair. One arm was sprawled behind Blair’s shoulders on the chair next to him. Her fingers had claimed his, her thumb idly caressing the pulse that beat beneath his skin.
Aidan sat beside him, stony-faced and thrumming with pent-up anger.
His brother, easily read, was in no mood to play the magnanimous and benevolent alpha. All the faces of those around them were nearly identical. Past the polite subtleties was a far deeper play: none of the immortals gathered here were going to let theCitizensget away with what they’d done.
In the middle of the room, Nina’s commanding presence required absolute silence. Icy blue eyes speared through the audience, her keen vision reading every nuance of the room before beginning to speak.
“The cowardly attack on Lucius’ House claimed thirteen of our own. While this council was not initially convened to broker anything but peace, war is upon us, and we must respond in kind. TheCitizensmust pay.”
Blunt but effective. A round of affirmation immediately followed Nina’s proclamation, no dissenting voices to be heard. When the cacophony quieted, she continued. “Our attempt at inserting Blair into Torrin’s newspaper was a failure, due in large part to his pre-existing knowledge of her vampiric nature. She was compromised and required a remote teleport, which Kaien provided.”
