“You can’t sit there.”
The right side of the table got up and moved one down so that the chair to Viktor’s left was empty.
“This is not a special seat,” he said, wagging his finger. “Otherwise I would not have Wyatt on my right. I like to keep an eye on the new ones, so you will stay close to me.”
Gem gave me a bright smile, her mouth open with excitement as she raised her glass.
“I thought you didn’t drink,” I pointed out.
“Grape juice.”
Wyatt snorted. “She likes the berriesbeforethey’ve been devirginized.”
Viktor rose from his seat and turned around, getting something at the short table behind him. Curious about Christian’s expression, I risked a glance. We’d had a brief discussion earlier, but some of the details were fuzzy. I guess I had too much going on in my head to pay attention.
Wyatt looked three sheets to the wind. He removed his hat, slid it onto Shepherd’s head, and then laced his fingers together while eyeballing Christian. “So how do you feel about your new partner, Mr. Poe?”
Christian draped his hand over the back of my chair. “She’ll change her mind before the week’s over. Not even her eyes can decide what color they want to be.”
I smiled up at him. “If I have to do your laundry this week, I might have to agree.” I leaned in and sniffed audibly.
Gem chortled. “It looks like Christian’s met his match.”
He withdrew his arm and gave me a peevish glance. When Viktor returned with a chalice in his hand, I turned to look. Christian tried to be discreet about sniffing his armpit, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye.
“This cup has been in my family for centuries,” Viktor began. “And with this empty cup, we look to each other to fill it up with justice, friendship, brotherhood, and blood.”
He handed the cup to Wyatt, who used the tip of a knife to prick his finger. Wyatt squeezed a couple of drops into the cup and then stuck his finger into his mouth.
“Really?” Shepherd said with derision. “You’re the biggest wuss I know. Give me that.”
Shepherd took the cup and knife from him, then sliced into his hand, sending a steady trickle of blood into the cup. “That’s how it’s done.”
Wyatt pulled his finger out his mouth. “I’m hurting.”
Shepherd glared at him. “Bullshit. You see this cup? You touched it, and that means I can feel what you’re feeling.”
“At least I won’t need stitches.”
Viktor snapped his fingers and pointed at Gem. Shepherd passed her the cup and knife, and they each took turns adding to the cup. When it reached Christian, his fangs punched out and he simply bit into his wrist, allowing the blood to trickle into the chalice.
When he set it in front of me, my stomach lurched. “I don’t have to drink this, do I?”
Niko sputtered with laughter.
Viktor set a clean knife in front of me. “It’s just symbolic.”
“She can use her fangs,” Christian suggested.
I picked up the knife and cut my hand, grimacing from the wound that would heal without a scar. Once I added my contribution, Viktor made a cut across his palm and squeezed his hand into a tight fist, releasing fat drops of blood to mix with our own. When he finished, he lifted the cup with his other hand.
“We are all different,” he said, “but we are all the same when it comes to our purpose in life. Keystone was just an idea, but has become a beating heart because of each one of you. We are different Breeds, genders, and personalities, but as you can see, our blood is the same. Let us drink together and celebrate our victory… and our future. Now, enough with the formalities. Pour the wine!”
A few cheers sounded, and Viktor placed the glass in the center of the table as a symbol of our union. No one touched it, and I wondered what he was going to do with it.
I bent close to Christian. “Thirsty? I bet that’s torture.”
He circled his finger around the rim of his glass, creating a bright note that hung in the air. “Not as torturous as having to partner with a scavenger. Come to think of it, I might need that drink after all.”
