“That’s not all you wanted,” Antonio muttered.
“A little louder.”Azure raised his brow, and his smile widened.He knew his fangs would be peeking out.“I’m quite advancsssed in age, and I can have a difficult time hearing low tonessss.”He knew Antonio understood Azure’s reference to his advanced age.It was all part of what he’d learned the night he’d come to one of Azure’s clubs in the Big Easy.“Now, remind me, becausssse, again, my advanced age affects thingsss, like my memory.How did you come to know of my kind?”
Antonio ran a hand down his face and took one of the empty seats in Azure’s office.He rested his elbows on his knees and combed his fingers through his hair multiple times.Nervous energy ran over him like lightning across a stormy sky.Finally, he took a deep breath and gathered himself.“One of your guys came into my club in New York,” he said, his Italian accent coming through thicker.Antonio clasped his hands together and leaned into his rested forearms.“There was something different about them.”
“Different how?”Azure’s brow drew low.He crossed his arms in front of himself, resting one elbow on a forearm and then letting his chin settle on his fist as he watched the human.
Antonio’s head shook slowly and moved his hands in a forward motion.“Just … better looking.They moved more gracefully than anyone I’d ever seen.Heads turned when your guys walked through the club.And people just got out of their way.Parting like the Red Sea.At first, I thought they must be famous.”He huffed out a derisive laugh, throwing a passive hand in the air.“I even got out my damn phone and searched the internet to see if they were some new pop group out partying.”His head moved side to side as the smile faded.
“Humansss know even without really knowing.We’re just better.We’remore.In every way, we’re the superior race.”Azure let the words hang in the air for a few seconds.“Continue.What happened next?”
“They just kept coming back.Every night.”Antonio quickly held up a hand.“I mean, I’ve got a great club and all, don’t get me wrong.But there are better clubs in NYC for guys like yours to go to.”
“Classier,” Azure offered.
Antonio gave a noncommittal sound.
Azure didn’t point out that he was looking for girls who wouldn’t be noticed when they didn’t come home.
“Then they invited me and some of my girls here.”He gestured around the room.“To your club for a special party.Asked for my best dancers.”
“I commend you on the fact that you made it clear they weren’t strippersss.”And Azure meant it.In the beginning, the King had wondered if Antonio was the type of human he would be able to do business with, if he was going to be one of the rare ones with integrity.But every human has a price.You just have to find it.
“Once I realized you weren’t looking for strippers, that you actually wanted dancers with talent and you could give my girls a chance at a better career than I could, then why wouldn’t I offer them that opportunity?”
“Not to mention I was offering you quite a bit of money to buy their contractssss,” Azure reminded him.
“Nothing in life is free,” Antonio snapped back.“Running a business costs money.”
“Very true.I don’t begrudge you that.Pleassse, continue.I do enjoy jauntsss down Memory Lane.”
“That night, I drank water, because I told you I don’t drink when conducting business.”
Azure gave a slight bow of his head.“To which I commend you.Keeping a clear head isss sssmart.”
“But I began to see things.”He squeezed his eyes closed.
Azure wondered what the human saw in his mind’s eye.What stood out the most in his memory from that night months ago?
“And I thought maybe you’d drugged me.”
“I had not.Now, let’sss ssspeed thisss along.The point isss, I needed girlsss from your sssity.And you had girlsss.You needed money, andonegirl in particular.Correct?”
Antonio’s eyes snapped open, and they were filled with rage and hate as he pinned them on Azure.Antonio’s breathing increased as he stared up at the King.His fists clenched and unclenched several times before he finally spoke.“Slick and Myron said you wouldn’t have let me keep her even if I had gotten her.Is that true?”
Azure considered the question and all the things he’d discovered since he’d first struck the deal with Antonio.“New information hasss come to light in regardsss to the female, Lola.”
Antonio shoved to his feet, obviously forgetting himself, and yelled, “What information?”
Azure remained motionless.He had an in-heat, possibly pregnant mate in the vicinity, a valuable prisoner, and a precarious plan in place—all things that were setting his nerves on edge.Now this imbecile thought to raise his voice athim?Azure had always prided himself on his self-control.He would not let his instincts rule him, no matter how badly he wanted to strike out at this fool.So, he waited.Finally, the stupid human male lowered his shoulders and stepped back.
“I mean, what changed?”Antonio tried again.
“Lola isss the mate of a royal bloodline of one of the ten kingdomsss.”Did Azure take pleasure in watching the news register on the pitiful human’s face?Yes.Yes, he did.“You can’t possssibly understand the magnitude of that.”He pushed off the desk and slipped his hands into his slacks.“Not only iss she a mate to a royal, she is hissspredestinedmate.Meaning their union has been blessed by Visata Himself.Our Creator.The magic in that bond will be powerful.Sheis imbued with magic like no otheranimibefore her because she isss predestined.One of a kind.And any that come after her will be the same.”
“Like Katy?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Azure answered.“You said they’re best friendsss?”
