Hearing a knock on his car’s window, Reeve dragged his gaze away from the families and turned to see Heath standing there. Rolling down the window, he growled, “What’s up?”
Widening his eyes briefly before narrowing them, Heath asked, “Are you coming in or do you want me to give my report out here?”
Blowing out a breath, Reeve sat there for a moment until he had his animal under control. It wasn’t Heath’s fault that Josiah was an asshole, nor was it Reeve’s fault for becoming enraged at what Josiah’s quest for power had inflicted on the pack. “Inside,” he murmured, unbuckling his seatbelt. “How’s Kahn?”
Smirking, Heath pulled open the truck door. “Missing you.”
“Fuck off,” Reeve replied, climbing out of the vehicle. “Really, how’s he doing?”
Shrugging, Heath murmured, “He seems fine…but then I guess that depends on whether he’s come to terms with what his fatherdid. And that I don’t know. Right now, I think he’s focusing on his mother and sisters and not on himself. But at some point he’s gonna have to and it would be better if his mate were there to help him sort it all out.”
“Fair enough,” Reeve replied. “And in order for me to do that…”
“I know…first we have to find the son-of-a bitch.”
Chapter 5
After Vasile nixed Lucius’ plan to return to his and Brady’s home to pick up some clothes and, hopefully, a pillow with his mate’s scent, the young vampire found himself sitting in Steel’s office, watching his mate on a re-run of live video recorded at the Witches’ Council. It was Jackson’s idea and, at first, Lucius was sure it would be boring, but he quickly found himself immersed in what was happening on the screen to the exclusion of everything else.
Studying Lucius’ face was fast becoming Vasile’s favorite thing. Compared to the stoicism found on most vampires’ faces, Lucius was like a breath of fresh air; his emotions clearly reflected there.
“Wow!” Lucius exclaimed as the screen went black. “For a moment, I was sure that Remy was going to get shot, but then…holy cow! Did you see that white tiger? Wasn’t he amazing? I never knew there were tiger shifters…although I should have since I’ve dealt with sea dragon shifters. And Remy…can you believe what he can do? I sure wouldn’t want to cross him…there’s so much I don’t know.”
Hearing the despair in Lucius’ voice, Vasile replied softly, “Trayhor,it’ll take time, but trust me, Brady and I will teach you everything about this world…and I swear to you, I will never let any harm come to you…you have my blood oath on it.”
“Blood oath? What’s that?”
“When a vampire makes a promise he will keep no matter what the cost is to him, it’s called a Blood Oath,” Vasile explained.
Lucius’ jaw dropped when the old vampire’s words sank in. “Anything? Like even…” He couldn’t finish his thought becauseit was too hard to believe that someone would think he was worthy of such an oath.
Smiling, Vasile completed Lucius’s sentence. “Even if it means death,trayhor.It’s the most sacred act a vampire can swear to.”
“But…but…I can’t let you do that,” Lucius said, closing his eyes. Just the thought of his friend dying made his gut clench.
“Lucius, look at me, please.” Vasile waited until the young vampire’s eyes met his. “Do you know why Brady picked me to stay with you?”
“Because you’re friends?”
Grinning, Vasile said, “That’s true, but not the only reason. I am one of the three oldest vampires on earth…”
Lucius was stunned. “Who are the others?” he asked.
“Qadir and Azriel…together, the three of us govern the vampire world.”
“You mean like the Witches’ Council?”
“Exactly like that,” Vasile replied. “While you were in Brady’s study reading, I contacted them and told them your story.”
“Oh no! Were they angry with me?” asked Lucius, his fear beginning to rise.
Frowning, Vasile shook his head. “No…but it’s a good thing your former master is dead because angering any of us is a certain guarantee of experiencing a death far worse than what befell your master.” Then pausing for a moment, he thought about Lucius’ reaction and, after failing to come up with its cause, he asked, “Why do you think they would be angry with you?”
Lowering his eyes, Lucius shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t have an answer to Vasile’s question other than his previous experiences with Valerian and his vampire friends. Nothing he did pleased them—no matter how hard he tried—if only to stop the punishments they loved to give him. After a while, he realized it was a waste of effort since the bastards got off on hearing his cries of pain. But as the silence in the room grew, he finally said, “My master was always angry, so I thought…”
“You thought other vampires would feel the same way, eh?”
“Something like that,” Lucius mumbled, his cheeks reddening.
