Hunter and Chasen stood to their feet, both in much better spirits now. The weight on their chests immediately vanished when they felt Brody’s light. There was probably an interesting story attached to how his light had returned.
“Well, now I feel like I can be happy about Abaas’ death. Sick bastard will no longer be plaguing our family,” Hunter said with a smile. He wrapped his arm around Freja and looked back toward pack territory. A dark shadow passed overhead, and he glanced up to see a white dragon lowering down to them. A man jumped off the back of the dragon. He met with the amber eyes of the man, who looked over him, then Freja, where his gaze stayed. The dragon shifted into a beautiful girl with black hair and caramel skin.
“Ciana!” Jin said in excitement. “You’re back.” She felt Chasen’s strong hand on her shoulder as he looked over the foreign guy.
“Yeah, I’m finally here to stay, for at least a little while.” Ciana smiled and walked over to Jin. “I ended up seeing Jester on his way here, so I gave him a lift.”
“It looks like you were able to break the blood potion.” Jester smiled at Freja, then shifted his gaze to the man next to her.
Hunter was also sizing this man up. He could see the tender way he looked at Freja, his amber eyes almost melting when he saw her. His complexion was as pale as moonlight, with a cascade of blonde hair that shimmered like golden silk under the sun. Standing tall and slender, his frame was elegant and lean, exuding a quiet strength. His body was toned, sculptedwith lean muscles that hinted at athleticism without the bulk of a bodybuilder. Hunter figured some ladies might find his unique appearance alluring.
But what was he doing? This guy wasn’t his rival. Freja was already marked. Hunter cleared his throat and extended his hand to the man. “My name is Hunter. Nice to meet you, Jester. Freja has told me about you.” He shook the man’s hand firmly with a kind smile. This man had helped them. He had protected his mate.
“So, you’re the one who stole Freja from me.” Jester chuckled. “Just joking. She was never mine.” He then looked at Freja. “I know I told you I planned to come and visit. But I’m actually here for another reason.”
Freja could see something in Jester’s eyes—something that worried her. “What is it?”
“Did you guys take care of things with the witches?”
Freja nodded. “For the most part. The coven leader has been taken out. There might be a loose end or two left. We haven’t had time to polish that up yet. Jester, you know I hate the games. Out with it.” Freja sighed and lifted her brows at him in irritation.
Jester chuckled. “Some things never change. I just didn’t want to overwhelm you right now. That’s why I was asking about the witches. The thing is, there is something else that needs to be dealt with.” He looked at Hunter. “The demons are trying to sway the vampires to their side. They’ve been meeting with their king and queen. As you know, traditionally, we vampires are not on any side but our own. Similar to how dragons are, just not as powerful. But we are still a strong ally to have. They would also be a tough opponent to go against.”
Freja rubbed her head. “Out with it, Jester. I know you’re telling me this for a reason. Quit the fancy footwork already.”
“You’re also a vampire. A powerful tribrid. Needless to say, I think showing our support for balance would weigh heavy ontheir minds. I want you to come with me. We need to speak with the King and Queen of the Vampires.”
Freja nodded her head and sighed. She understood what he wanted now. “They’re purebloods, though. I’m considered the mutt, the lowlife in their world.” Freja felt Hunter’s hand grip hers tighter. He didn’t like how she spoke about herself.
“They can’t deny your strength, Freja. A dhampir that is part witch and now also part werewolf. Not just part werewolf, but the Queen of the Werewolves. The Luna of Lunas. Forming an alliance with you is something I don’t think they would shy away from. More importantly, they wouldn’t want to make enemies with the Alpha King and Luna Queen.” Jester watched the stormy eyes in front of him. He could see Hunter mulling over the idea in his head.
Hunter didn’t like the idea of going into danger again. However, this was on an even larger scale. This was about the demon war. And the vampires could tip the scale in the direction of whatever side they chose. He tilted his head and looked at Freja. “What are you thinking?”
Freja sighed and looked up at Hunter. “What he’s saying makes sense. As much as I loathe the idea of meeting with those royal snobs, I also don’t want them banding together with the demons.”
Chasen chuckled darkly and rubbed his forehead. “So how dangerous is this going to be? I assume that going into a vampire’s nest is a dangerous task.”
Jester nodded his head. “I don’t know, honestly. It just depends if they have struck a deal with the demons yet or not. The King and Queen are not stupid. They’re wise. They’ve lived a long time.”
“And as the king's brother, you’ve also lived a long time.” Freja smirked and tilted her head, looking at Jester.
His eyes widened, and he pointed at her. “You knew?!”
“Umm … yeah. I make it my business to know who I’m speaking to. The brother who got tired of living the same life, so he went to live one away from the royal hive. Said to be one of their strongest warriors but had a malicious nature. However, he loved his brother dearly.” Freja met with his amber eyes. “He loved his brother so much that he turned himself into the bad guy in order to protect the king's image. Which is actually the REAL reason you left. You didn’t want to taint your brother's image by having you by his side.”
Jester smiled and nodded slowly. “I guess I underestimated you.”
“Having Jester with us will at least allow us to approach the king and queen.” Freja looked at Hunter then to see his reaction.
“I guess I should see if Sam can hold down the fort a little longer. Looks like we’re playing diplomats.” Hunter sighed. Never a dull moment in his life. One day, he hoped he could have some quiet time and enjoy having a mate. Though all that would have to wait until after they dealt with the demons. And this was just one more step in that direction.
“So, we’re going to meet vampires?” Ciana said, inviting herself along.
Jester turned and looked at her. “It might be dangerous.”
“And how would that change what I’ve been doing?” Ciana laughed. “Besides, if Jin is going, then I’m going. I’m staying with Jin.”
“Jin is staying here,” Chasen said, matter of factly.
