“Ah …” Renato says with a knowing grin, “so the Disciples were right. A Daughter’s protector”—he glances my way with a knowing smirk—“always finds them.”
The moment Renato’s fetid mouth closes, Aurora clears her throat. With one simple breath, this tiny half-human snaps the attention of two of the deadliest creatures alive.
I am awestruck.
And so fucking desperate for her.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk about me like I’m not standing right here. If I’m a queen, as you both seem to believe, I expect to be treated with the respect I deserve and be included in conversations that affect me.”
She stands on the other side of the vampire with her chin in the air and her fists clenched by her side. The copper flecks in her eyes glint and shine as her rage builds. A light wind plays with her hair, and the kettle corn scent of her magic drifts through the foyer.
Sidestepping Renato, I join Aurora as the Cù Fèidhfollows close behind, taking up a protective post on her left side.
“Aurora is right,” I say, running my knuckles down her arm. “I apologize, little lupine. It won’t happen again.”
I let my touch linger, slow enough to be felt in every nerve, until the tension in her shoulders begins to melt.
Only then do I turn back to the vampire.
Renato watches Aurora with bright, unblinking eyes, his head tilting slightly like he’s staring at myth made flesh.
It isn’t worship. Fuck no. Renato doesn’t kneel for anyone.
But there’s a gleam in his eye that wasn’t there before. Something weighty.
Shit. It’s hope. How profoundly inconvenient.
“I apologize, Daughter. I did not mean to offend you,” Renato whispers with his head bowed.
Without another word, the vampire smiles at Aurora, strolls into my living room, makes himself at home on my couch, and casually flips open a book on local plant life.
Whatever Renato is up to, I’m almost certain he’s not a threat.
Not right now, anyway.
I nod to the Cù Fèidh, her return threading through me, making me whole. Only then do I take Aurora’s hand and guide her into the living room, settling her in my reading chair before stepping behind her and claiming my place as her king.
“Why are you here, Renato?”
I’m not in the mood for games and this asshole loves to play games.
He looks up from his book and clears his throat.
“Where shall I start? As you know, I’m here to redeem the favor you owe me, but I also have some information that may be useful to you and the littleReina de Brasas. I will willingly divulge this information to you and ask nothing in return, except that you help Aurora ascend. And protect her long enough for that crown to mean something.”
“That’s awfully generous. What’s in it for you?”
The old vampire is annoyingly cunning. He wields every decision, every action, like a piece on a chessboard. He doesn’t make a move unless there’s a clear path to checkmate.
“The past few weeks have been difficult for me. I have power. Wealth. I can move governments with a single call. But I’ve lost someone. Someone important. And I need your help to bring him back where he belongs.”
If I didn’t know what a monster he is, I might spare some of my newfound empathy for the MLM cult leader. But he’s a murderer of underborne, erevald, and human. Trusting him is out of the question.
“I’m listening,” I say impatiently.
When he looks up, his mouth tightens, pain flickering sharp behind his eyes.
“I … have a son. Not by blood, of course. I found him long ago, just after Rome burned. He was … exceptional, even then. Raw, angry, but with such potential. I gave him purpose. Discipline. He’s been by my side ever since. A companion. A protégé. And, in time, something more. I’ve grown to love him as my own.
