My wolf’s hackles rose instinctively.Every predator sense I possessed screamed threat, even as protocol demanded I remain still.
Alex Diamantis led the delegation.Second in command to Dragan himself, though the ancient vampire master would never deign to attend something as mundane as an exchange.Alex was pale as marble, beautiful in the way that corpses could be beautiful, with eyes that had watched empires rise and fall.Behind him, two of his guards flanked in perfect formation.Silent.Still.Dead.
The absence of heartbeats was the worst part.I could hear my own brothers’ pulses, steady and strong.I could hear the distant traffic on the highway, a siren three blocks away, a rat scurrying in the walls.But where the vampires stood, there was nothing.A void where life should have been.Even the air around them seemed wrong, too still, a void filled with an indescribable scent that meant old blood and older death.
Unnatural.My wolf’s growl reverberated through my chest.Wrong.Kill them.
I forced the instinct down.The Bratva had done business with the Diamantis clan for decades.Ancient protocols observed between apex predators who had learned, over centuries, that mutual destruction served no one.
“Vor.”Alex’s voice was cool silk, perfectly polite.“Thank you for meeting us.”
“The Bratva honors its agreements.”I inclined my head.Exactly the right amount of respect.Not a fraction more.
“As do the Diamantis.”Alex’s smile revealed nothing.No fangs, not yet.That would be gauche.“Dragan sends his regards.He was pleased with the submarine.”
“It served its purpose?”
“Admirably.”A pause.Something surfaced in those ancient eyes.Amusement, maybe.Or calculation.With vampires, the two were often indistinguishable.“Mediterranean operations have expanded significantly.The routes through Greece and France are now firmly under our control.”
The submarine had been a complicated acquisition.Russian contacts, Bratva connections that stretched back to the Cold War, favors called in and palms greased.The Diamantis clan had wanted it for their European operations, something that could move product without attracting attention.We had delivered.
Now they would repay.
“Three shipments,” I said.“As agreed.”
“Three shipments.”Alex produced a slim folder from inside his coat.The movement was too fluid, too precise.Inhuman.“Details are inside.Routes, timing, quantities.High-grade Colombian.Eighty-seven percent purity.”
Viktor stepped forward to take the folder.His movements were controlled, but I caught the slight tension in his shoulders, the way his nostrils flared as he tried to scent a threat that had no scent.Wolves did not like being this close to vampires.Something in our blood remembered ancient conflicts, territory wars fought in shadows before humans had words for what we were.Every instinct screamed to attack, to defend, to eliminate the threat.But the Bratva had learned long ago that there were predators even wolves couldn’t afford to fight.
Kill them, my wolf suggested helpfully.Rip their throats out.Paint the walls with their cold blood.
I ignored him.The wolf was not always rational about these things.
“The Bratva is satisfied,” I said.“The debt is cleared.”
“Cleared.”Alex’s smile widened fractionally.“Though I wonder, Vor, if you might be interested in future arrangements.The Diamantis always appreciate partners who can acquire difficult items.”
“The Bratva is always open to mutually beneficial arrangements.”
“Excellent.”
The exchange was complete.Protocol satisfied.The vampires should have turned and left, melting back into the shadows they’d emerged from.Instead, Alex paused.His head tilted, and for a moment, his nostrils flared.
Scenting me.The way a wolf might scent prey.
I kept my expression blank, but the wolf bristled.Vampires didn’t need to breathe, which meant when they inhaled, they were reading you.Tasting the air for weakness.For distraction.
For her.
Could he smell her on me?Her scent that clung to my clothes, to my skin, no matter how many times I showered?I’d kissed her yesterday.Had my mouth on hers, her fingers wrapped in my shirt, her body pressed against mine for one perfect, dangerous moment.
“You seem distracted tonight, Vor.”Alex’s voice was still pleasant.Still perfectly polite.“Unlike your usual sharp self.”
I felt Viktor stiffen beside me.Dmitri’s hand moved fractionally toward the gun concealed beneath his jacket.
“Business has been demanding,” I said, keeping my voice level.“The acquisition of the Hughes property has required attention.”
“Ah, yes.The hotel heiress.”A knowing look crossed Alex’s face.Knowledge, perhaps.Or speculation.“Dragan heard about that arrangement.He found it… intriguing.”
