Aaron hadn’t said a word yet, but Zander could see the calculations happening behind his eyes. Assessing threat levels. Weighing political ramifications. Probably running through at least a dozen scenarios for how to kill a vampire without making an enemy of the entire Concilio and Senatus.
The young waitress appeared at their table, looking deeply bored by the tension. “You folks ready to order?”
“We need a minute,” Aaron said, his voice so calm it was terrifying.
“The special today is braised lamb shank,” the waitress continued. “Or you can order from the menu.” She looked at Zander. “We have wines and liquors.”
Sophia’s head snapped to look at Zander. “You thought you could make him okay with you fucking his oldest daughter by offeringlamb?”
The waitress’s expression didn’t change. She’d definitely seen worse.
“Sophia,” Aaron said, his voice firm and gentle at the same time. His hand was still on hers, and Zander saw his thumb moving in small circles. He was likely telepathing some version of,Calm down. Not here. We’ll deal with this, but not in public.
Sophia took a breath, visibly struggling to rein herself in. When she looked at the waitress, her voice was tight but controlled. “I’ll need a few minutes before I can think about food.”
“Sure thing. I’ll be back.” The waitress stepped away without a second glance.
Aaron finally spoke, his attention fixed on Zander. “You’ve proven trustworthy to me over the years in a thousand ways. I didn’t think for a second about trusting you with mydaughter.” His voice was still that eerie calm, and Zander knew Aaron well enough to understand that wasinfinitely more dangerous than shouting. “I asked you to look after her. Keep her safe. Help her find some direction.”
“I have,” Zander said simply.
“And somewhere along the way, you decided that included seducing her?”
“No, Sir,” Spencer said. “He avoided her, in Anchorage. Left it to me to help guide her. I’m in charge of the flock, and if I’m honest, I fell in love with her shortly after she arrived. It’s only been recently I could act on it. As for Zander, it wasn’t until we arrived here and were in such close proximity, and then…”
When Spencer stopped talking, knowing better than to mention Emerald’s illness and bring even more strife into the conversation, Zander picked up. “Somewhere along the way, we realized we wanted each other. Emerald is an adult. I didn’t make decisions for her. Neither did Spence.”
Aaron’s eyes moved to Spencer, assessing. “How long?”
“The three of us?” Spencer’s voice was steady. “It’s been leading up to it for a few weeks, but the actual … physicality has only been a few days, but we haven’t tried to hide it, and Zander felt it important you hear it from him, rather than hear it through gossip.”
“A few days?” Sophia asked, then sat back in her chair. “So it could just be a fling?”
“Maybe,” Emerald answered. “But itfeelsdifferent, mostly because I’m hoping it lasts, and that’s new for me.”
Both her parents stared at her.
“My whole life plan was to play for a few centuries before falling in love,” she explained. “Party, travel, have fun. But here I am, falling head over heels fortwomen. And it’s not what I expected, but it’s…”
She glanced at Zander and then Spencer before looking back to her mother. “It’s perfect, actually. A dominant partner who challenges me and treats me like an equal, and the most lovely, most endearing and confident submissive on the planet — one who isn’t submissive because he needs a keeper, but because it’s the way he supports the people he loves.”
Aaron kept his face neutral and unreadable, and looked to Zander with the unnerving intensity only a dragon can manage. “And you? Do you see this as a fling, or long-term?”
“We’reallhoping it lasts,” Zander said. “Me included, but it’s too new for any of us to make promises.”
“Yet firm and solid enough to tell us about it.”
“We haven’t hidden anything, and don’t intend to. It was only a matter of time before the news made it to you,” Zander repeated. “We’ve been seen together at two balls, and the gossip network in our world moves fast. It was important you hear it from me.”
Aaron absorbed that, his expression still unreadable. His old friend would gather all the facts before deciding on whether to take action or not. He looked at Zander a long moment before turning to his daughter. “Are you safe? Happy?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “To both.”
“And your schoolwork?”
“I’m ahead in all my classes, and work on my thesis is coming along. I know you have access to my grades. You have access to anything on the planet, if it’s something you want to know.”
Aaron nodded slowly, then looked at Sophia. Their eyes met, and Zander could practically feel the telepathy between them.
