Not sure what was going on, she got to her feet, watching the young female closely.
The next thing she knew, Acadia was being pulled in for a hug. She immediately embraced Bijou as was polite.
“Congratulations,” Bijou said softly in her ear.
“Thank you?” Yeah, it came out as a question, but Acadia was confused. “How did you know?”
Bijou pulled back and met her gaze. “His scent is all over you.”
Acadia lifted her hand, sniffed her forearm.
Bijou chuckled. “You can’t smell it, but vampires can.” Bijou released her. “Congrats, Dad,” she said, patting him on the shoulder and heading across the room.
When she sat, Kaj reached for her hand, lifted it to his lips.
“Do they all know?” she whispered, feeling a bit like a spectacle.
“The males, yes. They’re quite aware that you belong to me now.”
Perhaps it really was time for her to do a bit more research into this whole vampire mating thing.
So he probably should’ve warned Acadia beforeshe’d come down. Honestly, Kaj hadn’t expected his males to react that way, but he greatly appreciated the gesture. For what it was worth, it had helped to solidify his decision to embrace the role as Alpha.
As the food was brought forth and consumed, Kaj relaxed as the others in the room did. Everyone went back to their normal routine, shoving food in while they chatted amongst themselves, laughing at jokes, teasing each other, and enjoying this brief moment before the night got underway. It was a routine he’d always admired, the sharing of meals, the opportunity to catch up and stay caught up with the goings-on around them. He even hoped one day to introduce a similar tradition for thekirlesgun, once the regime was in place, the positions filled.
When Michael had told him Khari would be taking over as leader of the race, his first reaction had been relief. He enjoyed leading the Zenith because being a fighter was what he knew, what he was good at. Despite his best efforts, he knew he would never be the leader his father was. He had no desire to sit behind a desk and snap orders, create laws, and solve the problems of those who couldn’t solve them for themselves. Kaj wanted to be on the front lines, where he could be beneficial.
In the same regard, he felt as though he had something to contribute, and the longer he’d thought about it, the more he realized this was an opportunity he had to embrace. Not for himself, necessarily, but for the entire species, the males and females he wanted to protect, to nurture. He’d thought about Bijou and her future. He wanted her to live in a world that was safe for her to traverse, and the best way to ensure that happened was to have a hand in it.
But what had encased his decision in stone had been Michael’s reference to his heir. If the male was to be believed, Acadia was pregnant with his child. Their child. A male. The news had shocked him to the roots of his soul, but there had been absolutely no disappointment. The opposite in fact. The idea of having a child with the female he adored … it only added to this sense of peace even if it made him panic at the same time.
There was time to fall apart later, though. Right now, he had shit to do, people to talk to, decisions to make.
Of course, he knew it would take time before he could get everything in order. Right now, he had enough challenges to deal with. Namely, relaying to Penelope that the brother she’d known all her life was, in fact, not her brother. He was a ten-thousand-year-old vampire who needed to be separated from the human vessel he’d been residing in for the past twenty-eight years.
The mere thought of being the bearer of that disturbing news had Kaj pushing his plate away, wiping his mouth with his linen napkin, and depositing it for removal as well.
As he took a sip of coffee, he realized Obsidian was staring at him.
“You wanted to talk to me?” the angel asked.
“I do.” He glanced at Penelope and Acadia. “I think it’s best if the four of us went somewhere more private, if that’s all right.”
“I’d like Eclipse to join us,” Obsidian stated.
“Of course.” Kaj didn’t care who was there to hear this, provided the news didn’t get back to Bijou until he’d had a chance to discuss with her personally. Though this particular conversation—relaying the information to Penelope—wasn’t something he looked forward to, he knew it needed to be handled first. After Oliver’s sister knew what was taking place, he could share the news with his daughter.
Penelope, clearly surprised by the request, glanced over at Obsidian, then down to the babe in her arms. “I’ll have Josie take the baby.”
Josie being the Fae who’d been appointed as the child’s nanny.
“I can take her up there,” Orianna offered. “If you don’t mind, of course.”
Penelope smiled at her sister-in-law. “Of course not.”
Orianna beamed brightly, clearly pleased to spend time with the child.
Obsidian downed the rest of his coffee while Orianna and Penelope got to their feet. “We’ll meet in the conference room on the third floor. I’ve got a few things to take care of first.”
