Kaj stopped, turning to face Huracan. “No, you couldn’t,” he agreed. “And I’m glad you didn’t.”
It had been hell thinking he’d lost them. Because of their roles as warriors protecting their Alpha, Kaj had always considered them family. He’d fought alongside them and would’ve given his life for theirs. To think that they would put his life above their own was a humbling prospect, one that would take time to get used to now that he was their Alpha.
“I got word that Huracan had made it out,” Blaz stated. “By then, I’d already caught your scent, but figured we’d do better together, so I went looking for him.”
Blaz’s words rang with disgrace, as though he despised the fact he’d diverted from his mission, choosing to save his family when he thought all was lost. Kaj had never believed in that particular objective of the Zenith. While he understood the need to protect the Alpha, he’d always thought it made more sense to protect all vampires, to ensure the race’s survival above all else.
“That’s ultimately how we found you,” Mirakel said. “Misplaced Halos came back online and there was word you’d been sighted. I followed the message boards and found one Huracan left for you.”
Kaj should’ve looked there, but he hadn’t.
“That was where we learned of your daughter,” Blaz stated. “So we tracked her to you.”
A ghost of a smile formed on his mouth. “I thought someone was following us, so I shook the tail. That was you?”
Mirakel shook his head. “It was Darko’s males. Ultimately, we found you when we stumbled on their scent.”
Kaj exhaled heavily. Mirakel had explained what he’d overheard regarding Darko’s intention of taking the reins as Alpha. Evidently, there were quite a few factions who were not happy with the thought of Kaj ruling the race, and they’d decided to side with the enemy. Not that it surprised him. There’d always been those who didn’t want Kardobahn at the helm, but his father had ruled for seven hundred years, surviving multiple attempts on his life. As for whether or not he’d been a good ruler, that wasn’t for Kaj to decide. He and his father had had many differences of opinion, and no doubt, those would be noted by his enemies, as well.
“We failed you,phaal,” Huracan said solemnly.
For fuck’s sake. He should’ve known that was coming. The Zenith held themselves to a higher standard than all other vampires, and because of that, they were harder on themselves, seeing failure when there was none.
“You did not,” Kaj snapped, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m alive, aren’t I? You’re alive. That’s all that matters.” He peered over at Mirakel. “Well, aside from taking down Darko before he gets his hands on me.”
Or those he cared about. Kaj knew Darko well, and he was aware the male would stop at nothing to continue to climb the ladder toward power. He’d felt it when he’d visited the Dungeon, knew something was brewing, but he’d shrugged it off.
“May I ask where you’ve been staying?” Mirakel questioned.
Kaj studied him momentarily. At his core, he knew he could trust these males. In fact, they were the only ones he could do so implicitly. They would have his back and he theirs.
“I took refuge with the angels,” he admitted. “I needed a place for Bijou.”
“That explains why you fell off the grid,” Huracan stated with a smirk. “Obsidian’s good at blending.”
He was that.
Resuming his pacing, Kaj considered their options. “When the sun goes down, I’ll pay Obsidian a visit. The angels have another residence in Darkness. It’s been abandoned for a few years, since they built their new fortress. I’ll see if they’ll allow us to stay temporarily.” Or perhaps indefinitely. Kaj got the feeling Darkness was exactly where he belonged, close to Bijou and Acadia.
“As long as you’re aware we go where you go,” Mirakel stated. “It’s our duty to protect the Alpha.”
Kaj nodded. “Understood. And for as long as I’m in that role, I’d trust no one else to have my back.”
The question was, how long would it be before Darko or another traitor overthrew him?
As Mirakel stood facing the Alpha hewas sworn to protect, there was no way of denying his job had gotten immensely more difficult with the changing of guard.
He’d spent three hundred and fifty of his three hundred eighty-two years fighting alongside Kaj. The male had trained him from the time Mirakel was old enough to wield a sword, trusted him to keep Kardobahn safe, and proved it by inducting him into the Zenith despite his lineage and lack of blueblood running through his veins.
Of course, if you measured his life with successes and failures, the scales of justice would no doubt weigh heavier on the latter. After all, Kardobahn, their Alpha for the past seven centuries, was dead. Mirakel had failed Kaj in that regard. Hell, he’d failed them all because he’d been unable to stop the shadow beasts from wiping out the entire camp.
Here, as he stood before the race’s new Alpha, it was impossible not to notice the transformation that had taken place in the male who stood before him now, the most powerful vampire in existence, the ruler of their race, the one who decided the fate of all who looked to him as their safety and security. The past year and a half had taken its toll on Kaj, worn him down. Those brilliant green eyes held shadows of his loss, the pain he’d endured. Mirakel felt responsible for some of those shadows, for some of that pain.
“We should move belowground,” Kaj said. “The space isn’t much, but we’ll be safe down there until nightfall.”
Mirakel glanced at Blaz, nodded his head.
The male was on his feet, marching over to the door in the floor that led down to the space below. A few minutes later, Blaz returned, nodding his approval. They would be safe there for the time being. A vacant metal structure in the center of a town populated by humans wasn’t the best of accommodations as far as protecting Kaj went, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. For now, this was their only option. In a way, it was better than the last building Kaj had taken him to before they’d separated for Mirakel to bring the others in. A bit easier to defend, in Mirakel’s opinion.
