“And if we let you stay?”
“Then you’ll have the full support of my resources for whatever your endeavors.”
Eclipse considered that for a moment. They’d been attempting to get the vampires to assist in locating theamsouelotsbut hadn’t gotten much in the way of help lately. A few tips here and there, but nothing substantial. Definitely not anything that had helped to locate the remaining five.
“What’ll your clans think about you shacking up with angels?” Eclipse asked.
“They’ll think I’m doing what’s necessary for the survival of my species.” Kaj cut his eyes over briefly. “When I said our numbers are dwindling, it wasn’t an exaggeration. I’ve lost upwards of ten thousand females in the past three months.”
“Fuck,” Eclipse hissed. “Man, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too. They’re targeting our females, eliminating our ability to procreate.”
Bythey, Eclipse assumed Kaj was referring to the shadow beasts. Word on the Misplaced Halos board was that their numbers were growing rapidly, and Kaj had confirmed that.
“And what are you doing about it? To ensure the survival of your race, that is.”
A disappointed sigh drifted his way before Kaj said, “Unlike your kind, we can’t breed with humans.”
Eclipse chuckled. “And you think we can?”
“I think you’ve got the ability to turn them.”
Yeah. They did have that, though it wasn’t as easy as the vampire probably believed. The only humans they were permitted to turn wereamsouelots.And that required the human to die and be resurrected. Eclipse still wondered how Obsidian had made it through. Just thinking about taking Orianna’s life made his chest burn.
“But you can mate with Fae.” Eclipse watched Kaj to gauge his reaction. He remembered the male’s response to Acadia, had seen with his own eyes the longing on both their faces.
“Or so legend goes,” Kaj quipped, “but you know those rumors are mostly bullshit.”
True. Though human myths claimed vampires could turn humans into the undead, that wasn’t even remotely accurate. While they were all God’s children, the man upstairs was the one and only Creator, the only one capable of giving life. Not to mention, vampires were alive and breathing, the same as everyone else. Though it would’ve been a nifty parlor trick, Eclipse couldn’t imagine a world where the bite of a vampire could create more. They had to go through the process like everyone else, and mating was restricted to within each race.
“Are you and Acadia a thing?”
Once more, Kaj cut a look his way. “Let’s just say, if she’ll have me, I’m hers.”
The admission raised a dozen questions, most pertaining to Acadia’s status within thefiestreigh. Like all of his brothers, Eclipse had come to care for the Fae within their ranks. Not only because they ensured their survival but because they’d become family.
“Just out of curiosity, are any of our males at risk? You know we have to feed from the Fae.”
“I’ve got more willpower than most,” Kaj stated. “But it won’t hold out forever, no.”
Great. Probably needed to get a warning to the males at the mansion.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Eclipse continued, “what happened to the previous Alpha?”
Kaj’s gaze shifted back to the road. “They resided at a camp in Seattle. During my last couple of days here, I got word they were under attack. I wasn’t there to witness it, but the story is, Kardobahn killed forty beasts on his own before he succumbed to his injuries. The male had watched those fuckers tear his mate’s throat out, as well as that of his two youngest sons. One of them was only six months old.”
“Fuck.” That sucked.
“Wiped out the whole clan before I could get there. The Zenith and I were attacked shortly thereafter, my warriors slaughtered.”
Eclipse knew the Zenith were the vampire’s answer to the strongest males of their kind. The warriors who were tasked with protecting the Alpha.
“Who’s at the helm? Who’s leading the shadow beasts, that is?”
“My guess is thetrielair. But I’ve yet to encounter any of them.”
Eclipse couldn’t remember the last time they’d come up against thetrielair. He’d hoped they were all in Hell, bowing before their leader, not trolling the Earth for their next kill. However, it did make sense that they’d be leading the efforts to eliminate the vampires. Eevuhl, Mizuhree, and Aguhnee were the most vile, vicious creatures to have ever emerged from Hell. More so than Lucifer, even.
