“Because I try very hard not to think about that pretentious asshole.” Viktor stopped pacing long enough to brace his hands on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, gripping the wood hard enough to make it creak. “Claudius embodies every suffocating, archaic rule I couldn’t stand. He thinks humans exist to be fed on and controlled, and he treats mages like…like fucking circus performers. They’re just novelties for him to study, exploit, and then dispose of.”
“I see.” Ant set down the photograph he’d been examining and folded his hands on the table. “That’s concerning, but it doesn’t change the fact that a certain Ronald Finch was murdered. Someone drained him of blood and left his body on Claudius’sproperty. I have a professional obligation to determine what happened.”
“He was fed from and died. Case closed.” Viktor regretted the blunt words as soon as they left his mouth. Ant really cared about doing the right thing. “Ant, babe, your professional obligation is going to get you killed.”
“No, it won’t.” Ant’s voice remained perfectly calm. “Because you’ll be with me.”
Viktor laughed, the sound harsh. “You think I can protect you if Claudius decides to activate the estate’s lockdown wards? If he traps us inside with a dozen vampires who view you as prey?”
“I think you’re catastrophizing.”
“I’m being realistic.” Viktor resumed pacing, his mind spinning through every horrible scenario. Claudius seeing Ant’s slender build and gentle demeanor and dismissing him as weak. Claudius making some sneering comment about Viktor slumming it with a human-adjacent mage. Claudius deciding that a cute little mage would make a useful addition to his collection of controlled assets.
I’ll rip his fucking head off before I let that happen.
He already knew he couldn’t, and that pissed Viktor off more than anything. Any act of violence against Claudius without provocation could start a war between the coven and the Justiciary, and that’s without violating at least a dozen Justiciary laws.
Not only that, but if Viktor did react with violence, then he would simply be proving Claudius’s point about Viktor being a violent thug who’d abandoned his noble heritage to roll around in the mud with humans.I should’ve killed him back then, and then this business with this Finch person would never have happened.
“Viktor.” Ant’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. “Look at me.”
Viktor stopped pacing and turned. Ant had stood, leaving Able to settle back into his spot under the table, and now he crossed the kitchen with those quiet, deliberate steps that always meant he was thinking hard about something. When he reached Viktor, he placed both hands flat on Viktor’s chest, right over his heart.
The effect was immediate. Viktor’s entire body settled, and the frantic energy drained away under the pressure of Ant’s palms. He could feel Ant reading him through the touch - not invasively, never that - instead gently cataloging Viktor’s fear, rage, and protective fury.
“I understand that you’re worried.”That’s a fucking understatement,and then Viktor hoped that thought hadn’t been picked up. “But I need you to remember something.”
“What?”
“I’m not helpless.” Those gray eyes held Viktor’s gaze, unwavering. “I’m a lot stronger than I look. If Claudius or any member of his coven attempts to harm either of us, I can reduce them to dust before they finish forming the thought.”
Viktor knew that from a logical perspective. Mages didn’t get to Level Twelve by simply producing flames from their fingertips. But knowing it intellectually and trusting it emotionally were two different things, especially when the threat came from vampires who’d been raised to believe they were at the top of the apex predator list.
“Claudius won’t see you that way,” Viktor said roughly. “He’ll look at you and see a mild-mannered academic. He won’t understand what you’re capable of until it’s too late.”
“Then he’ll learn through his mistakes.” Ant’s thumbs moved in small circles against Viktor’s chest. It was a soothing gesture, butViktor wasn’t sure he wanted to be soothed. “I’d prefer not to demonstrate my capabilities through violence if I can avoid it. If nothing else, doing something so extreme would severely drain me for days, and that’s not healthy. But it’s like I told Bridget. I’m going to conduct a scene reading, document my findings, and leave. The Justiciary is sending me there, so it’s not like anything could happen. People will know where we are. I just have to follow standard procedure.”
“Nothing about this is standard.”
“Bridget said the same thing.” The corner of Ant’s mouth twitched. “But I’ve read scenes in dangerous locations before. I’m very good at my job, and you’re very good at keeping me safe while I work. We’ll be fine.”
Viktor wasn’t so sure. He could go into excruciating detail about how Claudius’s estate wasn’t just dangerous, it was designed to be a trap, layered with centuries of blood magic, black magic, and goodness knows whatever other types of magic that asshole had managed to find. He needed his mate to understand how vampires who’d lived as long as Claudius developed a fundamental contempt for anyone they viewed as lesser, and Claudius viewed everyone as lesser, including Viktor.
Ant’s hands remained steady on his chest, and those gray eyes showed nothing but Ant’s determination.
He’s not going to back down.
Of course he wasn’t. Ant had a rigid moral code that included seeking justice for murder victims, regardless of the personal cost. It was one of the things Viktor loved about him, even when it made Viktor want to lock them both in the house and never let the outside world touch them again.
“I hate this,” Viktor said finally, saying out loud the words Ant could already feel.
“I know.” Ant’s expression softened slightly. “However, we have a responsibility to Ronald Finch. Someone killed him and left his body in that estate, and Claudius’s coven is hiding behind legal protections to avoid answering questions. As far as I’m aware, the Justiciary has exhausted every other investigative avenue. I’m the only option left.”
Viktor closed his eyes and took a long breath.My mate is either the bravest person I’ve ever met or the most reckless,although, where Ant was concerned, both things could be true and probably were.
“Fine,” Viktor said, opening his eyes. “We’ll go. But I’m staying at your side every single second, and if Claudius so much as looks at you wrong, I’m tying him into a fucking pretzel.”
“That seems reasonable,” Ant said calmly. “Although I’d prefer you avoid physical altercations unless absolutely necessary. The Justiciary has arranged this visit through official channels, and I’d rather not jeopardize our professional relationship by assaulting our host.”
