It took everything I had not to laugh. “You can look now.” Finally the two Kejas met our eyes, still extremely embarrassed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you here?” Usually when Antonio wanted to speak with us, he simply waited until the daily meetings he held at dusk in one of the conference rooms at his mansion. The fact that it was now approaching dawn made it even stranger for him to come to us.
“This is not about an assignment. It is a personal matter.”
I exchanged an uneasy look with Jared.
“Do not be alarmed. It is not bad news.” The Latino-looking vampire’s huge dark eyes were filled with reassurance. He was a very calming person to be around, which I wouldn’t have expected from the ruler of all vampirekind. He was a very elegant, graceful, and collected individual. Luther, his Advisor, was just as elegant. They couldn’t have looked more different. Whereas Antonio had dark shoulder-length hair, Luther looked…well, like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.
Jared retrieved two breakfast stools from the kitchen for us, and then gave Antonio a questioning look.
Once we were seated, Antonio took a long breath. “I’ll get straight to the point. I have decided to step down from my position as Grand High Master.”
My brows flew to my hairline. “Say again?”
“I’m tired, Sam. I have had this position for a very long time, and I’m tired.” He sounded it as well.
“You’re kidding, right?” asked Jared. I sensed that he was feeling as incredulous as I was.
“I would like to step down and spend more time with the people I care about.”
“You mean Lucy, don’t you?” I quite liked the brunette. Lucy was one of the humans on the island and was also one of Antonio’s vessels – a human who fed him and only him. I’d noticed that Antonio had shed himself of his consorts and vessels until there was now only Lucy.
“In my early years, I was as ambitious as Jared,” Antonio told me. “And I fought hard for this position. Then I put everything I had into it, neglecting many of my own needs. At first, I avoided relationships because I wasn’t prepared to divide my time and attention. After that, it was because it seemed that I was surrounded by people who were not so much attracted to me but to the idea of being with the Grand High Master.”
“Are you planning to Turn her?” Jared’s shock was still pulsing in the air.
“Yes. I plan on Turning Lucy and Binding with her. But it means I have done everything the wrong way around – Binding after I stepped down rather than before. Ruling without a mate for support can be a very lonely life. I saw that you were headed down that same route, Jared, and I did not want you to make the same mistakes that I have.”
I quickly realised something. “You played Cupid, didn’t you?”
Antonio tilted his head, stifling a smile. “Perhaps. It is not why I offered you a position here as a commander, Sam. You are here because you deserve to be. But I confess I had hoped that if I forced you and Jared to work together, you would grow close. You seemed to be exactly what he needed, just as he seemed to be what you needed. And I was right, was I not?”
“Sneaky.” Jared ran a hand through his hair. “None of this means you have to step down yet.”
“No, but I wish to. As I said, I’m tired. I wish to retire, to no longer have to worry about the lives of others and to instead concentrate on my own. Do you have any idea how long it has been since I have seen the outside world? Being who I am, my life was always at risk, and I have had to remain on the island. I do not want that anymore, and I do not want it for Lucy. You two are more than capable of ruling. The vampire community has totally accepted both of you, has confidence in your ability to lead and protect them. The question is…are you prepared to take on the responsibility?”
It was more than a mere responsibility and, in truth, I didn’t feel at all ready. It was a huge step to take. Yes, I’d known it would happen one day, but I’d envisioned it happening centuries down the line, not now. But how could I place Antonio in a position where he had to remain ruler at the cost of his own happiness? He didn’t deserve that. “I’m in.”
Jared’s shock still hadn’t eased in the slightest. I could sense through our bond that beneath that shock was a slither of unease. I would never have guessed that he would ever have any reservations about stepping up when the time came. Yet, that unease was there. With anyone else, I would have said that was perfectly natural. But it didn’t fit Jared in this situation.
“I don’t like that you’re stepping down,” he told Antonio. “I think you’re easily capable of ruling for a hell of a long time, and I can’t imagine you not being Grand High Master. But…I committed to being your Heir, knowing this would eventually happen. If this is really what you want, I’ll support you.” He took my hand. “We’ll support you.”
The smile that spread across Antonio’s face was one of relief. “I would like for the Coronation to take place in two months’ time, if that works for both of you. This will give me time to tie up any loose ends.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
“Luther will serve as your Advisor, just as he has served as mine.”
The Gandalf lookalike smiled. “It will be an honour.”
“Sebastian will serve as your tracker. He will be as loyal to you as he has been to me. And do not forget that you will need to appoint yourselves an Heir at some point. It does not have to be immediately, but you will have to choose one eventually. And choose wisely.”
I wasn’t what anyone would call ‘wise’, so that would be where Luther and his advice would come into play.
“The tradition for the Coronation is that only the High Masters and any immediate friends and ‘family’ attend. The rest of vampirekind will watch via V-Tube.” That was basically the vampiric version of YouTube that could be accessed using the V-net, which was the vampiric version of the internet. “In a few days, I will announce the upcoming Coronation. For now, both of you get some rest.”
Once both he and Luther had left the apartment, I blew out a long breath and twisted in my seat to face Jared. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“And that was an understatement.” He scooped me from the stool and brought me to straddle him. “I can sense that you don’t feel ready for this yet.”
“It’s scary,” I admitted. There was no judgement in his hazel eyes, only understanding. “I can coach and command a squad of ten, but lead all vampirekind?” In vampire years, I wasn’t quite four years old. That wasn’t really much experience at this life to have such a high position. “I didn’t envision this happening so soon.”
He cupped my throat with both hands. “You can lead. You can do anything.” He gave me a soft, lingering kiss and slid his hands into my hair. “If you need more time, just say the word and I’ll talk to Antonio about it. He’ll understand. This isn’t showing weakness. It’s showing that you’re taking this as seriously as you need to take it.”
Unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt, I snaked my hands under Jared’s collar and rested them on his broad shoulders. “I can’t ask Antonio to wait any longer to step down. Not after seeing how tired he is of all this. He’s been on this island for so long.” Every Grand High Master that had ever been appointed had remained concealed in order to be safe from any assassination attempts. “He deserves to have a life of his own. He hasn’t had one for a long time, has he?”
“No.” Jared trailed kisses along my jaw. “You’re a good person.”
“Say again?”
He chuckled at the disbelief in my voice. “Oh you can be merciless, ruthless, and vengeful. And we both know you’re downright crazy. But you’ve got the biggest heart. And it’s mine. All mine.” His gaze blazed with a possessiveness that made me roll my eyes. Smiling, he gave me a pointed look. “Hey, don’t think I haven’t seen your reaction when another female comes anywhere near me. I really thought you were going to drown Joy in the pool that time. It was a shame that you didn’t.”
Joy had been Jared??
?s consort once-upon-a-time, and she hadn’t taken it too well that he’d ended his consort ways for me. When he’d been swimming in what I called ‘the bat pool’ – it was shaped like a bat with outstretched wings – outside Antonio’s mansion last week, she had taken to strutting up and down the side of the pool in the skimpiest bikini imaginable.
Coming upon the scene, I hadn’t been a happy bunny. She was constantly trying to get his attention, pathetic though it was. Before I’d even thought about it, my energy whip had been in my hand, I’d wrapped it around her twig-like body, and then plunged her into the pool. It had instantly become clear that anger management classes might be a good idea for me, because I’d kept her under the water for almost a full minute. In my defence…“If she wasn’t binging on slut-flakes, there wouldn’t be a problem.”
What annoyed me more than Joy’s antics was the knowledge that she’d once been his consort; that she’d touched him, that she’d had him inside her. I hated it. And she knew that I hated it, thought it gave her some kind of power. But it was truly difficult to hate her because she was so pathetic it was honestly saddening. It was impossible to feel anything other than pity for this girl who had absolutely no self-respect.
Off that irritating subject…“Are you going to tell me what’s bugging you?”
Jared’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“You seem uneasy about something.”
“I just wasn’t expecting this so soon. It’s the shock, that’s all.”
Our bond told me that that wasn’t a lie, but I had the feeling there was more to it than that. Choosing to let it go for now, I said nothing. If his sense of unease didn’t shift, we’d definitely be revisiting this subject.
He nipped my chin playfully. “There’s one thing we’ll find really hard about ruling: confining ourselves to The Hollow.”
Now that was an extremely good point. I bit my lower lip. “I really don’t think I can do it. For one thing, I’ll go crazy – or, at least, I’ll go crazier than I already am. But for another thing, I like the life we have now. I like being a commander, going on assignments, protecting people, and whipping the living shit out of dickheads.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’d miss that too. So maybe we should make some changes.”
“Go against tradition?”
“Face it, baby, we’re not much for rules, are we? So we’ll come up with new ones. We can’t become different people. If we do, we’ll run the risk of drifting apart.”
That was true. “I’m liking this idea of making up new rules.”
Keeping me tight against him, he stood upright and urged me to curl my legs around his waist. “Later. Now I’m going to fuck you until there’s not a thought in your head except how hard you want to come.”
Sounded like fun.
At dusk, Jared and I headed to Antonio’s mansion for the usual meeting that was held for the commanders. Strolling inside the conference room, we found Antonio seated at the head of the table with Sebastian and Luther sitting either side of him. His personal guards and two pit-bulls were standing unobtrusively in the background, as usual. But the other commanders were strangely absent. Instead, there were two vampires that didn’t belong inside The Hollow: one male Sventé and one female Sventé. Both were very familiar and a long way from their home in London.
The cute, tiny brunette leaped from her seat, dashed around the table, and was suddenly hugging me so tight that I was worried a rib would crack. Not the most affectionate person in the world, I awkwardly returned the hug, patting her back.
Entertained by my discomfort, Jared smiled. I take it you know her? Thanks to Antonio’s ability to impart power – thus allowing vampires to develop additional gifts – Jared had three gifts: teleportation, electrokinesis, and telepathy. He wasn’t able to read minds, but he could hear any thought that was directed at him. Antonio had once rewarded me with additional power as well, and I’d developed a second gift. But the ability to Merge wasn’t a gift I liked to use much as it wasn’t exactly comfortable to join your body with someone else’s.
Quick warning: the girl is like the energizer bunny, I told Jared. Pulling back, I went to speak, but she beat me to it.
“Oh my God, it feels like it’s been years since I last saw you! How are you doing? I’m doing just fine. You look absolutely amazing! I heard through the vampire grapevine that one of your Binding presents was the Keja allure. In my opinion, you didn’t need it, but it must be nice having it. Oh and I love the mercury ring in your eyes! I’m so sorry that I missed your Binding. My brother will explain why.”
Everything had come out in a rush in the sweetest voice filled with excitement and optimism. See what I mean? I could easily pick up on Jared’s amusement. Ordinarily, someone like Ava would annoy the shit out of me. But there was something very endearing about this female. “I’m great, thanks.” I turned to Jared, who was clearly holding back a laugh. “Jared, this is Ava Sanchez. Ava, this is my mate, Jared Michaels.”
As I’d expected, Ava had the same response to him that every female did: she went jaw slacked and wide-eyed. I couldn’t really blame her. His alluring eyes demanded a person’s full attention, practically took them hostage. It was impossible not to wonder just how it would feel to run your fingers through his short, tousled chestnut hair, or to skim your hands over his tall, perfectly sculpted body.
Most males would relish and bask in that kind of attention, but Jared hated it. He resented the fact that he got his looks from his deceased twisted mother. Also, it annoyed him that much of the reason females flocked around him was that he was Antonio’s Heir. He didn’t find being wanted for his looks and position particularly flattering. Although I’d repeatedly told him that he had more to offer than this, he didn’t agree. He didn’t see himself clearly.
To Ava’s credit, she snapped out of her daze quicker than most did. “It’s nice to meet you. It was wise of you to choose Sam as your mate – she’s the best.”
“I can agree with you on that,” he replied.
As the pit-bulls, Achilles and Nero, dashed to my side, I gave them a quick stroke before meeting the gaze of the smirking dark-haired male seated next to Sebastian. “Can’t say it’s particularly a pleasure to see you again, Cristiano.”
“Now that’s not very nice, is it,” he said, amused. The bloke wasn’t bad as vampires went. In fact, he was relatively decent and was extremely protective of his sister, Ava. He had actually helped me on a number of occasions back when I’d lived in London. But he was also a taunting prick who lived to annoy people just for the fun of it. He could actually be quite charming, which I had learned the first night I met him when I was still human. As his expression turned nostalgic, I had the distinct feeling that he was remembering that night.
I could sense that Jared was a mixture of suspicious and agitated by the way Cristiano was looking at me with such familiarity. Glaring at Cristiano, Jared spoke to me. Tell me nothing happened between you two.
Nothing happened…exactly.
Define ‘exactly’.
I’ll give you the long version later. The short version is that he once kissed me and he…drank from me. I felt jealousy and anger zoom through Jared, which was understandable since drinking blood was an intimate and sexual act for vampires.
“Why don’t you sit down,” Antonio suggested with a smile, his eyes warm.
Having exchanged greetings with him, Sebastian, Luther and the guards, Jared and I took seats opposite the two Sventés. Jared draped a possessive arm over the back of my chair, staring hard at Cristiano. Every muscle in Jared’s body seemed coiled to strike. Not wanting him so tense, I patted his thigh. It didn’t seem to help. He briefly massaged my nape, but didn’t otherwise react.
Cristiano gave Jared a respectful nod. “My name’s Cristiano Sanchez. Ava is my younger sister. We shared the same Sire as Sam, and we were once all part of the same nest. I took Victor’s place as leader of the nest after Sam killed the bastard here at The Hollow.
” And Victor really had been an absolute bastard.
“Why didn’t you attend the Binding?” asked Jared. Most of the vampire community had attended the ceremony, particularly any leaders, Masters, and High Masters.
“It wasn’t out of any disrespect. Two other vampires had wanted the position of leader. A voting was held and I was eventually pronounced leader, but there were still some who were sour about it. I knew that if I left the nest before my position had been properly established, one of them would have taken it while I was gone.”
“And your position has now been accepted and established?” Jared began gently playing with my hair in a very possessive move.
“Yes.” Cristiano’s gaze slid back to me and his smirk returned. He probably got a kick out of the fact that he’d once drunk from the Heir’s mate.
That was when Jared spoke to him very matter-of-factly. “If you don’t stop staring at Sam like that, I’ll gut you open right here and I’ll truly enjoy it.”
Cristiano lost his smirk, and I didn’t blame him. Jared had a well-earned reputation as someone who wasn’t to be fucked with. Although he could be playful, loyal, and respectful, Jared could also be ruthless, pitiless, and kill without blinking. I’d seen him in battle-mode, watched him destroy other vampires without a lick of conscience. Just his presence alone was enough to intimidate those around him; he exuded confidence, power, and authority.
“Cris, could you please refrain from antagonising these people?” groaned Ava, shooting apologetic glances at everyone. “We need their help, remember.”
I arched a brow. “Our help?”
“Cristiano,” began Antonio, “tell Jared and Sam why it is that you and your sister are here.”
Cristiano straightened, suddenly solemn. “Although I didn’t go to your Binding, three of my vampires did. Afterwards, they called me to say that they were going to spend a couple of weeks in New Zealand with some vampires they had met here and befriended from Quentin Foy’s line.”