Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Adres couldn’t believe he was nervous. He’d commanded his own war counsel, that was his brothers, for hundreds of years. Surely, he could face the king and the Alpha Zenith with no issues. Justice was fair and even more honorable then Macauley. He would not let a race go extinct when he had the power to stop it.
“Let’s go, then.”
As soon as Adres walked into the war room with Macauley, hand in hand, the rambunctious conversation that’d been going on came to an immediate halt as silence descended. The Lord Protector was the first to stand and bow in Adres’s direction, as did the king’s legion and guards posted along the wall.
“Welcome, my Lord,” Ramon said reverently. “It is a blessing to see you and your cherished looking well.”
“We are well. Thank you, Ramon.” Macauley didn’t release his hand until they were seated at the long table.
Surprisingly there was an extra chair beside Macauley’s, and Adres was also shocked to see Henry sitting in Taleb’s chair.
“Do not ask me what I am doing here, my Lord.” Henry shrugged as he glanced around, appearing intimidated by his surroundings. “Taleb asked me to be here in his place, so I am.”
“It is nice to see a friendly face,” Adres responded. And it was. Henry wasn’t a politician, and neither was Adres.
“Likewise, my Lord.” Henry beamed, his pretty smile brightening the dark room.
Wick stood to speak. He wore his usual black-on-black suit with a midnight-black silk necktie. And though he looked striking and regal as always, Adres could see the hurt and sorrow beneath the fatigue. “It is good to have you both here for this very important meeting.”
Justice eased his hand inside Wick’s as he continued, his voice sounding thick with emotion. “We meet together tonight for a bigger purpose than what this room was originally intended. We have convened to strategize on search and rescue my brothers… not war. Justice and I recently returned from visiting Azriel and Asa in New Orleans and determined that it was imperative to hold an emergency meeting.”
Adres and Macauley locked eyes.
“The covens on the east coast and as far south as Louisiana and Mississippi are in dire straits. There was no exaggeration. Vampires are dying, blood banks are depleted. Crime has run rampant and unchecked for months, and I take full responsibility.” Wick cast his eyes down. “I was so concerned with connecting the species together that I… I…”
“It’s going to be okay, Wick. We’ll get them help. I promise.” Justice consoled his mate in front of everyone.
Adres couldn’t take his eyes off them. He wanted all they had and more.
“The new laws hit our kind harder than the shifters. Vampires are being falsely persecuted for a majority of the crimes plaguing the larger cities,” Ramon chimed in. “I think we need to send in reinforcements to regulate. I propose a united task force of shifters and vampires.”
Wick seemed to weigh that suggestion before he shook his head. “I don’t want to meet my people’s aggression and disappointment in me with force. If I send my officers, it could be misconceived as a threat or a challenge.”
Farica smiled sweetly at the Lord Protector. “It’s a good start, Ramon, but we should leave the law enforcement to the local authorities for now. I believe that if the vampires are not starving, the assumptions will stop flying that the rise in crime is because of them and their desperation.”
“My mate has come up with a great solution,” Macauley blurted with confidence, completely catching Adres off guard. He gaped at his cherished, hoping he could read his thoughts, but he smiled and popped Adres on the hip for him to stand and present. “Go ahead and tell ’em about it, baby.”
What in the— You inconsiderate wolf! Do not call me a baby! Adres didn’t know if his face looked as hot as it felt, but he’d never been so humiliated. Was Macauley ever going to let him save face in front of his pack? He got to his feet as a few of the shifters covered their laughs behind their fists. Hell, even the vampire soldiers appeared to be struggling to keep their faces impassive.
“We are all ears, Lord Adres.” One of Wick’s intelligence officers sat forward with his pen poised over his legal pad.
Adres gave a shallow bow towards Wick before he began to speak. “It is no secret what happened between Macauley and I last week. I drank from him before we were properly mated, and it… His voice caught in his throat at the mere mention of almost killing his own beloved. He wasn’t sure the shame would ever fully subside, but he had to own it. “I drank a little over three liters while I was in my slumber, leaving him near death.”
There were a few gasps and widened glares, but he digressed as Macauley placed his palm in the center of his spine.