Page 53 of Inevitably Yves

The two men nod.

“Willow?” Yves asks.

“Oh, I’m good, Yves. I can go anywhere.”

“Stay safe. Vivienne, Haven, and Kyson will return home with me and Damiano. We’ll start contacting the council. Syn, Midnight, Eros, Raphael, and Thorn, you’ll investigate The Church. We have a plan.”

Everyone nods in agreement.

Yves stands, lifting Cane’s lifeless body with him. “He’ll be safe inside, and his…” Yves pauses as his jaw twitches. “A dead vampire gives off bad energy. It will prevent others from coming here. When it’s all over, we’ll have a proper ceremony for all our dead.”

I rub Yves’s back. He cares so deeply, even for those outside his coven. I could learn a lot from him.

“Please, my brothers, please,” Yves says, his voice laced with concern. “Be safe. Return to me.”

Each brother promises their safe return before tearing off into the night. Yves somberly carries Cane’s body inside, and we lock up the building before exiting.

“They’ll be okay, beloved,” I tell Yves, rubbing his back on the way to the car. “They have your blood in their veins and your love in their hearts. If the way to fight Hadrian is with love, they are very powerful.”

He nods, squeezing my hand. “Their lives are in my hands.”

“And you are not alone. Lean on me.”

He does so, literally relaxing into me. I wrap an arm around him to support him, and kiss the top of his head.

“It’s going to be okay, Yves.”

It has to be.

SEVENTEEN

Yves

When we arrive back home, I immediately go to see Greer, followed by Vivienne and Damiano. The others crowd in behind us. Viper is sitting next to him in a chair by the bed, reading a book while he sleeps.

“How is he?” Viv asks.

Viper closes the book, smiling for a moment until it fades away. “Damn. What happened? You guys have death all over you.”

“A vampire was killed tonight,” Viv says. “There was an attack at Lair and they took Paolo.”

“Is he dead?”

“No,” I answer. “A different vampire who escaped his attackers.”

“How is Greer?” Vivienne asks.

“Healing,” Viper answers. “He’s very strong. Did you guys find the source of the problem?”

“Not yet, but we have a lead now,” I answer. “Our brothers are on their way there.”

Viv walks over and sits at the foot of Greer’s bed, rubbing his feet through the blanket. “Did you find anything in the book?”

Viper nods, biting her bottom lip. “We, um, we need supernatural blood. From a fae, a demon, a shifter, or…” She pauses as her gaze shifts to me. “A vampire.”

“For what?” I ask.

“A warding spell. The strongest possible. Blood magic is…” Viper shrugs.

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