Page 19 of Meet Your Maker: Part One

Tomas squeezes my shoulder before heading out to the balcony. I watch him for a second, then turn back to Sunday’s upturned face.

“And can you keep an eye on him?” I murmur. “He’s feeling… broody.”

She nods. “Yeah, we knew this might be hard. I’m on top of it.” Her smile is soft. “You’re a good daddy, you know, and a good friend too.”

“Yeah, well, I pretty much hate this. My animal wants me to grab Mishka and follow you around all night.”

“And I thought we didn’t want him to run away again. Give him a quiet night. Lord knows you’ve both earned it.”

I hesitate. “So, if I do this…”

“Yes?”

“If I leave you when I really don’t want to, you have to promise me we’ll talk about the demi-dragon tomorrow.”

I’m hardly the poster boy for confronting issues, but I don’t want Sunday getting blindsided when Silas shows up again. And he will show up.

Her eyes narrow, and I feel the sharp edge of her reluctance cutting through the bond. “I suppose, but I don’t see why we need to waste any breath on him.”

I pull her in tight, the weight in my chest easing just a little. “Because you’re his fated mate, and he won’t just walk away from that.” And yes, Ihatethat those things are true. That some twisted magic has tied us to a man who’s clearly nothing short of dangerous. A man whose very existence taints what should have been a beautiful, sacred bond.

“He’s not my anything.” Her voice snaps with snark, but the hurt underneath bleeds through the edges. “No, actually, he is something. He’s my attempted murderer.”

She laughs, but the sound is brittle. The bravado cracks a little before she exhales, her shoulders slumping. “Sure, we can talk about it whenever you want. Give Mishka a big hug for me, okay? I’m hoping most of the castle’s guests leave tonight after the Moot, and then we…”

Xavier appears a moment before Grayson. They both look flushed and smell… kind of delicious.

“Moot?” Grayson’s voice carries an edge. I give the pack bond a mental tug to get Tomas back in here.

Sunday just smiles. “Yup. Shadow made a good point earlier. There are more shifters and demons in the Western Roman Empire than vampires. So, we’re gonna change things up a bit.”

I watch Grayson, waiting to see if he’ll surprise me by being progressive or disappoint me by shutting her down. Vampires don’t share power with other races. I know it. Tomas knows it. And X? They know it too, but they’re a chaos-monger of the highest order.They just don’t care.

“Lover.” Grayson’s expression twists with discomfort, and for a second, I almost feel bad for him. “Your desire to improve the lot of marginalized people is… admirable. But vampires won’t submit to the rule of demons and otters. They just won’t.”

She smiles sweetly. “Well then, you can make them accept it.”

“Me?” He steps back, eyes widening, then cutting to Tomas as he walks back through the door. “I think you have an inflated sense of my worth. I’m not a royal. I was one of Texas’s lieutenants—and not a terribly good one at that.”

I barely hold in a laugh. Grayson, playing the “I’m a simple cog in the vampire machine” card.Classic.

Sunday closes the distance between them and pats his chest, her eyes glinting. She tilts her chin up, full of mischief. “Aww,babe, don’t sell yourself short. I’m pretty sure you’ve had some leadership experience, haven’t you? I mean, in your human life…you got around, didn’t you?”

Her sly satisfaction ripples through the bond, and I can’t help but grin. In an entirely expected move, it seems the history buff solved the riddle of the ancient vampire’s human identity, all on her own.

I’m not sure when watching Sunday knock Grayson Marchese around became the closest thing I have to medication, but it’s like a shot of pure happiness.

Gray pales, his gaze darting to Tomas, who gives a subtle shake of his head. He turns to X, who smiles maniacally, and then to me. I just shrug, all innocence, enjoying the hell out of his discomfort.

He clears his throat, trying for nonchalance. “I’m happy to help you, of course, but Rurik doesn’t care who Imighthave been or what Imighthave done. He won’t go along with this. Aiden and Bathory are likely to be just as intractable.”

“You let me worry about Rurik… and Aiden.” Sunday’s expression wavers, shifting from confidence to uncertainty. “It’s Bathory I’m concerned about.” You and me both, Sunshine.

Tomas shoots Grayson a pointed look before Sunday continues, “There will still be a vampire in Volterraio,” Sunday assures him. “They’ll just be part of a triumvirate.” She counts off on her fingers, “A demon, a shifter, and a vampire, with one vote each. They can caucus if they need to.”

She spins on her heel a moment before we hear it—a tap at the door has the shifters in the room turning to her for a reaction. She’s smiling, so it’s probably Val.

“Come in.” She calls out before turning back to me. “We got this. You go see Mishka.”

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