“Alin, that’s enough,” I snap with a frown. “We’ll discuss this matter at another time.”
The younger vampire blinks anxiously, then follows my gaze.
A dozen shifters, in their human forms, stride confidently into the lounge. Even if you couldn’t identify them by the smell of their shifter blood, it’s obvious by their bare feet and theeasily-removable clothes they wear. I recognize the central figure, a pale woman with silver hair braided down her back. Her presence sends a chill over the room. She has piercing, yellow eyes, and a distinctive scar running from her neck down along her chest. It disappears under her loose, linen shirt.
The vampires and breathers immediately notice the unusual guests, and they quickly part to allow them to pass. The shifters, led by the woman with silver hair, head directly toward my throne.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself as I get to my feet. “Alin, stay close.”
“Yes, sir,” he says, slipping the heavy binder under the throne.
Several other Night vampires read the situation accurately, and they also position themselves beside me, their hands reaching for their stakes.
“Easy,” I hiss to them. I don’t want things escalating because the shifters think we perceive them as a threat.
But from the look in their eyes, that ship has already sailed.
“Good evening, Nella,” I say, trying to keep my tone as light as possible while maintaining the upper hand. “To what do we owe thisunexpectedvisit?”
The leader of the eastern shifter alliance eyes me with suspicion. Her voice is crackling, husky. Iknowthey must be pissed, if they’ve traveled all the way here to confront me in person.
“I’ll get right to the point,” she says. As though shifters ever beat around the bush. “We have it on good authority that you’ve beencomminglingwith the mermaids of the Crystal Cove.”
Goddammit. I’m going tostakeKai. Luckily, I can’t smell their merman in the lounge. That would have been a terrible strategic disaster. But I think I can rectify this situation.
“We have no formal alliance with the mermaids,” I reply, firmly. Shifters appreciate clarity and brevity. I don’t need to mask my meaning in euphemisms or veiled threats. “We never have, and we never will. Our allegiance is with the eastern shifter alliance, as we have always maintained.”
“Don’t lie to me, bloodsucker,” the shifter growls. “My wolves have informed me that they’ve seen mermaids coming and going from your mansion at all hours of the night.”
My lip twitches. Most of our daytime magical staff are shifters, typically mountain wolves from the same pack as Nella. We needthem to cover the shifts from sunrise to sunset, but it creates a lot of inconvenient moments, like this one.
“Our vampires sometimes enjoy the company of various magical partners,” I respond, finding it difficult to keep my tone level. I don’t like her accusations, and I strongly resent being called a bloodsucker by an ally. But shifters and vampires rarely get along, even if we do work together sometimes. Right now, I have to convince her that there’s no reason for her paranoia. And my response is true.
The shifter wrinkles her nose in disgust. “I find it hard to believe that mermaids would choose to associate with your kind,” she says. “And even harder to believe that I can trust you on your word, Roslyn Night. Just because the shifters allied with your clan in the past, doesn’t mean that our allegiance is unbreakable.”
Now I can’t stop the red from flooding my eyes. I flash her a glimpse of my fangs.
“I will not be disrespected in my own territory,” I declare to her. “The Night clan values your partnership, and we have no reason to break it. We arenotconsorting with the mermaids, and you have no cause to distrust us.”
“Fine,” the wolf concedes, with a shake of her head. “But if we hear any suggestion that you’ve betrayed us, vampire, we will not hesitate to break our pact. We owe you nothing.”
“Fine,” I echo, crossing my arms.
She gives me one final, withering glare, before turning back to exit the lounge. Her shifters follow her obediently, although I notice one or two glancing shyly at the vampires around them. Nella might not believe that shifters or mermaids would spend an evening with a vampire, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Much more often than they would ever admit to their Alpha. I don’t mind sampling a wolf from time to time myself. A little woodsy, but it’s an acquired taste.
I turn to Alin, frustrated. “Go find Kai, and if they’re with that merman, ensure that he isdiscreetlyescorted off of our property and back to the Crystal Cove. This has gone far enough.”
“Right away, my king,” the young vampire replies. Then he hurries out of the lounge.
CHAPTER 28: THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE
Crimson
Not in the mood to drink from a breather anymore, I down another bottle of distilled blood. Once I’m sure that the shifters are gone, I make my way out of the lounge. I don’t want to appear weak, or like I’m affected by their threats. But I know what a blow it would be to our clan if we lost their support. The eastern shifter alliance is the largest coalition of shifter packs on the east coast. They provide protection from the independent packs, and they’re good allies in the event of a conflict. Periodically the witches will try to start something with us, and if they get the shifters on their side, they could be a legitimate threat. And I don’t want the shifters looking for other magical allies, especially if Oana and Cedric are operating in this region.
Whata fucking pain in the ass. This is what I was worried about, when I found out Kai was fucking a merman. Why can’t they just listen to me?
I know I should go yell at them, but somehow, I don’t have the will right now. I feel antsy and restless.
