Fated for Forever(35)

leader of this coven, yes, but he is also the fabric which holds our people together. Everyone felt his rage

earlier. We will be fielding questions from our own covens.” A tall blond man stepped forward and inclined

his head to Ashby.

“Before he was sedated I could feel him reaching out. I think it’ll only be a matter of time before he’s

returned to his normal state,” Ashby said with what he hoped to be a convincing smile.

“Thank God!” The blond man exhaled before smiling at Ashby.

“My apologies, my name is Clay Samuels. I run the covens on the East Coast, Dorian Ratcliffe oversees

the Midwest, Jerimiah RunningWolf there leads the Southwest covens and Roddrick Davis watches over the

brutes in the Pacific Northwest and all along the West Coast,” Clay said, introducing each regional coven

leader.

“I wish we had met under better circumstances.” Ashby nodded to each man in turn.

“If he truly is recovering then I’m heading home. I get nervous when I leave my covens alone for too

long. They tend to get into trouble,” the tall, gruff Roddrick said, pulling on a long leather trench.

“Gabriel will be fine,” Ashby said confidently.

He has to be.

“If the prince needs us for anything all you have to do is call, Prince Ashby,” Jerimiah said. Ashby

noticed right away that this man was slightly different than the others and it wasn’t just due to his Native

American background. When he saw the grin on the man’s face he resisted the urge to step back. Jerimiah’s

grin looked like it belonged on a feral beast or a psychopath. It completely contradicted the warmth and

sympathy swimming in his rich brown eyes.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ashby murmured.

“I’m the closest, if you need anything I’m just a couple hours away,” Clay said, his even, cultured voice

sounding as if he belonged in a lecture hall instead of a vampire coven.

“I’m closer,” Dorian protested.

“Barely,” Clay sniffed. Ashby turned his head to hide his smile.

“Thank you for your concern gentlemen, as soon as I allow Gabriel to go back to work, I’m sure he’ll

call you.” Ashby stepped back to allow the four men to pass.

“Allow?” Roddrick stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not mated are you?” Ashby asked. Roddrick shook his head. Jerimiah chuckled and clapped

Roddrick on the back.

“You’ll understand when you get a mate. It seems the smaller and more delicate they are the pushier

they are about keeping you safe,” Jerimiah said as they filed out of the VIP lounge. Ashby stood at the top

of the stairs and laughed. The leaders stopped and turned to face Ashby.

“One of my best friends is the Alpha Mother to Arkadia. I’m taller than she is and her mate is taller than

Baptista, but she knows how to put him in his place.” He winked at the men. Roddrick laughed.

“I’d pay to see that.”

“Maybe someday,” Ashby said with a cordial smile.

“Good evening, Prince Ashby.” Clay waved as the four coven leaders made their way down the stairs

and out the door. As soon as the front door closed Ashby felt his legs give out.

“Whoa there, killer.” Baptista caught Ashby before he hit the floor. He carried him back into the VIP

lounge and sat him on one of the leather chairs.

“I can do this, smile, don’t look down. Smile, look them in the eye. Be confident, do evil Gabriel stare.

Don’t sign anything, don’t agree to anything. Don’t look down.” Ashby recited each action over and over

again.

Roman walked over and took both of Ashby’s hands in his.

“You represented this coven with dignity and aplomb. Gabriel would be so proud, as are we all.”

Ashby looked up to see more faces peeping into the lounge smiling. A lot of the members gave him a

thumbs up. Feeling encouraged he took a deep breath and faced the room.

“Prince Ashby, we couldn’t help but overhear…” one of the onlookers began.

“Because you had your ear to the door…” someone else countered. The first man blushed.

“Anyway! We heard you say that the prince is recovering, is that true?” he asked, his eyes full of hope.

Ashby closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I didn’t think them staying here would be a good idea. Roman looked like he was about to murder that

Dorian guy,” Ashby began.

“Only a little bit,” Roman said straight-faced.

“I actually have no idea when he will recover. Aleks Arkadion said if he hasn’t died by now, he’ll

recover, but I would feel better if I knew what happened to him.” Ashby stood.