“He’s strong. Fierce. A certifiable badass. He’ll endure the change; I’m sure of it.”
Mikhail wished he shared Ronan’s sunny outlook. “He was one of Siobhan’s?”
“He was, but not anymore. He knows which horse to put his money on.”
Mikhael turned to face Ronan, unable to hide the disdainful sneer that curled his lip. “So you’re saying Jenner has hedged his bets and assumes that swearing fealty to me will not only garner him what he wants, but keep him alive?” He didn’t want or need any male to come to him for the sole purpose of meeting his own selfish agenda. Siobhan was still dhampir and unable to turn anyone. Her power lay in her hatred. Prejudice of any kind was unwelcome in Mikhail’s inner circle. He would never think to turn any dhampir against his will, and yet if Siobhan had it her way Mikhail would be painted as a monster, ravaging his people for the single-minded purpose of banishing their souls.
“What I’m saying, you stubborn pain in the ass, is that Jenner wants what’s best for the race. He wants to put the Sortiari in their place once and for all. And he wants to serve his king.”#p#分页标题#e#
“King.” Mikhail let out a derisive snort. “I’ve been laid low by a female. I’m losing my mind. It won’t be long before you’re all blindly following a madman. Is that what you want?”
“I want what you promised me,” Ronan said. “I want you to keep your word. As for your mind, I’m not concerned. Any male without his mate would suffer as you do. Claire doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know this life the way we know it. Give her time. She’ll come around. In fact, I’ll wager she comes back to you before we even have the chance to find her.”
Hopeful, optimistic bastard. “And if she doesn’t?”
Ronan’s gaze met Mikhail’s and a silent moment passed between them. “She’s the Vessel,” he simply said.
As though Claire’s free will had been taken away simply because she was special. But that wasn’t the case at all. She’d given herself to him freely and not because she was a Vessel. Mikhail refused to believe that their connection was forged as a result of the tethering and nothing else. Something had sparked between them that went beyond simple biology. Then why did she leave you, you stupid bastard?
“We need Jenner,” Ronan continued. “We’re recruiting by the day, searching the city, putting the word out to all of the thirteen covens. It won’t be long before the candidates are lined up and begging to be turned.”
Mikhail couldn’t do it all on his own. Especially if Claire chose to remain hidden from him. His strength would flag, and until he fed from her again his blood wouldn’t be potent enough to bring other dhampirs through the transition. If he didn’t turn Ronan soon, everything they’d fought for until now would be for naught.
“The Collective will overwhelm you,” Mikhail warned. “If you don’t rein in control, you’ll drown in the memories.” Even now he felt it hard to breathe under the onslaught. “Your senses will become even more acute. Your strength, immeasurable. Your bloodlust will increase by a thousandfold and mastering it will be almost impossible. Are you ready for all of that, Ronan? Are you ready to surrender your soul?”
“I’ve been ready for centuries,” Ronan said with a passion that Mikhail knew all too well. “We all have. Surely you feel the pull, the desperation, of your people. You can’t sustain us all forever. I’m ready to be what our race needs. Let me help to shoulder the burden, Mikhail.”
Mikhail knew of no better male than the one standing before him. Nor one more worthy of the honor of his bite. “Where is Jenner now?” If Ronan underwent the transition, Mikhail would need the service of a capable male. Especially since the Sortiari had grown bold in their attacks on dhampir covens.
“In the kitchen. I had Alex make him a few sandwiches while we talked. It takes a shitload of calories to feed someone as big as him.”
At least Mikhail could always be assured a moment of levity while in Ronan’s company. “Bring him in. I want to talk to him—alone.” Mikhail would be better able to gauge the dhampir’s intentions without Ronan present. Soon, his once quiet house would be bustling with activity as Ronan brought more dhampirs into their fold. Despite the crushing disappointment Mikhail felt at Claire’s absence, there was a spark of hope igniting deep within him. The vampire race would be born again and looking to him for guidance.