Until the Sun Falls from the Sky(144)

“I’ll just head outside,” Kate murmured, slid past Avery and Lucien and out the door, closing it behind her.

Lucien leveled his gaze on Avery, warning, “I have very little time and less patience.”

“Only a moment,” Avery replied quickly.

“Then take your moment,” Lucien allowed.

“Gregor requests a meeting.”

Lucien held his eyes but didn’t expose his reaction.

Gregor was a member of The Council. Lucien had known him for years but, even so, he didn’t know him at all. He could be ally, he could be enemy.

Centuries ago, Gregor had shocked all vampires by denouncing his mortal mate during The Hunt. He was the only vampire to do this. Many didn’t understand Gregor’s actions, however Lucien did. If Maggie had lived, for her, he would have considered it. It was fortunately unfortunate that this decision never needed to be made.

Lucien, having had a mortal mate himself, could believe Gregor denounced his mate to give her a longer mortal life, even if they had to live the sudden brevity without each other.

This could mean that all these years, Gregor was holding resentment about the loss of his mate. This meaning he desired vampires to have their freedoms restored, to have what he lost, if only the taming. It could also mean that, having lost his, that resentment could have turned bitter and he wished no other vampire to mate with mortals, not even for a taming.

The only thing Lucien had to go on with Gregor was that he’d taken a young mortal into his care after her parents were assassinated. Lucien had never met the girl who now was a woman. However he had heard talk that Gregor was devoted to her in his way. The vampire was cold but Lucien sensed he wasn’t unfeeling. Further, Gregor’s son, Yuri was attached to his father’s ward, perhaps unhealthily. Or at least The Dominion would feel that way.

This could work in his favor if Gregor wished his son to be free to claim the mortal child he raised not only to keep her in the family but also to keep her alive for eternity.

“Arrange it,” he ordered Avery.

“With Stephanie and Cosmo,” Avery added and Lucien’s gaze sharpened on his face.

“Why would he wish Teffie and Cosmo to be there?”

“I’ve no idea. He just does.”

Lucien was silent a moment.

He didn’t like that Gregor wished to speak with him and his two closest friends who would be his two chief lieutenants should hostilities escalate. Further, having all of them there would mean he would be forced to leave Leah unprotected as, at that juncture, he did not feel he could trust another vampire enough to add to her security detail.

This could be a plot. It could also bode bad tidings. Or it could mean further inroads into The Council.

He wouldn’t know unless he took the chance and took the meeting.

His protection of Leah primarily involved his control of information shared with her, her interaction with vampires who might wish to frighten her into distrusting their culture, including Lucien, thus driving her emotionally away from him and, most importantly, her sleep.

Edwina and Leah herself would see to it that she did not slumber while he was absent.

Leah was not immune to fear but she’d demonstrated more than once that she trusted him and she further admitted, gratifyingly, that she felt safe with him. If vampires were to approach with the intent to scare her, she might get frightened but she’d await him to explain and make her feel safe.

Lucien did not fear for her experiencing bodily harm. Being Lucien, no vampire alive would be foolish enough to harm her physically. Except Katrina and his ex-mate only had the courage to act when pushed by emotion she was too weak in the heat of the moment to control. Further, Katrina had made it clear through copious communications with anyone who would listen that her emotion had shifted from anger irrationally directed at Leah to anger at Lucien. She was no longer a threat.

But it would be Lucien who told her, eventually, of the differences of their Arrangement. It would be he, perhaps, who would share with her about Maggie. And it was unlikely she would be approached by another vampire who wished to drive a wedge between them in the time it would take to have this meeting.

Making his decision, he repeated, “Arrange it.”

Avery nodded.

Lucien dismissed him by moving his gaze to Leah.

He wanted no further delays. The sooner the meeting with his family was conducted, the sooner he could get them on their way.

Therefore, he called, Tell your family good-bye, sweetling, and come to me.

It was an order but not mind control. And he was pleased to see Leah turn her head to look at him, tip it to the side then give him a small smile. Then he watched as she did as she was told.

Lucien returned Avery’s farewell and Leah passed Avery on her way in, stopping to get up on her toes to brush her lips to his cheek. Then she came through the door, the small smile still on her face.