“Contrary to what you might think, I do not keep Ronan on a leash.” Mikhail leaned back in his chair, elbows propped on the armrest and fingers steepled in front of him. “He’s free to come and go as he pleases. He asked to take his leave and I granted his request. That is all I know.”
Not exactly true, but he wasn’t about to give her any more information than she needed to be privy to.
“I don’t believe you.”
Mikhail gave an unconcerned shrug. “I don’t care what you believe, Siobhan. You have a coven full of males. Ask one of them to warm your bed.” Her eyes narrowed to emerald slits, confirming Mikhail’s suspicions. “He’s one of the soulless now, Siobhan. Release him of whatever troth he’s made. Once his soul is tethered, he’ll no longer be yours no matter what promises he’s made.”
She remained silent. Her expression unflinching.
“You can’t hide him from me forever, Mikhail.”
Gods, the female was infuriating! He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh of pure frustration. “I’m not hiding him. And if you think Ronan is the sort of male who would tuck tail and run after getting himself in a situation he no longer wished to be in, then you’ve greatly underestimated him. Likewise, you’ve underestimated me if you think my single focus is to control those I rule to the point of taking away their free will. Cease your stubborn foolishness, Siobhan. Now. We are not enemies.”
Her coven was the largest in the city and possessed the strongest dhampirs. It would be a boon to them all if they could learn to be allies. If she’d put away her prejudices and allow those under her protection to be turned if they so desired.
“Do you still wish to banish the souls of dhampirs and turn them into thirst-driven beasts?”
Dear gods. The female certainly had a flare for dramatics. “I will offer the transition to those who desire it.”
“Then we are enemies.”
Mikhail’s temper crested. Blind ignorance and hubris made Siobhan a threat to everything he sought to build. He thrust himself from the chair and brought the palm of his hand down on the desktop with a resounding crack. “Your constant whining and veiled threats grate on my ears. Be gone from my sight and don’t darken my door again until you’ve come to your senses!”
As his voice faded into silence, the sliding doors of the study glided open to reveal the shapely form of his mate. A half smile puckered Claire’s full lips and her eyes sparked with gold fire. “Everything okay in here?”
She was unflappable. Her control never ceased to astound him. A slight tang of fear wafted from Siobhan, and Mikhail smiled. His mate was indeed formidable. “Fine, love.” The sun would be rising soon and he couldn’t wait to take her to bed. “Siobhan was just leaving.”
“All right. I promised Vanessa that I’d take her to school this morning. I’m making pancakes. Do you want some?”
Formidable and unique.
Siobhan’s green eyes widened and Mikhail answered her astonished expression with a smirk. Unlike any other vampire on the planet, Claire’s post-transition physiology shared more traits with dhampirs than vampires. One of those being that she tolerated sunlight.
Siobhan covered her surprise well with a smug pucker of her lips. A dark brow curved in a graceful arch over her eye. “I see you let your mate keep her pet?”
Mikhail bristled at the question. Vanessa’s mother was still in a coma, and though she was expected to eventually recover from the head trauma, until then the child was under his and Claire’s care. The Sortiari had expressed interest in Vanessa as well, which made her a pawn in a centuries-long power struggle. There was something otherworldly about the child, though Mikhail had yet to discern what. He planned to keep her close until he did, and the fewer who knew about her the better.
“Pancakes sound delicious,” he said without acknowledging Siobhan.
She rose from her chair, but her step faltered as she headed for the door. Claire leaned against the jamb, her arms folded across her chest. A pleasant, though chilling, smile graced her beautiful face as she made no move to get out of Siobhan’s way.
Mikhail watched with amusement as the female squared her shoulders, her spine starch stiff as she sidled past Claire, careful not to leave her back exposed. Claire looked at him and winked, an expression that sent the blood racing in his veins as the click-clack of Siobhan’s stiletto boots echoed on the hardwood floors. He stood still, taking in the sight of his mate until the sound of the front door closing behind her signaled Siobhan’s exit.
“Perhaps I should let you conduct business with Siobhan from now on,” Mikhail remarked as he approached Claire. The heady scent of her blood intoxicated him as he took her in his arms and kissed her gently on the mouth. “She’s certainly more intimidated by you than she is by me.”