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Before we could get a word out, Mia eased her hand from Lucian’s, then her magic sparked to life with a flick of her fingers.

In the next second, my scepter flew from my hand and into hers.

“This can only take so much,” she said, studying it with a mixture of awe and worry. “You’d have to store the rest of the Celestial magic within yourself,” she warned.

“I’m well aware.”

“Kai,” V uttered on a grumble, not liking that she’d revealed that I had been more than willing to put myself in jeopardy.

Like he wouldn’t do the same thing in my position for Ariana. For any one of us.

“That’s undeniably reckless,” Lucian spoke, his tone challenging, as he studied me shrewdly, while also watching Vorzyr warily. His vampiric senses were no doubt picking up on V’s dragon side being unstable currently and right on the edge.

“It’s a calculated risk,” I said. I held my hand out expectantly for the scepter. “If you will, I have work to do.”

“I can’t allow you to do that.”

Her tone was firm, but not harsh. It also wasn’t an act of dominance—I wasn’t getting that from her at all.

In fact, it reminded me of Ari when she didn’t like how I was approaching a problem or situation—like the torture of Sorin. It was a very similar patient tone with that familiar firmness that didn’t want a fight, but made it clear it wasn’t entirely off the table if things were escalated.

She was Ariana’s mother. She was also close friends with my parents. Challenging her, or forcibly taking back the scepterwasn’t a move I wanted to make. While Ari was angry and hurt by her family at the moment, that wouldn’t last. It would mend. For our foursome to develop and flourish, V and I couldn’t make enemies out of them.

But they were also the ones currently standing in our way of bringing Ari back to us, making themselves staunch obstacles in our path.

A growl rumbled from V, but it wasn’t his aggressive reaction that preceded an act of violence. It was deep frustration, as he’d obviously come to the same complicated conclusions that I had.

“I’ve been watching you,” Lucian spoke, cutting into the intensity in a very jarring way.

The shrewd look in his eyes made it clear that had been his intention.

Hmm.He was good, I’d give him that.

Game recognized game.

I folded my arms across my chest. “In a general sense? Or with a specific focus in mind?”

“The specific focus, as you so charmingly put it, was obviously Ariana’s wellbeing initially. I’m aware that Nyx already reported what I’d picked up on where that was concerned during her party. It was my intention to step in if Ariana proved unable to handle you.” His eyes glinted. “But she rose to the occasion, even against the likes of you. More than that, she needed that exploration. Asyouwere clearly already aware. It quickly became apparent that you possessed an understanding of her that even we did not, an understanding that was fueled both by your broken childhood friendship with her, and your obsession. I identified your strategy. While I didn’t care for the unsavory aspects, it was undeniably sound. And it worked. She opened up to you, to all three of you, she gave you her trust, and it was safeguarded by you all in return.”

V and I exchanged a look of surprise.

I didn’t normally like surprises, because to me they were just things that I’d failed to predict, something I abhorred.

But it felt different in this case.

And this was Lucian Black I was going up against as well, nine-hundred-year-old Ancient vampire who was known the world over as aprofessional persuader.

He stroked Mia’s hair comfortingly, then stepped forward. “Given how you were able to approach that entire thing, the multi-pronged, highly calculative plan you executed so well,whileharboring such profound feelings for our daughter, it’s clear that you deeply appreciate how much rationality and strategizing effectively matters. With that said, even though emotions are high in this particular situation, it means you have the ability to summon that levelheaded approach now. And you must. For your benefit as well as Ariana’s.”

“If we weren’t summoning a levelheaded approach, we would have headed right back to Jaxon and Cornelius after they banished us to the Academy, and we would have fucking ripped into them,” Vorzyr told him. “Especially Jaxon, after the way he made it crystal clear how much he hates the idea of us with Ariana. That’s essentially a threat, keeping us from our woman.” He flashed a snide smile. “That said, we wererationalenough to register that he’s Ariana’s family, so no harm can come to him from any of us. That’s completely off the table. So, here we are, pursuing our own plan to track Ariana and bring her back to us.”

Mia was obviously used to dealing with this sort of protective aggression from her own lovers, because she barely reacted to Vorzyr’s harsh words.

But then something sparked in her eyes, and Lucian turned toward her, nodding along.

They were obviously mind-linking.

Lucian eyed Vorzyr. “The fact that Jaxon is an Immortal Descendant didn’t come to mind when you were managing to employ this rational approach?”