Page 87 of Cherished By the Sinners

Bazyli, wisely, didn’t enter the bedroom.He waited outside in the living room space of the suite.

Mason joined him, closing the door so they didn’t disturb his brother or Darlene.“What is it?”

Baz threaded his hand through his hair, pulling on it as he did so.His mouth and eyes were bracketed by deep lines etched into his skin.

It was a remarkable show of frustration and concern from his cousin.Normally, the only emotion he allowed the world to see was irritation and his own version ofI don’t give a fuck.

“You know how the Chinese, Japanese, and Indians came here because they were compromised in their own countries?”Baz asked.

Even his tone was different, a tension to it that had the hair on Mason’s neck rising.“Yes.”

“Well, it’s happening to everyone.”

It took a second before Mason could make himself ask, “Everyone?”The implications were staggering.“How do you know all this?”

“Because I’m not as big of an idiot as you think I am.Once the third group showed up on our doorstep asking for sanctuary and running from their own government, I started making calls.Turns out, the house is on fire everywhere.”

“Everywhere?”

“Yes, including in Slovenia.Though it’s not the Slovenian government, it’s the Russian government who attacked the family’s estates.”Baz rubbed his face.“They blew up two of our castles, the ones that were publicly known.”

“Casualties?”

“None.Our people were tipped off about five minutes before the airstrikes happened.”

“The other properties?”

“So far, fine, but our security has been completely compromised.I expect all our remaining holdings outside the United States to be under surveillance.”

“And inside the United States?”

Baz just looked at him.

Right, they should assume every property they owned was being watched.

“And many of them,” Baz added, his voice grim, “are already on their way here.Now.”

Mason nodded.“We will prepare to receive them.”

Baz sighed.

“What else?”

“The French, Greek, Scandinavians are also on their way here.”

Mason rolled his eyes.“Is there anyonenotcoming here?”

“We’ve lost contact with the Austrians, and no one has seen or talked to that Scottish asshole in a couple of years,” Baz said.

“That’s not unusual for the Scot,” Mason said.“I once went looking for him after a several-year stretch of no contact during World War II.He’d joined the army as a cook and threatened me with haggis.But the Austrians?That’s a problem.”

The Austrian vampires were nearly as old as Mason’s own family, and they were arrogant about it.If they’d been captured or taken by a government, things could go very bad for all of them.

“We’re going to need to prep for an additional one hundred of us and whoever of their households are left,” Baz said.

“Our blood supply isn’t enough for all of them to be using it at once.The sheer number of expected arrivals is going to overwhelm our arrangements.”

“They will have to manage.”