Page 69

Amari

I shoot Carla a sharp glare when she approaches with coffee mugs in hand. The domesticity of the gesture unsettles me—not because I don’t appreciate it, but because my woman shouldn’t be serving anyone. She hands Bobby a mug first, then extends the second one to me.

“Carla, honey, you are a queen. You don’t serve,” I say, keeping my voice gentle but firm.

She ignores me completely, standing there with the mug extended, glaring at both of us until we take a sip. Bobby grins at me over the rim of his mug before bowing his head slightly to Carla.

“It’s perfect, my queen,” he says after taking a drink.

Carla beams, a smile spreading across her face, clearly proud of herself. It’s charming, but this isn’t how things will work. She will not serve me or anyone else again. But I decide to drop it for now, taking a sip of the coffee.

Surprisingly, it’s just right—perfect, actually. The blood is measured precisely, the temperature ideal. I set the mug down on the coffee table and motion for Carla to come to me. When she approaches, I pull her into my lap with ease.

She squirms, trying to maintain some dignity in front of Bobby, but I lean in close, my lips brushing her ear.

“Bobby can hear me, but he’ll remain respectful,” I whisper. “Enough, Carla. Stop being a brat in front of company, or I do owe you that bear fuck.”

She gasps, turning to look at me with wide eyes, then relaxes her body against mine, settling into my lap as I return my attention to Bobby.

“I called you here for good reason,” I tell him, resting my hand on Carla’s thigh. “I need to make some shifts within the company.”

Bobby sets his coffee mug down on the table, straightening his posture. “Whatever you need, My Lord.”

“Your work while I’ve been on Wintermoon has been impressive. You haven’t failed a single mission,” I say, feeling Carla’s curious gaze on my face.

“Thank you, My Lord,” Bobby responds, inclining his head slightly.

I take a deep breath, knowing what I’m about to say will change everything. “I’m not returning to Detroit, not for the foreseeable future. I will be establishing my coven here on Wintermoon from now on, but I’d like to keep the company running.”

Carla turns to look at me, her brow furrowed. “What are you doing?” she whispers.

I wink at her, then focus back on Bobby.

“You’ve been a loyal lieutenant, Bobby,” I continue. “Always down to support the cause.”

Bobby’s expression softens. “I owe you everything, My Lord. You gave me a second chance at life.” He straightens his shoulders, pride evident in his posture. “It has been an honor helping you fight back against the system.”

I study him for a moment. “You seem afraid.”

Bobby shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers tapping against his knee—a nervous habit he’s had since I turned him. “Yes,” he admits. “I am afraid that you are about to set me free.”

“It’s not a bad thing to be set free from your sire,” I say, remembering my own journey away from Damon’s influence. “It means you’ve outgrown them and it’s time to go off on your own and do better things.”

“No,” Bobby says firmly, shaking his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I live to serve the cause—the dismantling of white supremacy.”

I sigh, Amir’s words still in my mind. “I’m going to give you some advice that I should have listened to. It took coming to Wintermoon to understand it.” I look him directly in the eyes. “‘To interfere with human affairs is to bind yourself to human suffering.’”

Bobby’s eyes narrow slightly. “What are you saying? Are you saying we should give up and let humans do what they keep doing?”

“After all the years of trying, has it stopped? Have we made any progress?” I ask, leaning forward. “In fact, things are regressing. Humans are self-imploding, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Bobby stands abruptly, his fists clenched at his sides. “That may be true, but to sit back and watch my own people continue to put up with this shit? That... I will not do.”

I smile, recognizing the fire in his eyes—the same fire that has driven me for centuries. “I see a lot of myself in you, Bobby. That’s why I turned you.” I pause, letting the words settle. “And that’s exactly why I must let you go.”

“Please, My Lord,” Bobby says quickly, his voice edged with panic. “I didn’t mean to get out of line.”

I hold up my hand, and Bobby immediately stops speaking, sitting back down. Carla shifts in my lap, turning to face me, shaking her head and silently urging me to stop. I place a finger gently against her lips, silencing her protests, and give her a wink.

“I have done what I can for humanity,” I continue. “And I will always regret the mistakes my people made. But my place is with my fated mate on Wintermoon. I won’t be returning to Medina Corp.”

Bobby’s shoulders slump slightly, resignation washing over his features.

“I’m releasing you from your duties, effective immediately,” I say, watching his expression carefully.

His face falls, his eyes dropping to the floor as if I’ve just crushed something precious.

“But,” I add, “I’m also signing the company over to you.”

Bobby’s head snaps up, his eyes wide with disbelief. “What?”

“I can’t think of a better vampire to take over for me,” I tell him.

“I’ll oversee things from Wintermoon, but effective immediately, you, Bobby, former member of the Medina Shadow Coven, will be the face of Medina Corp.

You’ll expand the company, offer more services to help our melanated people out of this oppressive system, offer better opportunities, and continue the fight. ”

Bobby stares at me hard for a long moment, then raises his fist in his trademark Black Panther salute—a gesture he’s carried with him since the night I turned him. “I’ll take the company under one condition.”

“And what is that?” I ask, curious.

“I don’t want to be released from Medina Shadow.” His voice is firm, resolved. “Absolutely not. I’m with you and the cause until my last day on this earth.”

I nod slowly, appreciating his loyalty while knowing what lies ahead. “This isn’t the end of you witnessing suffering. Take it from me—you’ll see more as the years pass by.”

Bobby nods, acknowledging the weight of immortality.

I gently nudge Carla, and she stands, allowing me to rise from my seat. Bobby joins us, and I extend my hand to seal our agreement. But Bobby shakes his head, walks around the coffee table, and pulls me into a hug.

“You’ve been a true brother to the cause,” he says, his voice tight with emotion. “You scared me for a moment.”

I chuckle as I pull back, adjusting my suit. “I couldn’t let my company go without giving you a little bit of my asshole tendencies.”

Bobby laughs, the tension finally breaking. “I have so many ideas.”

“I know,” I say, remembering all the times I’ve seen his eyes light up with concepts he never felt bold enough to present. “Before you leave, I do want to give you one piece of advice.”

“I’m all ears,” Bobby says, his expression serious again.

“Take it from me, brother. Control your dick.” I grab Carla’s hand and pull it to my lips, gently kissing the back of it.

“It will serve you well to get a good discipline with that in the long run. When you find your fated mate, and you will, the last thing you want to have to do is explain you have a roster longer than your time on this earth.”

Bobby chuckles, but nods, taking the advice to heart.

He turns to Carla and smiles, bowing his head to her again.

Carla puts a finger to her lips, then looks at me with an innocent expression. “Um, didn’t Amari just say you aren’t bound to us anymore?” She glances between us. “That means you don’t have to do that anymore.”

Bobby shakes his head firmly. “You will always be my queen.”

Carla blushes, clearly unused to such deference.

“Would you like to meet your army?” Bobby asks her.

Carla’s eyes widen, and she looks at Bobby, then at me, confusion evident in her expression.

“I’d like to also remain lieutenant, if you don’t mind,” Bobby adds, turning back to me.

I smooth a hand over my suit, relief washing through me. “Thank Fate for that. I didn’t know which of the men I was going to choose in your place.”

Bobby laughs. “None of them are ready to lead yet, but they do well at serving.”

“You’re not bound to me,” I remind him, “but you may stay in your position for as long as you choose.”

“Thank you for giving me the choice, My Lord,” Bobby says with a nod.

“But I want to serve and continue to fight the cause. I just want to see a day where my people have equal footing on this land. Black slaves built America to what it is today, off the backs of their labor, and yet they can’t even get basic human decency. ”

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I understand the law of the vampire—that we are not to meddle—but I just can’t sit back and watch my people endure so much suffering.”

“You sound so much like Amari,” Carla says, stepping closer to him.

“It was a blessing from Fate that Amari saved me that night. Otherwise, I would have just been another statistic. This is why I respect him. He’s for the people and has never changed on that.”

I smile, touched by his words.

“I understand why you need to take a step back,” Bobby says to me. “You have her now, my queen.” He turns to Carla. “But I’m grateful to Amari for giving me the position to keep the movement going.”

I pull Carla closer to me and lean down to press a kiss against her cheek. “I’ve met your children, now you will meet mine. Isn’t this lovely, Carla? We have a blended family.”

Carla narrows her eyes at me. “That sounds insane the way you just said it.”

I chuckle, amused by her reaction.

Bobby steps out of the cabin as Carla pulls me to the side, her grip on my arm tighter than necessary.

“What the hell are you doing?” she hisses. “You’re just giving up your company?”

“Yes,” I say simply, as if she’s asked me the most obvious question in the world.

“But—”

“I’d do it ten times over when it comes to you,” I tell her, cupping her cheek.

Bobby peeks his head back into the cabin. “Would you like to meet your new army?”

Carla looks at me for a moment, then sighs and nods.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” I assure her, “but I promise they will honor you with their life.”

“I’m not used to this,” she admits, her voice small. “All I’ve ever had was my children.”

“And now you have the world,” I tell her, meaning every word. “While I wish I could give you more than Wintermoon, I’m going to make you feel like you have the world.”

I nudge her forward, and she takes a hesitant step, looking back at me nervously. Bobby holds his hand out for her, and after a brief hesitation, she takes it, allowing him to guide her out of the cabin.

Outside, my men are lined up like soldiers in a battalion ready for battle. Two hundred vampires, all standing at attention, their discipline perfect, their loyalty absolute. Carla takes in a sharp breath at the sight.

I step out and stand beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back. “All these men were on the verge of death at the hands of white men who felt they weren’t human,” I explain. “This was never what my people stood for.”

I look out over the lines of men, pride swelling within me.

“I tried to follow the law of a vampire, but there were times when I just couldn’t do it anymore.

That’s why these men stand here today. I offered each and every one of them the chance to live on, to fight for the cause and serve me in my coven. ”

“You and Bobby keep saying ‘fight for the cause,’” Carla says, her brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

“For equality, fair treatment of our melanated and indigenous people who have been oppressed by every system here in America and around the world,” I explain.

“This systemic racism is worse than corporate greed. The hatred is similar to radicals—something that’s manifesting against us supernaturals. ”

I clench my jaw, conviction hardening my voice. “It needs to be stopped, and while I respect Amir’s attempts to make peace with them, that’s never going to work. These humans have gotten used to dominating, and it’s time to show them who’s in charge. But first, we need to show them who. We. Are.”

Carla looks ahead at the assembled men, and I steal a quick kiss before stepping down from the cabin porch to stand with Bobby.

“Medina Shadow,” I call out, my voice rising across the clearing, “greet your queen.”

The men—some dressed in expensive suits, others in combat gear—all raise their fists in the Black Panther salute and chant in unison. Then, as one, they drop to one knee, bowing before Carla.

I turn to look at her, standing on the porch, her eyes wide with shock. “Acknowledge your children, my queen,” I say. “They will die for you.”

Carla’s brow furrows, and a nervous expression crosses her face. “Oh shit,” she murmurs.

I look to Bobby with a smile. “Looks like shit just got real for my queen.”

Bobby chuckles, standing proudly beside me and the men he helped train.

The sight before me is everything I’ve worked for over the centuries—my coven, strong and unified, now with a queen to serve alongside me.

Carla may not feel ready for this responsibility, but I’ve seen her strength, her compassion, her unwavering spirit.

She will be a magnificent queen, beloved by all who serve her.