Page 158 of His Retribution

"Zan. The demon. Long story, but we just had one hell of a heart to heart and I know exactly where that bastard is and how to get him."

Karel claps his hands and rubs them together. "Excellent. I take it Ivan is with him?"

I nod then shake my head. "Yes, but I need you and Hank to stay here. Once the females discover the five of us missing they will surely try to follow."

"Posey and Grace for certain," Kai says as he kills his beer.

"The little one as well." Andrej nods.

"Right, and though any other time I'd welcome their combined powers, there is too much danger surrounding this to risk any of them."

Milos nods. "So what's the plan then? What are we looking at?"

"The coven is approximately one hundred and eighty, all New Ones created by Nero. They reside in an abandoned mine three towns over, the other dragons in a camp just outside of it to protect them during the day."

Kai growls and clenches his fists. "And their numbers?"

"Roughly fifty. The females stayed overseas and the males are Ivan and Cyril's most devout followers."

"You have a plan," Andrej states rather than asks.

I nod so fast my head spins. "I do. I will be completely undetected to everyone, but as soon as I breach the mine there is a possibility Nero's guards will alert the dragons and unleash hell."

"So you wish for us to take on the other shifters so you can enter into the nest alone?" Kai frowns. "Won't they feel your shared blood?"

"Not if we go now. There is still at least two hours of sunlight left and everyone but the guards will be asleep which means, excuse the pun, the other vampires will be dead to the world."

"And Nero will not alert them?" Henrich asks.

"By the time he knows I'm there his throat will already be in my hand."

We stare at each other for a few moments before Hank nods and claps his hands. "Let's get to it then, boys. Daylight is wasting."

"Thank you," I blurt to the men that have been my family for well over three hundred years. "For your help, for your trust. Thank you for everything."

"We are clan," Andrej says as he claps a hand on my shoulder. "We will squash Ivan like the bug he is, help you avenge your mate and make sure you come home to her in one piece."

Oh, if only it were that simple.

The five of us share a look that says the same but then my best friend, my dearest brother, pins me with his stare.

I know what I need to do, but I will be damned if I have to do it.

I can only hope he is right.

Execution

Iknew spending time with pregnant women shopping for all the baby things wasn't exactly going to help my suddenly urgent need to have a baby, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting it to kick into overdrive and turn me into a crazy person.

Allie is almost six weeks and Casey is barely three but I bought more shit for my nieces or nephews that don't even have hands yet, than I've ever bought for myself. And Daisy? Yeah, that sweet little cherub just wound up with a new wardrobe and enough toys to take her through med school.

And I didn't stop there, nope.

I bought T-shirts with some sort of endearment on it;World's Best Pop Popfor Hank cause he's basically everyone's dad,Hottest Uncle Everfor Karel ‘cause dragon,My Daughter's Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad (P.S. That's Me.)for Drej,#1 Unclefor all four of the Dragovihk brothers and Havok—you get the idea.

Everyone wound up with some sort of hilarious label, something I know Milos will appreciate, and of course I got each of the sweet little babies a onesie that saysMy Aunt is a Nerd but She's Still Cooler than You. My lovey will definitely appreciate that.

I went a little too far though, and I blame Havok one hundred percent. He is the one that put a wad of cash in my purse and told me to 'go wild,' so I did.