Page 4 of Never Run From An Immortal (Immortals #1)
“Any strategy we agree on needs to be twofold, humans and Fae,” Aidan continued.
“Any advances will be coordinated between the families, is that understood?” He released his hold on Sysmus, the Provident slumping forwards against the table, sucking in deep breaths, shoulders heaving.
He nodded almost imperceptibly. Beside him, Lorsan shifted, his disagreement palpable. Aidan despised sloppy abilities.
“We risk the border forces amassing more troops by waiting,” Lorsan offered.
The Vampire was one of the oldest amongst them, over five hundred if Aidan had to guess even though he didn’t look a day over thirty-five.
He had never adjusted to the advancements in the past century or so, and Aidan could sense it was because Lorsan’s mind was struggling to keep up with it.
“They won’t attack the city with so many of their own within it.
The Eastern Quarter is almost entirely Fae at this point, though it’s merely a power play.
The Fae have been a problem for as long as any of us can remember, but the humans are resourceful, and my sources have been investigating a possible alliance between them. ”
Thadlia scoffed. “Elred would never stoop so low.”
The Fae king was on his deathbed, but Aidan saw no use telling his councillors that particular piece of information.
They’d hear for themselves soon enough. “Be that as it may, we’d be incredibly short-sighted to rule it out.
I called you all here because I trust you to work together on this. Is my trust misplaced?”
An echo of, “ No, my lord ,” was murmured throughout the group. The fighting outside had abated, his bouncers seeming content with the outcome. Yet the night air—something about the way it pressed at their skin—Aidan couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I’ll have my Ascendant speak with his Fae contact,” Sysmus offered. More ass-kissing. Aidan merely dipped his chin in acknowledgement, downed his glass of visk, and pushed away from the table. Better to cut the head off the snake before it could chase its way through the crowd.
“Councillors. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” He didn’t glance back as he passed through the wards, though he could hear every word of disagreement they muttered.
Whether they thought he couldn’t hear them or simply didn’t care didn’t matter to Aidan.
None of them were to be trusted, and letting Lia into his bed had been a colossal fucking mistake he was still paying for a decade later.
Not that either of them had known then that they’d end up where they were now.
He made his way back towards the bar, already in need of another drink, calling out in his mind for his Ascendant, his second in command. Baelin. One of the last remaining Elymas, Vampires who could command animals and speak with them. And his oldest friend.
Over already? came Baelin’s reply in his thoughts.
Yes. Despite the Providents’ elitism, Ascendants often hailed from a different House—usually Gerentis—because self-preservation was high on the priority list, and a Gerentis was an extra line of defence.
If the head of a family were to be taken out, their Ascendant would step in until a replacement made their interest known to the rest of the family.
Although in Aidan’s case, there was no one else; Baelin was his next in line.
Aidan slid into a seat at the bar, raising two fingers to the waitress. A fresh puncture wound glistened at her neck, and whoever had fed from her had left her too weak to work for Aidan’s liking.
We really need to work on your communication skills, Baelin said, laughter lining his words.
The council is an outdated—
Outdated, tired, pointless exercise that we need to disperse as soon as possible? Already working on it.
And that was that. Conversations with Baelin had been the same for as long as Aidan could remember.
He knocked back the first glass of visk, pulling the other to him as the human from earlier made her way back to the bar.
She lifted herself onto the stool next to him, the scent of vanilla drifting from her.
Without hesitation, she picked up his remaining glass of visk and drank the whole thing in one, not a hint of it burning her on the way down.
“You’re the only fucking Vampire in here that doesn’t drink that revolting shit,” the human said, angling her head to the half-empty glasses of rikoli scattered across the bar.
“It’s a wonder all of you don’t permanently piss blue.
” She’d already waved at the waitress for two more, pushing the silver bangles up her arms as she laid her hands flat against the bar.
“You have a filthy mouth, human.”
“Don’t you want to know what else I can do with it?” she asked, holding his stare. Tie marks marred the pale skin where her bangles had been, and before he could comment on them, she said, “A kink of my boyfriend’s. Likes to think he’s creative.”
Aidan narrowed his eyes. There wasn’t a shred of submissive nature to this human, and he didn’t believe for a second she’d willingly allow anyone to tie her up. Her blue hair was cut short, waves bouncing around her face, though he suspected that was all a spell, just like her eyes.
“Did you find what you were looking for tonight?” Aidan asked, taking a swig of the visk a heartbeat after the waitress brought them two new glasses.
“Not yet.” The human glanced up at him through long eyelashes as she downed her second glass.
If she wasn’t passed out on the floor after the count of five, he might have once considered her interesting, but he had no interest in humans now unless they were part of the factions constantly trying to piss him off.
In truth, Aidan hated everyone, but the humans that frequented Rush were particularly loathsome, and he had no desire to take one to his bed; taking her vein wouldn’t do anything for him either.
No blood had sated his thirst since his magic had been stolen from him, every drop tasting of ash for longer than he cared to remember.
Something in the club changed before he could offer a response.
Something only a Provident would have felt, and Aidan felt the ripple first. Reached out to meet it with his power a few seconds before the human launched herself over the bar towards the waitress, an explosion rattling the building’s foundations.
Patrons scattered as portions of the ceiling caved in; the human had grabbed the waitress not to attack but to protect, her arms encircling the girl and dragging them both to the floor.
Screams rent the air around him, Vampire and human, and Aidan realised his bouncers weren’t riled up outside as they should have been.
They were dead.