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The deterioration of their species, once held at bay by the queen’s blood bonds, was a sickness with no cure.

To counteract that decline, Julian had instituted a military-type structure with a rigid hierarchy in his legion.

Though independent freedoms were limited, the discipline he promoted helped keep their lieutenants and citizens on the right side of sanity.

It was a structure that Jade had grown to support after her rebellious youth.

Returning home meant she’d once again be subject to that rigidity. It would either support the healing she’d done while away or expose the fault in her own magic— again . She shuddered to think what’d happen should her abilities continue to falter.

Of its own accord, her situational magic speared outward, pinging against a presence that entered the building. Her internal alarm blared awake. Another Sagani. Not one she knew.

Territorial by nature, Sagani defended their turf from others of their breed. If neither party backed down or ceded territory, the inevitable result was death. Most challenges of the sort had ended when mortal civilization developed, but the urge to bare teeth in challenge had never quite receded.

After the death of the queen, their destructive urges had re-emerged.

No one knew who had murdered their monarch, and suspicion thrived in its wake.

The primes, leaders of the six legions, had accused each other of foul play, escalating the conflict.

The easy camaraderie between the military leaders had broken, and each prime had isolated themselves in the name of safety and security.

Lines of communication were effectively severed, and Julian had taken strides to perpetuate that division.

One of the other primes had murdered the queen, and their legion was an accomplice. None of them were trustworthy, and the man walking into her building was most definitely not her kinsman.

Jade psychically tracked the other Sagani through the building. Undoubtedly male, the unknown threat was making his way toward her.

Her teeth ground together.

Meeting other immortals while wandering the world was a given, but discovering one so deep in the heart of her legion’s territory was rare, especially without a word of warning from her prime.

Julian would never forget to mention something so important.

The prime wouldn’t have approved the stranger’s entry today of all days.

Jade bristled, readying herself for action. Mentally cataloguing the weaponry she had in her personal arsenal, she concentrated on determining which would do the most damage—and how quickly it could incapacitate him.

If the other Sagani attacked, every human on this floor would see or hear the fallout.

While she made small talk with Trina, her attention was split. Laughter echoed from the hall, and though no voices were distinguishable, Jade’s ears pricked. By now, the Sagani would have undoubtedly keyed into her presence as well, and with any luck, would steer away.

Luck was not on her side.

The door opened. The people entering wore easy smiles and projected eagerness to greet their new colleagues. To the untrained eye, they were all human.

Her focus zeroed on one of the men. The Sagani was hidden among humans like a wolf among sheep. Of course, it was him.

Nikolas Church.

Though she’d seen photos of the man, none of them did him justice.

She’d prepared herself for the eventuality of meeting him, she was still caught off guard.

He had impossibly green eyes, nearly crystalline in their clarity, and his flawless olive skin stretched over high cheekbones and a sharp jawline.

His casually styled dark hair enhanced the striking panes of his face, but Jade’s attention didn’t linger.

It looked as though he’d simply rolled out of bed this morning instead of having meticulously engineered the day of her downfall.

The urge to sink a blade into his jugular nearly overwhelmed her.

Jade loathed the fact that within seconds of meeting him, she could sense his startlingly charismatic nature. An engaging grin, coupled with his eager confidence, was undoubtedly the trait that defined him. Nikolas Church gave off the vibe of a man who was used to being well-liked at first sight.

Yet another strike against him. Jade had to work hard for the same success.

Certain her inner snow leopard shared her feelings, she turned inward to find that the beast had pricked her ears in curiosity. She prowled to the front of Jade’s mental space, and made itself impossible to ignore.

Four centuries of fighting the predator’s instincts had caused a rift between Jade and her animal, the cat fading and barely functional.

Whenever Jade lost control of the tight chains that held her beast, the leopard snatched at them greedily, coveting more power and yanking desperately at the bonds that tied her to Julian and legion.

She couldn’t remember the last time her animal had anything other than a muted response, but she couldn’t afford to linger on it. She repressed the growl for attention back into the recesses of her mental cage and refocused on the immediacy of the threat.

On autopilot, her hand slid into Nikolas’ grip, an unexpected jolt of electricity skating up her arm. Determined not to be outdone, she gripped his hand tightly, giving it a solid shake as he studied her with those penetrating eyes.

The humans around them exchanged casual greetings, unaware they were in the presence of two apex predators locked in a surprise encounter on a field of battle.

“Nikolas Church. Pleasure meeting you, Jade.”

She forced herself to put on a smile. “Welcome to McArthur Vegas. I look forward to getting to know you, Mr. Church.”

“Please, call me Niko.” A quick smirk as his hand slid from hers. “I have a feeling we’ll find some common ground between us.”

“Without a doubt.”

The thinly veiled bite of her words went unnoticed by the humans around them, but the glint in Niko’s eye said he recognized the jab.

“Shall we?”

Jade gestured for Niko to take a seat, remaining standing to establish her authority. If he expected her to fawn in response to his charm, he was very much mistaken.

Completely ignoring the chair she’d offered, he walked to the other end of the room. They would be conducting the meeting sitting at opposite heads of the table. A power move, and one she had expected.

If they weren’t surrounded by humans right now, she’d already be lodging a dagger in his heart and smiling while doing so.

One call to Julian would preserve the secrecy of their nation.

His magic, categorized as a form of psychic manipulation, manifested into coercion.

With it, he could alter or erase memories.

It would be difficult, but not impossible for a man of his power. Asking forgiveness for murdering a rival Sagani was easier than asking permission.

Swallowing the urge for violence, Jade pulled her gaze away and prepared to address those assembled. To her surprise, it appeared only Trina had noticed the tension between her and Nikolas— Niko —but her expression was more amusement than concern.

“Every successful company is founded on the principles of good practices, good people, and good business sense. Here at McArthur Vegas, we’ve woven that strategy into our very structure, and, as we’ve grown from a start-up to a Fortune Five Hundred company, it’s served us well.

“To those of you who may not know me, I’m founder and CEO of McArthur Vegas, Jade Lascaux. I’ve worked decades to make this company what it is, and Nikolas Church was,” she paused, then emphasized, “ gracious enough to allow me to remain on board as a consultant for this acquisition.

“Though we’ve found our way into this conference room through less than desirable means, I have no intention of being a poor host. Should you have questions or concerns, my office door is always open, and I value every opinion I hear.”

Nodding appreciatively at the only true neutral party, she added, “We’d like to welcome our merger advisors from Patron and Associates to the table, and we thank DNB Investments for allowing us to be a part of this vital conversation.”

Niko offered her a gentlemanly bow of his head as he stood, usurping her right to speak. “Thank you, Jade. Well put, and I’ll echo the sentiments your former CEO spoke of so … inspirationally.” A casual half-grin underscored the subtle emphasis on ‘former,’ and mocked her earnest efforts.

Oh, you jerk.

“We all know why we’re here today, and we all know our anticipated outcome. I, however, would prefer to have a bit of fun while we’re stuck together for weeks on end. With that being said—” he mimed a whip, “—onward!”

A chorus of chuckles followed the gesture. Rumors of his casual leadership style had preceded him, but Jade had no intention of making a fool of herself.

She made sure Niko caught the faint narrowing of her eyes before she reclaimed the floor.

“Thank you, Niko, for that new tone to the proceedings. Let us keep in mind that our outcome here will change the lives of many employees and shareholders, and it’s not something to be taken lightly.

Let’s introduce ourselves. Name, role, and what your goals are for this transition. ”

“And your favorite ice cream flavor,” Niko added, casting aside Jade’s jab at his lack of professionalism. He was determined to undermine her.

What followed was the typical humdrum of introductions.

Between rambling, grey-haired men more interested in their own list of accomplishments than their purpose here, and the younger crowd who seemed intent on sizing up every other party as a potential enemy, the only exception to the monotony was Niko’s late addition to the list.

Ice cream flavors. Jade could scarcely imagine what the next circus act would be. Everything about Niko’s lack of professionalism made her cringe.

Various vice presidents and directors had a seat at the table, most of whom would filter in and out as the days dragged on and their patience grew thin. In the beginning, every new thing was full of fire and purpose. By the end, few had the endurance to care.

Jade only listened with half an ear. Niko devoured all her attention, though her eyes weren’t on him.

Setting aside the fact that he belonged to a rival legion, Niko was inherently likable. He made a pointed effort to ask each person at the table something about their life or offer a comment or compliment when they introduced themselves. His charm was working on overdrive.

All this was in contrast with the potent pulse of his magic that seemed to whisper in the air around them. Humans would write it off as a chill that snaked up their spine and dissipated within moments. To Jade, it swarmed against her senses, like a disquieting hum, keeping her on alert.

Playful tendrils seemingly caressed her, featherlight, almost teasing in the way they slid across her psyche. Everything about his power was invasive, unchecked and annoyingly persistent.

Jade didn’t like it one bit.

She wouldn’t be hounded by an intruder on her own turf. As Niko made some quip about vanilla ice cream being far too bland for anyone to enjoy, Jade gathered her psychic energy about her and pushed.

A barely visible flinch caught her attention, but it was the smug look he shot across the table that told Jade exactly what she needed to know. He’d deliberately flooded the space around them with his magic, testing her sensitivity and seeing how much she’d tolerate.

Niko was playing power games, and she’d just walked right into his trap.

By now, the introductions had led back to her. Snapping shut the door on Niko’s test, she rattled off a few snippets of information about herself before directing everyone to the packets laid out in front of them.

Niko cleared his throat.

“You didn’t say which ice cream flavor was your favorite.”

Niko’s, of course, had been Mint Chocolate Chip, followed by a brief but humorous tirade about how his favorite changed nearly every time he had to choose.

“I’m certainly no Mint Chocolate Chip. I happen to enjoy Vanilla, when the situation calls for it.” Jade dared Niko to comment on her choice of flavor.

“I’m shocked,” came his mocking confession. “New York Vanilla? Homestyle? Vanilla bean?”

“Classic is preferable.”

“Sprinkles or syrup?”

Quickfire, she retorted, “Neither. I prefer to enjoy it as traditionally as possible.”

Niko rose to the challenge. “Surely something salty to balance your tastebuds? Peanuts, perhaps?”

“What makes you think I need peanuts to be satisfied?”

Beside her, Trina’s composure was hanging by a thread, a well-placed hand covering her attempt to keep from laughing. Distantly, Jade was aware that everyone else seemed to be enjoying the volley.

Ah, dove, I have a feeling you aren’t ever satisfied.

The telepathic message registered in Jade’s mind, in Niko’s deep voice. With her patience stretched thin at his reckless power play, Jade’s already cool composure turned icy.

“Trina, will you show our guests to the kitchen and our café?” Startled at the sudden change of direction, multiple faces frowned at her. “We’ll reconvene in ten when you’ve acquainted yourselves with the building. Nikolas, join me in my office?”

Trina didn’t miss a beat. “If you’ll all follow me, I’ll give you the quick ten-minute tour!”

The younger woman had already earned her paycheck today.

As members of the entourage filtered out, Jade inclined her chin at Niko. “Shall we?”