Fox grinned. “Good, because we are so doing that again.”
Winter barked out a surprised laugh as he reached over and turned out the light. They got settled in bed. They should have cleaned up, but he was too tired to care. It could all wait until tomorrow. Right now, Winter had his arm wrapped around Fox’s waist, and they were snuggled close under the blankets. There was no place else he ever wanted to be.
Chapter 27
Winter rubbed his thumb against the smooth gold ring on his finger, nervously turning it as he and Aiden entered The Gallery. They had all been surprised when Damon demanded a meeting. Naturally, it was being held at The Gallery.
The bland white structure was more than an art museum in their world. It was one of the only places in Hartford that vampires could meet for a civil conversation. No fighting, biting, or killing was allowed on the premises.
His brother’s nightclub Blush used to have the same rules, but it didn’t have the powers of the Ministry behind it. Just Rafe. And no one wanted to get on Rafe’s shit list. There was no quicker way to get permanently banned from a Rafe club, and they’d all been damn nice over the years.
Of course, considering the dissolution of the Ministry, Winter had to wonder how safe The Gallery truly was.
When Aiden had reached out to him that evening, he’d been a little surprised that his father wanted him along instead of Marcus, who usually handled these types of political discussions. He’d even been ready to slip into The Gallery invisible and shadow Aiden, but his father wanted him right at his side and visible for Damon to see.
There had been no time for discussion and significant strategy planning. Winter was instructed to simply follow Aiden’s lead and watch his back. That Winter could do easily enough. He certainly wasn’t prone to outbursts and bouts of temper like Rafe. Even Marcus was becoming a bit touchy, but his older brother was also extremely protective of Ethan. That just made him a little growly.
To his own frustration, Winter’s mind kept slipping back to worry over Fox. He’d hated leaving him at the loft alone, but the witch had been confident he wouldn’t be in any danger, thanks to Winter’s top-notch security system and the simple fact that no one knew where Winter lived. Unfortunately, he’d not gotten the chance to show Fox where the secret escape route was if he needed to leave the loft quickly.
But Fox would be fine. This meeting would take only an hour at most, and then he could return home. Maybe he could pick up Fox and they’d go to Marcus’s house. He needed to have a long discussion with his family about his own gift as well as inform them that Fox was now a permanent part of his life.
“You looked worried,” Aiden said in a low voice, jerking Winter from his thoughts. “Has someone whispered bad news into your ear?”
Winter blinked at him in wonder. It hadn’t even occurred to him to check with the ghosts. Spending all his time with Fox recently had accustomed him to not dealing with the ghosts, but now miles separated them. The only thing holding them back was the ring Zelda had given him holding Fox’s blood.
“No, I…I was just lost in thought. I’ll check now,” he murmured.
He grabbed the ring with his right hand but hesitated. He didn’t want to take it off. Not so much because he didn’t want to deal with the ghosts, but he simply didn’t want to lose that connection to Fox. Wearing the ring meant his witch was always with him. Biting the inside of his mouth, he slid it off and carefully placed it into the front pocket of his jeans. Just a quick look and he could put the ring on again.
“That’s new,” Aiden pointed out with a look that clearly said he was eager to hear all the details.
“A very good development, but it will have to wait until after this meeting,” Winter said.
“I hope it’s the first of many.”
Winter smiled at his father before directing his gaze around the rest of the open art gallery. The walls were pristine white while the floor changed from marble to dark hardwood in a variety of places depending on the art displayed. Rafe had bitched about The Gallery on more than one occasion, calling the art boring and uninspired.