away so he could look directly into his eyes. “You need rest. You’ve been through a lot recently. We have time. We’ll talk about everything, particularly the Ministry. Work out a plan together.”
Aiden frowned. “I don’t recall you being so responsible.”
Ronan made a little scoffing noise in the back of his throat. “Give me a little credit. It has been a thousand years. I have changed a tiny bit since you last saw me.”
“Maybe…” Aiden teased.
Moving close again, Ronan brushed a kiss to Aiden’s cheekbone. “I want you to sleep, and we’ll talk.”
Aiden couldn’t help it. He flinched when Ronan said “sleep.” He was too aware of Ronan’s gift, but he didn’t believe he’d used it. Hoped he wouldn’t at least.
“Aiden, I would never use my gift on you,” Ronan continued calmly, proving that he felt Aiden flinch.
“Not even if it was for my own good?”
“Dammit, you caught my loophole,” Ronan joked. Aiden glared at him, and Ronan smiled. “No, not even then, but I may throw on lots of guilt about how you’re torturing me by not letting me protect you.”
“I appreciate the warning.”
Ronan kissed him quickly one last time before releasing him and stepping backward. “Get some rest. We have time.”
Aiden felt himself relax at Ronan’s words. Maybe that was all he needed to hear. They had time. The world wasn’t ending around them, and they had time to figure out what they wanted.
Chapter Eleven
The world was ending. Or at least it felt like it.
Wyatt dropped Ronan off at his hotel following a delicious breakfast with him, River, Bel, and Aiden. He’d all but given up food for the past several centuries, but there was something enjoyable about sitting around a table filled with wonderful food, listening to those men tell crazy stories about living together while their house was being built. It didn’t hurt that he was getting another glimpse of relaxed and happy Aiden—away from his royal duties and surrounded by loving family.
But when he walked into the hotel, he found a message from Mara waiting for him. They had a meeting scheduled with King Aiden to discuss the fate of Christopher Heller and his clan. Swearing as he quickly dressed, Ronan stopped only long enough to send a text message to Aiden.
Didn’t know about the meeting. I’m sorry.
He prayed Aiden believed him. They never had a chance to speak, never had a chance for him to warn Aiden about what he knew of the Ministry’s plot. They could have worked out a plan. At the very least, Aiden wouldn’t have been caught unaware of Heller and his demands.
But no, Ronan had to play the role of the greedy coward. He’d been sure they had at least one more night together before they had to deal with reality. Now they were out of time.
A bitter laugh slipped through his room. Out of time. After he’d just told Aiden that they had time to figure things out, learn about each other, learn to trust each other again—fucking Mara and the European Ministry were making a damn liar out of him. Or maybe just a fool.
The entire ride over to the Varik estate, Ronan wracked his brain for some solution that would save both his skin and Aiden’s while at the same time removing the Ministry threat, but there was none. He tried thinking of something to save Aiden, but all his solutions resulted in Ronan giving up the man he’d loved all his life.
And if that was what he had to do to keep Aiden safe…
By the time Michael pulled the rental car into the driveway to the Varik home, a cold resolution had filled his chest, sliding like ice through his veins. It was easier this way. He’d said that he cherished each stolen moment he had with Aiden. He’d gotten the kiss he’d always regretted not stealing. He’d gotten more than he ever dreamed possible after they were separated. It was enough.
Marcus met them at the door. The eldest Varik was dressed in a beautifully tailored suit, but it did nothing to soften his dark expression. It was an odd thing. He’d watched plenty of other vampires around Ministry members and their emissaries, and all of them had been endlessly polite and pandering to their every whim. They couldn’t even pass by without having their egos stroked.
But there was none of that pleasantness here.
Of course, the feeling was that this was a meeting of equals. The European Ministry was supposed to have no power within