squeezing his eyes shut. “Not tonight. That’s all I ask. Let’s focus on Heller and protecting the clan. We can discuss…my age—”
“Our ages,” Ronan corrected.
“Yes, our ages another night, I promise.”
“Just one thing real quick,” Ethan said and then sucked in a deep breath before he continued in a rush, “Holy shit! We were so far off. I mean not even in the freaking ballpark.”
“Who won the bet?” Ronan inquired.
“I did,” Philippe announced with a smug grin.
“How is that winning?” Fox scoffed. “You had five hundred and two. He’s double that.”
Philippe shrugged. “I was the closest.”
“This isn’t The Price is Right,” River chided. “You were still way off.”
“Focus, gentlemen,” Aiden prodded, his voice hardening.
“Yes, I…” Marcus broke off and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Heller. If Heller speaks to Mara or anyone who might have a grudge against the Variks and attended the party, he could gain critical insight into the house. We need to find Heller and his clan quickly.”
“I’ll talk to the ghosts. See what I can turn up,” Winter offered.
Oh, there was something Ronan wanted to ask about, but the conversation was moving on too quickly. He’d have to pry the information out of Aiden later.
“I’ve got my spies as well,” Rafe agreed. “Lola and I will see what we can turn up.”
“Marcus and I can also make a list of any clans who might side with Heller and or the European Ministry,” Sofia offered. “That could give us some new leads.”
Aiden nodded. “This is a good starting point. I want Heller found quickly, or we need to set a trap for him. He needs to be dealt with. The European Ministry needs to be sent a message that the Americas are not part of their domain. Their attempts at control are not welcome here.”
There were murmurs of agreement, and the meeting largely broke up. Rafe’s companions filtered out first, making plans with him to begin their hunt for Heller the next night. Sofia stood next, and Aiden quickly crossed the room. There was a new wariness to her eyes as she watched Aiden that hadn’t been there when Ronan first met her. It was his age. The vampire she’d known had become something of a scary legend now. Their kind never lived that long. Those that did were frighteningly powerful and dangerous.
With Aiden’s usual warm smile, he held out a hand to her, but Ronan admired how he was careful to not get too close, giving her the option to come to him. “I’m still me,” he whispered. “Nothing has changed. I’m still the vampire you handed the crown.”
Sofia gave a little roll of her eyes. “And I thought it was only because I didn’t want to be bothered with it.” But she took his hand before she hugged him tightly. “We will talk about this.”
Aiden agreed and looked up at David as Sofia stepped away from him. “Keep a close watch on her. She is an obvious target since she’s a well-known ally of mine. Don’t let anything happen to her.”
“Not a chance,” David agreed with a nod.
Sofia turned her stern dark gaze on Ronan, and he straightened. “And you, just because you’re a thousand years old doesn’t mean you can slack. You keep him safe.”
“Until my last breath,” Ronan replied, and he meant it. He’d give all that he was to keep Aiden safe.
The sons and their mates followed next. There were many hugs and teasing comments. The same wariness and maybe confusion filled their eyes, but they seemed to be rebounding a little faster than Sofia. Ronan wasn’t sure if it was due to their relative youth or that no matter what age Aiden was, he remained their father first.
But there was no denying the warmth and happiness that swelled in Ronan’s chest to see the sons’ and mates’ obvious love and affection for Aiden as well as each other. Their teasing and sniping seemed endless, but it was all done out of love and respect for one another. These people were a family first and a clan second.
What surprised him most was that they all had a comment or teasing remark for him as they left, as if they were trying to include him. The caution wasn’t entirely gone, but they were trying. And Ronan didn’t want to do a damn thing to let them down. He wanted to be part of this family almost as much as he wanted Aiden with him forever.
Marcus was the last one to linger in