were, but if Levi called upon them, he could surround Oldcrest with an actual legion. Why he hadn't done so yet, Mikar wasn't sure. Perhaps he didn't trust his warriors enough to have them here in this critical time. More than likely, he had a plan in mind. But they were hardly defenseless. They had Alexius Helsing, his delightfully savage mate Avani, Catherine Stormhale, and the newly turned, yet equally ferocious Bash. They had witches they could trust. And in a pinch, they could even call upon the huntsmen. Sworn to fight rogue paranormals, they didn't typically get involved in vampire infightings, but the leader of the local huntsmen was friends with Chloe, and did consider Oldcrest his home. The huntsmen’s aid wasn’t guaranteed, but Mikar would have bet just about anything that when the time came, they’d be right there with them, defending their home. Even Eirikr himself would stand with them, so long as he managed to get out of his cave again.
By “adequate security,” Levi meant that he'd have Chloe guarded by at least a dozen of those warriors, Mikar guessed. Which was exactly why Chloe dropped the matter. As annoying as staying home could be, he knew she didn't want to put any of her friends in danger.
"Fine. But we can't live like this indefinitely. We're going to have to do something against her." Her voice dripped with abhorrence.
Mikar didn't need to ask who she meant by her. The queen. Eirikr's firstborn daughter. Given the fact that she'd killed several of their friends and had attacked them on a number of occasions, she didn't make the cut on anyone's Christmas list, but Chloe truly detested her guts.
Mikar wasn’t sure that Chloe even understood the reasons behind her feelings. It was more than the mere circumstances of their conflict. Vampires all had beasts inside them, a darker, wilder, and also simpler part of themselves, who saw life in black and white. The queen was threatening Chloe's birthright, her natural place in the world. Chloe was one of the most dominant women Mikar had ever come across. Naturally, her beast was showing its fangs at anything and anyone who wanted what was hers. There may also have been a degree of human jealousy, given that the queen was Eirikr's natural-born daughter. A child he'd loved, cared for, and mourned for thousands of years. Chloe adored her psychotic vampire elder. So unsurprisingly, she didn't want to compete for his affection with his long-lost child.
"Checkmate, by the way," she announced cheerfully.
Mikar growled low, analyzing the board. She was right, dammit.
"I should never have taught you to play chess," he grumbled.
Chloe grinned, replacing the glass pieces on the fancy clear and blue board. As soon as he'd seen that his mate enjoyed playing, Levi had dusted off a ridiculously expensive glassware board from his attic and had it brought to the study where they spent most of their evenings.
"I knew how to play. You taught me how to win."
True. She’d been too attached to her figures—now she never hesitated to sacrifice a queen to conquer.
"That. Remind me to not do that again."
Chloe laughed. "Like you could help yourself. You're too much of a natural teacher and protector, Mikar. You want the best for everyone you care about."
She said it casually, with a matter-of-fact shrug. That was the thing about Chloe. She made all those around her feel proud of themselves. Mikar knew himself to be agitated and short-tempered, prone to killing first and asking questions later, but to hear her speak, he was a good person. A true friend. Of course, he wanted to be. Anyone who met Chloe wanted to get to know her, take care of her, because she made them feel like they mattered. She lifted her people up, like only a true leader could. Her dominance was covered in honey, making her the ultimate alpha. She wasn't even manipulative. Just…nice. Mikar wasn't used to nice. Not from powerful she-vamps. Maybe she'd change as she aged, but he didn't think she would.
The beep of his phone interrupted any response he might have tried to make. Chloe's and Levi's alarms rang at the same time. He opened his messages, and his eyes widened.
He blinked once, and then again, for luck.
"What the fresh hell is this!” Chloe screeched.
He guessed she'd received the same thing as him: a picture of a smiling Alexius, arm around his mate, Avani, standing next to Knox, the ever-infuriating Immortal Wolf. They were holding a marriage