Well This Sucks - CoraLee June Page 0,75

a secondary compound there—a vacation spot? I’d be happy to pull together a proposal and set up the funding.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The man was always trying to get us to invest in his vacation properties. No, thank you.

“Sure. Send it over, and I’ll look. I can’t make any promises, though. You know Graham is petitioning for that building in Dallas. He’s already pitching for votes.” There was no land in Dallas, but I liked to open the door for shit talking. You didn’t play politics by being the first person to say something controversial, but you won wars by being the second.

“That bastard. I fucking hate Graham. How he paid his way onto the council is beside me,” Asher spat while wiping remnants of blood from his lips.

“He gave Drew some trouble at the licensing center yesterday,” I admitted.

Asher’s eyes widened. “The licensing center? What on earth was he doing there?”

“Took the test a bit far. Spilled a lot of blood. He took advantage of his position of power. Drew held her own, though. That woman is fierce. But I don’t like his obsession with her.” I made sure not to mention exactly how Drew held her own. I still wasn’t sure if we should share our bond yet. Even though Graham already knew, I didn’t want to scare her away—again—by making a declaration. And I didn’t want to give my growing enemies leverage. One of the things I hadn’t told Drew was that fated mates were linked. If one of us died, both of us did. That thought alone had me debating on upping her security.

It was a tricky line. I wanted people to know she was mine but didn’t want them to know they could hurt her to get to me.

Asher nodded. “Graham has always wanted to pick apart anything you have. Publicly declaring your courtship put a target on Lady Drew’s back. Congratulations, by the way. I think she is just lovely. She adds diversity to the council. I bought a fleshlight from her company yesterday. Highly recommend. Five stars, truly.”

Disgusting. I was all for normalizing sex, but I didn’t need to know about his fleshlight adventures. “Your approval is very important to me,” I lied. Asher liked to feel important.

Asher preened like the egomaniac he was. “You know,” he began. “I’ve heard rumors that Graham has started a whisper campaign to overthrow the monarchy.”

I sat up in my seat. “What?”

“Apparently, he thinks that vampires should modernize and become a democratic society, with him as president of course. He’s so passive aggressive. Has to resort to gossip to win.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I spat. “Kings have more powers than any elected official. It’s a birthright crafted for civility. No one else can compel other vampires. I’m stronger. Faster. I also have the wisdom of my lineage at my disposal. I have an eighty percent approval rating. We have the elected council to balance out the power, but at the end of the day, I know what is best for my people. I’m fair.”

Asher held up his hands. “There is no denying that you’re the best king we’ve had in centuries. I loved your grandfather, but you exceed his talents significantly. I won’t even go into detail about your father. We both know he was a disaster. Graham wants power, plain and simple. He has his own nefarious and ambitious agenda. I suggest you keep an eye on him. Revolutions start with a whisper, and he’s tugging on the ear of every vampire in your coven. Be careful. And now that you’re courting Drew, there are bound to be more doubts about your capabilities. I like the girl, but she wasn’t exactly turned under normal circumstances, Diego. She’s a fledgling. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a king courting someone changed.”

I clenched my jaw and ran my hands over my thighs, debating how to proceed. Graham already knew, it was time for the rest of the world to. She needed to be protected. “She’s my fated, Asher.”

As expected, his eyes widened in shock. “Fated? That hasn’t happened since…”

“My grandparents,” I whispered. “I’m drawn to her.”

“Don’t let Graham know. Fated mates are traditionally stronger. You feed off each other’s powers. He’ll be jealous and feel threatened. Is she at the compound? You’ll need to increase security,” Asher rambled. “She’s untrained. If something happens to her, then you’ll die too—”

“I know. I’m on it. He already knows. She compelled him at her licensing evaluation after he