Chapter 16 #2
Marcus sighed. “Blood meant trust. Not one of us was willing to trust an outsider with Julianna. That’s why we never became a clan. We couldn’t promise an outsider would be safe, and we didn’t want to worry about Julianna being safe with an outsider.”
“Mother,” Rafe whispered. “What if she hadn’t been killed? What would have become of Ethan?”
“I don’t know,” Marcus said, though Rafe could barely hear the words. Rafe suspected that Marcus would have tried to let Ethan go in an effort to protect him from Julianna. Human or fledgling, she would have been a horrible threat to him.
“And what about now?”
“The issue of politics hasn’t changed. None of us wants to be involved.”
Rafe snorted. He strolled over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. Lowering his head so that he could look Marcus in the eye, he smirked. “We’re involved whether we wish to be or not. I’m hearing whispers that vampires have flocked to Hartford just to see what we do next.”
“So you wish to become a clan in a bid for power?”
“No, this isn’t about politics. It’s about offering security.”
Marcus looked surprised at Rafe’s words and he couldn’t blame his brother. This subject was too damn serious for the likes of the nightclub owner.
“What has brought this on?”
“Gideon.” Rafe frowned and shook his head at the thought. “And Lola. And Ryder.”
Marcus’s smile returned, and the tension flowed out of his body like water rushing down the side of a mountain. Had his brother been expecting this conversation? That couldn’t be right.
“What’s that look for?” Rafe snapped, feeling as if Marcus was catching him off balance. That was Winter’s specialty.
“I’ve been expecting this.”
“What?”
Marcus gave a little shrug as he returned to his spot on the sofa.
“Ethan asked me not long ago why Lola wasn’t a Varik, and I’ll admit I didn’t have a good answer.
She’s been your near-constant companion for almost a century.
She didn’t hesitate to help us with the Black Wolf clan.
You trust her. If Mother was the only reason for keeping her outside of the Variks, then that reason is no longer valid. Why isn’t she a Varik?”
If Rafe had been standing near a bookshelf, he was pretty sure he would have chucked a book at his brother’s head. He made it sound so reasonable and easy.
“Truly, brother?” Rafe demanded.
Marcus’s expression turned sheepish. “Blame Ethan. We have all been trapped in this mindset for so long. I doubt any of us would have seen the obvious much sooner. Is this what you want? To bring Gideon, Lola, and Ryder into the Variks?”
Walking over to the sofa, Rafe flopped down on the opposite end and scrubbed one hand over his face. “They deserve it, Marcus. They’ve stood by me for so long, and they’ve had no reason to. Certainly not obligated like you, Winter, and Bel.”
“You know we’re not with you out of obligation,” Marcus growled.
Rafe waved off his comment. He knew better and didn’t want to get into it with Marcus.
They were getting off the point of their conversation.
“It’s more than a reward for standing beside me.
They deserve protection as well. What would happen to them if I were killed?
I worry they wouldn’t come to you or any of my brothers.
I need to know Gideon will be watched over if I’m killed. ”
“You propose we file to become an official clan, and we invite Lola, Gideon, and Ryder to become Variks.”
“I do.”
Marcus leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees while folding his hands together. “I need to think about this.”
“What’s to think about? You know Lola and Ryder would die for this family. Gideon is no threat. He needs our protection.”
Marcus stared at Rafe for several seconds, and Rafe couldn’t help but see the clear look of tired patience. Rafe had always been the type to just jump into something, while Marcus and even Bel liked to take things slowly. Examine a thing or decision from every possible angle.
“I’m not opposed to them in the least. I think they would be strong additions to our family.
They deserve to be a part of the Variks.
We’d be honored to have them, but becoming a clan means others might join us.
We need to discuss guidelines. Do we wish to become a large clan?
Do we wish to have a central manor that everyone must live in? ”
Rafe dropped his head back against the cushions of the sofa and sighed. “Details. That can all be figured out in time.”
“A central location means you must give up your penthouse as well.”
Rafe’s head popped up, and his eyes narrowed on his brother. He knew Marcus was just fucking with him, but it was a disturbing thought all the same. He’d lived on his own for a very long time, and he had no desire to stop now.
“You realize all my parties come with me wherever I move,” Rafe muttered.
“And what about Aiden?”
“What about him?”
This time it was Marcus’s turn to sigh as he squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Aiden would be the clan leader if we officially became a clan. Don’t you think he would like a say in all of this?”
“No.”
“Nonsense. Of course he would.”
“No, I mean we can’t wait around for Aiden.”
“Rafe—”
Rafe jumped back to his feet, hating the queasy feeling swishing around in the pit of his stomach.
“I love Aiden. He’s been an incredible father to us.
He is a Varik. But we also have to take care of ourselves.
I’m not opposed to him being the clan leader, but we don’t know what he wants now that Mother is gone.
We don’t know if or when he’ll be back.”
Sure, Zelda had said he was coming back soon, but Rafe knew in Zelda terms soon could be tomorrow or fifty years from now. There was no point in mentioning it since Marcus didn’t put much stock in anything Zelda said.
“He needs us as much as we need him. I want to wait, give him the chance to have a say in this. It would also give me a chance to speak with Bel and Winter. I think they’ll agree with you, but they should have the chance to think about it as well.”
“I don’t want to wait too long. This needs to be finalized soon.”
Marcus rose and took a couple of steps toward Rafe. “Is something going on that you’re not telling me? Why the sudden urgency?”
“Just guilt, dear brother. This has waited far too long already, and I wish to have it settled as soon as possible. Even if Lola and Ryder spit in my face when I invite them to the clan, I need to know I tried to keep them safe. That I tried to give them the family they deserve.”
Placing a hand on Rafe’s shoulder, Marcus’s fingers squeezed, digging into tense muscles and offering an old comfort Rafe had not felt in a while. “They’re not going to spit in your face. And no matter what happens, your people will be protected. I promise.”
“Thank you,” Rafe murmured.
Marcus surprised him by clapping him on the cheek with his other hand and smiling.
“I’m not accustomed to this serious side of you, my dear brother,” Marcus said in playful tones that were also out of character for him.
“Is it this investigation weighing on you? Or has Arsenault been a positive influence on you?”
It was a struggle to make his smile carefree when Marcus’s words were so close to the mark.
Philippe had been a positive influence on him, reminding him of responsibilities he’d not taken nearly as seriously as he needed to.
But he didn’t want to discuss Philippe with Marcus.
While he might be the one brother who was sympathetic and most understanding of his dilemma, the truth was, Rafe wasn’t quite sure what he would even tell Marcus.
That he cared for Philippe? That for the first time in his very long existence, he felt trapped by his family rather than protected?
No, he didn’t yet know what he wanted from Philippe. His brain wanted him to claim that it was just a fling. That in a month or so, he’d be bored and they’d go their separate ways.
His heart was screaming that such a thing wasn’t possible. Philippe was becoming a part of his very soul.
But as long as they were part of two different clans, what other option did they have?
For now, he kept his focus on the people he could help, the things he could have in life.
The rest…he’d have to figure out later.