Chapter 2 #2
Instead of bringing it over to Aiden, Rafe carefully set it on the table and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He typed something quickly and tucked it away. Afterward, he dug into his bag and pulled out two small boxes before returning all the ties and watches to the bag.
Aiden was about to ask about the new boxes, when there was a knock at the door.
Bel immediately poked his head inside and smiled.
He entered, followed by Winter. Both of his sons were sharply dressed in dark suits, while Bel’s hair was already looking a little wild, as if he’d been running his fingers through it.
Or maybe it was thanks to the wandering fingers of his mates.
“Looks like you’re about ready,” Bel said.
“Nearly all the guests have arrived,” Winter added. “The European envoy just walked in as well.”
To Aiden’s surprise, Rafe crossed to stand next to his other two brothers while Marcus picked up the crown. He walked over and stood in front of Aiden, a solemn expression on his face while his brothers looked on with wide smiles.
“Aiden Varik, you have been a guiding light of wisdom and compassion for the Varik family. We are honored to call you our father. We believe that you will bring that same wisdom and compassion to all vampires, ushering in a new age of light. Long live King Aiden.”
“Long live King Aiden,” the brothers echoed.
As soon as the heavy coronet was settled on his brow, Aiden pulled Marcus in for a tight hug.
He then moved to his other sons and quickly embraced them one after another.
There was nothing he could say, no words he could get past the lump in his throat.
The light he gave them was only a reflection of their love.
His greatness existed only because he wanted to be the best father for them.
“One last thing,” Rafe shouted, hurrying back to the table. He handed one box to Marcus and the other to Aiden.
Aiden cradled the small black velvet box in his hand and carefully opened it. Inside lay a rose with rubies for the petals and a pair of emeralds for the leaves while a slender piece of silver comprised the stem. It was simple, elegant, and beautiful.
“All of the Variks are wearing one tonight,” Rafe said.
Aiden’s head snapped up, his eyes jumping from Rafe to Bel to Winter. Each man had a jeweled rose pinned to his lapel.
“A way of quickly identifying the clan,” Winter interjected with a wicked grin.
“We’ll be mingling through the crowd all night. Everywhere a person looks, they’ll see someone from the Varik clan. We will be everywhere, always,” Rafe said in a near purr.
Aiden laughed deeply as he pulled his rose from the box. Rafe liked to play the part of the wastrel, but it all hid an evil genius deep inside. He knew how to play political games as well as Marcus; he just had little interest in trying.
“Shall we go?” Aiden asked when he had his rose attached to his jacket and a better handle on his emotions.
“We should before the natives get restless,” Rafe muttered.
They left Aiden’s suite together with Bel and Winter in the lead and Marcus and Rafe following behind, surrounding him like an honor guard.
For a brief time, everything became a whirlwind of activity, sounds, and brilliant sparkles of light.
The large dining room at Marcus’s had been turned into a ballroom of sorts on the first floor, and the other rooms were opened up to allow guests to easily flow between rooms.
As Aiden descended to the first floor, vampires in fine gowns and suits applauded his appearance. He smiled, shaking hands and warmly greeting everyone whether he knew them or not. He had to believe tonight was a new beginning for all of them.
And why not? The party was attended by both clan leaders and vampires without clans, vampires who’d never had a voice when the laws were being set down. He wanted everyone to have a say when it was decided how they would live and interact.
At the end of the room, he found it hard not the flinch at the sight of his chair placed on a small dais. The chair was too thronelike and had come to represent his position of power within the clan. Now it had become a chair from which he would rule all vampires.
Temporary. It’s just temporary.
As he reached the dais, he grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing server and mounted the three small steps. Turning toward the assembled crowd, he lifted the glass high above his head.
“Thank you, everyone, for your most gracious welcome. I believe all of us here have stories of difficult times. Of pain and loss. Maybe even of hopelessness. My wish is that tonight be a new beginning for all of our kind. May this be a night of fresh starts. Let us all have hope and happiness once again.”
A shout of “Cheers” and polite applause went up, and Aiden sat lightly on the edge of his throne.
He might not want this, but he could do it. It was an opportunity for all of them, and he merely wanted to set his people moving forward on the right foot. Ronan would be proud of him.
Aiden gave a mental start as Ronan crossed his mind. He hadn’t thought of his old friend in a long time, but then, kings and crowns were likely conjuring that old ghost. It would be nice if his spirit were watching over him.
With Marcus remaining close by his elbow, an orderly line of vampires soon formed in front of him.
There was no request for vows of loyalty.
But he was happy to accept well wishes and words of wisdom from each who stopped to speak with him briefly.
Aiden never lifted his eyes from the person who was standing right in front of him.
He gave that vampire his full attention, determined to prove to each of them that he was their king and his job was to serve them as best he could.
His confidence inched higher as the night wore on.
Everyone was polite and appeared to be happy.
It didn’t hurt that Marcus and Ethan kept the alcohol and delightful finger foods flowing.
Music was played by a string quartet in the far corner.
It was a special occasion, and too much time had passed since the last party quite like this.
But everything changed when he stepped up in front of Aiden.
Ronan.
It was as if he’d been summoned straight from his thoughts.
How? How was this even possible after all this time?
His old friend was dead. He’d been slaughtered that horrible night Aiden had been turned.
While he’d not seen Ronan’s body, he’d seen plenty of Ronan’s men shredded and tossed about the camp.
He’d been sure Ronan hadn’t survived the night.
Ronan stepped up with two other vampires, and for the longest heartbeat, the world around them fell away.
The beard was gone, and his liquid black hair had been cut into a modern fade with it a bit longer on top, but those midnight eyes were the same.
The broken nose and perfect lips lifted in the almost mocking smile were the same.
Everything in Aiden demanded he reach out and just touch Ronan’s face, to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating.
It couldn’t be. Not after all this time.
Aiden’s heart stumbled and he felt lightheaded. Had he stopped breathing? Died?
No, he was still alive, if only as a vampire and Ronan, his Ronan, was standing right in front of him.
His emotions had become a tight little roller coaster in his chest. He soared up to joy and elation only to plunge down to fear and sorrow.
Why hadn’t he done more to be sure Ronan was dead?
Why hadn’t he looked longer, harder? But he soon twisted into uncertainty as he wondered if Ronan blamed him for his death at the hands of vampires.
His heart soared into joy, because the years didn’t matter. Ronan was here. Ronan was alive.
While his brain might be locked up, his body found a will of its own.
His hand started to reach for Ronan, fully intending to pull him into an embrace and never release him again.
He caught himself quickly and forced his fingers into a ball to keep them from wandering.
The rest of the world was snapping back now.
No one seemed to realize that Aiden’s entire world had tilted on its axis.
No one except for Ronan. There was something in his eyes, a look.
Had he noticed how Aiden nearly reached for him?
It took all of his power to actually drag his gaze to the pale, slender woman with the black, pixie short hair and cold brown eyes who was standing in front of Ronan and another man.
“King Aiden, may I introduce Mara Schneider of the European Ministry envoy,” Marcus said sharply.
Aiden managed a jerky nod as he briefly struggled to pin a smile on his lips again. Thank God he was sitting, because his legs would have given out beneath him. He extended his hand to Mara, unsure if it was trembling. “An honor to meet you, Ms. Schneider.”
“And you, Your Majesty,” Mara replied, though he didn’t miss that the little twist in her voice at the title.
He had no doubt that the European Ministry was not pleased with how things shook out in the Americas, but the European Ministry ruled over European vampires.
What happened in the Americas was none of their business at the end of the night.
“May I introduce my associates from Europe, Michael Langston and Ronan Svendsen.” Mara motioned toward the two men behind her.
Aiden had no problem looking over at Michael Langston, momentarily taking note of his emotionless expression and seemingly curious hazel eyes.
As if he didn’t quite know what to make of an American vampire king.
It took all of Aiden’s willpower to drag his gaze over to Ronan. The last name was new, but it could be something he’d adopted over the long years. Aiden had done that a few times prior to finally becoming a Varik. Or it could be a clan name.
But even after all these years, it was Ronan. His Ronan. It was on the tip of his tongue to whisper, “My prince,” but he bit down on his traitorous tongue to hold on to those words.
Ronan seemed to be taking the surprise better, but then he’d been able to watch Aiden enter. He would have recognized him.
Unless he’d known for far longer that he was alive.
A thousand questions were bouncing through his head, and there were no answers to be found. The only thing that kept repeating in his head was that Ronan was alive. His beautiful Ronan was still alive after all these years.
A small smile played on those lips that still looked familiar, and there was a faint twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “I hope that you can find time in your schedule for us to have a meeting before my return to Europe,” Ronan said.
Aiden nodded and gave a small grunt, not trusting himself to speak.
His heart was beating erratically in his chest. His face felt hot, but his hands were suddenly ice cold.
It was only when he dragged his eyes to Mara that he felt confident he could string two words together without sounding like an utter fool.
“We shall talk more while you are in town,” Aiden replied with a pained smile.
Mara nodded sharply and drifted away from the dais, taking Michael and Ronan with her. Aiden didn’t allow himself to look up, didn’t take a chance on meeting Ronan’s dark eyes again. He’d crack. Demand answers. Throw himself on the man.
No! Marcus was watching.
His children were all watching him.
The next vampire started to move up, and Marcus’s firm hand landed on his shoulder. He leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Is everything okay? Do you need to step away?”
Closing his eyes for only a second to pull his scattered mind together, he shoved thoughts of Ronan aside the same way he had for centuries.
The act seemed all the more painful now that he knew the man was still alive, but he couldn’t be distracted.
The future of vampires in America, the safety of his clan and so many other clans, rested on him continuing to act as if his entire world hadn’t been knocked off its axis.
There would be time later when he was alone to take out the memory of this night and inspect every inch of it, to recall a hundred other little things. But not now.
It was more than just his duty to his new position.
It was where Ronan was standing—with those who were most likely to oppose him wearing the crown.
The man he’d known had been the love of his life, but after the passage of so many years, he couldn’t be sure who stood in front of him now.
Had he been sent by the Ministry to kill him?
And if so, would Ronan actually commit the deed?
“I’m fine. I swear,” Aiden replied, forcing his voice to steady.
“Are you sure?” Marcus whispered.
Aiden lifted his eyes to meet Marcus’s worried blue ones. So like his mother’s. He smiled, and this one was real. Reaching up, he cupped the side of his son’s face. Marcus and his brothers would always be able to steady him. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
With a slight nod, Marcus released him and straightened. His face was emotionally blank, but the concern remained in his eyes.
He would face more questions from Marcus and likely all of his sons as soon as Marcus informed them something strange had happened when Aiden met the European envoy, but that would wait.
Not that he even had a clue as to what he would tell them.
Aiden had told them almost nothing about his life before meeting Julianna, and he’d never spoken of Ronan.
Not to anyone ever in his long existence as a vampire.
Those first couple of centuries after he’d lost Ronan had been incredibly dark for Aiden, periods of time that he didn’t let himself think about. The regret and self-loathing would only swamp him, leave him incapable of even moving.
But now Ronan was alive and wandering somewhere in his home. Ronan was so close.
Did he want to reach out? What had happened to him? How had they not found each other until now? Ronan had hinted at talking, but was such a thing a mistake? Aiden had a good life with his sons. A life infinitely more complicated now that a crown rested on his brow, but still, a good life.
Would Ronan have any desire to be drawn into his world?
And how would his sons feel?
Question after question poured through, but there were no answers. There would be none until he actually spoke to Ronan in private.
He would. As much as he feared it, there was no losing this opportunity.
When he’d thought this night would bring fresh starts and new beginnings, it had never crossed his mind that it might include someone so critical to his past.