CHAPTER FIVE

C raig and Brayden walked through the castle to the king’s office.

Vampires milled around doing their jobs, curtsying or bowing to the prince as they passed by. Brayden acknowledged many of them with a nod, greeting, or brief smile. He was calmer and happier than Craig had seen him in a long while.

It didn’t take a genius to realize Willow was the source of the smile on his face. Since mating with her, Brayden seemed more alive and powerful than ever, if that was at all possible.

Brayden was not just his prince and captain, but his best friend. They had a long history together which had bonded them as if they were brothers. He’d give his life to protect him, and not because it was his job.

For centuries after he’d accepted the invitation to become commander of the Moretti Royal Army, the two of them had been the ultimate bachelors. They had shared females and hosted infamous orgies which were talked about for years afterward. Hell, he even remembered a few in vivid detail himself.

Vampires were far more sexual than humans, their drive hotter, their need stronger. But not everyone agreed with such behavior. Frances Moretti, who had been king in those days, had had no issue with the regular events, but when Vincent had taken the throne, his point of view had been more conservative.

Not that it had stopped them.

But modern life had.

At the turn of the century, the industrial age arrived, men went off to work instead of being led by a dictator or monarch, and they began to earn a living wage. Suburbia was born, and with it, new rules.

For vampires to blend into the now predominantly human world, they had to evolve with them, choosing careers in fields which allowed them to work at night. However, their sexual natures didn’t disappear, nor did the human hunger for the dark and seductive. Underground clubs sprung up in cities, and people gathered to quench their thirst. Brayden, Craig, and a select few others were always on the VIP guest list, no matter where in the world they were.

Working with the prince and fucking alongside him—sometimes awfully close—meant the two males knew each other very well. Craig wondered how much of his sexual past had the prince shared with Willow as he pushed through the large doors into the king’s domain.

“Ah, here’s the prince,” Vincent said. “Leave us and send in the queen, please, Sera.”

Seraphina, the king’s secretary, nodded and smiled respectfully at the two vampire warriors as she passed them. She’d been in the Moretti court for eighty years, and like Willow, had been a human prior to meeting her mate.

Derek, the king’s new advisor, was still grinning after receiving the sudden promotion. He’d worked as Regan’s assistant for the past one hundred years.

Craig really had no clue what the fuck all these pencil pushers did, but they always looked busy, so he just kept out of all that.

“Brother,” Brayden greeted and sat down in one of the large armchairs, his legs spread wide, and one arm flung along the back.

“Sire.” Craig gave a brief nod of his head in respect, then sat his ass on the edge of a table at the side of the room and crossed his arms.

“So,” Brayden started, getting straight to the heart of their current affairs. “What have you decided, Vincent?”

The king sighed and leaned back.

The two couldn’t be more opposite. Brayden, the alpha warrior; Vincent, the diplomat. Though he wasn’t to be confused with one of those pencil pushers—the male was tall, strong, and powerful, and he exuded the authority of a king.

“Regan shall keep his head, and I shall hear no argument,” he responded, his tone firm. “Tell me what update we have on his females?”

Craig wasn’t surprised by his decision, and he knew Brayden wouldn’t be either. The advisor had a long history with the royal family.

“We’ve found them. The team is extracting them, and we should have them back on US soil in a matter of days,” Craig answered.

Brayden crossed his arms, kicking his feet out in front of him. Craig caught his eye, and they had one of their wordless conversations.

“I wish the fuck you two wouldn’t do that. Speak your mind, Brayden.”

The two Moretti brothers were close, but when they were in work mode, there was a clear distinction between king and prince. But occasionally, they both blurred those lines, and they became bickering brothers. Craig caught Brayden’s smirk before he cleared his throat and continued speaking to the king.

“I agree with your decision; however, when the females arrive home, he must leave the castle.”

When the king began to argue, Brayden held up a hand and continued, “He poisoned you, for fuck’s sake.”

The king stared at him for a long second and then gave a nod. “You’re in charge of security as captain of the Royal Army, so I will respect your decision.”

Brayden nodded and glanced at Craig, a visual handover of task.

“I’ll set him up in one of the houses nearby,” Craig said.

“A sizeable one. Despite what he did, he has been a part of the royal household for longer than I have been alive. He was good to our father, and I want to honor that. Let’s get him moved so he’s prepared to welcome his family home.”

Craig rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s not get his hopes up. It may not be so straightforward.”

The king stood and walked to fill his glass with fresh plasma from the carafe on the cabinet. “You’re right. Don’t mention his females until they are safe.”

A whirring noise sounded. The shutters in the room began to open, signaling the sun had set. Shadows fell across the floor from the moonlight, and Craig’s eyes shifted to take in the tall trees that surrounded the vast property.

Brayden pushed open one of the glass doors which led out to a sweeping balcony. The smell of nature filled the room, and they all drew in a long, audible breath.

“And what of our guests in the prison? What have you decided for them?”

“They are dangerous rebels; they remain locked up.”

Brayden raised an eyebrow.

“I’m well aware of our different approaches to dealing with such matters, Prince Moretti.”

Oh damn, things were going to get ugly if they were using official titles. Craig coughed.

They ignored him.

“Hey, you’re the king.”

“That’s right.”

Christ, this was going to be a long meeting.

As if blessed by the gods, the door pushed open and in walked the queen. Tall, gracious, and elegant, all in one package, the blonde bombshell was an expert when it came to managing the two royal brothers.

“Good eve, Brayden.” Kate smiled, and he returned it. “Commander. My king.”

As tall as she was for a female, she still had to get on her tippy-toes to kiss her mate. And instantly melt against the guy as he wrapped an arm around her lower back.

Jesus, everyone around here just needed to get a damn room.

His mind flashed back to the evening before when he’d seen Brianna dressed in that seductive dress. Her tits had been nearly escaping the damn thing; he’d had to clench his fists to stop from grabbing them.

“Willow and I have been discussing her ceremony dress. It’s just so exciting to have a princess in the family.”

All three of the men stared at her blankly.

More staring.

“Anyway,” she dragged the word, rolling her eyes at their complete lack of response, and sat in her throne. “What are we discussing?”

Brayden leaned one arm against the upper doorjamb and shoved his hand in his jeans pocket. “We have new intel from the rebellion. It’s getting serious, and we need to make some serious decisions. Some different decisions.”

The prince held the king’s stare.

“Continue,” Vincent said gruffly.

Brayden gave Craig a nod, giving him the floor.

“The Italian team has been watching the rebels for years, as you know,” Craig started. “We know Stefano Russo is their leader, having stepped up after his father was beheaded by your father.” Their former king.

They had all been there that night and had thought it to be just another challenge to the throne. They came along occasionally, and Roberto Russo had been threatening to do it long enough. As expected, he had lost, and Frances Moretti had taken his head and issued the Russo sons a warning. One they hadn’t taken on board.

Instead, Stefano, the oldest brother, had been working diligently for the past one hundred and thirty years to grow the rebellion. With modern human technology, it seemed he’d been smarter than they had thought possible.

“Yes, yes, we know all this.”

“What we are only just realizing is how sophisticated their operation is, and I suspect we have only just touched the surface. The European teams have had some breakthrough in intel that needs further investigation but is frankly concerning.”

“Not just on the level of infiltration inside our castle walls, but the technology they are using when they are,” Brayden added.

“All of which has taken years of planning.”

Vincent sat on his throne beside Kate and took a long draw of his glass of plasma. The yellow liquid was richer in protein and minerals than blood, and was the preferred sustenance for vampires in positions to be able to source it.

“Vampires are patient,” the king said, letting out a sigh. “How deep does it go?”

“We’ve found cameras and recording devices throughout the castle, but not where they could access restricted information,” Craig answered.

Everyone eyeballed each other for a few moments, then the queen said, “So it can be assumed it’s not anyone with senior-level clearance.”

Well, look who had been watching a whole bunch of CSI .

Craig nodded, keeping his smirk to himself. “We think so at this point, but we’re not ruling anything out. We’re sweeping all our properties with a fine-tooth comb, but it’s a time-consuming job given how many we have and how large they are.”

An understatement if there ever was one. The Moretti Castles were enormous.

“Which means we need to change our strategy,” Brayden interjected, taking over.

The king raised his eyebrows.

“You rule with a different sword, Vince. I’ve supported your approach since the moment of your coronation one hundred and thirty years ago, and will continue to do so.” The room was thick with silence as the unspoken hung in the air. “Until it puts you, the queen, or the vampire race in jeopardy. I believe that time has come.”

Kate’s mouth fell open and she turned to the king.

Craig watched as Vincent’s eyes darkened.

If he hadn’t known these vampires for a damn long time, he may have felt as if he were intruding on a private family moment. He may not be a Moretti, but Craig belonged, and was an essential piece in this next step in their history.

“Those are strong words to speak to your king,” Vincent said, his voice a low, unexpected growl. “Explain.”

Brayden crossed his large arms. “We’re constantly reacting to these rebels, and they’re using our lack of action to their advantage.”

Craig watched as Brayden stayed silent for a long moment, letting that sink in, before he continued.

“It appears they have a well-funded and intelligent operation, and we need to stop playing on the sidelines.”

The king and queen glanced at each other.

“Their weakness is Stefano. Though he’s their leader, he’s controlling and unstable; erratic and emotional when pressured. We need to increase that pressure.”

“So what are you saying?” the king asked. “You want me to go to war with these vampires?”

Brayden shook his head. “It’s not 1530, Vincent. This is a sophisticated and complex operation we need to infiltrate and dismantle.”

The king stood.

“Exactly. It’s not the Middle Ages. Set up a meeting, and I will negotiate with them. At the heart of these things, someone always wants something. We just need to find out what that is.”

Brayden stood, and Craig got comfortable.

“That’s not going to cut it.” Hands on his hips, the prince glared at the king. “Do you think they’re going to shrug and be all like, ‘yeah, you’re right, we’re sorry, send us a bag of rice and we’ll stop’? After all this time?”

The king’s face turned red. “The fuck. Who do you think you are speaking to?”

Brayden stood his ground. “We don’t have time for this. We need to proactively get bodies on the ground in Italy and take swift action in dismantling their operation.”

“So it is war.”

“A different kind of war. Black ops. But yeah.”

“Where lives will be lost.”

Craig had to respect the king. Over the course of history, many of his peers—all humans, of course—had been hungry for blood. Hilarious, considering they called vampires bloodsuckers. But the Moretti’s were all about the survival of their race. In fact, the two brothers were technically arguing for the same thing. The difference was that Brayden was a warrior and Vincent a diplomat.

“Potentially, but we’ll limit those numbers as much as we can. We’re not in the business of filling prisons, Vincent. These vampires are actively working to overthrow the crown, which means your head, my head, your queen’s head...and now, my mate.”

Well, fuck. When it was said like that, who could argue with him. The prince was right, and the energy in the room shifted. The queen took a deep breath. The king gave a curt nod.

“Fuck it all,” Vincent cursed. “Present to me your plan. I want all the details before you leave this meeting.”

Craig felt about a thousand tons lift off his shoulders, and by the change in Brayden’s posture, he could tell the prince felt the same.

Brayden nodded.

And then the king of the vampires dropped a bomb. “Call my team back in here. We’re moving back to Italy.”

What the fuck.

“Ah, no, that’s not—”

Vincent glared at his brother.

“King. Remember.”