CHAPTER SIX

I t had taken them two hours to fully brief Vincent and for the two brothers to come to an agreement on their strategy. Craig flopped into his chair and threw his feet up on his desk, his favorite position.

“So that went well.”

Brayden glared at him from his own desk. “At least he’s not sending them a basket.”

Craig snorted.

“We’re going to have to leave tonight. I want boots on the ground before word of the king and queen arriving in Italy is leaked.”

Craig’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Crap, you’re right. That’ll interfere with our head start. He’ll lose his shit though, Bray.”

Across the room, Kurt, one of the SLCs, ripped off his headset, letting out a loud yes! “Regan’s females are on their way home.”

Brayden nodded. “Nice work.”

“Repercussions?” Craig asked.

“None. They went in stealth mode and left no evidence behind,” Kurt replied. “Well, except for the empty room they’ll find when they next go in to feed them.”

“Set up one of the houses for Regan and have him moved ASAP,” Craig instructed Kurt, then cursed. “Those females are going to be in a state when they return.”

Brayden nodded. “Put two of our males on guard for a few months for their protection and a sense of security. They’re all victims in this, and that fucking Russo is going to pay.”

As Kurt acted, Tom, Lance, and Marcus stepped into the room, chatting away.

“Yeah, motherfucker, you will pay me back or I’ll—whoa, what’d we miss?” Marcus asked, picking up on the vibe in the room.

“We’ve got the females.”

They all knew who Kurt meant.

“Thank God,” Tom said. He was mated to the Russo’s’ sister, Lucinda. Not that she’d been part of the family for centuries, and certainly wasn’t aligned with the rebellion. She did, however, carry a lot of guilt, which no one could persuade her out of.

Brayden stood, walked to the whiteboard at the front of the room, and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets—his go-to stance before he gave the team instructions.

They all got comfy leaning and sitting on surfaces, legs spread, and arms crossed.

“We’re moving back to Italy. Temporarily.”

“Whoa,” someone exclaimed amongst the room full of wide eyes.

“Tom, I want you to stay here and step up to head of security for the castle while we’re gone. Keep a stern eye on the Russo brothers. Anything, and I mean anything, changes, and you let the commander know immediately.”

The guy nodded.

“Marcus, Lance, Kurt. Get a team together and escort the king and queen over in a few days.” Brayden shot him a glance. “He’s going to be pretty pissed in about five hours because Craig and I are going to take one of the jets and get a head start on him.”

Marcus cursed under his breath. “Outstanding. Thanks for that.”

Craig let out a dry laugh. “We need to get as much time on the ground over there before he arrives drawing attention.”

Like human royal families, the king being in residence was a big deal. There was no reason to keep his movements a secret; besides, trying to do so would be pretty impossible. Each one of the enormous households had hundreds of vamps working in it and serving him.

Lance sat down in his chair and rubbed the top of his head. “I was hoping to live longer than this.”

The prince smirked. “Pack your bags, males. We’re heading home.”

Home.

Neither of them had been back to Italy in over a hundred years. It was the original birthplace of the Moretti princes, and of the first vampire.

Oh, and Craig’s birthplace and home until he’d moved to the USA with the royal family.

Italy held a lot of memories for him. Some of them he was still trying to forget. Going back was sure to trigger them, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. Even though it had been four hundred years since he’d last seen her.

The truth was, she’d been on his mind recently. Ever since he’d locked lips with the sassy human, it had stirred questions he had long wondered about.

Just as Brayden was disappearing out the door, he realized something. “Bray!” Craig called out. “I thought Brianna was flying on the jet tonight.”

A grinning face peered back around the corner. “She is. We’re dropping her off.”

Oh shit.