CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

A ri wandered around the king’s office, sliding his finger over a bookcase and lifting his head to take in the tall ceiling. Memories came flooding back from a time long ago he thought he had buried and forgotten.

“Take a seat,” Vincent said, but it was an order.

Ari smiled to himself, letting it fall away as he turned. Vincent stood behind his desk and Brayden a few feet away, one hand on his hip.

The young vampire was a powerful one. He’d noticed Brayden’s dominant alpha when he’d been no older than thirty. Ari had to respect the bond between these two. There was loyalty here no one could break, and it had served them well.

“I helped your grandfather design this castle,” he said.

It was time to cut to the chase. Ari wasn’t one to fuck around with bullshit.

Vincent cast the prince a look and narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Ari walked over to an armchair and lowered himself into it. Both Moretti brothers would have sensed his power, as he had theirs. They had the same blood running through their veins, after all. Moretti blood. There were more Moretti’s than ever living today, but none of them had pure Moretti blood as he had.

“Gio Moretti,” he said, lifting his foot to his knee and getting comfortable. “He had grand ideas but wasn’t very practical, so he was lucky to have my input or there would be an impractical balance of ballrooms to bedrooms.”

Ari couldn’t help himself; he smiled. It had been a joke between them back then.

Brayden crossed his arms. “You knew our grandfather? He was born in—”

“500 AD. I know,” Ari interrupted. Oh, how he knew. It had been the same day he’d been born.

“How fucking old are you, Ari?” Brayden asked. “And why are you back?”

“And where the fuck have you been?” Vincent added, lowering into his seat.

He knew Vincent would be a smart king. The male had already ascertained he was no threat—at least not right now—and trusted his brother to protect him should something occur.

Ari tilted his head at the boys. The king was wrong. Brayden was powerful, but not as powerful as Ari.

“Let me start from the beginning,” Ari said, his eyes darkening as he began to tell his story to the two people alive who should already know it. “My name is Aristide Moretti. My twin brother, Giorgio Moretti, and I were born in the year 500 AD in Rome. We were human.”

The two royals cursed, disbelief crossing their face.

VINCENT SHOOK HIS HEAD , and for the hundredth time, he glanced at his brother.

They had grown up with this powerful male in their family as their captain. He had trained them to fight. More so Brayden than him, as he’d spent most of his days shadowing Frances Moretti, learning to become king.

Brayden had experienced a great loss when Ari had disappeared, despite being promoted. The male had been a role model and the two had been close.

In hindsight, Vincent had likened Ari to an uncle figure. Now, if the male was telling the truth, he was their damn uncle.

They had all thought Ari dead.

“So you just fucking left?” Brayden asked, shaking his head, hurt and betrayal visible on his face despite the centuries that had passed.

“I do not expect you to understand. I had lived over a thousand years by this point, and both your father and grandfather wanted my identity hidden,” Ari explained with a mix of resignation and bitterness. “You have no idea how it feels to have this power running through your veins and to live in the shadows. For your identity to be wiped. To not be recognized for the power you truly have.”

Vincent shook his head.

“It makes no sense. I have no desire to hide my brother away. Why did King Gio?”

Ari stood and walked to the window. “To understand that, you need to know how we came to be vampires. Then you will see how my very existence threatens your role as leader of the vampire race,” the ancient vampire said and turned to face him. “And yet all these centuries later, it still does not. But that does not mean it won’t. I will be honest with you about that.”

Vincent’s eyes darkened. “Are you threatening my throne, Aristide?”

The large male let out a short, dry laugh.

“No. If I were going to do that, I would have killed your grandfather or father many years ago. I will explain everything, but right now, we need to join forces. Our race is under the greatest threat it has ever been in. We are at war with humans. And this is just beginning.”

The fuck?

“Tell me everything you know,” Vincent demanded.

ARI NODDED AT THE KING .

“That is why I am here,” he said. “First, I want to make something clear. Ben Ferrero works for me. He was sent to Italy on a job and has made some off-the-book decisions while here. Namely working for you.”

Brayden nodded knowingly and then began to shake his head.

“He has been a loyal employee for seventy years, and ironically, during the past few weeks, it appears he has been torn between a new loyalty to you and, I suspect, the female who is his mate.”

“Anna,” Brayden said, nodding.

Ari pressed his lips together in a small smile. “I am sad to lose him.”

“You’re firing him because he’s mated?” Vincent asked, raising a brow. “That’s a bit old fashioned.”

Ari laughed. “No. There is no place for a female in my establishment. Ben understands this.”

Brayden uncrossed his legs and arms from his leaning spot and let out a small laugh. “Well, that fucking explains a lot. I knew he was trained by someone powerful. I’ll be honest, every time I tried to work out the mystery of that little shit, I thought about you. It was haunting me. But you were supposed to be dead.”

Ari shrugged. “I was happy with my new life. I had a purpose, a wonderful home, and a family of sorts. I have been working in the background to protect the race, and others, and have an elite force. Not to mention contacts deep around the world that will benefit us.”

Vincent held up a hand.

“Before we go any further, we need some proof,” Vincent said. “That may offend you, and I apologize, but if this is true and you are a Moretti, you will know what that means and how to prove it.”

Ari nodded.

“You are right to ask. My blood. I have the Moretti blood. How you wish to test it is over to you.”

Brayden and Vincent exchanged glances.

“Say more,” Brayden indicated.

“It holds the power of our bloodline, given to us by our creator—which one day I will share with you who that is.” Ari smiled. “Boys, we have much to discuss.”

“Why did my father not tell us any of this?”

Ari shook his head. “I do not know. My brother, he saw threats where there were none. That is my only explanation.”

Brayden stood and held out a hand as if to shake it, and Ari knew it wasn’t in greeting. He stood, and like warriors, they gripped each other’s arms. Both Moretti’s let the power ripple through them.

Quickly, Brayden’s eyes popped, and he cursed.

They let go.

“Jesus.” He turned to Vincent. “He’s one of us.”

“Well, fuck,” the king said.