Evan shrugged. “No need for posturing now. The crisis is past. Our two alpha females worked out their own balance, I think.”
Christophe nodded, his gaze returning to Fiona, who was gesturing animatedly with her hands as she told of the warrior’s fearsome jealousy.
“It is not always easy to fall in love with the brightest star in the firmament. I know this.” Evan nodded to Lucinda, who sat with her daughter, both of them clearly enraptured with the story. “I had to kill three challengers for her hand before I won her.”
“Things are different outside the Pack,” Christophe said.
“Yes, and no. You feel you are not worthy of her, I think,” Evan said shrewdly. “Get over it, before she believes it, too.”
“You always talk to strangers about their love lives?” Christophe drew another long pull on his ale before putting it down. “Bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”
Evan smiled. “I am Spanish, my friend. Nothing in the world is as important as love.”
He walked off to join his mate at the table, leaving Christophe staring after him in astonishment. First the man tries to kill him, then he gives him advice on his love life. Christophe didn’t know whether to be amused or offended.
The roar of applause, accompanied by whistling, hooting, and stomping feet, snapped him out of his musings and he made his way through the noisy crowd to Fiona’s side. She was flushed, clearly enjoying the shifters’ reaction to her story.
She turned a shy smile up to him. “Did you like it?”
“It was a wonderful story,
The crowd quieted down, and he watched Lucinda cross the floor to the two of them.
“Thank you,” the alpha said, her eyes bright. “That was a lovely story. You are welcome here at The Melting Moon anytime, Lady Fiona Campbell. Your mate, too.”
Fiona smiled and held out her hand. “Thank you. I am very honored.”
The crowd cheered again, and Christophe marveled at Fiona’s instinctive ability to do and say the exactly right thing at the exactly right time.
“I promise you if we find news of the Siren, we will send word to you,” Christophe said quietly, for Lucinda’s ears alone. “I would not want a gem that could cause harm to my people in vampire hands, either.”
Lucinda nodded, and Evan, who’d walked up behind her, smiled.
“You would make a fine shifter, my friend,” Evan told him. “Fearless and honorable. It is an unbeatable combination. Remember what I told you.”
Christophe bowed to the two of them, one of his best court bows, and when he rose, Lucinda was grinning.
“Oh, he is too pretty, Fiona. You, too, are a lucky woman.” She put her arm in her mate’s.
“Yes, I am,” Fiona agreed. “We must be off now. Please tell Ginny I’ll call her soon to talk to her about writing.”
“She’ll be thrilled. Good luck, both of you, and be careful. If Telios is indeed behind this, he is a very, very dangerous enemy to make. He is deadly and completely insane. A terrible combination.” Lethal-looking claws suddenly ripped out of the ends of her still-human hands. “I will gladly tear his throat out and eat his heart if I find out he threatens my kind. We have feelers out, too, but vampires do not talk to shifters about this, as you may imagine. Perhaps you will fare better.”
Evan nodded solemnly. “If it comes to war, you of Atlantis will have to choose sides.”
“We are on the side of humanity,” Christophe said flatly. “Through oath and precedent of more than eleven thousands of years. But should it come to a battle between shifter and bloodsucker, we will never take the side of any who try to enthrall others, this I swear to you.”
Fiona nodded. “It’s wrong. We’ll do whatever we can.” She leaned in toward Lucinda and spoke in a quiet, confiding tone. “It might help with public relations if you stop threatening to eat humans, you know. Just a thought.”
The alpha’s laughter followed them all the way out of the bar.
Chapter 31
Once they hit the sidewalk, Christophe took a firm grip on Fiona’s arm and headed straight for the bikes. He was taking her back to her nice, safe home, where he didn’t have to worry about being ambushed while anybody threatened to eat her.
A ragged group of shifters was crowded around the Ducatis, admiring them. When Christophe approached, one of the bigger males put a hand on the seat.
“This bike used to be yours, human? Because I’m thinking it’s mine now. I’ll take your pretty little woman, too.”
The rest of the thugs laughed and nudged one another, egging the stupid one on.
Stupider one?
“I’m guessing you weren’t inside,” Christophe said.
Before the shifter could move, Christophe’s dagger shot through the air and buried itself in his throat. As the man gurgled, blood spurting out around the blade, he began to fall, and Christophe snatched his blade back, wiping it on the nearest shifter’s shirt.
“He’ll heal. Eventually. Anybody else?” He channeled power until it seared his skin and lit up the night sky with an eerie blue-green glow.
The rest of them uttered hasty denials and dragged their friend away. Christophe turned to find Fiona staring at him, her eyes huge.
“I’ve had enough of people threatening you,” he said flatly. “The next time it happens, I’m going to start killing them.” It wasn’t a threat, it was a simple fact. They’d threatened his woman. The next person to do it died. Anyone after that to do it, died.
Simple.
“You can’t keep treating me like I’m some fragile princess you have to protect,” Fiona said.
“It’s not only my sworn duty this time. It’s personal. Get used to it.”
“No. I won’t. Listen to me, Christophe, and listen closely. This can never work—our partnership, our relationship, whatever we have here—unless you treat me like an equal.”
He didn’t understand why
She sighed and took his hands in hers. “I’m not talking about that kind of equal. I don’t claim to have any of that. But I have a brain. I’m the one who got us out of that mess in the pub, didn’t I? You have to trust me, too.”
“Not everyone is going to be a fan of your books, Fiona. Sometimes it’s going to take fighting our way out, and I won’t allow you to be in situations like that.”
“When it does involve fighting, I’ll let you lead the way. I’m not an idiot. But you have to let me make the choice of what I do and where I go, and you have to let me stand by your side when we can do more together than apart.” She released her hands and took a deep breath. “Also, you need to forget the word
With that, she swung one leg over her bike, put her helmet on, and took off. He stood watching her go for a few seconds before he climbed on his own bike and followed. Trust her or lose her. How could such a simple decision be so damn tough to make?
Fiona concentrated on the road, the traffic, and not crying. In that order. She was looking for the nearest
