“Absolutely.” Richard nodded. Hands behind his back, he scanned the rest with his glowing lion eyes, finally stopping with his wife. “None of the children should be in the middle of this.”
Richard’s bright blue eyes turned back to Pete.
“Pete, since you are a sentry in New York City and work with the vampire government, would you be able provide protective asylum for the women with children?” A wry smile hovered at his lips. “I realize this is an unusual request, but since you act as a liaison between our two races, I thought—”
“Consider it done,” Pete responded before Richard could finish the question.
“Thank you.” Richard’s lips tilted. “I doubt even the most brazen Amoveo would attempt an attack on a vampire stronghold. It’s settled then.”
Several voices, mostly female, spoke all at once, but Richard held up both hands, and the space fell silent once again. Tatiana’s fingers curled against Dominic’s stomach, and he could tell she was doing her best to keep a brave face. In spite of that, she leaned further into him, seeking reassurance.
“This is nonnegotiable.” Richard, gaze fierce and hands held tightly behind his back, turned to the rest of them. “Salinda and Samantha, along with the babies, will stay with Pete and Marianna at the vampire’s New York facility. Courtney, you will go as well.”
“No.” Steven stood up and faced the prince. His eyes glowed the bright green of the Coyote Clan. “Richard, with all due respect, I am a healer, and if there’s going to be a fight, then I need to be here to help anyone who might need medical attention, but Courtney is staying with me. Too much has happened, and I don’t want her out of my sight.”
Steven knelt down and pulled Courtney into his arms. His eyes glowed, and determination edged his voice as he looked past her to Richard.
“Courtney stays with me.”
Dominic could tell the prince was weighing his options as looked at the beleaguered couple. Steven wanted to do his duty as an Amoveo healer, but he also wanted to protect his wife. The man was torn by duty, love, and loyalty, and Dominic could only imagine how he felt.
Dominic’s fingers brushed Tatiana’s lower back, and as her heart beat in time with his, he knew he would have made the same choice Steven did. Leaving his mate would never be an option. Even if she ends up rejecting him, he would stand by her and lay his life down for hers.
“As you wish.” Richard tilted his head in deference to Steven’s request. “The rest of us will remain on the ranch and stand our ground.”
“You’re not insisting us gals take cover with the vamps?” Kerry asked with genuine surprise. “How very un-Amoveo male of you.”
“True.” Richard’s lips curved into a smile as he looked from one man to the next. “Keeping Amoveo mates apart is never a good idea, but if things get worse, I will insist the women leave for safer surroundings. Call it a royal prerogative.”
“Now that’s what I call progress,” Layla said with a wink to her sister. She elbowed William. “You should take a page or two out of Richard’s book, babe.”
William shook his head and gave his wife a doubtful look.
“We will take turns patrolling the property in groups of two or three. No one goes anywhere alone.” Richard turned to Tatiana, and his voice softened. “I would understand if you wanted to leave, to go home to Oregon and forget you were ever here, but I think it would be unwise. As much as you loathe to acknowledge it, you are half Amoveo, and that makes you as much of a target as the rest of us.”
“I’m not leaving.” Tatiana tightened her hold on Dominic though he sensed she was fighting the urge to bolt. “I want to find out what the hell is going on as much as all of you do. My life will never feel like my own unless I face this head on. I can’t live with the unknown hanging over my head. Not anymore.”
“Yeah, girl.” Kerry winked as she rested her head on Dante’s shoulder. “Let’s kick some ass.”
“That shoot was gonna be a big old bore anyway,” Layla said on a heavy sigh. William looped one arm around her waist and straightened his tie with the other. “I’m sure William and I are going to enjoy stamping out these Purists once and for all, right?”
“Correct.” William planted a kiss on the top of her curly red hair. “I would suggest we take stock of our weapons and lay out the patrol shifts as swiftly as possible.”
“I’ll fill Eric in as soon as we get back to the ranch.” Dominic gave Richard a solemn look. “Your majesty, I think it’s best if the others leave directly from here. I don’t think they should risk time exposed on the ranch if they don’t have to. Besides, if they leave from here, their energy signatures will be untraceable.”
Dominic held Tatiana closer as they watched the others say good-bye to their mates. Malcolm and Richard kissed their wives and snuggled their daughters before the air filled with static, and they vanished. A lump formed in Dominic’s throat as he saw the somber but resolute expressions on the two men.
“We’ll finish this, Richard.” Dominic’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “I promise you, we’ll finish this and bring your family home.”
“Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” Matt whispered from the back of the arena. Urgency laced his voice as he tapped his fingers on the smooth surface of one of the platforms, and guilt tugged at Dominic because he’d forgotten Matt was even there. “I’m getting the fact that you are about to have some kind of holy war, but I gotta tell you, I feel like I’m going crazy. Who, or what, are you people?”
“You are not crazy, Matt,” Richard murmured. “We are not pod-people or aliens, but we are shapeshifters. Welcome to the world of the Amoveo.”
A low, rumbling growl filled the room, and everyone looked at Richard. His blue eyes glowed brightly and were locked on Matt. He uttered the ancient language, and the air around him shimmered as he exploded with an earsplitting roar into a massive lion.
Matt gaped, but no sound came out as Richard approached. Dominic was certain Tatiana wanted to say something reassuring, but she didn’t. She, like everyone else, was in awe of the magnificent beast.
Richard stalked slowly toward Matt, muscles rippling beneath his tawny coat, his proud face surrounded by a thick, dark mane. A growl rumbled in his throat as his eyes glittered. As Richard moved closer, Matt mumbled something incoherent and passed out cold.
Oh, yes. Richard’s voice touched their collective minds. He’ll be a big help.
Once they left the council chamber, Tatiana wasted no time getting back to the barn to take a closer look at Spirit’s body, but the examination didn’t yield new information. Richard and Malcolm used their Amoveo visualization abilities to remove the animal’s body, and though she was curious as to where it went, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Tatiana wanted to connect with one of the horses but wasn’t sure which, so she decided to observe them for a while to get a bead on which one would be most receptive to that type of connection. She suspected the mares would be more receptive than the stallions and had her eye on Obsidian, a gorgeous, jet-black mare who seemed the most disturbed by Spirit’s absence. However, as much as she wanted answers, Tatiana knew that pushing the issue wouldn’t get her anywhere.
Matt didn’t leave Tatiana’s side for the next few hours as they worked in the barn and tended to the horses. The stalls, usually cared for by Salinda, were getting dirty, so they worked together to muck the stalls and reevaluate each horse. Matt said little—most was in response to direct questions—but she had to give the guy credit for sticking around. It’s not every day that a person discovers the world is full of supernatural creatures or that his friend is one of them.