Dragons were additionally attracted to royalty, often in the past kidnapping their human saviors to get them through illness. That Bast had happened upon one whose bloodline offered him the succor he’d needed and more so, one willing to provide it without thought to herself, bordered on miraculous.
Bast continued. “Two things I’m certain of, based on what we can find. First is that I’m not alone.”
Corin held up a hand and when Bast paused, the executioner tilted his head toward the direction of the women. His eyes unfocused as he eavesdropped. Seemingly satisfied over the women’s discussion of the topic—something having to do with having sex to induce labor—he quirked his lips and motioned for Bast to continue.
“Sounds like Alice and I should make ourselves scarce,” Bast said with a low voice.
The other man laughed softly. “That suggestion came from your mate, not mine. I think Jasmine would sooner hit up Google on how to perform a C-section on herself.” Corin shrugged, but Bast wasn’t fooled. If his woman would have him, Corin would have been all over that. “But continue. What do you mean that you’re not alone?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know. I have no clue if that means my father is alive, if I have brothers or sisters. I just have some vague information about a dragon clan.”
“What will you do if there are more of you?”
“At this point, I don’t even know. Not even sure if it’s worth pursuing. I know what I am now, and nothing’s going to change it or the fact that I’m no longer welcome by the vampire community.”
“Not all of the community,” he replied. “Just some of them.”
Sebastian snorted. Just the important ones. “I wonder who else is at the wrath of the Council?” From what he understood, Corin’s situation with the Council was tenuous at best.
“More importantly, why.”
“Why may not be such a hard thing to discover. I don’t know if you’ve felt it, but it seems like there’s a rippling undercurrent of discord coming from almost everywhere.”
Corin remained thoughtful for a moment. The sound of the women’s conversation drifted toward them, but Bast tuned it out. Let the women remain ignorant to the prospect of a storm on the horizon for a little while longer. He loved knowing that Alice remained happy. And his.
“No, that discord isn’t news, but they try to keep it hidden beneath shows of power. They are hiding something.”
Sebastian leaned forward, his voice lowering. “What have you heard?”
Corin shook his head. “Not so much heard, just a feeling. I also know that you and I aren’t the only ones who are thinking this way.”
“You’re right, because that’s the second thing I’m learning from the texts. The latest one says ‘war is coming.’ I’m not sure what to make of it.”
“War, by itself, for men trained like us...doesn’t mean much. For you, the man...that’s different. You straddle the breed lines.”
“I need to know war between whom before that becomes a concern.”
He would not indulge in the rift between vampires and werewolves, if possible. But a full-blown war between the two groups didn’t seem likely. Their animosity was centuries old, with only skirmishes to show for it. To Bast, true war meant the possible annihilation of a species.
Always, the words of Locke, the werewolf, returned to him. There were more creatures out there than he’d dreamed of. If war was expected to break out, who among the groups would rise up?
And who would rule?
Bast’s attention focused at the approach of Alice. The expression on her face bordered between timid and bewildered. “What’s wrong?” He could almost scent her fear.
Corin shot to his feet, and Bast followed suit. The executioner used a long stride to cross the room, almost managing to rush past Alice. She held out an arm, temporarily blocking him from going far. “She said if you acted like an idiot, I was to get Sebastian to wrestle you to the ground.”
Bast’s brow shot up. “Wh-what?” he choked out, barely suppressing his surprise.
Alice’s cheeks pushed up in a smile. “Her water just broke. I do believe you’re about to become a father.” She pressed her hand against Corin’s chest when he started forward again. “She means it, and I’m not about to mess with a pregnant vampire’s request. To the ground if you go, as she calls it, ‘all He-Man’ on her.”