A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(4)

Personally, I was looking forward to seeing Anjani in a wedding dress. Corrine had been working on it for weeks, so it was bound to be breathtaking, on top of the succubus’s already stunning natural beauty.

Jovi had been one lucky mutt to win her heart.

And I, too, have been most fortunate, I thought to myself as Draven’s hand covered mine on the table. He smiled at me. I looked deep into his steely gray eyes and felt my heart beat a little harder. I was thankful to have him in my life, our souls connected for what we both hoped would be forever.





Field





I was, without a doubt, the luckiest creature in all known universes. I’d been honored with the Commander position in Eritopia’s GASP base, and I’d married a beautiful, fierce, and brilliant woman who turned my senses inside out whenever she was near me.

I loved Aida more than anything. We made each other all kinds of happy, and we were never bored. I enjoyed surprising her, and she got a kick out of making me laugh. I loved her most when she was moody and opinionated, which was a little more than usual lately, but I knew what buttons to push to make her soft and melty in my arms.

It had taken some time for me to fully grasp the enormous implications of the Commander position, but with Aida’s constant encouragement and relentless support, I’d managed to rise to the occasion. I often consulted with my father, my grandfather Derek, Xavier, or Aiden on key matters related to GASP, and I was extremely grateful to have them as my mentors—not once did they make me feel like I was too young or not ready for this. Derek wouldn’t have made the appointment if he hadn’t thought I had it in me. I’d just made it my mission to prove him right, over and over again.

I’d made some new friends since I settled on Calliope with Aida, and strengthened the relationships I’d already built. I still spent most of my guy time with Jovi and Phoenix, but we’d also brought Draven, Bijarki, and Jax into the mix. Every so often we’d have a barbecue on Luceria’s platform, inviting the rest of our alliance crew and the new recruits. It was a male bonding ritual of sorts. Grezzi and Heron were always present, as was Zeriel, King of the Tritones.

But my favorite part was always coming home with Aida and locking the doors to our bedroom in Luceria, loving each other until the break of dawn, when she’d fall asleep in my arms and I’d thank the stars for having the pleasure of listening to her even breathing as I drifted away to dreamland.

I looked at her now and found her golden eyes fixed on me, twinkling with something warm and familiar. I gave her a discreet half-smile, and she reciprocated with a playful wink.

The last twenty-four hours had been eventful, to say the least, and I’d been struggling to contain the jumble of emotions rushing through me.

“You two look particularly lovey-dovey this morning.” Jovi grinned at me from across the table, his fingers intertwined with Anjani’s.

“It’s the married life,” I shot back. “It’s freaking bliss.”

They both laughed, and I could tell they were in for the same kind of lovey-dovey experience. Ever since they’d set the wedding date, Jovi and Anjani had managed to get even closer—I hadn’t thought it was possible unless they were conjoined at the hip, but leave it to Jovi to surprise me. Aida had been heavily involved in the wedding preparations, sometimes stressing out in her endeavor to make it an unforgettable experience for both her brother and Anjani.

But no one had been as snappy or as stressed out as Hansa, who was having a hard time with the whole concept of “wedding”. She didn’t want to let go of her little sister, and she’d never done weddings either—yet at the same time, she was so obsessed with making everything perfect that she’d been quite difficult to be around. It was all so new and strange to a warrior like Hansa that I couldn’t stifle my laughter whenever I heard her voice thundering through the GASP base, discussing floral arrangements and table settings. Anjani had been incredibly gentle and patient with her, knowing just how overwhelmed Hansa was, and was usually the only one who could calm her down. The rest of us steered clear, chuckling from around corners.

“Okay, now that everyone’s here,” Jax’s voice snapped me back to the present again, “could we start the meeting?”

Something had shifted between him and Hansa, lately. After the war, I’d thought they’d get close, but from what I could tell, the exact opposite had happened, and they both seemed miserable about it. I’d asked Aida if she knew anything, but all I’d gotten was a shrug in return. I didn’t bank on Jax telling me anything either—the Mara was more emotionally closed off than a bank vault in a block of cement.

“Yes.” I nodded and straightened my back, commanding the attention of every senior GASP member in the room. “So, there have been issues reported from Tenebris over the past couple of weeks. The incubi there have been thoroughly dissatisfied with the regime change. Apparently, they were thriving under Azazel’s reign, and they consistently refuse Master Druid leadership.”

“It’s gotten even worse over the last three days,” Aida continued, her voice firm and smooth. “Rebel factions have been organizing systematic attacks on the capital and the surrounding cities, killing dozens of innocent incubi and succubi in the process. They used explosive charges and nighttime invasions to, and I quote, ‘send a message to Master Druid Mason’, who has obviously refused to leave Tenebris.”