“We have a bargain,” said Alexander.
“And I’ll abide by it, but you two better hurry the hell up. If my brother finds out I’m here, taking a chance of messing up his precious plans for peace, you’ll be sucking blood from my corpse.”
“Your brother?” asked Logan.
“Andreas Phelan.”
That name rang a loud bell. “The new leader of the Slayers.”
“Yeah. And he earned his title through beating the hell out of everyone else who wanted it, so I suggest you don’t cross him.”
“No, of course not,” said Logan. His mind was reeling, trying to sort out this new twist of events. “Why am I here, Alexander?”
“Eric’s blood is strong. He’s the man you’re looking for to breed with Hope.”
A slight snarl lifted Eric’s lip. “I’ll fuck whoever you want, but we have laws about breeding. You know that.”
“I do,” said Alexander. “Your brother has been clear about that. I assure you that if he doesn’t find Hope a suitable mate—if he doesn’t accept her bloodline—our bargain will be fulfilled.”
“Fair enough,” said Eric. “Where’s the woman?”
Logan looked at Alexander. “You want me to have Hope breed with a Slayer?”
“His blood is stronger than any human. Why not?”
“Because she’s with a Theronai right now. He’s convinced she is one, too. He’ll take her back to Dabyr for all the other Theronai there to test her.”
“Whoa,” said Eric. “I’m not fucking some Theronai’s woman. My brother would kill me, and he’d take years doing it, too.”
“We don’t know if she’s a Theronai or not,” said Alexander. He looked at Logan. “Test his blood. You’ve had hers, right? You’ll know if they blend.”
He would. All he needed was a few drops of Eric’s blood. It would react strongly to Hope’s if they were a good match. “Fine. We’ll try that, but if he’s not a match, then this meeting never happened.”
Logan didn’t dare step closer to Eric without permission. Slayers were violent. And quick. Logan had already been injured enough for one night. “May I?” he asked Eric.
Eric held out a beefy arm. “Knock yourself out. Just don’t make me do the same. Mind your manners. Understand?”
Logan did. He would take only a little—just enough to answer his question.
He took Eric’s wrist and brought it to his mouth. The man’s skin was hot, but that was natural. Slayers’ body temperature was above that of humans or Theronai. Their metabolisms burned hot and fast.
As soon as Logan’s fangs broke the skin, it began to heal. He hurried to finish the job, to prevent him from having to bite Eric a second time.
As his blood pooled in Logan’s stomach and spread through his system, it combined with Hope’s blood. Logan let go of Eric and closed his eyes, focusing on what was going on inside him.
Eric’s blood cells sought out Hope’s, merging with them. The two combined, much stronger than the sum of their separate parts. Logan’s body warmed and sparks of power filled his limbs.
The effect didn’t last long, but it was unmistakable. Hope and Eric would make a powerful couple. Their children would be strong, their blood possibly as strong as a Theronai’s.
As good as that news was, it rang hollow inside Logan’s chest.
He looked at Eric, imagining him with Hope, their bodies entwined, creating life.
Jealousy rose up in Logan so swiftly he didn’t have time to stop it from taking root. It wove its way through his bones, making him writhe with possessive rage. Hope was his. He did not want to share her. Not with Eric. Not with anyone.
Not that he had a choice. He’d never had a choice.
Logan swallowed down that jealousy and looked at Alexander. He knew if he so much as glimpsed at Eric, those violent urges would return. “It is as you say. They are a good match.”
“Excellent,” said Alexander.
“You’ll have to gain permission from Andreas,” said Eric. “I can’t have a kid with her unless he approves.”
Logan barely kept the sneer from his voice. “You’ve never even met her, yet you’re willing to create a life with her? What if she doesn’t want it?”
Eric crossed his thick arms over his chest. “I thought it was your job to see that she did. Isn’t that what you do?”
“Why are you so willing to help?” asked Logan.
Eric gave a careless shrug. “I’ll be saddled with a wife as soon as my brother finds one for me. What’s the difference if you do it first?”
“What about love?”
“What about it?” asked Eric. “Do I look like a child who believes in such things? I’ve always known I’d marry out of duty to the race. It’s no big surprise, unless you count the fact that I’ve avoided it this long.”
“And what about Hope? Doesn’t she deserve love?”
“She’ll be safe. She’ll have family. Children. She’ll have a home and a place she belongs and people who would give their lives for her. If that’s not enough for her, she doesn’t deserve more.”
Yes, she did. She deserved to be loved for the exquisite creature she was. If Eric couldn’t see that, he didn’t deserve her.
Alexander put a staying hand on Logan’s arm. “I’m sure Eric will come to care for her in time. Let them meet. We’ll see what comes of that and then go from there.”
He was right. Logan knew this was the best course of action—or at least the most logical. “There’s only one problem.”