Since I was watching all ten of the guys closely, I saw the effect that this emotionally had on them. Hell, not even the mostly emotionless Butch had been untouched by that, though he tried to cover it quickly by bowing his head.
Jokingly, Sam added, “I mean, really, how could we – in good conscience – hand over those awkward sods to another Commander?” The guys just laughed. “They’ll be thought of as the personal squad of the Grand High Pair. Oh and Fletcher, you’ll be remaining our PA.”
Unreal as it was, Fletcher was actually crying and dabbing his eyes with a tissue, while an amused Norm was patting his shoulder.
Sam continued. “The next few matters are kind of close to my heart. There will be no consorts within The Hollow from this night forward – anyone who knows me will no doubt find this amusing, but I don’t care.” And they did find it amusing; the entire room was laughing. “Bonk as much as you want, but if you want exclusivity, you give those girls – or blokes, in some cases – a better title than ‘consort”; that’s all I’m saying. I hope this will become a trend worldwide, but that’s up to you.
“As for anyone who doesn’t want their maker at the Binding ceremony, they don’t have to have them there – sod their rights. Also, the act of Turning humans against their will is punishable by death from this night onwards. Hey, if you’re going to take someone’s human life, why shouldn’t I take your vampire life?” And that was a pretty good point. It was a point a lot of people would agree with, since almost half of the population hadn’t chosen this life for themselves.
“And lastly…”
Lastly? She should have been done by now.
“As part of rebuilding the legion, I’ll be introducing an all-female squad.”
Smiling, I groaned. I shouldn’t have been at all surprised.
“My hope is that the females in this room by the names of Alora, Jude, Ava, Paige, and Imani will accept a place in that squad – you have all earned it.” Going by their pleased expressions, they intended to accept her offer. “Sebastian has agreed to help me scout for other additions to the legion as a whole. So if there’s anyone out there – male or female, Pagori or Keja or Sventé – who thinks they have what it takes, I look forward to meeting you. For now, though, I’m going to say goodbye so I can go spend some time with my mate.”
As everyone clapped and cheers rang out, I turned to face her. “An all-female squad, huh? I should have seen that coming.”
She smoothed out the collar of my shirt. “It will make things interesting.”
Before I had the chance to agree, Luther and Sebastian joined us on the podium, bowing – and, thus, freaking Sam out again.
“The bowing is not necessary,” she assured them.
Sebastian smiled at her fondly. “We just want you to understand that we have pledged our loyalty to you.”
“A few words of explanation could have cleared that up just fine,” she told him.
“We will serve you as we have served Antonio,” vowed Luther…who was just the person that I wanted to speak to.
While Sebastian chatted with Sam, I took Luther aside. “I wanted to ask you something. Your visions…do they always come true?”
My question clearly surprised him. “No. Most of them do, and most of them are extremely accurate, but not all. I have come to think of them as warnings rather than glimpses of what is coming.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if what I see is something bad, it gives me the ability to find some way to prevent it from happening. That would suggest that the future is not set in stone. We can change it.” He studied my expression for moment. “Your vision did not come true,” he guessed. Although Luther could help a person have a vision, he never saw that vision for himself.
I jiggled my head. “Part of it did. The thing is…I was happy in the vision. No, not happy. I was content. So the vision wasn’t bad, although I’m happier and more content with the way things are now.”
He thought on that for a few seconds. “Then maybe the vision was a warning. A warning that if you remained on the path that you were then on, the future ahead of you would not be one of total fulfillment.”
That would make sense. Back then, I hadn’t believed that I was built for relationships or that there was any point to them. I’d been fine with being mostly alone, with only having consorts. Maybe I would have been reasonably content if I had continued that way because I wouldn’t have known what I was missing. Now though, I couldn’t even imagine being without Sam. It was her who had changed my perceptions on relationships. “In other words, it was a warning to get my shit together?”
Luther chuckled. “Yes, I would say so. I have had my fair share of those.”
Feeling better, lighter, I smiled and patted his upper arm. “Thanks, Luther.”
“You do not need to thank me. I am your Advisor now.”
“Just don’t think that means you need to be a constant companion for Sam and me. It’s obvious that you and Sebastian spend so much time with Antonio because he’s a close friend. You should continue to do that. I can teleport to you if I need your advice – which will probably be often, but you know what I’m getting at.”
“You are telling me to ensure that I live my own life and not to allow my position to dictate who I am.”
“I once made that mistake. I don’t want you to do the same.”
He nodded. “Then I will take your advice, as you will take mine. Now go and rescue your mate from Sebastian – he is teasing her about how her initial doubts to attend the try-outs could have led to her missing out on all that she has now. She is not impressed.”
Glancing at her, I realised that no, she wasn’t impressed at all. I smoothly came to her side. “Thanks for keeping her company, Sebastian.”
Taking the hint, he nodded and walked away, seeming extremely too amused for Sam’s liking.
She gave me a grateful look. “I have to wonder if he’s curious about how much my whip hurts. Surely common sense told him that this is not the right time to wind me up.”
Cupping her neck, I searched her gaze. “You sure you’re okay? I mean, this probably wouldn’t have been something you’d have taken on if it wasn’t for me being Heir. And yet you Bound yourself to me anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re good in bed. You get rid of unwelcome creepy crawlies. You don’t leave the toilet seat up. And, being nice and tall, you can reach all those places that I can’t reach. I reckon I got a good deal.”