“So is that the only reason you’re here?” Petra asked. “To let us know about this development?”

“We wish,” Sara said tightly, her eyes locking with her half sister’s. “They know Pureblood vampires are here. They think they’re being held against their will.”

“That’s right.” Dillon ran her hand over the smooth surface of the rock. “And by this new species they’ve just heard about. The head of the Order, Feeyan, is running on paranoia and nerves, if you get my meaning.”

“I’m not here against my will,” Petra informed her, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ll be happy to tell them that. Anytime they want to come here to the gathering rocks—”

“You’ll have to go to them, Petra.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not leaving the Rain Forest. Not until the balas is born.”

Dillon sighed. “You don’t want them to come here. You don’t want us—the Order—involved in your world. Trust me.”

As the forest winds blew around them, Petra seemed to consider this. “If I go to them, tell them the truth, that I’m a free and independent being and I wish to remain here, can you guarantee that they’ll not only accept what I say but allow me to return?”

The wind died, and everything, everyone, within the gathering rocks grew still, eerily quiet as Dillon pondered this. The mutore female looked like she’d rather be anywhere else, and dealing with something far less problematic.

“I can’t guarantee anything,” she said finally, her tone unabashedly melancholy. “Not when it comes to the Order.”

Petra put her hands up in a defensive posture. “Then I’m not going.”

As the female hawk shifter broke from the shadows and came up alongside Petra in a blatant show of support, Phane dropped down from one rock to the next until he stood just inside the flat, grassy oval where the pair was.

“Here’s the problem.” It was Kate who spoke this time. Nicholas’s mate had been pretty quiet lately, keeping to herself since her nephew, Ladd, had gone to the Underworld to live with his father, Erion, and his father’s mate, Hellen. Everyone knew how hard the move had been on the veana, and it was good to hear her sharp, steady voice again. “If the Order comes here to see you, they’re going to want to see and question the other vampire who’s here.”

Petra’s lips formed a thin line and her face paled.

“What other vampire?” said the female hawk shifter with a sneer.

“We can’t skirt around this anymore,” Kate continued. “Is Synjon here, Petra?”

Petra was silent, but Phane noticed her hands had gone to her belly. The hawk female’s eyes narrowed on Kate. Damn, she was fierce. He wanted her eyes on him like that.

“Is he here against his will?” Kate asked, her gaze unmoving as she sought Petra’s attention.

“You don’t have to answer them, Pets,” said the hawk shifter. “You don’t have to answer to anyone—”

But Petra couldn’t be quelled. “The baby needs him.”

“Pets!”

She shook her head. “No. It’s okay, Dani.” With a slow exhale, she walked forward, toward Dillon and the small crowd seated on the rocks behind her.

Dani. So that was the female shifter’s name. Hot damn, Phane mused, wanting to try it out on his tongue but knowing he had to use only his mind for now.

Dani.

He liked it. He liked it a lot. And so did his hawk.

“I sympathize with what you’re saying, Petra,” Dillon said. “I know what Synjon’s put you through, what a complete and total shithead he’s been over the past week. I was the one who told Alex, Nicky, and Luca to get into that penthouse of his and talk some sense into him. But right now, I speak for the motherfucking Order—not my favorite thing to do, mind you—but there it is. They won’t rest on this until they have the truth.”

“Look, veana.” It was Helo who spoke, his gaze on Petra, his voice calm. “Let us speak to Synjon. If he’s cool with being here, all he has to do is tell the Order that and we’re done.”

Petra turned her attention to the water beast and sighed. “He’s not cool with it.”

“Oh, shit,” Dillon muttered.

“You need to let him go, Petra,” Kate said.

“No.”

“Then at least let Helo or Phane speak with him.”

“No.”

Kate turned to Sara. “Please talk to her. You’re her family. Her blood.”

“And say what?” Sara asked, her tone very different from that of the rest of them. It was coarse and strained. “‘Let your baby suffer, die because his emotionless father wants to go back to his fuckpad and party’?” Sara looked around at her family, who were all staring wide-eyed at her. “If Alexander was acting like this, if I needed his blood, and my baby was at risk, would any of you ask me to hand him over?”

Kate fell silent. Dillon and Helo too.

“So, it’s settled,” said the hawk shifter. “The asshole isn’t going anywhere.”

Phane turned to regard her. Tough, tantalizing, she completely fascinated him, and he didn’t want to leave. Syn was one lucky male. How could he get Dani the hawk shifter to take him “against his will,” show him the nest she was going to keep him in? Feed from him anytime she chose?

“You understand,” Dillon said over Phane’s pornographic daydream. “If he’s not either released or telling the Order that he stays here of his own free will, the entire ruling vampire force might descend on your private world.”

Petra’s jaw was tight and her eyes were strained. She glanced at her mother. The one who’d raised her. Wanted her.

Wen gave her a broad smile. “Let them come!”

“Double shit,” Dillon muttered.

“That’s right,” Dani called out. “We’ll protect Petra and this child.”

“You would protect a vampire?” Phane said, addressing her outright for the first time.

The female hawk shifter, the hot little blond bird with metal in her nose, turned to look at him.

“Incurring the wrath of the Eternal Order?” he continued.

Her eyes narrowed as she moved her gaze up and down his body, pausing for only a second when she spied the bulge between his legs that he couldn’t conceal, or refused to conceal—he wasn’t sure which. “We always protect our own, bloodsucker. And Petra’s our family.”

The bulge quickly upgraded to steel. “You may have to fight.”

She grinned, and the megawatt heat that smile put out nearly sent Phane to his knees. “Nothing I enjoy more than a good dirty fight.”

“You mean a good clean fight,” Phane corrected.

“No. That’s not what I mean.” With one last look in his direction, she turned back to the crowd.

“We appreciate the warning,” Wen said to them all. “If they come we’ll deal with them.”

“You’re sure?” Petra asked the older female. “I don’t want to bring a problem here—”

“They’re bringing the problem, my Pets,” said the older female.

Petra turned then, her gaze resting on Dillon. “If you must tell them something, tell them the truth. A vampire balas needs his father’s blood to survive. Let’s see if they truly value the Eternal Breed or not.”

• • •

Just two hours until sundown.

Two hours until he was back in New York. Where he belonged. Where Cruen’s body would soon find shelter, pain, suffering, misery . . . then death, if he was a model prisoner.

Synjon continued to wear out the floorboards in the large, lightless cabin bedroom. The pussy brothers sat in the direct sunlight at a table in the living area just ten feet away, playing cards. Every so often, they’d glance his way and remind him they didn’t appreciate having to babysit his deadbeat vampire ass.

They were really getting on his nerves.

Before he flashed to the penthouse, he was going to flash directly in front of the pussy brothers and do some facial rearranging.

“Huffing and puffing in there, bloodsucker?” Sasha called, amusement lacing his tone. “I thought you didn’t have emotions.”

“I think he’s been faking it,” Valentin said.

“Bet he’s learned how to do that from all the women he’s conned into his bed.”

Synjon nearly rolled his eyes. These two were truly the feline equivalent of human teenage boys. And clearly Sasha was the instigator. The male would be first in line for the fangdown at sunset tonight.

“When is Petra returning?” Syn asked as he passed the open bedroom door. “She’s been gone a bloody long time.”

“Miss her, do you?” Sasha said with a chuckle.

“Sure,” Syn returned evenly. “Or it could be that I grow weary in the company of grown children.”

“I think he just insulted us,” Valentin said with mock injury.

“Hard to tell with that accent,” replied Sasha. “Listen, bloodsucker, Petra’ll be back when she’s hungry.” He laughed. “I like that.”

“Still can’t believe our little sister’s a vampire,” Val said, his tone now slightly melancholy.

“Makes sense, though, doesn’t it? Those games we used to play. She never attacked like an animal. And during snack time she always wrinkled her nose at our raw meat cakes and criticized us for our less than perfect table manners.”

“She still does that,” Val said. “But, shit, brother, I refuse to use a knife and fork. I was given canines for a reason.”

“I hear that.”

Synjon stopped pacing. “Perhaps you blokes can reminisce outside.”

Sasha tipped his chair back so he could see Syn. “Not sure we’re ready to risk that.”