“Even as a fledgling, this Ethan is stronger than he would be as a human.”
“Still a liability,” Jullien mumbled. “Why not send him away instead?”
Philippe shrugged one shoulder, but he could not banish the smile playing on his lips. Of course Jullien saw it and made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat.
“You believe Marcus loves his fledgling. Nonsense.”
“Just because we’ve never experienced it in our lives doesn’t mean that others can’t find it.”
“It’s safer if we don’t believe in it.”
Philippe struggled to argue with Jullien’s logic, but he liked the idea of Marcus finding love. That the vampire wanted to protect his human, so he changed him. That they would get to spend their very long existence together wrapped in laughter and joy.
“You met Ethan. Would you say his concern for Marcus is genuine?”
Jullien had been the vampire to assist Beltran and Ethan in saving the other Variks. Of course, Jullien’s assistance had been more about seeking revenge on the Black Wolf clan than any concern for the Variks.
At this, Jullien couldn’t meet Philippe’s gaze, and that only made him smile wider. “Yes, I think his concern was genuine,” Jullien said with an aggravated sigh. “He was ready to attack the Black Wolf clan alone if necessary to retrieve Marcus. But why does that matter?”
“It gives me more proof the Variks won’t harm or betray us. They are like us.”
Jullien shook his head. “That is thin proof you’re resting our lives on. They are nearly as secretive as us. If it weren’t for Rafe’s recklessness, we would likely know nothing about them. Well, other than the fact that they are all children of Aiden.”
And that was a major plus in their favor. Aiden was both widely revered and feared in their world. Few had ever crossed him, and none had survived. The only children he’d ever made were the Varik brothers and their mother. And the tragedy of Julianna Varik only added to his legend.
Pulling together his swirling thoughts, Philippe forced a confident smile on his lips as he looked over at his friend. “Regardless, I believe the Variks will be an asset to us, and we will be an asset to them once our problem has been solved. We are stronger together. They’re a good clan. They’ll be sympathetic to what we have created.”
Jullien raised a skeptical brow.
“They might not understand it,” Philippe admitted, “but at the very least, they won’t want to destroy it.”
“I didn’t think that was even a consideration when it came to the Variks. I thought we were hoping they’d want to help us.” Jullien paused and heaved another sigh. “Want to help protect us.”
It was a hard truth neither of them wanted to face head on, but if they wished to survive, they had to. While Arsenault clan numbers were greater than that of the Variks, they were not stronger than the four brothers combined. Add in Aiden, and the wall of force and strength seemed unbreakable. Philippe wanted that on their side.
When he first started to consider an alliance with the Variks, Philippe had been sure that Marcus would be the key to their survival. But the more he learned about Rafe Varik, the more he became sure the reckless, carefree creature had a hidden side to him that would save the Arsenault clan. Philippe just had to figure out how to reach that side when he was sure Rafe kept it guarded and hidden away from even his brothers.
Of course, not everyone agreed with him. Jullien was skeptical of the Variks altogether, but he’d grumbled more about Rafe’s outlandish nature than anything else the Variks had done in the past. Philippe’s other close confidante, Ezra, was convinced Philippe should have contacted the MacPherson clan first.
Where the Variks were private, the MacPhersons were candid, but it did not make them approachable. They numbered more than twenty vampires who were all selected thanks to their strength and fierce skills. If a clan could be bred purely for war, it was the MacPhersons’. It made the clan a formidable ally. No one would dare touch the Arsenaults if it was known they were aligned with the MacPhersons.
But Philippe was more concerned that approaching them with an olive branch of truce, speaking about things such as an alliance, would open them up to attack. The MacPherson clan could see the Arsenaults as weak and wish to simply destroy those not up to their level and absorb any who could pass muster.
Or worse, the leader of the MacPhersons could see talk of an alliance as an insult. They were certainly strong enough to not need an ally. Despite Ezra’s growing confidence that it would be a good match for both clans, Philippe didn’t feel confident that it was safe for the Arsenault clan.
The Variks seemed to have a similar view of their world. They were quiet and kept to themselves. They never said a negative word about another clan or vampire. They stayed out of politics and the hunt for more power. Rafe…well, it didn’t hurt that he was devilishly handsome and intriguing.