He hadn’t gotten far when he heard a second set of footsteps in the snow behind him. A smile toyed with his lips as he continued to walk toward the wall of trees at the edge of Marcus’s property. With most of the party in the front rooms, it was unlikely any guests could see him, which meant someone had been watching him leave.
A low chuckle danced across the silence, and Aiden’s heart skipped with joy. How long had it been since he’d heard that laugh? Too long. Forever, maybe. It definitely felt like forever had come and gone.
“Reminds me of that night,” Ronan said in a low voice. “Walking away from camp.”
Aiden didn’t need him to clarify. He knew exactly what Ronan was referring to. A tiny smirk played across his lips as he turned his head toward his shoulder. “Except that you were in the lead, and I was cursing your carelessness as I trailed behind you.”
There was another low laugh. “I’m sorely tempted to curse your carelessness now.”
Oh, he wasn’t nearly as careless as he appeared. Not that he’d planned it this way, but he knew without being told that they weren’t alone.
Aiden didn’t stop walking until he stepped past the first few trees, disappearing from view if anyone was looking from the rear windows of the house. Ronan stopped as well, keeping more than six feet away from Aiden. A comfortable, polite distance so Aiden wouldn’t feel threatened.
Now that several hundred eyes were no longer on them, Aiden stood silently, just staring at the man. His ghost from another life. Ronan looked good, better than he ever had when they were human. His face was less gaunt, and the dark circles under his eyes were gone. His shoulders were still broad but relaxed now as if he didn’t buzz with the same excitement and wonder. Except his midnight eyes were wide, and his lips were parted as if he were frozen in an exclamation of surprise.
In short, he looked good. Too good. Better than Aiden had been able to dream him.
“You look amazing,” Ronan suddenly said in a rush. “Better than I re—” he started, but Aiden held up a hand, halting his words. He appreciated the protection, but Ronan’s words were for his ears only.
“Winter!” Aiden called out. “Come out this second.” Ronan’s brow furrowed, and his smile disappeared, but he didn’t speak even as Aiden dropped his hand. Aiden’s eyes skimmed the surrounding area, and there was no sign of any of his sons, but he knew in his gut that Winter was there, watching over him. “I’m serious, Winter. This is both your king and your father commanding you to make your presence known.”
In the end, Aiden wasn’t sure which one swayed Winter, but just a few feet away from Ronan, the air shimmered for a second, and then a slit of deeper darkness appeared. Winter slipped out of it, accompanied by a smiling redhead with a blush staining his pale cheeks.
“Fuck!” Ronan shouted, jumping away from Winter, but his son’s glare never wavered from Ronan as he stood there.
“Hey, Aiden. Shit. I mean, Your Majesty,” Fox said with a little wave.
Aiden’s frown melted away to see the young witch leaning against Winter’s arm, tightly holding his hand. Winter had found the perfect mate to suit him, keeping his youngest son from falling into darkness and despair. But there was no curbing Winter’s protective streak. Not that Aiden would ever want to.
“We were just checking on you,” Fox continued. He bit on his bottom lip a little, looking embarrassed at getting caught.
“I don’t trust him,” Winter snarled. His eyes were still locked on Ronan as if he expected Ronan to leap at Aiden and kill him on the spot.
“I think you’ve made that point abundantly clear,” Aiden muttered wearily. He turned his attention to Ronan, who couldn’t tear his gaze from Winter, but instead of being insulted, he was more confused and maybe even a little awed by the vampire. “Ronan, have you met my son, Winter Varik, and his mate, Fox Varik?”
“Um…yeah,” he said softly. He blinked and the smile returned to his lips as he looked at Aiden. “Sorry. Yes, I did. I guess I didn’t make a good impression at the time.” He turned his focus back to Winter and shook his head slightly. “I heard that the Variks had some interesting gifts, but I never expected this. Amazing.”
“All the Variks are extraordinary,” Aiden replied with pride. He then looked at his overprotective son. It was hard to feel irritated when he knew Winter was only acting out of love and devotion. “You can leave us, Winter. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t trust him,” Winter repeated.
Aiden opened his mouth to order Winter to leave when Ronan took a step toward his son while lacing his fingers together and placing them on the top of his head.