“Savages. Bloody savages, all of you,” Rafe muttered under his breath while Marcus took off his own watch and put on the one Rafe had pointed out.
Turning back to the bag, Rafe paused and drew in a deep breath. “I have a couple more things for you.”
“What is it?”
Rafe reached into the bag with both hands and carefully drew out a simple black coronet that couldn’t have been more than an inch wide in the band, but it was studded all the way around with square rubies that sparkled and winked in the lamplight.
“I know you’ve resisted the idea of wearing one, but you’re the king. Those vampires out there want to look up to you, respect you, and they expect to be faced with a man who wears a crown.” Rafe lifted his eyes to look at his face, his voice low and fierce. “You’ve earned the right to wear it. You deserve to wear this.”
Aiden silently swallowed as the swell of conflicting emotions threatened to overwhelm him. On an intellectual level, he agreed with his son, but his heart remained in denial against the idea of truly being a king. He had not been destined for such a thing. He’d known a king and failed him. It felt wrong, but that was in another life. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. “I will be honored to wear it. Thank you.”
Instead of bringing it over to Aiden, Rafe carefully set it on the table and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He typed something quickly and tucked it away. Afterward, he dug into his bag and pulled out two small boxes before returning all the ties and watches to the bag.
Aiden was about to ask about the new boxes, when there was a knock at the door. Bel immediately poked his head inside and smiled. He entered, followed by Winter. Both of his sons were sharply dressed in dark suits, while Bel’s hair was already looking a little wild, as if he’d been running his fingers through it. Or maybe it was thanks to the wandering fingers of his mates.
“Looks like you’re about ready,” Bel said.
“Nearly all the guests have arrived,” Winter added. “The European envoy just walked in as well.”
To Aiden’s surprise, Rafe crossed to stand next to his other two brothers while Marcus picked up the crown. He walked over and stood in front of Aiden, a solemn expression on his face while his brothers looked on with wide smiles.
“Aiden Varik, you have been a guiding light of wisdom and compassion for the Varik family. We are honored to call you our father. We believe that you will bring that same wisdom and compassion to all vampires, ushering in a new age of light. Long live King Aiden.”
“Long live King Aiden,” the brothers echoed.
As soon as the heavy coronet was settled on his brow, Aiden pulled Marcus in for a tight hug. He then moved to his other sons and quickly embraced them one after another. There was nothing he could say, no words he could get past the lump in his throat. The light he gave them was only a reflection of their love. His greatness existed only because he wanted to be the best father for them.
“One last thing,” Rafe shouted, hurrying back to the table. He handed one box to Marcus and the other to Aiden.
Aiden cradled the small black velvet box in his hand and carefully opened it. Inside lay a rose with rubies for the petals and a pair of emeralds for the leaves while a slender piece of silver comprised the stem. It was simple, elegant, and beautiful.
“All of the Variks are wearing one tonight,” Rafe said.
Aiden’s head snapped up, his eyes jumping from Rafe to Bel to Winter. Each man had a jeweled rose pinned to his lapel.
“A way of quickly identifying the clan,” Winter interjected with a wicked grin.
“We’ll be mingling through the crowd all night. Everywhere a person looks, they’ll see someone from the Varik clan. We will be everywhere, always,” Rafe said in a near purr.
Aiden laughed deeply as he pulled his rose from the box. Rafe liked to play the part of the wastrel, but it all hid an evil genius deep inside. He knew how to play political games as well as Marcus; he just had little interest in trying.
“Shall we go?” Aiden asked when he had his rose attached to his jacket and a better handle on his emotions.
“We should before the natives get restless,” Rafe muttered.
They left Aiden’s suite together with Bel and Winter in the lead and Marcus and Rafe following behind, surrounding him like an honor guard. For a brief time, everything became a whirlwind of activity, sounds, and brilliant sparkles of light. The large dining room at Marcus’s had been turned into a ballroom of sorts on the first floor, and the other rooms were opened up to allow guests to easily flow between rooms.