ChapterFive
Leo should spend the next hour combing through the latest report on his rival's establishment again for more clues. A drunken servant at the rival hell had let slip that the owner wanted to destroy Leo. Every Dark Lord had enemies; it came with the role, he knew that. However, he couldn't think of anyone so determined to bring him down that they'd spend an inordinate amount of time and money on a rival gaming hell just to target him in such a roundabout way.
Paranormals, on the whole, went with more swift, direct approaches. He'd learned that well during his father's vicious reign.
However, instead of studying his reports to look for anything he might've missed, he had a bloody appointment with a fae witch—the only one who could help with Yesenia's fucking conditions.
He shouldn't have agreed to them, but it would be easier than fighting her. As much as he was determined to fuck her and toss her aside, he'd never force her. Yet another difference between him and his father.
Impatient to get his appointment over with, Leo paced his office as he waited for the arrival of William Khan, the current Dark Lord of the Fae Witches not only in London, but in England and Wales as a whole.
Since many of the fae witches in the East End still held grudges against Leo's kind for what had happened sixty years ago, back when his great-uncle had employed the brutal tactic of raping as many of their females as possible and stealing half-vampire children later on, it was easier—and safer—for Khan to come to the vampire domain in London than vice versa.
In some ways, his fated bride being a fae witch could be seen as a positive development, connecting the two paranormal species and forming an alliance to bury the past.
But Leo had no time for a bride, let alone the desire to woo one, just so he could prove he didn't hate the fae witches like his ancestors. Touching Yesenia had restarted his biological clock, and he had to make the most of it. He had the current truce, and that would have to be good enough.
There was a knock on the door before the dark-haired, medium-brown-skinned form of William Khan strode in. As soon as the fae witch shut the door, he remained on the far side of the room and crossed his arms over his chest. The posture wasn't one of resentment or distrust, but rather Khan was the Wielder of Nightmares, and he kept his distance so as to avoid his powers seeping out by mistake.
Truthfully, Leo had never seen the male stand closer than six feet to another living being if he could help it. But he thought Khan had a much tighter rein over his powers than he let on.
The fae witch finally grunted out, "What do you want? Your message said it was important."
Knowing Khan wouldn't sit if offered, Leo got straight to the point. "I'm sure you've heard by now about the fae witch female showing up unconscious inside my gaming hell."
Khan nodded. "She appeared out of thin air, as I heard it."
Leo knew there was an implied question in his words, but he ignored it. "Yes. Well, she's blooded me and now I need your help."
The other male raised a dark eyebrow. "The great Leopold Yates finds his bride? Well, that's going to fucking disrupt your long-term plans."
He bit out, "I'm more than aware of that."
The corner of Khan's mouth ticked up. On anyone else, it would be the equivalent of a full-blown grin. "I didn't send her here myself, whoever she is, in case you're wondering. It's possible someone else consulted a seer to locate her and bring her to your doorstep."
"To make me weak."
Khan shrugged. "Not every vampire sees it as a weakness to find their fated ones. But I see how it could be, now that you're nearly mortal. Do you have any particular enemies in mind who might've brought her here?"
Unlike their forebears, Leo, Khan, and the other Dark Lord of London—Everett Black, of the shifters—tried to be as honest with each other as possible. At least, they had since signing the truce. "No, none come to mind. Although I'm investigating a few whispers at present, just in case."
"I hope you'll tell me more if the whispers prove to be more than mere rumor."
He nodded. "Yes, although I'm trying to keep it as quiet as possible for the moment. I've made lesser enemies over the years and the last thing I need is them all trying to find a way to steal the blasted female and use her against me."
Khan paused a beat to study him—Leo had always wondered if Khan had a secondary ability to read thoughts, as some fae witches had more than one power—before finally saying, "If you truly have a determined enemy, it'll be good to know if someone paid a seer to find your fated bride. It'll take me a few days to find that out, though. And even once I do, I can't say more than it happened, given the Code of Fae Witches."
Seers were fae witches who could locate anything one desired. Given the news of how someone might want to destroy him, Yesenia just magically appearing in his gaming hell could be connected. "I won't ask for identities, or even press you to pass on a bribe to the seer in question. At least not right now. However, knowing if she was brought here deliberately would be a massive help."
He paused. Leo hated asking for favors, especially as his fellow lords hoarded them like jewels. Even with the truce and determination to share more information, none of them fully trusted one another yet.
Khan grunted. "Just tell me what you want, Yates. I have more important things to do than watch you grit your teeth and try to pretend asking for my help won't be like stabbing yourself in the eye."
He bit out, "At least it's you and not Black. With him, it might actually kill me."
Everett Black was the Shifter Dark Lord in London, true, but he didn't take anything seriously. The wolf's teasing sometimes irritated Leo to distraction, to the point it became a physical struggle not to punch him in the face.
Khan nodded. "Agreed. But he's not here, so just tell me already."