Leo had surprisedhimself by asking for Yesenia's help. But it'd just felt natural, and he didn't doubt he could rely on her.
She was his bride, yes. But she was also fast becoming the female ally he didn't think he'd ever find, let alone have at his side.
And in his bed.
Instead of thinking about how quickly his life had changed recently, Leo focused on reaching out to all his parish-level leaders—even without churches, he'd taken up the idea from the humans and given it a vampire twist—and testing out his information network idea.
He'd spent years building relationships, visiting designated parishes, listening to members, and generally stirring up loyalty through a different avenue than fear.
And after he sent out his last message and notes came rolling back in, he didn't have time to smile or gloat over how the idea his father had called a waste of time bared fruit.
While he didn't know Ambrose's location, he slowly pieced together where his nephew had been the night before.
It was no secret to Leo that Ambrose snuck out occasionally to locate dens of sexual slavery or forced breeding operations. Once his nephew had a target, he found ways to shut them down and free as many as he could.
And since Ambrose was a grown male in his fifth decade, trained by Leo and his trusted guards, his nephew knew how to take care of himself. He always had a manservant with him as well, to guard his back, as well as a few males and females on call to help with any victims he could liberate.
The night before Ambrose had apparently shut down a female auction house run by a small-time human dealer in paranormal females, one situated not far from Leo's territory. But according to his information, Ambrose had turned over the criminal, escorted the females to one of the secret safe havens established by Nora, and had then headed toward the rival gaming hell run by the French.
That was where the trail went cold. Someone had seen him go in, but never come out.
Which meant his first instinct, that Ambrose was being used to test Leo, was true.
Although why the bloody hell Ambrose would go to the known enemy's building with only one male at his side, Leo hadn't the faintest idea.
He scoured the note written about Ambrose going into the hell a few times, looking for clues, when someone knocked on the door to his study. He shouted, "Enter," and Yesenia waltzed in, a ginger-haired female right behind her.
As he stood, he barely noted the fae witch he'd seen once before, right after Yesenia had made her demands. No, he couldn't look away from Yesenia.
She was wearing bloody trousers.
He frowned as he took in Yesenia's appearance, lingering on the tight material encasing her legs, ones any male would see as she walked. He growled, "Why the fuck are you wearing trousers?"
Yesenia rolled her eyes. "That's not important. Dark Lord Khan agreed to let Helena help us. For a fee, of course, but John and Charlotte said that shouldn't be a problem."
He somehow dragged his eyes from Yesenia's trouser-clad legs and looked at the fae witch at her side. "The fee doesn't bother me; I'll pay it. I know where my nephew was last spotted, but can you really pinpoint his location now?"
"Can you drink blood?" Helena raised an eyebrow. "Of course I can locate him down to general area. Provided he's still alive, that is."
Leo refused to accept Ambrose was dead. He grunted. "Then why aren't you doing that now?"
Yesenia took a step toward his desk, garnering his attention again. "Because on top of the fee, there's another condition, one I need to discuss with you."
He barked, "What?"
She raised her brows. "I'll ignore your tone for now, as I know you're worried about Ambrose. So here's the deal—once I have a better grasp of my magic, then I'll need to divide my time between my business and helping the fae witches. I may need to stay with them from time to time."
He growled, "You can help them from here and not have to stay even one night away. Surely even Khan knows I can protect you just as well under my roof as anyone in his territory can."
She lowered her voice a fraction, although he was sure Helena could still hear it. "By the time I have to fulfill my promise, I'll be able to protect myself, Leo."
He knew that. And he should just say yes, rush everything along, and find Ambrose.
And yet, the thought of spending time away from Yesenia didn't sit right with him and made his heart hurt.
He glanced at Helena. "Will Khan at least be open to negotiating later?"
She shrugged, the act signaling how little she was afraid of him. Cheeky fae witches seemed to be everywhere these days. "As far as I can tell, he will. But you can't keep her trapped here forever, Dark Lord Yates. She needs to see the world outside and learn how to live in it. Especially since she wants to live in this time."