Aiden sighed and sat back in his chair, releasing Marcus. “What happened?”
Marcus shook his head a little. He waited until the server dropped off drinks for both of them and left. He picked his up and sipped the alcohol and blood mix. When he’d chosen to become a vampire, he never thought he’d become accustomed to the taste of blood, let alone long for it, but his new hunger soon had him craving the coppery taste far more than any food. He knew that he didn’t need to eat food, but the action gave him a little bit of normalcy to cling to. It gave a rhythm and predictability to his day that would otherwise be missing.
And now, it gave him a chance to spend at least one hour with Ethan. He wouldn’t trade that short time with Ethan for anything.
“We don’t know. Bel was alone with her and said that she’d been having a fine evening. He is unsure of what set her off, but it was fast and extremely violent.” Marcus hated to ask, but it was the one thing that he could think of that couldn’t be accounted for. “Were you near Bel’s last night?”
Aiden frowned. “No. I was within the city limits, but not particularly close to his home.”
“It must be the move, then.”
Aiden sipped his drink. It was a dark red that left Marcus thinking that it was probably all blood. He could definitely have used some alcohol, though the liquor’s effect on their body was incredibly short-lived. “I’m sorry it’s that time again.”
“So am I. Twenty years has passed far too quickly.”
“I’ve heard some crazy talk of wanting to establish a town where only vampires are permitted inside. A place where we never have to move, never have to hide.”
Marcus snorted. “Yes, sounds like Eden, but how will we survive? Are we just going to swarm out each night and prey on the nearest town, draining it dry? Our secret would be protected for all of one night, and then we could count on the local government bombing us into extinction.”
Aiden smirked at Marcus before taking another drink. “That sounds about right, but I fear they have another solution for feeding the masses.”
“What?”
“Live-in slaves. Humans would be captured and raised in warehouses like cattle until they were sold to their new vampire masters to feed from.”
“That’s barbaric! Whoever is suggesting this can’t be serious.”
“The Hidden are very serious about this scheme. They’ve even managed to locate three or four potential sites for the plan. Two are in Europe and they’ve brought it up for the European Ministry’s approval.”
“I can’t believe they are actually considering this. Humans can’t simply disappear without people noticing.”
“Sadly…they can.” Aiden stared at his glass, turning it around and around with the tips of his fingers so that the soft lighting glinted off the fine crystal. “There are plenty of cities around the world who would be happy to be rid of their homeless population. Same with the countless refugee camps. If a cunning vampire came in and offered to just fly those people to another city where they would have jobs and a place to live, who would argue?”
“No. It can’t be allowed.”
Aiden sighed. “You’re right, but I do not have enough faith in the European Ministry to believe they will actually put a halt to this madness.”
“Has a similar proposal been put before the American Ministry?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Marcus tapped his fingers on the table. It would have explained why Meryl was so eager to get rid of Julianna and Rafe. The Hidden would prefer if the Ministry had no distractions or disturbances to deal with if it was considering such a proposal. Or maybe not. Sometimes there was no understanding Meryl’s behavior.
“Meryl stopped by my house a week ago. She threatened both Rafe’s and Julianna’s lives, though she seemed most intent on seeing Mother killed. Rafe, she seemed deluded enough to believe that he could be reformed.”
A hint of a smile lightened Aiden’s features for a moment. “No one is going to change Rafe but Rafe, and I am glad for that.”
“But Mother?”
“There’s no changing her either,” he murmured. “But for entirely different reasons.”
“True, but Meryl is an ardent member of The Hidden and if they’ve got some plan…”
“That group isn’t the only one who wants Julianna dead.”
Marcus fought the urge to shove to his feet and demand to know who else was threatening his family. He’d had enough of his nonsense. The Variks kept to themselves. They avoided all political maneuvering and power struggles. There was no reason to go after their mother.
“What the hell is going on, Aiden?”
“I’m still trying to discover the root of it all, but I was approached while in Rio by a vampire called Camille. She is not a member of The Hidden.”