Claiming Marcus (Lords of Discord 1)

“And yet, she wanted Mother dead as well,” Marcus irritably filled in.

“No.”

Marcus frowned at Aiden, waiting for him to continue.

“She is a Predator, and they are very much opposed to the new city plans of The Hidden. They would very much like for us to set Julianna loose during one of her episodes on some place like…Times Square.”

“What?” Marcus gasped. “They can’t be serious.”

“She was very serious. Julianna’s destruction would not only announce to the world that we exist, but it would prove to humans that we are the dominant species of the world. Their natural masters.”

“I’m assuming that she didn’t take your rejection well.”

Aiden surprised him by chuckling. He picked up his glass and smiled at Marcus. “She did not. She attempted to follow me back to my temporary home while in Rio.”

“Insane,” Marcus whispered.

Coming to a vampire’s resting place uninvited was threatening business. Meryl had gotten away with it in his home only because it was known that he conducted business there as well. His own sleeping chamber was well protected during the daylight hours and he had a prepared escape route if it was necessary. A temporary home for Aiden’s travels wouldn’t have been nearly as well protected.

“Yes, well, she’ll never make that mistake again.”

Marcus wasn’t surprised that Aiden had killed this Camille. It wasn’t that she’d gone to Aiden’s daytime resting spot, threatening him. It was that she was a threat against Julianna, who couldn’t properly protect herself. Not once in her nearly two hundred years had she been in a fight for her life. Aiden, Marcus, and his brothers had protected her every waking moment. Her mind was already so fragile. They couldn’t even begin to guess as to what would happen to her if she suddenly found herself attacked or even just kidnapped. If she survived, there was no telling if she’d recover mentally.

“What’s going on, Aiden? Why is she being targeted now?”

“I’m not sure. I’m catching just small whispers.”

“I hear nothing, so you have to tell me,” Marcus snarled. “I can’t be kept in the dark if I’m going to keep my family safe.”

Aiden smiled a little at Marcus. It was soft and he imagined it was how a doting father might look on his son. “I think we are standing in the eye of a storm that is twisting around us. I’ve heard whispers that The Hidden mean to make a play for the American Ministry.”

“And by play, you mean The Hidden intend to kill the sitting members and claim their seats.”

“Yes. Naturally, The Predators faction won’t tolerate it. They plan to make their own attack on the members first. When I arrived in Miami a few weeks ago, I heard that Percival had been found dead. His head torn from his body. Each side is blaming the other for his death.”

Marcus swore to himself. Nothing good would come of either side ruling the vampires of North America. The Hidden would be safer for the humans, but they would enact stricter laws that would cut into Marcus’s business as well as demand the lives of both Rafe and Julianna.

The Predators, on the other hand, would start a war with humans, which would result in mass casualties on both sides and general chaos.

The American Ministry, like its sister ruling head in Europe, was a mix of the four factions—the Hidden, Predator, Equalists, and the Moderates—and they found a way of balancing their rule through compromise. It also helped that since it took them so long to agree on anything, their rule was a relatively light touch.

Marcus had always considered himself, like Bel, a Moderate. He believed in limited interaction with humans so that they could enjoy the benefits of modern technology and keep up with the changing times rather than stagnate and be blindsided by the developments of man.

Only Rafe was an Equalist. That ragtag bunch supported coming out to the humans and seeking equal status with them. Few took them seriously, convinced that vampires would simply be hunted into extinction before equality could ever be achieved.

“I don’t understand why either side has decided to target our family.”

“It’s not just our family. They are going after all the clans that aren’t clearly aligned with either the Hidden or the Predators.”

“We’re not a clan.”

“The Variks are six in number,” Aiden calmly pointed out. “That is more than enough to be considered a clan. And with our combined age and experience, the Variks could be a force to be reckoned with if we chose to align ourselves.” Marcus scoffed but Aiden leaned in closer, expression intent. “There are just eleven seats on the Ministry, and the Variks claiming them would make a near majority.”

Marcus laughed louder this time, reclining in his chair. “I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. The Variks claiming the Ministry seats?”