Gideon gasped, his cheeks flushing bright red.
“Winter!” Rafe snarled, nearly coming out of his chair, but Aiden’s hand came down on the one gripping the chair arm closest to him.
“No! No, of course not!” Gideon stammered.
“You can, of course,” Aiden added with a smile. “I wish to be the type of clan leader that is open to suggestions and discussions.”
Something in Rafe relaxed to see Gideon’s shoulders sink from their tense position up near his ears like he’d been expecting someone to strike him. The young vampire stared at Aiden and took a deep breath. Yeah, Aiden had that effect on people. The man was meant to be a father. Always the warm and patient teacher.
“I can understand why you’d invite Ryder and Lola. They’re strong and brave. They’re excellent in a fight. But…I’m…I’m not. I’m weak. My legs…my legs don’t work well when I don’t feed often enough.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t protect Bel or Rafe or even Lola if they were in danger?”
“I’d do anything to protect them,” Gideon replied.
“Are you saying you wouldn’t tell me or Marcus if we were doing something that was immoral or unfair to another?”
“No.”
“Would you betray your family?”
“No!”
“Then you are already a Varik.”
“But I’m not strong!” Gideon pressed. He balled his hands into fists so tightly they were shaking. “I’m not brave. It’s bad enough that Rafe pities me. I don’t want to be invited into this-this amazing clan out of pity.”
“I have never once pitied you, Gideon,” Rafe said evenly. “You’ve been my friend and a source of immense joy for me when I needed you most. I’d be honored to count you as a brother.”
“Damn it, Rafe,” Gideon sniffed and wiped his eyes. “It’s cruel to be so sweet. Everyone knows you’re wicked, not sweet.”
Winter and Ethan barked out laughs while Marcus rolled his eyes at him. Aiden had to clear his throat, and Rafe had a feeling it was to keep from laughing himself.
“Yes, joining the Varik clan does mean tolerating Rafe’s wickedness and Bel’s science experiments.”
“And Marcus’s bossiness,” Rafe muttered.
“And Winter’s nosiness,” Bel chimed in.
Marcus groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. “You’re not selling it.”
The formality of the meeting was dissolving faster than soap bubbles, but it was to be expected. The Variks were many things, but serious and formal were not among them.
“Yes. Yes, I am honored to join the Varik clan. I’ll make my new family proud to have me as a brother,” Gideon said, at least trying to put them back on track.
“I will join the Variks as well. I will protect all my Varik clanmates,” Ryder said before Aiden could address him.
The rest of the formality wound up quickly with Marcus instructing the three new clan members to kneel in front of Aiden and swear a brief vow to the clan of loyalty and honesty. Rafe’s heart tripped over itself. It was like he could hear Zelda laughing and clapping in his head. She’d told him his clan just needed to continue on its current path, to be true to themselves. Bringing in Gideon, Ryder, and Lola was following that course. They were becoming stronger together.
The second the vows were completed, the bubble of tension burst. The Varik brothers pushed to their feet and Ethan was practically dancing over to Lola. He’d met her and Ryder when he and Bel planned to storm the Black Wolf clan mansion. He hugged her, sending her frantic gaze darting over to Rafe, who could only laugh. Maybe they should have warned the newest members about Ethan’s enthusiasm.
They were all ushered downstairs to the dining room, where Ethan had apparently arranged for a decadent catered meal. He boasted he was still working as Marcus’s assistant here and there. Particularly when it came to ordering food.
Rafe opted for a glass of wine only, as he watched his new clan siblings talking with his blood siblings around the table. Ethan and Gideon had their heads close as they chatted in an animated fashion that required a lot of waving hands and the occasional selfie. Marcus and Lola were in some kind of deep conversation while Aiden was talking to Ryder and Winter as they both nodded seriously.
“I’m proud of you,” Bel said in a low voice beside him.
“Why? Because I can be serious once every century or so?” Rafe replied. He lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip to hide his smile from his twin. Of course, it was quite likely that his brother could very clearly feel his amusement.
“For reminding us that family is more than blood.”
Rafe snorted. “We’re vampires, my sweet Bel. Everything is about blood.”
“Ass,” Bel muttered. “You know very well what I mean. Our blood was only a starting place. We were lucky enough to find Aiden and Ethan. Why should we believe that we can’t have an even bigger family?”