"Is Sharlene here?" Jack discreetly smelled the air to trace her scent, but she didn't seem to be around.
"She left just before you arrived," Miles truthfully replied, and Jack nodded in understanding. "Anyways, come this way so we can talk in private."
Miles led Kai and his clan downstairs to a fully furnished and carpeted basement. While Kai's clan stayed behind at the bar area with Miles's friends, he had Kai follow him down another narrow staircase that spilled them out into a private room.
"This is my private space. The vamp kids aren't allowed down here," Miles informed Kai as he retrieved two whiskey glasses and a bottle of blood from the bar.
"Nice place." Kai complimented.
It wasn't shabby at all, neither too big nor too small. It featured a pool table, a large TV hung on the wall, and a decent-sized bar with counters and a sink. Plus, everything was furnished, and you couldn't tell it was a basement.
"I love my private space," Miles chuckled as Kai checked it out. "Have a seat, and we'll chat."
Kai took a seat in a comfortable chair across from Miles, who sat on the couch, placing everything he had in his hands on the coffee table between them.
"So what brings you here?" he asked, pouring Kai a drink as he got to the point.
Kai opened his mouth to talk until Miles interrupted him, "If you are here about Victoria's votes, you should already know she has my Coven's support."
Miles was straightforward in underlining that clearly since his Coven owed a debt to Zen. Ages ago, during the wars, a human infant girl who was part of their royal family was rescued by Zen from being burned alive in a tent that caught fire. Amidst the chaos of battle, everyone else was too occupied with the combat to notice her crisis. Consequently, Zen heroically saved the infant, safely reuniting the baby with her mate, Miles's older brother. Since that day, the Elrod Coven has been allies with the Collin Coven. Uncle Zen further solidified their alliance through marriage by uniting their Covens when he gave one of his daughters to one of Miles's cousins, who happened to be her destined mate. However, this alliance didn't necessarily mean smooth relations among them all.
"I'm here because Matt is back," Kai laid it out before he sipped his drink. One sip, and he suddenly felt the urge to take the whole bottle.
"That's impossible!" Miles exclaimed in disbelief while handing Kai the whole bottle of blood as if he had read his mind, but he already knew Kai had little to no control over his thirst for blood.
"He tried to kill my wife and detain me. I can't even travel to other worlds because of him! Whoever's body your family found, I can tell you directly it wasn't him." Kai ranted angrily before he chugged on the bottle.
"I can't believe it!" Miles bellowed. "I thought we had Matt without his Coven knowing about it! I was looking forward to seeing their expressions when they realized their Headmaster was gone! We were planning on attacking them after the Blue Moon!"
"I'm attacking his Coven soon. I don't have much of a choice. For now, it will only be a warning strike," Kai affirmed. "I just need to know if you can join us in the future."
"After the Blue Moon, I'll gladly fight by your side," Miles vowed.
Kai smirked, "Just like old times."
"Indeed. You have our support when the time comes," Miles confirmed, and Kai was grateful for it.
"Before you leave, I was curious if you still have Darlene," he randomly asked before Kai could finish the bottle to leave.
"I do, but she isn't for sale. I made a promise I intend to keep," Kai is sure to make that apparent since he knows Miles has had his eyes on her for a while.
"You're still holding that promise," Miles chuckled in disbelief.
"What do you need Darlene for?" Kai asked, even though he comprehended why.
"It's such a waste to have a royal vampiress as a minion when I could make her a mother and a queen," Miles snickered at the thought of devouring her underneath his body in his own bed.
Kai showed no expression. He already knew Darlene wouldn't want that. Plus, he had another purpose as to why he kept her, and he did promise her brother she'd never be sold to another Coven as a breeder or courtesan. Since he was against it, it was an effortless promise to keep. Miles's Coven wasn't against using enslaved females as breeders and courtesans, which is why Kai had an issue with Miles because of their different beliefs. For the most part, their Covens got along thanks to Zen.
Done with the bottle of blood, Kai set it on the coffee table as he stood, "I'll be seeing you around," he declared before they heard a loud ruckus going on upstairs.
Miles and Kai quickly hustled up the steps. Once they opened the door, they saw Jack and Sharlene's ex-boyfriend Declan in a fistfight while everyone else was cheering them on.
"Punch his jaw!" Rome cheered at the bar, punching his fists around excitedly, and Kai shook his head at the nonsense.
"This was inedible," Miles stated since he knew Declan played with Sharlene's heart.
Kai nodded in agreement, and then they went in and broke up the fight. Kai pulled Jack away as Miles kept Declan back with his body.
"Just you wait, Jack, she'll be mine again. For the fun of it, I'll steal Sharlene right off of you!" Declan threatened a barmy challenge, and Jack just about pushed through Kai to strangle him.
"You go anywhere near her, and I'll detain you!" Jack yelled as he fought Kai's arms to snatch Declan, but being stronger, Kai held him back.
With help from his friends, Ivan, Glenn, and Ace helped Kai drag Jack to the next set of stairs as Miles followed behind them.
"I'll be in touch," Miles said before Kai stepped out.
Outside, Jack ranted as he walked down the driveway with everyone. "Can you believe what he said!"
"Let it go. Sharlene will never fall for his lies," Ivan advised, but he only earned a growl from Jack.
"Where to now?" Rome asked, walking beside Kai as everyone chose to let Jack be.
"I need to speak with Evan," Kai claimed.
"Are you finally going to ask him about that safe place to hide your wife?" Rome pestered him.
"Maybe," Kai grumbled, hating the alternative, though he didn't have much of a choice since Matt cut his way off to travel to other worlds.
"We can do that tomorrow. You should probably head back to your wife," Glenn hinted, yet Kai said nothing.
"Head home," he curtly retorted. "I'm going to hunt before I search for Evan."
Before another word could be spoken, Kai zipped off in the wind, leaving them behind. Most of them groaned since they had to follow him for his own safety.