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Thana tugged at her right ear. “I heard the faint beat of your little one’s heartbeat. How far along are you?”

She hadn’t recognized the signs when they’d danced on the pole a couple of weeks earlier, but then again there were a lot more people around.

“We can chit-chat about me putting a baby in my female later. Right now, we have a fucking Society that has a way of getting shit from us when we didn’t think they could.” Savage sat behind his big black desk, his long fingers steepled under his chin.

She recognized the look on Savage’s face as one of complete control. “So, do you know how they found a way into one of our minds and whose they corrupted?”

Savage pinned Severin with an unyielding stare. “Eliana,” he said.

“I feared it was her, but I didn’t want to accuse her. The fact that she’s a female, and we tend to coddle her more because of that, probably makes us seem like assholes.” Severin rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“No, it means you all love her like big brothers and protectors. When she finds a male of her own, he’ll be in big trouble. The problem is, she’s too fucking trusting.” Savage lifted a hand toward Aurora. “C’mere.”

“You know, when you use that voice on me, it makes me all shivery. Not a good thing when we’re in a room full of others. You know, sei l'anima mia, Savage Rossi.”

“As you are my soul, Vita Mea.” Savage gathered Aurora onto his lap. “Now, onto what I’ve discovered about the Society. It seems they’ve been gathering details on females compatible with our kind for far longer than we realized. Thankfully, they do not know about vampires and shifters. However, that could be a discovery closer than any of us are comfortable with if we don’t get rid of them. These gifted are not merely humans but...children of ancestors who left their offspring in the mortal world to fend for themselves.”

“How the fuck is that even possible? I thought we couldn’t produce unless we found our Fated, and the same went for shifters?” Severin looked at the others around him. He’d spent years studying ancient texts and had never heard of mixed-race couples having children without a bond.

“Silly male. Throughout the years, humans and others copulated all the time. While it’s true that Bonded and Fated Mates were blessed with pure-blood children, some could produce with others. When one of ours walked away from a human who could carry a child, they might not have realized it. Many humans had children who showed no signs of being anything other than human. If a child were to appear different, they might have been cast aside, shunned, or killed, depending on the time period in which they were born.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. Did you actually say copulated? How fucking old are you?” Severin asked, shaking his head.

Aurora laughed. “He’s older than dirt, obviously. You should hear him when he’s all dominant and has me at his mercy. It’s really sexy.”

Whatever Aurora was about to say next was swallowed as Savage’s mouth covered hers. His low, rough growl echoed through the room, making Thana shake her head. She’d seen the two of them take advantage of different rooms in Savage’s personal dungeon. Nothing could shock her anymore.

“Well, sheot. So the Society has been collecting supernatural offspring. What are they using them for?” Scepter asked.

“That is the million-dollar question. My guess is they’re trying to figure out how to use the blood and tissue to enhance their own lives. They could also be trying to create a cure for diseases. Hell, they’re probably doing both. From the intel I gathered, the Society is out to kill all who are different from normal humans after they’ve studied the subject fully and extracted everything they wanted from them. They have holy relics they use to kill, and silver and iron chains to capture. That means they know our weaknesses, along with shifters'. That isn’t something they use on humans.” Severin interjected.

Severin watched Savage hold his pregnant female. Yes, they’d all assumed only a Fated or Bonded pair could have a child, but he’d read in ancient tomes that some pairings produced half-bloods. Of course, as the bloodlines passed through the years, they tended to lose potency. Yet the Society didn’t give a shit.

“How do we get rid of their research so they can’t share what they know with governments and other less noble entities that would join forces to wipe us out of existence?” Scepter asked.

He looked over at his brother, noticing the way he held his female in a tight embrace, as if he feared someone would take her away at any moment.

“We could always go to Fey. Jenna and the dragons would ensure that nothing and no one could harm us there.” Starla insisted.

Savage shook his head. “The Fey don’t welcome our kind as readily as you think. Yes, the Fey Queen is mated to two hybrid vampire-and-shifter twins, but her realm doesn’t welcome everyone. If it were, the Fey would be overrun.” Savage let out a sigh.

“Well, one thing at a time. Besides, I, for one, don’t want to leave Earth for long periods. Imagine leaving for a week and returning to find a year has passed.” Scepter shook his head. “Mind you, I didn’t mind it when my female came back to me whole and ready to mate with me properly. God knows my entire world revolves around her.”

“Good save me, Anima Mia,” Starla whispered. She wrapped her tan arms around Scepter from behind. Severin’s brother reached around and pulled her into his lap.

They all grinned. Scepter flipped the room off, but a wide smile remained on his face.

“Bro, you are so whipped,” Severin said, tipping his chin toward Scepter and Starla.

Thana grunted. “What’s wrong with that?”

Severin reached for Thana. “Not a thing. I’m happy to see you happy, Scepter.”

“I am, too. Thana is a good female, Sev. We both deserve happiness, especially after our pasts.”

They didn’t need to say what the past was because they knew it was Bianca. She’d fucked up their lives, even though it wasn’t her fault. In fact, if anyone besides Fate were truly to blame, their father would be the real culprit. He’d known what the female could mean to them both. He’d chosen Scepter over Severin, even though he’d known Bianca and Sev shared the true bond. He paused, wondering how his father knew what Bianca was to him.

“How would our father have known who our bonded mate was before either Scepter or I did?”