“Yes. Plus, we have visitors from other parts of the territory due to the influx of Demons. I’d think profane followers of Christ might be a bit off-putting,” Ethan said, retrieving the statue, examining it with a wince and placing it right back under the massive leather chair.
“It’s ugly,” I commented with a grin.
“It is,” he agreed. “However, it’s a gift from Satan. If he visits, put it back.”
“Will do. Are you sure about the habits?”
“Quite,” he replied. “We’re not Catholic.”
“I can see where you’re going with this, but I still think it’s an awesome idea. It’s a twofold win. It would piss Uncle Satan off royally if he thought I had nuns in the house and was siding with Uncle God. And more importantly, we wouldn’t have to look at half-naked, insane, desiccated Vampyre boobs for the foreseeable future,” I explained with an evil little grin.
“Astrid, your devious mind never ceases to amaze me or turn me on,” Ethan said as he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head. “But I still think it’s a bad idea.”
“Fine, but it’s on you if Martha and Jane show up at a meeting in midriff bearing shirts and assless chaps.”
“I need brain bleach after that visual,” Ethan muttered with a groan as he reluctantly let me go and went back behind his desk. “You say eight Demons got away?”
I nodded and perched on the edge of his desk. “Yep. Ran north. How pissed off are the Vamps?”
“Pissed is too mild a word,” he said, sitting back and running his hands through his thick blond hair. “They’re blaming us because of our friendship with the Devil.”
“May I revise that statement?” I inquired.
“Be my guest.”
“I’m going out on a limb here and guessing they’re blaming me because the Devil is my Uncle,” I corrected my ever diplomatic mate in a voice laced with sarcasm.
“Me has become we, my love. We’re a team and we’re not in favor at the moment,” he replied easily.
I stared at the man I loved to the point of it being unhealthy and wished I could take the weight of the world from his broad shoulders. It wasn’t easy being mated to me. I was a True Immortal—one of ten—and I was related to everyone from Satan to Mother Nature.
“Okay,” I said as I walked around the desk and seated myself on his lap. “I understand being upset about the Demons—hell, I’m furious about that. And I know they think our upcoming wedding is a farce. Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
“The division of wealth you instituted is raising a few problems.”
Leaning forward, I let my head drop to the cool wood of Ethan’s desk. I couldn’t win for losing in this new and deadly world.
“Look, I’m the first one to admit I’m somewhat materialistic,” I said and then realized I was bouncing up and down on my mate’s lap due to his laughter. “Swallow that,” I warned. “I’m not through here yet.”
“Will do,” he said, trying valiantly to put a neutral expression on his face.
He failed.
“Fine,” I huffed. “I’m a Prada whore with a shoe problem, but the amount of money the undead have amassed over the centuries is ridiculous. We don’t pay taxes because we don’t really exist on any kind of government roster and we live in this world just like everyone else—albeit a bit longer. We owe something to society. Period.”
“I agree with you,” Ethan said, smacking out the small fire my sparking fingers accidentally set on his desk during my passionate diatribe. “However, it’s going to take our people a little time to get comfortable with this new policy.”
“How much time?” I asked as I curled myself into a ball on his lap.
“Time is somewhat irrelevant to us since our lifespan is so long. If I had to guess, I’d say fifty to a hundred years to get everyone on board.”
“I call bullshit on that. What if we just held a big party and let me beat the crap out of everybody? If I win, they pay.”
“And if you lose?” he asked with raised brows.
“I never lose,” I shot back with a cocky grin. “So, do I get to kick some uptight ̓n greedy Vampyre ass?”
“We’ll see,” Ethan said. “However, I can think of far better things for you to do with your time.”
“I bet you can.” I pressed my lips to his and felt desire course through my blood.
He deepened the kiss until my toes curled with delight and then pulled back with effort. “Gareth is due in a few minutes,” he said gruffly. His golden eyes had turned green with desire, as had mine. “As much as I’d like to continue this session and take it to its natural conclusion, we’ll have to get back to it this evening. If Gareth catches a glimpse of your naked body, I’d have to kill him. That would be unfortunate as he’s my brother. I say let’s deal with the Demons first and then tackle the rest later.”
“Maybe we should postpone the wedding.” Speaking the words aloud depressed me. I was looking forward to it with all of my undead heart. “It seems like a risk at this point.”
“Our sheer existence is a calculated risk, Astrid. Dealing with Demons is nothing new. Placating disgruntled Vampyres and dismembering violent ones is what I’ve done for several hundred years. I’ll be damned if I’ll let a few idiots halt our nuptials.”