“Perhaps we should take this inside.” Charles gestured to the front door, for all the world as if he was inviting Duncan into his home. Charles had always been arrogant, but since Cullen had passed away he’d gotten bold.

“I don’t think so.” Duncan planted himself in front of the door and crossed his arms. “There’s no reason we can’t take care of our business quickly and efficiently. State your business, Uncle.”

“We have much more to discuss than apparently you are aware of.” Charles smiled, and something about the older Sidhe’s expression had Duncan’s shoulders tightening in anticipation. Duncan’s own face must have been colder than he thought, because his uncle’s next words were, “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”

“No.”

Charles sighed. “Very well. There is unrest among the clan members. Several of us feel you have not upheld the obligations the lord of the Malmaynes must meet.”

“Such as the punishment of the Dunne clan, the mating of Leo and a suitable Malmayne female, and the execution of Jaden Blackthorn?”

“So you are aware of our demands.”

Demands? Duncan could feel his fury trying to creep over his face but managed to keep it off. No way would he allow Charles to see him upset. “We owe honor debt to the Dunnes. You know this.”

“None of it would have happened if Leo Dunne had just chosen to accept the marriage to Kaitlynn. You know this, Duncan. Something could have been arranged with his pet human. It’s not as if it hasn’t been done before.”

“Theirs is a true bond.”

“Oberon himself proved that under the right incentive a true bond could be broken.”

Duncan’s eyes went wide. “Oberon’s bond was dissolved by the Gods themselves.” And that was only after the Dark Queen had been shown to be in league with pure evil.

“So Oberon would have you believe.” Charles put his hand on Duncan’s arm. Duncan was stunned. How could Charles believe a true bond could be set aside by nothing more than will? “I know two clan members who are willing to fulfill the Malmayne end of the bargain.”

He needed to nip that thought before it bloomed. “That contract is between the heads of the two households. As there is no longer a daughter of Clan Malmayne, the contract cannot be fulfilled that way.”

Charles shook his head. “Duncan. You know who I mean.”

His eyes narrowed. “The point is moot. The marriage contract has already been fulfilled. I am married to Moira Dunne.”

“She is unsuitable.”

Duncan took a deep breath, the rage building deep within him. How dare he malign Duncan’s chosen? “She is mine.”

“What about the debt owed by the Dunnes?”

Duncan rolled his eyes. He was done with this topic. “Get it through your thick skull. We damaged the Dunnes. Got it? We owe them.”

Charles merely shrugged. “And the vampire?”

In an instant, his fists were curled in Charles’s pristine black lapels. For the first time in at least four hundred years he lost his temper in front of a rival. “Jaden is mine.” Charles was a threat to Duncan’s chosen family, and he would see to it that he never came near either Moira or Jaden again.

Charles carefully pulled free of his grasp. “I see. You understand the clan will have something to say about this?”

His lips curled in a feral smile. “Bring it on.”

“Very well then.” His uncle straightened his jacket and stalked back toward the limo. “Duncan?”

“Yes?”

“I will miss you.” Charles got back into the limo with a small wave, shutting the door behind him.

Duncan watched the limousine pull away. What else could go wrong today? He’d have to figure out a way to get Moira and Jaden to return to New York with him, because his worst fears were now confirmed. The clan wanted to replace him as their lord. It was becoming obvious who the rest of the clan wanted as his replacement.

He ground his teeth in fury. Charles Malmayne was his father’s younger brother, born fifty years after Duncan. He had the bloodline to lay claim to the clan if Duncan should falter. The others would accept him without hesitation. He had two daughters, each one willing to take Kaitlynn’s place on Leo Dunne’s arm. Once they discovered he was mated to Jaden they’d have the backing of the White Queen, Glorianna. Her hatred for vampires was legendary in the White Court, which was why most non-Black vampires joined the Gray Court, even the ones with good hearts like Jaden. Where that hatred sprang from Duncan had no clue, but the Queen could be rabid on the subject. If she backed them up all the way he’d find himself under Charles’s thumb before he could blink.

But first he needed to know why the fulfillment of the Malmayne-Joloun marriage contract was so important to his clan. He had to find out before Charles made his move or he would be forced to bow to his uncle’s rule. Charles, elitist bigot that he was, would never tolerate a vampire in the clan. Jaden would be put to death on his orders, and there would be nothing Duncan could do about it. Not without…

He frowned. No. That option was a possibility but not something he dared contemplate, not until there were no other options left to them. He’d have to think of something else.

He turned to enter the house, the argument with Charles fresh in his mind. He knew what Moira had been up to in the office, knew she’d begun to lay her Claim to Jaden. Duncan’s eyes narrowed. Maybe that was the way to save them both. Claim them, Bind them, make them his in such a way that not even Charles could object. Once the true bond was in place it would take an act of the Gods to separate them no matter what Charles thought. Glorianna would be pissed, but since Jaden was Gray Court there would be nothing she could do about it. Duncan might be able to win the rest of the Clan over, given enough time. He would have to if he wished to remain their lord.

He would need to convince Jaden that bonding him in the Sidhe way was the best course of action. Jaden seemed reluctant to even consider that Duncan might want him, and while Duncan was hurt by that he could understand it. He’d fought his occasional bouts of attraction for the vampire for a century, unwilling to take advantage of his bond brother. Duncan shook his head, disgusted with himself. All of the current anguish could have been avoided if he’d just listened to what his heart was telling him. How could he have been so blind? He’d had no desire for another man after his bonding with Jaden, the need completely veiled though he’d more than slated his lust with women. He hadn’t questioned the fact that his desire for other men had gone away for decades.

Maybe he wasn’t fit to run the clan after all if he could completely miss the signs of his true bond.

“So? What did Charlie boy want?”

He turned, startled. He hadn’t heard Jaden come to the front door. Duncan paused, staring at his bondmate. Something about the way Jaden stood had him concerned. His stance was nonchalant, but Duncan could see the tense set of his shoulders. It could have been the result of Moira’s seduction attempt or the knowledge that Charles had been the unexpected, insistent visitor, but Duncan wasn’t certain and Jaden was still partially blocking him from his mind. “He wants to take over the clan and have either Constance or Cecelia marry Leo.”

Jaden’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Nope.” He continued up the stairs, his gaze locked on Jaden’s tempting mouth. Sooner or later he’d have to kiss the man, taste him, and begin the process of Claiming him.

He couldn’t wait.

“Charles is an idiot.” Jaden’s eyes were narrowed on the retreating limousine, the tail lights a blur in the distance. “I’ll need to investigate him.”

“I want you to be careful.” He stopped next to Jaden and turned, following his bondmate’s gaze. “If Charles is the one behind all of this, we’ve got more problems than I thought.” He didn’t need to go into too many details, not with Jaden. They might have to explain it to Moira, but Jaden had been with him long enough to understand the Malmayne family dynamics.