Prince of Power by Elisabeth Staab Page B

pooling deep in her core. It couldn’t even possibly be something he was conscious of.
    Anton sucked harder and Tyra gasped. A part of her was embarrassed at having such a very base response, even though nobody was there to witness it. Not even him, actually. His eyes were still closed, and though he reacted physically, he clearly was still on a different plane somewhere.
    She closed her eyes and shifted a little, thinking she might clear her mind or find a position where the seam of her fatigues wasn’t pressing in such a stimulating way. But when she opened her eyes again, everything was even more muddled. It wasn’t clear anymore what was her own physical need and what was channeling from Anton.
    Her hand wandered from the bed across his face. A coarse dusting of stubble coated his jaw and chin. His cheekbones were prominent, his nose almost patrician. His chin was square, with a slight divot under all the stubble. In sleep, with his impossibly long eyelashes, he didn’t look like someone capable of great evil. Or even the offspring of a great evil.
    It was incomprehensible that he’d done so much to protect her. That he could claim to love her. He didn’t know her. But the way he’d charged Siddoh. For her.
    Damned if that didn’t do things to a female.
    She settled her hand in the center of his chest, just under that soft ridge of scar tissue. Even in his sleep his face was actually rather handsome. “You do manage to make a girl feel precious,” she murmured.
    ***
    Thad had only visited the Elders’ Council a handful of times—once when presented on his eighteenth birthday as the future heir to the throne, a few times as an observer during his father’s rule, and once a week earlier to present Isabel as his queen.
    This time, he stared out at the crowd of old vampires situated around the terraced, amphitheater-style room with awe more than fear. The long walnut table in front of Thad would have been where his father sat as Thad’s closest advisor for maybe a century, perhaps even more, before he should have been forced to fly solo.
    Best-laid plans .
    He gripped the edges of the podium hard to keep his fingers still on the lacquered wood. “I want to thank you all for coming tonight.” Everyone looked so serious. Thad worked to keep his body language easy and calm. No need to make matters worse. Holy effing Christmas, these folks would all shit kittens if they caught wind of what was brewing back at the estate. “I’d like to keep this meeting brief. As we make the transition from one leader to the next, things may be rocky. After tonight, though, we can return to regular semi-annual status updates.”
    Lots of nods and murmurs. A few hundred in the room, probably. Many empty chairs scattered around. Their numbers were dwindling to so few.
    To the far left, at the end of one of the long tables, a male stood so fast that his silvery braid of hair flopped over his shoulder. Thad recognized Elder Grayson as the father of his house manager, Ivy. The guy lived on the far residential quarter of the estate and Thad had seen him around. Seemed kind of quiet and solitary, though, and they’d never spoken much.
    Not tonight. Tonight, Elder Grayson was troubled in his demeanor and tight in his carriage, but he clearly had a lot to say. “Highness, I would like to bring to the table two issues of great concern.” He spread his arms wide and stepped onto the tier of seats above him, apparently intent on roaming the room while he made his request. “I imagine you can see that our numbers are few these days. Lots of empty seats at tables that once were full.”
    Thad nodded. “Our numbers are down society-wide, Elder Grayson. This is my highest priority and has been from day one. I have a meeting scheduled with my military to discuss proactive measures as soon as I leave here.” It was sort of true, anyway.
    The man nodded, flipping