Okay, that was true.
Ronan’s thumb brushed against Aiden’s lower lip when he bit on it. “Werewolves settle things quickly—if somewhat violently. Vampires are the long-term plotters and schemers. We love the political maneuvering and secret alliances. Getting all of them—or even just most of them—to agree on anything that is even remotely fair is going to take time.”
Aiden sighed. He knew he’d been lying to himself. It was the only way he could stomach the idea of claiming power over the region. He’d been protecting his sons, his clan, but it was always with the hope that he’d be handing over power soon.
“You’re right,” he muttered.
Ronan shifted his hand to tilt Aiden’s head up so that he was forced to meet his gaze again. “And I’m going to be right here for you. I know your clan is perfectly capable of protecting you physically, but I want to be the person at the end of each night that you turn to when your mind is too burdened with worries that you don’t want to share with your sons. I want you to whisper them to me, trust me with your fears so we can work through them together.”
Fresh, unshed tears burned Aiden’s eyes, and he swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. Ronan’s words were the promise of relief. He shared much with Marcus, but all his worries came filtered, not wanting to place too much burden on his son’s shoulders after he’d already spent so many years watching over his mother and three brothers.
Ronan placed his finger to Aiden’s lips as he tried to speak, stilling his words. “But I’m not expecting you to trust me immediately. Not even after amazing sex. I’m happy to wait and steadily earn your trust. I’m here for as long as you want me.”
Aiden pressed a kiss to his finger and moved it aside. “How about forever, then? I think I’m going to need you forever.”
“Forever sounds perfect to me.”
Aiden’s eyes slid shut as Ronan leaned in, gently kissing him over and over again. He could feel it with every kiss, the beat of Ronan’s heart. I love you. I love you. Those three words repeated over and over again. He’d known it a thousand years ago, and it was humbling to think that those feeling had survived after so much time.
Slowly ending the kiss, Ronan smiled at Aiden, pure joy twinkling in his eyes. He flopped onto his back and sighed. “Even if the world comes crashing down around us right now, I’m still happy. Nothing is going to change that.”
Aiden chuckled. “We’ll see if that changes after you’ve had a chance to meet the entire clan.”
Turning his head on the pillow, Ronan looked at Aiden. “Do you think it bothers your sons that you’re with me? I mean…Julianna was their mother.”
“They might think it’s weird, but I wouldn’t think it bothers them. There have been some nudges in the past for me to date, to find some personal happiness.”
“Did you?”
“No. I wasn’t interested in finding anyone. I only wanted to spend time with my sons. With you, their only concern is your link to the European Ministry, though I’d say that’s largely settled now. They only wish to keep me safe.”
Ronan snorted. “That link is a lot weaker than anyone may truly understand. I was nothing more than a paid contractor at best. The Ministry knows I had no real loyalty to them, but doing paid jobs on occasion made them feel slightly safer and less inclined to try to kill me simply because of my age.”
Shifting to lean on his elbow, Aiden threaded his fingers through the hair on Ronan’s chest, reveling in the fact that he could so easily touch him now. But he was more interested in learning about Ronan’s past. They hadn’t talked much about it since they’d found each other again.
“What do you mean? Do they know how old you are?”
“Not exactly, I don’t think. But they suspect I’m older than dirt. From what I’ve been able to gauge, they have the same guess about you but no way of confirming it. The concern is that I’m not part of a clan. Haven’t been since I was a fledgling. I’ve roamed aimlessly around Europe for centuries. No close friends, affiliates, or alliances. They’re afraid that I’m going to get it in my head to claim one of their seats. Or maybe follow in a certain American king’s footsteps and claim all the seats.”
“So, they think if you do some work for them, they have you safely under their thumb,” Aiden concluded.
“The arrangement gave me something to do while keeping the Ministry largely out of my hair. I don’t want a seat. Never have. But we both know that no vampire is going to believe you if you say you don’t want power.”