But everything changed when he stepped up in front of Aiden.
Ronan.
It was as if he’d been summoned straight from his thoughts. How? How was this even possible after all this time? His old friend was dead. He’d been slaughtered that horrible night Aiden had been turned. While he’d not seen Ronan’s body, he’d seen plenty of Ronan’s men shredded and tossed about the camp. He’d been sure Ronan hadn’t survived the night.
Ronan stepped up with two other vampires, and for the longest heartbeat, the world around them fell away. The beard was gone, and his liquid black hair had been cut into a modern fade with it a bit longer on top, but those midnight eyes were the same. The broken nose and perfect lips lifted in the almost mocking smile were the same. Everything in Aiden demanded he reach out and just touch Ronan’s face, to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating. It couldn’t be. Not after all this time.
Aiden’s heart stumbled and he felt lightheaded. Had he stopped breathing? Died?
No, he was still alive, if only as a vampire and Ronan, his Ronan, was standing right in front of him.
His emotions had become a tight little roller coaster in his chest. He soared up to joy and elation only to plunge down to fear and sorrow. Why hadn’t he done more to be sure Ronan was dead? Why hadn’t he looked longer, harder? But he soon twisted into uncertainty as he wondered if Ronan blamed him for his death at the hands of vampires. His heart soared into joy, because the years didn’t matter. Ronan was here. Ronan was alive.
While his brain might be locked up, his body found a will of its own. His hand started to reach for Ronan, fully intending to pull him into an embrace and never release him again. He caught himself quickly and forced his fingers into a ball to keep them from wandering. The rest of the world was snapping back now. No one seemed to realize that Aiden’s entire world had tilted on its axis. No one except for Ronan. There was something in his eyes, a look. Had he noticed how Aiden nearly reached for him?
It took all of his power to actually drag his gaze to the pale, slender woman with the black, pixie short hair and cold brown eyes who was standing in front of Ronan and another man.
“King Aiden, may I introduce Mara Schneider of the European Ministry envoy,” Marcus said sharply.
Aiden managed a jerky nod as he briefly struggled to pin a smile on his lips again. Thank God he was sitting, because his legs would have given out beneath him. He extended his hand to Mara, unsure if it was trembling. “An honor to meet you, Ms. Schneider.”
“And you, Your Majesty,” Mara replied, though he didn’t miss that the little twist in her voice at the title. He had no doubt that the European Ministry was not pleased with how things shook out in the Americas, but the European Ministry ruled over European vampires. What happened in the Americas was none of their business at the end of the night.
“May I introduce my associates from Europe, Michael Langston and Ronan Svendsen.” Mara motioned toward the two men behind her. Aiden had no problem looking over at Michael Langston, momentarily taking note of his emotionless expression and seemingly curious hazel eyes. As if he didn’t quite know what to make of an American vampire king.
It took all of Aiden’s willpower to drag his gaze over to Ronan. The last name was new, but it could be something he’d adopted over the long years. Aiden had done that a few times prior to finally becoming a Varik. Or it could be a clan name.
But even after all these years, it was Ronan. His Ronan. It was on the tip of his tongue to whisper, “My prince,” but he bit down on his traitorous tongue to hold on to those words.
Ronan seemed to be taking the surprise better, but then he’d been able to watch Aiden enter. He would have recognized him.
Unless he’d known for far longer that he was alive.
A thousand questions were bouncing through his head, and there were no answers to be found. The only thing that kept repeating in his head was that Ronan was alive. His beautiful Ronan was still alive after all these years.
A small smile played on those lips that still looked familiar, and there was a faint twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “I hope that you can find time in your schedule for us to have a meeting before my return to Europe,” Ronan said.
Aiden nodded and gave a small grunt, not trusting himself to speak. His heart was beating erratically in his chest. His face felt hot, but his hands were suddenly ice cold. It was only when he dragged his eyes to Mara that he felt confident he could string two words together without sounding like an utter fool.
“We shall talk more while you are in town,” Aiden replied with a pained smile.
Mara nodded sharply and drifted away from the dais, taking Michael and Ronan with her. Aiden didn’t allow himself to look up, didn’t take a chance on meeting Ronan’s dark eyes again. He’d crack. Demand answers. Throw himself on the man.
No! Marcus was watching.
His children were all watching him.
The next vampire started to move up, and Marcus’s firm hand landed on his shoulder. He leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Is everything okay? Do you need to step away?”
Closing his eyes for only a second to pull his scattered mind together, he shoved thoughts of Ronan aside the same way he had for centuries. The act seemed all the more painful now that he knew the man was still alive, but he couldn’t be distracted. The future of vampires in America, the safety of his clan and so many other clans, rested on him continuing to act as if his entire world hadn’t been knocked off its axis. There would be time later when he was alone to take out the memory of this night and inspect every inch of it, to recall a hundred other little things. But not now.
It was more than just his duty to his new position. It was where Ronan was standing—with those who were most likely to oppose him wearing the crown. The man he’d known had been the love of his life, but after the passage of so many years, he couldn’t be sure who stood in front of him now. Had he been sent by the Ministry to kill him? And if so, would Ronan actually commit the deed?
“I’m fine. I swear,” Aiden replied, forcing his voice to steady.
“Are you sure?” Marcus whispered.
Aiden lifted his eyes to meet Marcus’s worried blue ones. So like his mother’s. He smiled, and this one was real. Reaching up, he cupped the side of his son’s face. Marcus and his brothers would always be able to steady him. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
With a slight nod, Marcus released him and straightened. His face was emotionally blank, but the concern remained in his eyes.
He would face more questions from Marcus and likely all of his sons as soon as Marcus informed them something strange had happened when Aiden met the European envoy, but that would wait. Not that he even had a clue as to what he would tell them. Aiden had told them almost nothing about his life before meeting Julianna, and he’d never spoken of Ronan. Not to anyone ever in his long existence as a vampire.
Those first couple of centuries after he’d lost Ronan had been incredibly dark for Aiden, periods of time that he didn’t let himself think about. The regret and self-loathing would only swamp him, leave him incapable of even moving.
But now Ronan was alive and wandering somewhere in his home. Ronan was so close.
Did he want to reach out? What had happened to him? How had they not found each other until now? Ronan had hinted at talking, but was such a thing a mistake? Aiden had a good life with his sons. A life infinitely more complicated now that a crown rested on his brow, but still, a good life.