Chapter 153

   Aaron idly tugged at the weeds in his garden. Ben’s wife was pregnant with their second child. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t warm up to his daughter-in-law. He hated the Council for insisting on the match. Ben wasn’t happy, Blizzara wasn’t happy and most of all Caitlin wasn’t happy. She was too young to understand why her parents fought all the time. Aaron cursed as the weeds cut his hands.

   “You should watch your language. You never know who might be listening. It’s bad enough that Blade swears like a sailor in front of Caitlin, she really doesn’t need to learn it from you too.”

   Aaron smiled up at Ice. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. Or rather I was thinking about Ben and Blizzara. Why on earth was she chosen as his mate?”

   “The Council has its reasons,” Ice replied neutrally.

   Aaron narrowed his eyes at his husband. “You know something. Spill it.”

   “Aaron, I can’t. It’s Council business,” Ice sighed.

   “This is my child we’re talking about! If it affects him, I have a right to know.”

   “Fine. Blizzara was suspected of being involved in my abduction. The only evidence linking her was circumstantial at best and the Council decided not to punish her. The man who abducted me escaped from custody. The Council thinks he is behind Byron and Burke’s disappearances. In order to counteract the possibility of him fathering a child on them, the Council decided to marry off someone with mixed bloodlines, so the next generation will have three colors in their blood. Ben was the only one available.”

   Aaron stared at Ice and began cursing softly using all the vocabulary he had learned from Blade over the years.

   “Aaron, calm down.”

   “No, I will not calm down! You sold my son because you and your bloody Council can’t manage to kill one bloody vampire! Now my sons are in danger and you didn’t even bother to tell me! How long have you known that that madman was free?”

   “Um,” Ice hesitated.

   “Forget it! Get out of my sight!” Aaron turned away to hide his tears. How could Ice and Blade conceal this from him? He felt incredibly betrayed that Ice could do this to him after almost forty years of marriage.

   “Aaron, are you okay?” Onyx wrapped his arms around his lover.

   “No. Did you know?”

   “Know about what?” Onyx sounded confused.

   “About the madman who kidnapped Ice being alive and free and m-maybe responsible for my sons’ disappearances.”

   Onyx tightened his arms around Aaron. “No. I didn’t know that. Ice told you this? How long has he known about it?”

   “Yes. I don’t know. He didn’t say. But it’s been at least six years.”

  Onyx swore. “I suppose Blade knows as well?”

   “Yeah. I was thinking we should spike their plasma juice with garlic.”

   Onyx laughed, “Petty. It wouldn’t work. They’d smell the garlic.”

   “Yeah, well, I’m feeling a little petty right now.”

   “I know what you mean. They had no right to keep this from us, especially when it puts our children in danger.”