Elena had returned from visiting her friend and was now fussing over Dani, much to her amusement. Already accustomed to being a great-grandmother, Elena was telling Dani about every wonderful place she could find things in their town for the baby. Come Monday afternoon, we had to be ready for a trip to town. The only thing that would stop us from having a baby-themed expedition was the baby coming. It was a thought that excited and scared me. I don't know if I was ready for this, but I knew I couldn't wait to meet the baby.

I found it surprising that everyone was so accepting of the situation and that we would never find out who the father was. It was almost like they didn't care, which was oddly relaxing. If Giovanni demanded it or if the council had expectations, we would find out, but I preferred to keep it a mystery.

Dani and I were now official members of House Fiorentino, and to show there were no issues, they were already sent through to the council. I think Loren might have warned Giovanni that we knew Lewis hadn't sent mine through. Loren didn't commit to Lewis, which I found oddly strange, and I questioned him about it. He was already a member of this house, having committed to them when he turned eighteen. I guess it was probably part of the reason why Lewis held so much distrust for him.

We were safe, which was all I wanted, more now than ever. With Dani due to give birth soon, I feared everything that could happen to her and the baby. It was going to be a long road, especially keeping her hidden. One wrong move could have her in the spotlight, and I didn't want a media storm hitting this place or her.

We were in one of the lower levels of the main house where they always entertained the feeders during their once-a-week visit. It was a vast area that consumed the entire footprint of the main house. Columns intersected the space, and lounges created little areas where the coven could break off into smaller groups or feed in a quieter section.

It was what Roman planned for Dani's first interaction with a feeder. She was used to feeds that ended in death and now had to be taught that it was no longer permitted. Roman assured his grandfather he would watch over Dani and ensure she kept within the coven rules. Giovanni warned Roman that pregnant women were always hungrier, and they'd accommodate her by bringing in extra feeders. Alexia would be close to help the twins with their feeding, so she would undoubtedly watch over Dani as well.

Loren sat on the lounge, tugging at his collar and tie.

"It's an adjustment," he muttered.

One that we were all struggling with. Feeding was never an event where vampires and humans mingled, drank fine wine and ate canapes, or were dressed like they were attending a cocktail party. Yet here, it was a part of who they were.

There was a time when Lewis tried to be this fancy, but the drinks with clan members soon faded as the risk of hunter attacks rose. Hearing him at the breakfast table talking about the powerhouses of Europe, I knew he was talking about this place. He'd travelled here for a holiday a few years earlier, and when he returned, he was raving about how wonderful it was to not worry about crawling through the shadows like a common street rat. The elite drank their blood from feeders, they mingled with them as equals, and said good night to them when the evening was over. There was no death, no risk of getting caught with dead bodies. Just a happy coven leader in a thriving community.

Tonight, Roman and I borrowed suits because we didn't own any. I don't know if Loren owned his suit, though he acted as if it wasn't something he was used to, so perhaps he didn't.

Dani was wearing something of Alexia's, and the stretchy material was a little snug around her stomach, highlighting her pregnancy. Alexia said that when Dani was feeling up to it after the birth, they'd go out and find some dresses. Roman and I weren't escaping either. Florus would drag us and Loren out to a tailor, and we'd have a stack of suits made for us. It was lucky there were several extra bedrooms, I think we're going to need it for the clothes alone.

"I can't find anything about them."

"Who?" I asked, wondering why Loren was being so discreet.

"The Ramsays."

Oh, that's why. He'd been digging when Roman told him not to bother. Either his father had hidden them somewhere, or they were dead. Whichever it was didn't matter because it wasn't his problem, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"He'll get annoyed if he finds out."

"I know, but Giovanni asked if I could find evidence for the council. I don't think he cares, but he probably wants to punish Lewis for what he did to you guys. You know he's tried to screw you over, right?"

With a heavy sigh, I nodded. Dani was so close to transferring the money to Lewis, and the only reason she hadn't was that we were distracted. It wouldn't have left us without money, but it was supposed to be our nest egg for an extremely long future.

"Yeah. What are the chances this new guy would have hacked the account?"

Loren shrugged. "Anything is possible. I don't know how good this guy is. He was around, but I got the impression that Lewis had told him to keep his distance."

"So, did you find anything at all?" I asked.

"No, nothing. No emails on their system or ours, which means the new guy has hacked our equipment. This, out of anything and everything, is what Giovanni wanted to know. Lewis has someone really good working for him, better than me. Knowing that, Giovanni called his coven elders to a meeting, which they're probably still in at the moment."

"He's concerned?" I asked.

"If he hacks into this place, Lewis will have access to a lot of things he shouldn't. Giovanni doesn't want this coven to fall because his bank accounts are suddenly depleted. Remember that we all left without a word said. Then the council demands an asset statement, which includes a lengthy visit from the council assessment team. I can guarantee that Lewis knew they were checking for footage on the cameras, and with the questions they asked, he would know they were searching for the Ramsays. That kind of investigation wouldn't have appeared out of nowhere, Lewis would know they'd been tipped off by this coven. There is a strong chance that Lewis is extremely pissed."

"Great," I said, huffing as I stretched back into the chair.

"The only bonus is that Giovanni is all about the rules. He submits asset statements regularly so he has it on record that this coven is financially fluid. If things start disappearing, he's going to drag the council into it. They will search, and if someone happens to have a sudden influx of unexplainable deposits, they're going to deal with him. It's not beyond the council to force a coven to transfer funds to another if it's proven to be stolen money."

I guess it was a bonus to be honest about things. Maybe not everything, though.

Loren reached into the bag at his feet, dragging out what looked like a folded map. Dragging the coffee table closer, he laid it out and, in doing so, caught Roman's attention.

"So, Giovanni has suggested we start thinking about the future. We can stay in the guest apartments for as long as we like. He doesn't care about that, but he said we might feel more at ease if we started planning our homes. He's marked out potential locations on the family estate if that's what you guys want. If not, then he can have one of his assistants collect information about houses in town."

"What are you doing? What about Alexia and Rus?"

Loren shrugged, toying with the edge of the map.

"I'm happy wherever, but I think that Dad and Alexia will want to be close to the estate and to you guys as well. There is something Giovanni suggested, if you're interested. This section here is large enough to accommodate something similar to the guest apartments."

He pointed to an area to the east. When I looked at the map, which showed the buildings, I could see it was one large structure. From ground level, it looked like buildings, covered paths, and pockets of courtyards and greenery. Overhead, though, it was vastly different. Long lines of buildings surrounded the main area, with larger buildings dotted throughout.

"This is fine," Roman said. "We can build something in that area, and I guess they'd want to leave a gap for future expansion."

Roman tore a paper napkin into a rectangle and placed it on the map.

"If we keep a similar structure, it would last for a while."

"Just depends on how many times you're planning on having kids, right?"

Roman snorted a laugh. "We don't plan anything, so we'll probably be inundated."

"You know there's an answer, right? Keep it in your pants."

Like that was possible with Roman. Given the chance, he'd probably throw them away right now.