it, and he was definitely going to cash in the eternal gratitude coupon as much as possible. He had also made it clear that Max was staying on a trial basis, and could be kicked out on his half-werewolf ass at any time.
The house—the “den,” as the pack called it—was the kind of place that made Max wish he’d managed his money better, so he could have one all to himself. Not that his digs back in Chicago had been shabby, but this place made the penthouse look like a condemned building full of sick cats. It was built on a cliff overlooking Lake Lugano. From the drive, it appeared to be a long, low, Roman-style villa. For all Max knew, it dated back to actual Roman times. Inside, though, it was way, way bigger, just the tip of an iceberg that carved into the cliff face. Most of the time, you couldn’t tell you were underground, owing to the windows facing out at the lake, but the lowest floor was windowless, the walls unfinished rock. Bella’s father kept his meeting rooms in that section of the house, and there weren’t any elevators, so Max had to trudge down eight flights of stairs, quickly, to get where he was going. The pack leader’s meeting room was kind of a throne room, with guarded doors and all that medieval jazz. He gave his name and waited to be allowed inside.
The smooth marble columns flanking the doorway were the last bit of added ornamentation. The meeting room was a cave. Max couldn’t tell if it was a natural one or if it had been blasted out to accommodate the pack leader. The furniture was comfortable and modern and very European, but moisture trickled down the walls and the whole place definitely smelled like it was underground.
“Ah, Maximilian.” The pack master stood in the middle of the room in his sleek tailored suit, trying hard to look pleased to see his daughter’s vampire boyfriend.
Lupin, Max reminded himself, then struck the word from his mental vocabulary again as Bella had taught him. Vampire-werewolf hybrid.
“Pack Master,” he replied. “You wanted to see me?”
A polite smile creased the man’s face as he crossed the room. He looked oddly similar and at the same time very different than Bella. She’d inherited her father’s exotic, tipped-up eyes, though hers were golden and his gleamed black. His hair was as midnight dark as hers, but it was white at the temples and wavy. Bella’s was as straight as a line. They had the same gestures, which must have been genetic, and the same lithe grace that Max had wrongly assumed all werewolves possessed.
“I did want to see you,” the man said, coming closer. “And call me Julian. We are family now, are we not?”
“We are,” Max agreed. He would agree with anything Julian said, because to disagree might mean banishment, and banishment would mean being apart from Bella, forever. That was something he wasn’t willing to risk.
As if reminded by his own words of their connection, Julian delicately sniffed the air. His expression hardened for a moment, then the mask of expedience glazed his face in false friendship again. “And how is my daughter?”
It was a sick little pleasure, to know the man smelled her on him, to have that sort of olfactory flag to wave and silently shout, “She’s mine now.” But Max kept his features neutral. “Happy. Happier than I think she’s been in a long time.”
Julian nodded. “I will go directly to my point, then.” He hadn’t even asked Max to sit down. “You must return to the United States. Tomorrow.”
Max almost choked on the torrent of curses that rose in his throat. All he managed to say was, “Why?”
With a sympathetic smile, Julian shook his head. “Not forever. Do not despair. But the child my daughter carries is a weapon, as you have said. And the man who desires this weapon is still very likely to come into his power and claim the child.”
Shit. Of course, the Soul Eater was still out there. And he was still an evil bastard. And he would still want to get his hands on the baby. “I’ve got friends back in the States who are taking care of that whole mess.”
“Maximilian, may I be frank with you?” Julian asked, as if he hadn’t been so already.
Max steeled himself for whatever the man would say next. It probably wouldn’t be something he wanted to hear.
“You are not one of us. My daughter has feelings for you, and whatever is between the two of you is enough to earn you my mercy. But my concern for Bella’s safety, eh, trumps, I believe is the word, any concern for her happiness.” He steepled his fingers at his mouth and appeared to consider his next words. “I will not remind you of my responsibility to the pack, and the consequences that would befall them if this Soul Eater were to come after the baby.”
But you just did, Max thought irritably. “I understand your concern. But Jacob can’t use the baby until he’s become a god. He wants her for her destiny, and I’m guessing that destiny won’t come into play until at least preschool, right? In the meantime, I don’t understand how my leaving Bella when she needs me most will ultimately benefit her. I mean, there is no one in this pack who will fight harder to keep her safe.”
Julian’s face turned to stone. “I do not think that is correct.”
He hadn’t come to argue. But he was sure as hell not leaving Bella behind. “No. If I go, she leaves with me.”
“Maximilian, this is not permanent.” Julian laughed, as if it had been clear from the very beginning and Max had just been too stupid to figure it out. “If you say this vampire will have no interest in my grandchild until after he’s become a god, then I believe you. But I wish for you to see that even this small victory for him is prevented. If he is defeated, and if you survive, then you will be welcome to return to my daughter.”
So that was it. He was being shipped off in the hopes that he wouldn’t return. “I’m not a vampire anymore. I’m a werewolf. Vampire hybrid,” he added quickly, before Julian could shoot him down as an outsider. “How do you know anyone is still going to want to include me in their plans?”
Julian spread his hands and smiled, as if he knew he had his prey cornered. Not cornered. Served on a platter. “I trust that you will be able to find a place in this fight. Besides, did you not just assert that you would do anything to keep my daughter safe?”
Max didn’t have an answer to that.
“Your plane will leave in the morning. Try and break the news gently to my daughter.” And then Julian left. Left Max standing there in the cavernous room, left him holding the bag. How was he going to tell Bella that her father was sending him away to die?
On the other hand, Max thought as he stalked angrily back to Bella’s room, there’s no way Nathan and Carrie won’t be involved in this thing. And if Julian is making noise about it right now, something is going on.
He couldn’t stand by and let his friends finish what he’d helped to start. But he couldn’t leave Bella.
Of course, he knew what she would say if he told her. Go, help them, go where you are needed. Go and be the warrior you are supposed to be. It was a big argument for just not telling her. The argument against not telling her was that he respected her, damn it. It didn’t make sense, considering that a few short months ago he would have liked nothing more than to jam a screwdriver into her ear, but now she was the mother of his child. Also, the love of his life. Hell, even memories of his sire had begun to fade gently into the background since Max had realized how much he loved Bella. He had to tell her why he would be leaving, because he couldn’t lie to her.
He
