Chapter 348

• Mac turned his black gaze on the man sitting beside him pinning him with a cold stare. His entire body was rigid with tension, his muscles taut with the strain of remaining still. Kallum's words rang around the silent room, his expression fixed and determined. It was all Mac could do not to explode as he glared at the other man.
• "Let's get one thing straight between us, Kallum," he said in a voice so cold it could freeze water. "I decide who becomes a Praetorian. I select them; have my people train them, and only the best come anywhere near our compound. When I'm confident the candidates are worthy, I call the Triumvirate for the final confirmation of their loyalty. There's only one person who leads the Praetorians and that's me."
• The quiet coldness suddenly vanished and red hot fury filled the room. "So don't you fucking dare tell me what's going to happen in my own backyard. I don't give a fuck who you think you are. No one tells me how to run the Praetorians. I've been doing it for twenty-five years and the only people who can tell me what to do is the Triumvirate. Until they decide I'm no longer needed, the Vârcolac are mine to protect and I decide whether or not they're allowed anywhere near the Praetorian compound."