“Black?” Jill glanced between them.
“Black hides blood splatters so much better.” Renna winked. “So we picked cream dresses, since red doesn’t clash with it. Families tend to wear the same colors to events. At least the women and children do. It will help you identify who is related.”
“Auntie,” Gali begged. “Don’t scare poor Jill. It will be fine. No one knows.” She held Jill’s gaze. “Do they? Have you told anyone else what your father is?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Good. I expect the council will posture and make noises but the four of them can’t do anything. They wanted my son to mate that horrible Winalin. I can’t stand her.”
“She is pretty,” Jill had to admit.
“She’s a pretty piece of trash,” Renna growled. “She’s the only pure-blooded female Gargoyle in the clan who isn’t mated, and she’s been chasing after our Aveoth since she was old enough to walk. Like it’s her birthright to become lady to the clan. She treats me like I’m a servant, and she actually ordered Gali to tell her son to mate her. As if she has any right to tell us what to do. She reminds me of a flower that grew near our village. It was beautiful, but it gave you a bellyache and a case of the runs if you ate it.”
Gali chuckled. “My son never considered mating her, Jill. She annoys him to no end.”
“She’s pretty unpleasant,” Jill agreed.
Renna stared at her with a questioning gaze.
“She paid a visit to Aveoth and decided to get naked in front of him, thinking he’d go all sex fiend on her. I was there. She was…disappointed.”
Renna snarled. “Trash. Pure trash. I would have slashed her across the face with my claws.”
Jill held up her hand. “I don’t have any.”
“A shame, because marring her a bit would do her some good.”
“Winalin might cause a scene today. Ignore her. That’s what I do when she comes at me. There’s a lot to be said for refusing to engage.” Gali walked to the bed and leaned against the post. “Take off the dress and we’ll make the adjustments. Do you sew, Jill?”
She began wiggling out of the gown. “Not really. I can learn.”
“I have this.” Renna took the gown and walked to a table set up to the side. “You two talk.”
Gali offered Jill a silky white robe, which she put on. “Thanks.”
“I wanted to give you a history lesson. It’s important.”
Jill took a seat on the bed. “Okay.”
“Abotorus founded this clan. He talked his close friends and some scouts from his old clan into fleeing to Alaska. Their lord had forbidden his clan to breed. They were higher in numbers than he wanted, and Gargoyles live a very long time. Abotorus talked those members into coming by offering to allow them to find mates and have children. It was a dream many of them had given up hope of ever having. The closest people to settle near this territory were the Lycans, who’d survived a war with Vampires.”
“They gave birth to VampLycans,” Renna added from across the room, where she was working on the dress. “Some of those nasty Vampires had controlled the Lycans’ minds, and had gotten them pregnant.”
“Yes,” Gali sighed. “Abotorus was under pressure to make good on his promises. The Lycan pack had a lot of unmated women who hadn’t been victims of the Vampires. A scout wished to mate with one he’d met. There weren’t a lot of human women in the area, and most of them were already married or had children. Abotorus reluctantly agreed. He admitted to me years later that he didn’t think Lycans were breed-worthy, and was sure a child between Lycans and Gargoyles wouldn’t be physically possible. He was wrong. The Lycan conceived right away.
“Other clan members saw it as an opportunity, and they demanded to take Lycan mates as well. They were more mentally stable than humans, according to what they saw from that first couple. Abotorus felt pressured again into agreeing. But as more couples had children, all boys, there were grumblings amongst the clan members. My mate didn’t hide his distaste for GarLycans well enough. He felt the children were weak and not worthy of being part of his clan. His men didn’t agree. To save himself from a possible uprising, Abotorus demanded to mate me. My mother was Lycan and had birthed the first girl to this clan. I wasn’t happy when I learned of my fate. The great Lord Abotorus was cold, looked at me as if I was beneath him, and I dreaded each year as adulthood approached.”
Jill frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I was betrothed to Lord Abotorus when I was a year old. It appeased his clan but it gave him years before he actually had to claim me. Eighteen is considered mating age. I wanted to run away so many times but there was nowhere to go.”
“You should have come to my pack,” Renna whispered.
Gali glanced at her aunt, then back to Jill. “Abotorus would have sent an army to destroy any clan or pack who tried to harbor me. It would have meant the slaughter of every living soul there, just to punish them. I belonged to him, and felt doomed to my fate. Each birthday I grew more wary, terrified of the future I’d face with him.”
“He was a nightmare,” Renna growled. “Cold. Cruel.”
“All true,” Gali agreed. She took a deep breath. “I snuck out two days before the mating ceremony, and I wanted to fly away. But I wouldn’t have survived on my own for long, and I knew I couldn’t seek safety from anyone without causing their deaths. Abotorus was spiteful. I flew over a nearby valley and saw a man hunting.” She paused. “You must never repeat any of this, Jill. Give me your word.”
Jill nodded.
“He was a VampLycan. He shifted into his animal form, took down an elk, and then a hungry pack of wolves arrived at his kill. I landed on a hill to watch what he’d do. He shifted to skin and just laughed, then backed away to allow them to feast on his kill. He talked to the wolves, and the wind was just right so I could pick up his words. The pack was starving, it showed in their thin bodies, so he told them they needed it more.” Tears filled her eyes. “It was so kind. I hadn’t experienced that often growing up, except for the way my mother treated me. My father was Gargoyle, and he would have murdered every wolf for daring to try to take what he’d hunted.”
“Are you sure you want to tell her all of this story?” Renna left the dress and approached. “It’s dangerous.”
Jill glanced between the two women as they studied each other.
Gali nodded. “She’s my son’s mate. She needs to know the truth.”
“Fair enough.” Renna took a seat near Jill. “Your mate’s very life is in your hands, Jill. This is a very dangerous secret she is sharing. That’s what my niece won’t say. Go on, Gali.”
Gali cleared her throat. “I followed this VampLycan to a cabin near a stream and watched him wash the blood from his skin. He was so handsome. It was the first time I’d ever seen a man bare. I kept thinking about how he’d given up his meal for those wolves and how my future mate would never do that. It made me sad, and I wished someone like him could be my mate instead. I crept closer, curious. I know now he must have heard me, but he didn’t let on. He finished washing and walked inside the cabin. I got even closer, hoping he’d come back outside. He did…but I didn’t know it until he’d grabbed me from behind.”
“The sneaky VampLycan had an emergency escape hatch out the back of his cabin and had circled around her,” Renna chuckled. “He grabbed her, turned her in his arms, careful of her wings, and told her she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.”
Gali’s eyes teared up. “He offered to let me come inside to get warm by his fire. He was incredibly kind. He didn’t attack me the way I’d been told a man would do if I was ever captured. His words were sweet, and he was so worried about frightening me. He took me inside, made me a meal, and offered me his bed. He thought I was on my own and probably sensed my sadness. I was offered safety and shelter by him. I was attracted to him in a way I’ve never been before…and it got me thinking. I didn’t want my first time with a man to include me chained t
o a bed by a cruel mate. So I kissed him.”
“They did more than kiss,” Renna whispered. “She spent the night and all the next day with him.”
“It was the evening before my mating ceremony. This VampLycan didn’t know that, I never told him my situation or my name. I knew it would mean his death if Abotorus found out I’d let someone else touch me. The VampLycan offered to allow me to stay with him, promised to protect and take care of me for as long as I needed him.” She reached up and wiped at her tears. “I knew Abotorus would begin the hunt at first light when it was discovered I was gone. He’d have killed that VampLycan, probably all of them in his rage, so I snuck away while the VampLycan slept. I returned home, bathed myself, and the next morning at dawn, I arrived at the altar to meet my fate.”
Jill let everything she’d heard sink in. “It’s not a crime to have a lover before mating, right? I’m guilty of that. I wasn’t a virgin when I met your son. Did Abotorus figure out he wasn’t your first?”
She shook her head. “He was so enraged at feeling pushed into mating me that he drank heavily before chaining me down to the bed to claim me. I’m glad I knew a generous lover before that night.”
Jill shuddered at the chaining part. It sounded unpleasant, barbaric, and she imagined the worst.
Renna snarled, and Jill glanced down at the woman’s hands, seeing claws had grown out from her fingernails. “He was a monster. He damn near tore out her throat when he bit her and was savage in the claiming.”
“Aveoth doesn’t know that.” Gali stared into Jill’s eyes. “Never repeat that part to him. He knows our mating wasn’t a happy one but I’ve smoothed over the abuse I suffered. I discovered weeks later that I was pregnant. Abotorus began pouring his blood down my throat daily to make up for my weak Lycan side, hoping it would make his son more Gargoyle. Aveoth was born with strong Gargoyle bloodlines, but I knew within a day that my mate wasn’t his father. My son bit my nipples with tiny fangs, and he took blood as well as milk at my breast. He needed blood. That’s not a Gargoyle or a Lycan trait.”
Jill felt her jaw drop open but closed it fast. She swallowed hard. “Does Aveoth know?”
“He didn’t until his seventeenth year.” Gali approached and knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands. “The clan will kill my son if they ever realize the great Lord Abotorus isn’t his birth father. They loathe all things with Vampire blood. The blood I drank during my pregnancy heightened Aveoth’s genes he’d gained through my Gargoyle father. At least that’s what I believe. But you and Aveoth both had VampLycan fathers. Do you understand? Vampires are their long-standing enemy.”
Jill nodded, totally getting it. “I won’t tell. I swear.”
“My son plans to tell you, but I wanted you to hear it from me. I’m the one who took a lover before I mated. It’s his biggest fear that the truth will come out. Aveoth and Kelzeb overheard my mate and the council making plans. The boys came to me for advice on how to stop them. My mate decided introducing Lycan blood into the clan was a mistake when Aveoth was seventeen. Abotorus was plotting to kill me and Aveoth, taking a pure-blood Gargoyle mate. I told my son the truth that day so he wouldn’t feel guilt over having to challenge who he thought was his father to protect my life, his own, and the lives of all other GarLycans.”
“And Lycans,” Renna added. “He would have killed the mates too.”
“The Gargoyle Council can never take leadership of this clan. They were my mate’s closest friends, and they still think the way he did. You’ve met Kelzeb, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“His father is one of the council members who agreed that GarLycans were a mistake. He had planned to murder his own mate and son. That’s how deep their hatred runs. Aveoth understands like no other in this clan that mixing bloodlines isn’t a sin, and it makes us stronger. He needs to remain our lord. Your bloodlines don’t matter to my son. He chose you because you hold his heart. I hope you can do the same for him.”
Jill thought about the man she’d fallen for. He’d beaten up bad guys, been sweet to her, and had offered her his heart forever. “I love Aveoth, Gali,” she admitted. She wasn’t ready to tell Aveoth, but she could ease his mother’s mind. “This doesn’t change that.” If anything, it made them have more in common. “I’ll keep your secrets.”
“He’s going to need your blood from time to time,” Renna scooted over, pressing against Jill’s side. “Offer it to him. He doesn’t have much Vampire but if he’s hurt, give him a vein. He’ll heal faster. We need to keep our boy strong.”
Jill stared at each one of them in turn, and instantly felt a bond with the women. They all wanted to protect Aveoth and keep him alive. They loved him too. “I can do that.”
“It’s time to get you ready to face the clan.” Gali squeezed her hands gently and smiled. “You’re going to make a wonderful lady. Aveoth is trying to get rid of old thinking and crush the Gargoyles who still think the way my mate did. He’ll succeed with you by his side.”
* * * * *
Aveoth checked his weapons and met Kelzeb in the corridor outside his home. It was time to pick up Jill, his mother, and his great-aunt to escort them to the welcoming ceremony. His gaze took in his best friend’s formal attire and the weapons strapped to his body.
“I’m ready for this. Are you?”
Kelzeb nodded. “I’ll fight my father if he challenges you.”
Aveoth inwardly flinched. “Let’s hope they take the news better than expected and that it doesn’t come down to removing heads.”
“Doubtful. I know what you’re planning. The council is going to lose their shit.”
“We have the support in place. It’s time we take a stand.”
Kelzeb nodded. “I’m with you.”
Aveoth appreciated that, and returned the nod. “Did you request Tork bring his family in a little late?”
“Yes. I warned him that we had a little business to discuss first and you didn’t want his new baby and mate anywhere near the chamber until it was finished, in case violence broke out. He wasn’t happy that he’d miss a fight, but he agreed.”
“Good.” His thoughts turned to Jill. He should have warned her of his plans but it was best if she wasn’t overly concerned. It would be stressful enough for her to meet the clan.
They reached his mother’s and he knocked. The door swung over—and he forgot how to breathe for long seconds.
Jill stood before him in a beautiful gown. The trim over her breasts, near her wrists, and down the flowing skirt were lace. Her blonde hair had been piled upon her head in some sort of bun with tiny braids weaved throughout.
She looked down his body before her chin lifted. “You look so hot in formalwear. The sword and daggers strapped to your body make you extra badass.”
“You’re beautiful.”
A blush stained her cheeks. “I feel like I should formally curtsy in this thing. I never went to prom but I feel like that’s what I’m dressed up for.”
“What’s a prom?” Kelzeb frowned.
Her gaze cut to his best friend. “A formal dance kids go to in high school.”
“Curious,” he replied.
Aveoth stepped toward Jill and took her hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed her. “I would dance with you anytime, my lovely Jill.”
She smiled. “You’re just being so charming so you can talk me out of changing how women dress here. Keep it up. I like it.”
He loved her sense of humor. His mother and great-aunt strolled into the room, and he noticed how their gown colors matched Jill’s. A warmth spread through his chest. It was his mother’s way of telling the clan she’d accepted Jill into their family.
“Don’t mess her up,” Renna chided. “I see that glint in your eye, Aveoth. Wait until after the ceremony to destroy all the work we put into your mate.”
Jill glanced back at them with a confused expression.
“They fear I’ll rip your dress off and take you to our bed,” he whisper
ed.
She swung her head back to him and outright grinned. “Anything to get out of this dress. I do mean that, Wings. Any. Thing.”
He pulled her toward the door by her hand he refused to release. “Let’s go, ladies. The clan awaits.” He led Jill into the corridor and placed her on his left, folding her hand over his arm. “Stay at my side unless there’s trouble. Then get behind me and put a safe distance between us.”
Her expression sobered. “We should have worn black after all, huh?”
“I don’t understand.”
She squeezed his arm. “I do, though. Blood is really going to show up on cream. Black absorbs it. I’ll try to avoid getting splattered if any goes flying about.”
He stiffened his spine, wondering what his mother and great-aunt had spoken to Jill about. “I won’t allow anything to happen to you.”
“I believe it. I trust you.”
The warmth returned to his chest. He wouldn’t let Jill down. His mate would change his world, and he needed to make sure she was accepted. No matter what the cost. She’d be safe at the cliffs—or he’d tear the damn mountain apart.
Chapter Fifteen
Aveoth entered the ceremony chamber and scanned the faces in the gathering crowd. Kelzeb walked behind him, escorting his mother and great-aunt. Bodies parted, giving him wide berth as he strolled with Jill at his side across the room to his rightful place at the royal couch. It was a custom Lord Abotorus had kept from his previous clan. Aveoth wanted to burn the damn thing. It had been placed six steps up from the main floor so everyone could clearly view it, as though it were a throne. He faced the room from his perch but didn’t take a seat.
Kelzeb climbed the steps with the women of his family and motioned for his mother and great-aunt to take a seat. They hesitated until both looked at Aveoth for permission. He gave them a nod. His mother appeared confused, and he understood why. Only the lord was allowed to sit there, and his mate, if any. At all the other ceremonies, he’d sat alone while his mother and great-aunt had stood at the sides of the couch.