The pain settled in deep and she wished her sister were with her to discuss it. What did Bat think about Aveoth wanting to take her as his lover? How was she adjusting? Did she finally understand that Decker Filmore was a complete asshole? Were they okay? Was Bat scared? Angry?
Frustration rose at the lack of answers. She worried about Bat. She just hoped they were safe, wherever they were.
She finished the oatmeal and washed the bowl. Her gaze traveled around the kitchen. It was her new home. She bit her lip and had to admit the roomy log home was way nicer than her crappy apartment back in California.
“Dusti?”
She turned to face Drantos. He was awake, just wearing a pair of low-hipped silky boxer shorts. His hair was mussed from sleep and the expression on his face uncertain.
“Morning.”
“You look so sad.” He closed the distance between them, studying her eyes. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”
“I was just thinking about things.”
He reached out and put his hands on her hips. “Do you regret becoming my mate?”
She didn’t have to think about it. Her feelings for him left her no doubt. “No. Never.”
“What is it then?”
“I was thinking about Bat, my parents, just everything.”
He pulled her closer until she was gently resting against his body. “Kraven will take care of your sister. He’ll send word when he feels it’s safe. We have a strong sibling bond, and he knows Bat has one with you. He won’t wish us to be concerned.”
“As if getting a message to us will be enough. I just want this mess to be over.”
“Aveoth is a skilled hunter and you heard him say he will go after Decker. He always keeps his word.”
“I almost feel sorry for the old bastard but not quite.”
Drantos arched his eyebrows.
“That Aveoth guy is pretty scary.”
“Yes, he is.”
“Can you move as fast as he did? I swear I blinked and he was somewhere else.”
“It’s a Gargoyle trait.”
“His skin changed color and texture, too. Another Gargoyle trait?”
“Yes.”
“And he flies? I heard you mention that when we were talking about the plane crash. How does that work? He’s huge.”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m not going anywhere. We have time. This is my new world, I should learn about it. Those GarLycan things are our neighbors, right?”
Drantos took her hands and backed up, leading her into the living room. He had her take a seat on the couch and he lit the fireplace. She liked the way it made the room feel cozy as he sat next to her.
“Gargoyles can blend into their surroundings by camouflaging their bodies to appear rock-like, and they can harden their skins into rigid outer shells. It makes fighting them really tough when you can’t pierce their skins easily. They also become denser when they do that. I don’t know how it really works but when Aveoth sprouts his wings, his skin takes on a kind of less dense structure.”
“He sprouts wings?”
“Yes. I’ve seen him do it when we were younger. They are concealed near his shoulder blades. In human form you can’t see them. The skin seals to look perfectly normal on his back, but these flaps open and his wings elongate and expand outward.”
“That’s so strange.” She took his hands, needing that connection. “And you change forms.”
“Yes.”
“It sounds painful when you do it.”
“We adjust. It’s not the most comfortable experience at first but with time it becomes much easier. It doesn’t hurt me.”
“Are you totally you when you have hair and a tail?”
“I’m always me.”
“You know what I mean.”
He grinned. “Yes. I was attempting to tease you into laughter. You look so serious. I’m still the same person, regardless of my shape. I admit I feel a little closer to nature when I have claws. I’d never hurt you if that’s your concern. I’m able to rationally think.”
“I believe that. You seemed like you when you gave me a ride here on your back.”
“Good.”
Dusti hesitated. “What about your Vampire side? What do you get from that? I know your saliva can heal your bites, and the sun doesn’t bother you. You’re really tan.”
“Slower aging. I don’t need blood to survive and the sun isn’t a weakness. I’m mostly Lycan. That bloodline runs stronger in our family.”
“But I’m the opposite.”
“You need some blood to keep you healthy.”
“That’s still gross.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think so. Do you need me to show you how sexy it can be again?”
Just remembering what they’d done together when he fed her his blood had her adjusting her position on the couch, inching closer to him. Drantos turned her on so much. “It’s going to take some time before I stop hating the sight of blood but I guess it’s something I’d better get over.”
“You’ve been very brave about this.”
“And a pain in the ass.” She felt regret. “I thought you were insane.”
“It was annoying but understandable. I put myself in your shoes and it had to sound as if I had lost my mind when I told you about things you’ve only seen in movies and books. The information they give isn’t accurate in most cases.”
“Right. You don’t shift into a hell beast and go all bat-shit homicidal.”
He laughed again. “No. I don’t.”
She envied him his light mood. “I keep trying to figure out how I’m going to fit in here. I need some kind of job to help pay the bills and a way to retrieve all my stuff from my apartment.”
“You don’t need a job. You’re my mate. It’s my duty to take care of you. I’ll hire someone to go clean out your apartment and drive your belongings here. We have a few Lycan packs who work with us from time to time. They are related by blood to some of us.”
“I take it that I won’t be able to go do that myself?”
“No. It’s too dangerous with Decker still loose.”
“Fantastic. Werewolves are going to be packing my underwear.” She grimaced. “Okay.”
“I’m sure they’ll be professional about it. It’s the only way to get your things here.”
“I wasn’t bitching. It was more like me saying it aloud because I never thought those words would come out of my mouth.”
He laughed. “I love that you’re keeping your sense of humor.”
“I’m trying.” She paused. “I’m a housewife now? I have to warn you that my cooking skills aren’t the best and I’m not a huge fan of cleaning.”
“We’ll share the housework and I can teach you how to prepare meals. It will be fun cooking together.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m an enforcer for my father.”
“Does that pay enough to keep the lights on?”
He looked highly amused. “Yes.”
“Is it like a nine-to-five job?”
“No. We’re assigned shifts to patrol and sometimes I was sent on missions, like finding you and your sister.”
“Is it dangerous living here or something? Do bears and rabid squirrels attack?”
He chuckled again.
“I’m not trying to be funny.” She shrugged. “I’m just clueless.”
“We don’t have an issue with rabid squirrels. Bears wandering into our territory are persuaded to move on. We live in harmony with nature but we can’t exactly have them trying to get inside our homes to go after food. We keep all the dangerous predators distanced from us.”
“So that’s what you do? You scare away mean animals?”
“We also make certain no one trespasses in our territory. Humans like to do that sometimes to hunt. Nobody enjoys being shot at when a poacher mistakes us for a wolf.”
“That happens?”
“Rarely. We patrol so it doesn’t.
”
“What do you do with them?”
“We scare them off. They’re told this is protected land, a sanctuary, and private property. VampLycans always try to keep the peace.”
“What if they aren’t easy to scare and refuse to leave?”
“We use our ability to control their minds and implant that they never wish to return.”
“Does that always work?”
“Yes, so far.”
“Is it a dangerous job?”
“It can be, but I’m damn hard to kill, Dusti. I don’t want you to worry when I go out on patrol.”
“You heal really fast.”
“Yes. It would be very difficult for something to sneak up on me too.”
The memory of him confronting the hell beast that had found them near the river flashed in her mind. “You’re also obviously a good fighter.”
“I am. I’ve been trained how to defend myself since I could walk.”
“Speaking of, you said VampLycans age slowly. Does that mean if we ever have kids that they’ll take forever to grow up?”
“We age the same way humans do when we’re very young, growth accelerates for a few years, then slows again once we are through puberty.”
“So we could have a baby and it’s going to want to move out when it’s ten years old?”
He laughed. “Not quite that fast. Most of our children begin building their own homes when they’re nearing their eighteenth birthdays. That’s the age of consent to take a mate. We want to make certain they are trained well enough to survive on their own. It’s just that we learn things faster than a human would.”
“Like what?”
He sobered. “I could walk at six months. Human children usually don’t do that until they’re a year old.”
“Wow.” She was stunned. Then she had a horrible thought. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to grow old faster than you are.”
He shook his head. “I’m going to share my blood with you, and you already look younger than your actual age. You do have some VampLycan traits, even though they are faint. We tend to live so much longer than humans because of our ability to heal so quickly. By giving you blood, it will help slow your aging process.”
She sighed. “That’s good. I was picturing me looking ninety and you still being hot. That’s something I really wasn’t looking forward to for either of us.”
“You think I’m hot?” he asked, grinning.
She glanced at his chest. “Scorching hot.” She met his gaze again. “And you know it.”
He leaned in closer. “Show me.”
Arousal coursed through her body. She moved, straddling his lap. He leaned back and his big hands cupped her ass through the shirt she wore. Total awareness of Drantos was an exhilarating experience. Her heart raced, her skin felt as if it were super-sensitized, and the need to be skin to skin with him became almost overpowering.
The front door opened and Dusti gasped, twisting her head.
Drantos stood, lifting her with him so fast it made her head spin. He turned slightly, putting his body between her and the man who entered. The sudden appearance of bright sunlight blinded her for a second until she blinked a few times, then was able to identify their guest.
“Father, what’s wrong?”
Velder closed the door and strode to a chair, taking a seat. “I came to check on you.”
Drantos grumbled low under his breath and gently lowered Dusti until she stood at his side. “I’m fine, but you knew I would be. What is the real reason you’ve come? There’s no need to be polite.”
Dusti bit her lip to prevent herself from pointing out it was extremely rude to just walk into someone’s house unannounced. The memory of what could happen if she offended the clan leader, and how it could cost Drantos in some way, helped her remain silent.
“Fine. We’re spread thin with this current threat. Kraven is gone and I need you back on patrol. I realize you just mated and need time to bond, but it’s a priority that we keep our women and children safe until things are stable.” He glanced at Dusti. “It’s also important to send a strong message that your mating her isn’t going to weaken your position in this clan. There are some rumblings.”
“Did you mention to them that her grandmother came from our clan?”
“It’s not her bloodlines that are in question. It’s her strength. Some also heard about what happened last night and word spread. They don’t feel as if she’ll be able to accept our ways and it will affect you. She is your mate.”
Drantos snorted. “She attacked a Lycan. I wouldn’t call that weak. She believed he was a VampLycan, yet still came to my defense.”
Velder scowled. “An elder Lycan who is respected by all. That didn’t earn her favor. No one doubts her bravery, it’s her sanity they question, and they wonder if you’ll act more human to please her. You know that would be a problem. You’re my first son. One day you’ll lead this clan.”
“Maybe in a hundred years or so if you decide to step aside. I’m sure as hell not going to challenge you.”
Velder shrugged. “It makes them nervous. Anxiety amongst our people is the last thing we need right now. They are already worried about Decker and how that will play out.”
“Fine. When do you want me to take a shift?”
“This evening. Get your mate settled today, and perhaps it would be a good idea if she was seen.”
“I’ll take her to get clothing.”
“There’s also the problem that she rejected you at first. It’s causing talk.”
Drantos snarled. “Don’t they have better things to do than gossip?”
“Apparently not.”
“She didn’t understand how mating works.”
“Your mother pointed that out to the women this morning when she met up with them at dawn. She’s hoping it will ease some of the tension.” Velder glanced at Dusti. “Outings with the women would be good for her.”
Drantos laughed.
“I’m serious,” Velder stated.
“Should I be insulted?” Dusti stared up at Drantos. “What’s funny?”
He held her gaze. “Our women bond by hunting a couple of times a week when it’s summer. They shift forms and go take down a few large animals. They bring their kills back to the village to cook for feasts that bring the clan together. Humans would consider it a BBQ for the community.”
She wasn’t amused. “Great. I see the problem.”
“I didn’t mean to make light of it but you don’t like the sight of blood. Hunting is grisly. They use their fangs to rip out the throats of their prey.”
“I got it.”
Velder sighed, drawing their attention. “She could take a rifle and guard the downed kill while they hunt for others. We’ve seen a lot of wolves in the area where they hunt. It would make her a useful part of their outing.”
“There’s one problem with that,” Dusti volunteered. “I don’t know how to shoot a gun. I take it that I’d have to fire the thing to scare them off?”
“Perfect. So she could shoot one of our people by accident,” Velder muttered. “I shouldn’t have brought up that option. Maybe she could gather firewood for their cooking pits while they’re out hunting.”
“I can tell the difference between one of you guys in shift and a wolf. Give me a little credit.” VampLycans were bigger and way scarier looking. But she didn’t point that out.
“She’s not a youth. That’s their job.” Drantos looked pissed. “You want her status set in this clan but giving her firewood duty would undermine it.”
Velder stood. “This is the problem with mating with someone so human. How is she going to fit into our society? Everyone has a duty, but what can she do?”
“Be my mate.”
“And what of your clan? She will make you antisocial. We’re a community that depends on each other for our survival. That includes her, now that you’ve brought her home.”
Dusti h
ad her own doubts about how she’d live with VampLycans but a sense of sadness filled her. She stared up at Drantos, watching him regard his father with a stern expression—and it sunk in that it wasn’t all about her.
She felt a little selfish in that moment. She’d been fixated on how her life would be affected but not really about the consequences he’d face for taking her as a mate. She loved Drantos. His people, not so much, but they needed to live with the clan.
“I’ll think of something,” Dusti swore.
Velder frowned. “Excuse me?”
“I’ll learn more about your people and figure it out. I get that it’s important that everyone accepts me. I’ll think of something,” she repeated.
“It’s not important.” Drantos put his arm around her. “You’re my mate. They will have no choice but to accept you. No one can possibly expect you to be a VampLycan. You’re not blooded enough to shift.”
“It is important,” Velder argued. “You’re going to lead this clan one day and she’s your mate. I couldn’t do my job effectively without your mother’s support. We’re a team. It brings balance to our people.”
And I don’t have claws or fangs, Dusti silently acknowledged. She wouldn’t be beating up women like Drantos’s mother had admitting to doing the night before. She saw the problem. Velder had made it very clear.
“I can fit in,” she stated with a firmer tone. “I just need to figure out how to make it work.”
Velder sighed. “I hope so. For your sake and for his.”
“Father, enough.” Drantos shook his head. “It’s not Dusti’s problem how others react to her. I’m not taking over the clan for a long time. They’ll get to know her as I do and she’ll make friends. You’re making too much out of this.”
“It’s my job to always think of the clan first.” Velder paused. “You’re thinking of your mate first.”
“Mother is always your priority. Don’t deny it.”
“I took a mate who was easily accepted by the clan.”
“You would have taken her even if she’d been a GarLycan. I know you were with one before you met Mother. What if she’d been your mate? You would have claimed her, consequences be damned.”
“True.”
Dusti was stunned. She couldn’t imagine a female version of Aveoth—or Velder dating her. She assumed “with one” meant they’d been an item. “Would a GarLycan be accepted easier than I would be, with my mostly human blood?” She was curious.