“He’s very attractive but scary as hell. Big.” Dusti noticed that her visitor was a few more feet inside the door. “Are we pals now or something?”
“My protests about you becoming Drantos’s mate weren’t personal.”
“You’ve slept with him, Yonda. We are not friends.”
“I’ve slept with a lot of men. I’m a VampLycan.”
Dusti frowned.
“I go into heat every summer. You probably don’t suffer from that, being so human, but it’s hell. You wouldn’t understand how strong the urge to be fucked becomes but we always find someone to spend our heat with. Even when I’m not suffering from it, I love sex. We all expect to meet our mate one day and then be locked into one partner for life. It’s acceptable in our culture to have many lovers when we’re young and single. It’s healthy and normal. Drantos was one of the better ones I’ve known but I wasn’t jealous over you. I was angry because he’s going to lead the clan I live in one day and I didn’t see that turning out well if he took you as a mate. You can’t shift, and I don’t pick up any VampLycan from you. None. You aren’t even vicious, or you would have gone for my throat already.” Her gaze darted around the room. “I spot at least six weapons you could use to come at me but you haven’t moved for any of them.”
“You can shift. I’m not an idiot.” She glanced at the counter. “This block of knives wouldn’t even save me if you wanted to kill me.” She looked back at Yonda. It surprised her that the other woman smiled.
“You could at least try. Drantos would slaughter me if I laid a finger on you. I’m not suicidal. At least bluff, Dustin.”
“It’s Dusti.”
“Isn’t that a boy’s name?”
“My full name is Dustina but everyone shortens it. It’s with an I.”
Yonda groaned. “A human with an I at the end of her name. How cliché. I’m trying to like you but you’re making it difficult.”
“You’re another VampLycan woman with an A at the end of her name. Crayla. Peva. My mom was Antina. She named her daughters Batina and Dustina. Is that like a requirement here or something? I think I’ll stick with being called Dusti with an I.”
Yonda chuckled. “A lot of our names do end with A’s. It’s tradition in some families to have that in the name of at least one daughter. It’s considered good luck. Tell me about Lord Aveoth. I’ve always wanted to meet him. Does he look like he’d be fantastic in bed? He needs a lover. I’m not sure how I’d do living at the cliffs but he might be worth it.” She sobered. “Especially if this clan’s future is resting on Drantos making you fierce. I’m not holding much hope of that happening.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bitch?”
“All the time. Is that insulting in your world? Call me human.” Yonda flashed a grin. “That would sting. Now tell me about Aveoth. I’m serious! I’ve never gone to bed with a GarLycan and the ones sent here with messages are in and out before we can flirt with them. They are all business. You could get rid of me if I volunteered to go live with their clan. Tell me about him.”
“He’s about six feet four, massive chest and arms, classically handsome but with a touch of seriously scary too. He looks really dangerous. I didn’t see any wings but he dressed in a lot of leather and his voice reminded me of thunder when he got angry. His eyes and skin color changed right in front of me. It was eerie. He beheaded someone superfast and didn’t seem bothered by it at all. His tone didn’t even really change. You’d think he’d just swatted a fly.”
Yonda licked her lips. “Did he seem really cold and distant?”
Dusti shrugged. “I guess.”
“I’m going to request an audience with him. That’s incredibly arousing.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Of course I did. You made him sound like a wet dream.”
“I think I need another drink.” Dusti shook her head. “You people are too weird.”
“Why do you think that way?”
“I couldn’t wait to get away from him but you want to go meet him? I thought you said you weren’t suicidal?”
Yonda advanced into the kitchen and snatched away the bottle Dusti had grabbed. “I think you’ve had enough. You’re slurring your words. You don’t want your mate to come home from patrol to find you passed out on the floor. It will be just one more reminder of how weak you are. You can’t even hold your liquor well.”
Dusti looked up at the other woman. “I really don’t like you. You’re so rude.”
“We’re honest. Lies are a waste of time. You are Drantos’s mate so that means I have to accept you. Feign violence if you are ever insulted. No one would actually strike you since it would be a death sentence if they hurt Drantos’s mate in any way. You’ll at least appear stronger than you really are and earn their respect for courage. Stay away from the booze too.” Her gaze lowered to Dusti’s stomach. “I can see why Crayla advised you to get pregnant. You might want to consider getting in that mindset so your ovaries start producing viable eggs. Everyone loves a new baby and it will distract them from your flaws.”
Dusti blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I seriously hate you.”
Yonda leaned forward a little. “That’s better. Honesty. You’re sounding more like a VampLycan. Keep it up.” She turned and walked out of the house, closing the door behind her. The bottle went with her.
Dusti sighed and decided to take that bath after all. It would be hours before Drantos returned. Her talk with Yonda had sobered her up enough that she felt certain she wouldn’t fall asleep. She had too much on her mind.
Drantos spotted Yonda coming and made his presence known by walking up behind her. She didn’t sense him until he was a few feet away. She turned. He stopped.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I came looking for you.”
He tensed. “Why? Did you want to insult my mate again? I thought we were friends. How could you pull that shit, especially in front of my father?”
“I was taken aback. I didn’t expect you to go on a mission and return with a human who smelled like you’d just climbed out of bed with her. We don’t mess with humans. I was reasonably concerned when you made it clear you planned to mate her.”
“She believed it was an act of a woman who had a claim to me. I had a hell of a time explaining we have no emotional ties.”
“It’s not my fault humans date and try to form bonds with whoever they have sex with.”
“Did you come to apologize?”
“Yes.”
“I appreciate that. Don’t cause me more problems, Yonda. Avoid Dusti if you can’t be nice.”
“I just left your home.”
Rage exploded inside him. He lunged and grabbed her by her throat before he could get a handle on it. He didn’t squeeze but he let his anger be known as he snarled, glaring at her. “Did you hurt her?”
“No.” She reached up and held her open hands near his nose. “I didn’t touch her. Smell.”
He inhaled and released her, stepping back. “Stay away from her. Did you tell her to leave? Insult her?”
“I went there to explain what you needed in a mate because I consider myself your friend but you’re already linked to her. I’d be more concerned with what your mother said to her than any advice I gave.”
“What in the hell does that mean?”
Yonda grinned.
“Don’t play games.”
“What is the only way a weak mate could be useful?”
“Shit. She told her to have a baby right away?”
“Your little human’ish hit the bottle. I took it away from her. She can’t hold her liquor either, Drantos. I admit I made her angry just to see how she’d react. She has potential.”
He growled.
“I expected her to flee into your bedroom to lock the door but she held her ground. I like her but she needs some work. You’re probably telling her not to worry about anything and how you’ll deal with any problems
that arise. It’s the wrong approach. She needs to earn the clan’s respect by her actions, not yours.”
“No one would dare hurt her.”
“You’re right. You’d kill them. That doesn’t mean you can force them to like her or be happy she belongs to you. It will cause resentment.”
“Why do you care?”
“We grew up together, Drantos. You mated a weakling. You’d look out for me if I found myself in this position by offering to teach him how to fight and toughen him up. You have a good heart. So do I. She doesn’t have the potential to effectively kill but we can work around that. Lying to another human to avoid future trouble for our clan showed them she had at least one purpose, but it’s not as if we come across too many of them that can’t be memory wiped. She didn’t seem thrilled with birthing babies to prove her worth to the clan. I don’t blame her. Talk her into working with some of the women. We’ll teach her our ways and how to work around her lack of physical strength.”
Drantos debated it.
“Some of us want to help you. I do.” She cocked her head. “You might be Crayla’s son but she’s a terror to most of us. Don’t depend on her to be softer on your mate than the rest of us once the shock wears off that you’ve brought your Dusti home. It’s her duty to see to the harmony of the entire clan. She can’t afford to play favorites. You know it’s true.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Do that.” Yonda suddenly grinned. “You can thank me by asking your father to request an audience with Lord Aveoth. I’d like to meet him.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“He lost his lover.” She ran her hands down her body. “I have a lot to offer him if he’s as sexy as your mate said.”
Jealousy rose. “She—”
“Fears him. Relax. She isn’t attracted to him. The opposite. I figure if he can instill that kind of reaction in her that he’s pretty impressive.” Yonda peered at something behind him. “I’ll leave you now. I’m willing to help if you decide you need it.”
Drantos watched her stalk away before he turned. He saw the reason she’d left. Red approached. His cousin and Yonda had never gotten along well. She’d wanted to test a mating but Red had refused.
Red closed the distance between them. “What are you doing talking to her? Your mate wouldn’t like it.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Red sighed. “Fine. I talked to Kraven. He called.”
“How are he and Bat?”
“Safe so far. He kept it short. His message was that he plans to talk to the doctor. He said you’d know who that is and where he went. He didn’t want to say over the phone.”
Drantos nodded. “It’s the one who treats Dusti. He’s in California.”
“For what? Your mate is ill?”
“Forget it. Did he say anything else?”
“He’d call afterward to share the details. I told him you’d gotten your mate back safely. He was relieved. He said he wouldn’t have to watch his balls anymore, whatever that meant.”
Drantos found that amusing. “The sister he’s with likes to threaten to remove his when she’s angry.”
Red growled. “Why would he put up with that?”
“You’ll understand one day when you find the right woman.”
“It must be something they learned being raised human.” He let his disgust show. “Why did you even test a mating with one?”
“I didn’t see this coming, Red. I was just curious how much of her mother’s blood she carried since I couldn’t pick it up by scent. She takes shots for anemia. It made me think she might have a need for blood.”
“And?”
“I was right.”
“I hope you didn’t tell your father about that. What if she’s unable to breed? He expects you to have children one day.”
“It’s not an issue.” He remembered what Aveoth had said about having Dusti drink from him when she was pregnant to have strong VampLycan babies. “I think their mother might have drank the human father’s blood during her pregnancy, and that made her children weaker when they were born. She must have known Decker would want to use her children, the way he had attempted to do to her. They’d have been of no use to him that way.”
“That’s insane. Who would want to purposely create weak offspring?”
“A desperate VampLycan living in a human world who probably figured she’d never be able to return to the clans. What is our rule when we go out into the human world?”
“Blend and fit in. Don’t do anything that will draw attention.”
“Exactly. I was once told that Decker forced one of the elder Lycans who survived the war to stay with him for the first ten years as an advisor when he took control of his clan. She was the Lycan midwife, so she didn’t stay behind to fight when the younger ones fled the Vampires.” His mind worked. “What if that Lycan had told Decker about sharing blood while a mate was pregnant? It’s possible that Antina could have been passed that information as well. Decker would have demanded all his children give him strong grandchildren.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Never mind.” Drantos looked up at the sky. “I can’t wait for my shift to end. I just want to go home to my mate.”
“Go.” Red waved him off. “I’ll cover for you.”
“Thank you.”
Drantos started to walk away.
“Hey!”
He stopped and glanced back. “What?”
“I want my jacket back.”
Drantos nodded and sprinted home. He found the front door unlocked and entered. The lights were on but Dusti wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. He sniffed the air and followed her scent through his bedroom and into the master bathroom. She was in the tub with her head tipped back along the rim, eyes closed.
“I’m home.”
Her eyes opened and she sat up. “You’re early.”
“I missed you.” He opened the link between them and a wave of sadness swept through him. He crossed the room and crouched next to the tub. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I want to fit in but I don’t ever see it happening.”
“It will. Give it time.”
“Your mother thinks I should have a baby but I want us to get to know each other better first. No marriage should start off with a baby. We have enough stress without adding in sleepless nights and changing diapers.”
“I agree.” He caught her word. “Do you want me to marry you? I know that’s important to humans.”
She lifted one of her hands from the water, staring at it. “A band would be nice but I honestly don’t want the whole ceremony thing.” Her gaze met his. “Or maybe we can buy matching necklaces. Just something we both have that shows we’re a couple. I noticed none of your mated couples wear rings. You could hide a necklace under your shirt.”
He didn’t want to remind her at that moment that he shifted into another form, and how jewelry wasn’t a good idea to wear during the change. “We’ll smell the same as we keep strengthening our bond.”
She looked away and tried to lower her hand. He snagged it and curled his fingers around hers. “I’ll get us rings.” He could just remove his when he was on patrol, then put it back on when he came home. That way he wouldn’t lose it when he shifted forms.
She smiled and stared into his eyes again. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You’re giving up a lot to live in my world. I can compromise, Dusti. Your happiness is important to me. How did it go with my mother?”
“She tried to be nice. She got an A for effort. We’re just really different.”
“Did you talk to anyone else?” He wondered if she’d tell him about her other visitor.
“Yonda stopped by.”
He clenched his jaw at her unhappy tone. “It won’t happen again.”
“I thought she’d come to kick my ass at first but she was just mildly insulting. I will never be a fan of hers but it was okay. She wan
ted to give me pointers.”
“I just hate that it’s so difficult for you.”
“It’s not too easy living in my world either. You’d stick out like a sore thumb.”
“I’ve been in your world before. I made sure I fit in.”
She grinned, her mood lightening. “Baby, you stand out. Trust me.”
“How so?”
Her gaze lowered and he felt arousal came through their bond. “You’re hot, tall, sexy…they’d have to be blind not to see you.”
He stood and grabbed a towel, holding it out for her. “Come out of there.”
She rose and he admitted enjoying the sight of her naked and wet. Her nipples pebbled from the cooler air. He wrapped the towel around her and lifted her right out of the tub, carrying her to the counter and gently depositing her there. He spread his legs and leaned in, putting his lips close to hers. He wanted to kiss her but resisted. She needed more than sex at that moment.
“I love you. That’s the most important thing of all. We’re together. Don’t let bullshit clan politics get to you, Dusti. I don’t give a damn what anyone says or thinks. I won’t have you unhappy. I own some land that borders the territory. We can move out there before the winter sets in if you want space from my people. I can’t imagine anything better than spending months snowed in with you. We’d be alone in our cozy cabin. It’s not this big but I think you’ll like it.”
She smiled. “Wouldn’t we get bored?”
He shook his head. “We’d keep each other occupied. Open up to me. Let your inner guard down.”
She did. He felt it instantly, as if she’d opened a window and her emotions and thoughts breezed through him. She wanted to touch him, kiss him, but was holding back.
“I want you too, sweetheart.” He stopped fighting his urges and took possession of her mouth. Passion exploded inside both of them. He groaned and reached down, shoving the towel out of his way so he could play with her pussy. She spread her thighs wider apart, hooking them around his hips.
She was already getting wet from the sexual tension between them so he used his thumb to rub upward, using the pad of it to tease her clit. The little bud hardened as he stroked it up and down. Her moans urged him on but mostly it was the needy thoughts he could pick up. She wanted him inside her. His dick stiffened painfully.