by Marie Medina
Byron nodded, as there was no point in denying the truth. “Yes. I’m going to go tell him he’s my mate. And see what happens.” He shifted his weight and ran one hand through his hair. “I might be back pretty quickly.”
Her smile disappeared. “You fear rejection so much?”
“He’s terrified of vampires. He’s also nineteen and might not like men.”
“That often doesn’t matter with mates. Age or sexual preference are only obstacles if you let them be so. The call of the mate bond is strong, even for humans and shifters.”
“Yeah, but there’s no getting around the other problem.”
“I take it you know why he’s scared of vampires? And you know where he is?” A breeze whipped through the stable, and she tucked a few stands of hair away, her quick movements showing her agitation. “We certainly don’t know any of those things. He might as well live on one of the moons, for all we know about him.”
Guilt stabbed at him. He knew his parents worried out of love. “Maggie’s ward. Kit. Over in Gregor’s dominion.”
Evane hesitated, her brows coming together. “But surely he’s over all of that! That madman wasn’t even a real vampire. Just a lunatic. Gregor has said before that Kit’s friendly with him.”
“He has?” Since Byron had kept his mate’s identity a secret from everyone but Maggie until today, the subject had never come up with Gregor. Byron had avoided it, in fact, as he’d avoided the topic in general with everyone else.
“Yes. I mean, Kit’s not crazy about other vampires, but he’s polite, according to Gregor. At least last I heard.” She fixed him with a stern look, recrossing her arms. “It’s been a while since I asked about him, since I had no clue he was my son’s mate.”
Byron thought about apologizing then, but the gesture seemed empty. “He probably trusts Gregor because he saved him.”
“It’s been several years since that tragedy, Byron. Your chances may be much better than you think at this point. He’s grown up and may feel differently.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Have you been talking to Maggie? What does she say?”
“We’ve written to each other. She gives me general updates and answers some of my questions.”
“But she doesn’t encourage you? Say anything about your chances?”
Byron shook his head. “No. She’s … I don’t know. Stoic, I guess. She seems to think things will work out if they’re meant to. She says being fated mates is no guarantee of anything. That I shouldn’t force it any more than I should abandon hope.” He tried to smile. “You know, the kind of advice that doesn’t help you at all.”
“What does he look like? Is he a red fox?”
“Yes, he shifts into a red fox. And he has red hair and green eyes. Fair skin. He was tall and thin the last time I saw him. And now he’s nineteen, which is of age for humans.” Vampires were still considered minors until they turned twenty-one, but most humans were considered adults at eighteen, often marrying even earlier than that.
“Was that what you were waiting for, him to turn a certain age? Or are you just telling yourself that?”
Though the comment irritated him, Byron came forward and hugged Evane to him. “Mother, I tell myself a lot of things every day. And it’s driving me crazy.”
Evane wrapped her arms around him, as if sensing his pain and struggle. “I don’t mean to push. I’m just frustrated. Don’t mind my teasing. I didn’t mean to upset you either. I know this must be hard.” She hugged him as close as her swollen stomach would allow. “Tell me what you need. Your father and I will do anything. Your brothers, too. All of us.”
“That’s just it.” He stepped back but kept hold of her hands. “I have to be the one who does this. Not you or Father. Not my brothers or their mates. Or Maggie or Gregor. If I can’t even look Kit in the eye and tell him the truth, how can I hope for anything else?”
“But it’s not always easy. Human or shifter, it doesn’t matter. Anyone who isn’t a vampire might react negatively to being a vampire’s fated mate, especially if he’ll be wary of you biting him. You’ll have to have some plan for approaching him. You can’t just walk up to him and announce it.”
Byron chuckled. “I’ll be so nervous I might not be able to talk at all.”
“Oh, shut up. You’re very charming.”
Byron laughed again. “Did you just tell me to shut up? Been years since you said that to any of us.”
She drew her hands away and reached up to cup his face. “Just go. Quit thinking and start doing. If it doesn’t work out, come home. You’re only thirty-five, and this boy is not your only chance at happiness.”
Byron struggled to believe that, even though he knew many vampires—the king and queen included—were happy with mates they hadn’t been fated to by the gods. He patted his mother’s right hand and turned back to Saint, placing one hand on the saddle horn. “You’ll tell Father?”
“Yes. Once you’ve gotten a bit of a start. Hard to say how he might react.”
“He might be angry.”
“Maybe, but it’s your life. Your mate.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Doesn’t mean everyone isn’t going to have opinions, but that’s all they are. I think he’ll be glad you’re taking action, at least.”
Byron mounted his horse and took the reins. “I’ll write to Vane if there’s anything to report. Will you stay here until the baby comes?”
She braced her back with one hand. “Yes. The very idea of getting on a horse or being tossed around in a carriage makes every inch of me ache. I’m staying here.” She smiled. “Arion’s so sweet. He seems excited about having a little one around.” She blinked, her expression changing a bit. “Did they tell you they set a date for their matehood ceremony? It’s another reason we’re staying. I don’t want to miss it in case the baby is stubborn, the way you were.”
“What?”
She actually rolled her eyes at him, rubbing her stomach. “You were two weeks late. I thought I would burst. So, yes, stubborn.”
“Not at all. I just loved you so much.” He grinned at her.
She seemed to be holding back a biting retort as she screwed her lips up. Relaxing and giving a shrug, she finally said, “Well, you get back here if you can. It’s on the last day of the month.”
“I’ll do my best.” Byron thought about Vane and Arion and all the craziness they’d gone through to get their happy ending. Things weren’t perfect, he knew, but they seemed to truly love each other. He’d never imagined they would ever be together, or even see each other again, after what had happened when they first met. Finally seeing Vane so happy gave Byron strength, in a strange way.
Above all, it gave him hope.
“Bye, Mother. Maybe I’ll send home good news soon.”
She smiled and moved aside as he guided the horse out of the stable. “You better. We have a bear and a lycan in the family. A fox would round things off nicely.” She nodded down at her belly. “Maybe the gods will hitch this little one up with a leopard.”
Byron slowed as people all turned to look. He nodded to his mother, watching her laugh. Knowing she’d called out so loudly on purpose, he simply sighed and made his way out of the castle grounds. Seeing her so happy helped keep his resentment, and embarrassment, under control. He had bigger things to focus on than his mother continuing to intentionally embarrass him at his age.
****
Kit sidled his way in the back door with the buckets of well water. He called to Maggie as he climbed the stepladder and dumped the water into the reservoir. The line between the well and the house was being repaired, so they were using the repurposed beer keg Maggie had used before Gregor had insisted on connecting the well to the main house on her homestead. Based on the stories he’d heard, she’d complained the entire time the men had been tearing up her land, but now she wasted no time sending word to Gregor the moment anything went wrong with the more modern system.
“Maggie?” Kit called a second time. When she didn’t answer, he put b
oth buckets by the back door and shut it. “Hey, Maggie?”
He found her standing in the foyer reading a letter. She refolded it quickly when she saw him standing there. “Yes, dear, sorry. Does Rowan or one of the men need something?”
“No, they’re done for today. Light’s fading too fast with all the cloud cover. They’re heading home for the day.”
She studied him a moment before asking, “You going to spend the evening with Rowan again?”
Maggie had been teasing him about the amount of time he’d been spending with Rowan since repairs began a few days ago, but something seemed different today. “No. He’s heading back with the other guys.” Truth be told, Rowan was only interested in sex. Kit still liked him, but he wasn’t quite ready yet. He wanted to have sex, and the idea of being with Rowan excited him. But he lacked the confidence to go through with it. He felt pretty sure Rowan wouldn’t like teaching a virgin how to do things. Part of him thought it might all just click once they started, and then Rowan would never even have to know it had been his first time. But he was still kind of scared.
Maggie nodded. “Ah. Just as well. We have a visitor coming. You’ve met him before, but I think it’s been about five years. Just a few months after you came to live with me.”
Kit nodded. “All right. Want me to make up a guest room?”
“Yes, go ahead, though I’m not sure if he’ll stay here. I’d like for him to, at least for one night. But he might end up staying with Gregor.”
Kit had been heading for the stairs, but that made him stop. “He’s friends with Lord Gregor?”
“Yes. He’s a vampire. Lord Byron. He helped a girl who’d been thrown from her horse and then went to fetch her family. I had you bring him some wine. It was that night you tripped with a knife in your hand and cut your palm so badly.”
Kit glanced down at the scar on his palm. He remembered that night, but he couldn’t recall much about the man. He vaguely remembered a dark-haired, tall vampire who’d spoken softly, but he couldn’t really recall his face. “Yeah, I remember that happening. He stayed and talked with you a long time. You’re good friends?”
“Yes, he’s a very dear friend. I like him very much, and I think you will, too.”
Kit nodded. Maggie always insisted he try to be friendly around vampires, and he cooperated out of gratitude. She’d been so good to him, as had Lord Gregor. But even after five years, he still had nightmares some nights. He tried to hide that fact, but he felt sure she knew the bad dreams still came to him. “If he’s your friend, I’ll be glad to meet him. Again.”
Maggie beamed at him. “Good. I’m excited about his visit and hope he’ll stay a while. I can probably convince him to if you two hit it off.”
Why in blazes would that matter? Kit nodded again, unsure what else to do before heading upstairs to air a room and change the sheets. He stopped halfway up and called down, “When will he be here?”
“Maybe tomorrow or the next day. Lord Vane is his brother, so he’s going to stop there. His letter’s dated last week, when he set out from the palace.”
Kit blinked. “The royal palace, you mean?”
“Yes. He’s good friend with His Majesty, too.”
“Ah. All right.” Kit hurried upstairs. He’d heard dozens of stories about the king and queen. The queen sounded lovely. He’d seen her once when she’d come alone to visit Gregor and his sister, and to this day Kit thought her the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Everyone had spoken well of her and gone on and on about her kindness and generosity. But the king was a mystery, one Kit didn’t really care to solve. Gregor was really the only vampire he liked being around. He knew it wasn’t the fault of any vampire that Akar had killed his family, that the poor man’s brain had snapped and given him twisted delusions. But vampires could be evil or crazy just the way humans could. And based on stories he’d heard, insane vampires could wreak havoc in a very short time and do far more damage than any human. He was wary of lots of people at first, but the memories of that night refused to leave him. He could tell himself a thousand times a day that Akar hadn’t actually been a vampire, but his own horrors were irrevocably intertwined with the violent scene he’d witnessed and memories of the blood dripping from the man’s mouth. He had no trouble dealing with blood when it came to helping Maggie with her work, or even seeing a vampire drink blood from a goblet, but the idea of a vampire’s bite gave him chills.
Kit opened all the windows in the room across the hall from his and then looked around. He’d dusted just a few days ago, so the room was pretty clean. He went to the bed and took the blankets off, setting them aside so he could take them out and beat them first thing in the morning. He stripped the sheets and gave them a sniff. They weren’t dirty, but they did smell a bit musty. Vampires were supposed to have keen senses, so Kit wadded the sheets up and tossed them into the empty laundry basket before going down the hall to get fresh ones. Even if Kit wasn’t looking forward to meeting this man, he wasn’t about to let one of Maggie’s friends sleep in a room that wasn’t clean and fresh.
****
Byron stopped on the crest of a hill, dismounting and patting Saint on the neck. The stallion glanced over at him but then found some flowers to munch on by the side of the road. Byron could see Maggie’s house from where he stood. He was so close he probably could’ve gotten Maggie’s attention if she’d been standing outside. There didn’t seem to be much activity going on. Struggling to stay calm, he took Saint’s reins and walked the rest of the way. It looked as if some improvements had been made to the ancient homestead. Something in the yard had been dug up recently, and a cart full of tools was secured to a post by the road. The horse harnessed to the cart seemed restless, and Byron looked around for its owner.
Approaching the barn, Byron heard voices. His ears pricked up when he heard someone say, “I’m just not ready. Please, stop doing that.”
Whoever was in there, he needed help. The voice sounded young, and the possibility it might be Kit had Byron’s heart racing. He rounded the corner and looked around. He spotted a big, dark-haired man crowding someone else in a corner. When he saw a flash of red hair, his blood began to boil.
“No! I don’t want to do that!”
The bigger man crowded Kit, one hand under Kit’s shirt while the other held his arm in what looked like a fierce grip. Kit’s green eyes glinted with fear, or so Byron thought. His focus soon shifted to the other man. Barely hanging on to his control, Byron grabbed the man by his shirt collar and yanked him away from Kit.
Ignoring Kit’s gasp, Byron focused on the man glaring at him. “I don’t know who you are, but you obviously need to be taught the meaning of the word no.” He threw the man up against the wall. “Get out of here and do not come back. Ever.”
“You think you can throw your weight around just because you’re a vampire?” the man said, although he was already backing away. “This isn’t your dominion.”
“No, it isn’t, but that’s not the point. I’d aid anyone who needed help no matter, who they were or where it was. Right and wrong don’t have anything to do with dominions and jurisdiction.” He knew his eyes were red now, and he tried to calm down. Vampires had white irises, and they changed color with mood. Red meant bloodlust or extreme anger, and right now, Byron felt both. “Now, you have one minute to get out of here.”
“Just go, Rowan. I don’t want to see you anymore,” Kit said, his voice loud but still shaky. “Not ever. And you can tell Lord Gregor you won’t be coming back. The other men can finish up the last little bit without you tomorrow.”
“You gonna tattle on me if I don’t?” Rowan said.
“I’m going to beat you senseless if you say one more word to him!” Byron said. He pointed to the door. “Go!”
Rowan left, throwing one final glare over his shoulder.
Byron immediately turned back to Kit, unsure what to do or say. Kit had his head lowered, but he looked up at Byron uncertainly, his chest heaving. Licking his
lips, Kit said, “Thank you, my lord. I don’t think he would’ve really hurt me, but … I was scared.”
Byron closed his eyes, hoping they would return to a more normal color than red. “I’m glad I came in time. Arrogant men like him think they can do whatever they want with no consequences.” He opened his eyes and held out his hand. “I’m Byron. You’re Kit, right? We met briefly once. Maggie’s told me how much of a help you are to her.”
Kit hesitated but then slid his hand into Byron’s for a very brief shake. “Yeah. I’m Kit. We’ve been expecting you.”
Just touching Kit sent a shiver up Byron’s spine, and he clasped his hands together to try to focus on the conversation at hand. Byron gave Kit a quick once over. His shirt was partially untucked, his left sleeve torn at the shoulder. “Are you really all right? Please tell me if he hurt you.”
Kit touched his shoulder, looking at his torn sleeve. “He grabbed me. That’s all. It wasn’t just, you know, random. We’ve been spending time together. Talking and all. We liked each other. It, uh, I mean, I wasn’t ready…” He trailed off, blushing. “You heard. I’m not hurt, so I don’t wanna talk about it, my lord.” After a moment, he said, “Please.”
“Call me Byron. Maggie is a very dear friend.” And you’re my mate. I want to pick you up and take you away with me right now. Byron swallowed. “And we don’t have to dwell on this. I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I have to go pay my respects to Gregor one day, but I’d hoped to stay here.”
Kit nodded, though he still looked upset. “I made a room up for you. Maggie wants you to stay, so it’s fine. We have plenty of wine, and Maggie can get blood from Lord Gregor. She usually only keeps one bottle around for vampires passing by.”
Byron hoped he wouldn’t need any bottled blood, but he couldn’t say that. Kit had almost been sexually assaulted moments earlier. Now was not the time for Byron to show his true desires in any way. “That’ll be fine. I fed at my brother’s home before coming here. I’m Lord Vane’s brother.”
