by Rhys Rowlyn
“Why did Kane say you would be staying in the neighborhood, and why do you have a bag?” Zeke narrows his eyes on my bag, dipping his chin in my direction.
“Zoey is my mate,” I blurt, not wanting there to be any misunderstandings about where I stand with her. I am staking my territory now.
“What the hell?” Zeke rears back as if I’ve slapped him. “Seriously? I don’t know how I feel about this.”
“Doesn’t matter how you feel about it. She’s mine.” I growl but don’t know why I feel so possessive around this man. Kane didn’t bring out this type of reaction.
Zeke hops over the bar and stands at his full height. “Hey, dude, I only think of her as a little sister. Zoey is good people, and I only want what’s best for her.”
“Then we’re on the same page.” I’m waiting on him to lunge, and I’m ready.
Zeke tilts his head to the side, looking me up and down. “You do know she’s different?”
“What do you mean?” I cock a brow, going on the defensive and not wanting to give any information away. I plan to keep my promise to my mate.
“She’s not completely human. She thinks we don’t know, but I’ve always known.” He smirks. “I don’t know what she is, but I know she uses us wolves for protection, and I gladly give it.”
“Good to know. Thank you for keeping her safe all these years.” I relax a bit but still don’t like the fact he’s known my mate for so long.
“Yeah, let’s just keep her that way.” He snarls back at me.
I straighten my shoulders and move toward the wolf, only to have Giles and Kane step between us.
Giles pushes on my chest, and I move a couple of steps back. “Hey, no reason to have any trouble. You both want the same thing, what’s best for Zoey. Let’s take a breather and calm down.” Giles meets my gaze, shaking his head. “Come on, let’s go see your woman.”
With a growl, I leave the bar and make my way to the building next door. As we climb the stairs, I get a faint whiff of her scent. The wolves covered it until I was almost to her door. I knock and hear voices inside.
A tall, muscular young man answers the door. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, and I recognize the family resemblance. He has blond hair with lighter streaks in it, and his eyes are a striking blue with violet at the center. His lighter hair is the color of Zoey’s natural color, and the violet in his eyes matches hers.
“Yes, may I help you?”
I straighten and meet his gaze. “I am Tristan, and I’m here for Zoey.”
“Tristan, you’re here.” Zoey shoves her way in front of the man and grabs my arm to pull me into the apartment. “Come in.”
“Zoey.” I point with my thumb over my shoulder. “This is Giles. He’s going to be hanging around with us.”
“Oh hi, Giles, and this is my father, Shane Landry.” She waves toward her father, laughing nervously. “Dad, this is Tristan. I don’t know your last name.”
I give Giles a narrow look when he covers his mouth to hide a bark of laughter. “It’s Hughes.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tristan. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m a bit abrupt, but it’s not every day my daughter tells me she has a mate. What are your intentions?” He clenches and unclenches his fists at his side.
“What do you mean, sir? She’s my mate. I mean to take care of her and always be with her in any form she needs me to be.” I know he has to know what a mate is, so I’m unsure what he’s asking.
“Zoey is a good girl, and I’ll not have you thinking you can simply have sex with her until some time has passed and you’ve gotten to know her.” Glaring, he leans toward me, his lips drawn in a straight line.
“Dad! Please,” Zoey yells, her face turning bright pink.
I fold my hands in front of me and smile politely. “Sir, with all due respect, I leave that completely up to Zoey.”
“Good enough.” He nods toward Giles. “I thought Zoey told you to keep what she is a secret.”
“And I have.” My spine straightens. I don’t like having my honor called into question, even by my mate’s father.
“What’s he doing here?”
“What she is?” Giles looks from me to Shane, then back again with a raised brow.
I ignore him, keeping my attention on Shane. “Giles knows she’s my mate, and he offered to give me a ride. We got caught up in the meeting downstairs.” I face Shane head-on, refusing to allow him to believe I would betray my mate.
Zoey
I can’t murder my father. I cannot murder my father. I love my father. I love my father.
I repeat this several times and take a calming breath. “Dad, as you can see, Tristan did not betray my trust.”
“So what are you?” Giles follows me into the living room.
I motion for everyone to have a seat, glancing at my dad. He shakes his head, but I’m not paying him any mind at the moment and am going to do what I have to.
“Giles, I need to know I can trust you. I know Tristan trusts you, but I don’t allow people close very often. With your consent, I’d like to do a read on you.” It takes a good bit of energy to do a deep read, but if I’m going to become a part of my mate’s life, I need to start somewhere, and this seems like the best place.
Giles crosses his arms over his chest, meeting my gaze with a hard look. “A read? What’s that?”
“It’s where I look at your soul and know whether you have darkness or not. It will tell me if I can trust you.” That’s as simple as I can get, explaining how I’m about to look deep within him and find out if he’s lying or not.
“You can do this?” Giles tilts his head slightly to the side, cocking a brow in my direction.
“Yes, it’s one of my powers. I can generally do a quick read of people’s auras and know whether they’re truly evil. Most folks have good and bad in them, but this tells me if you are innately good and whether you are likely use the information against me or not. I can also ask questions and know if you are lying.” I hope he consents to this, if not for my peace of mind, then for my father’s.
“Sure, let’s do it.” Giles shrugs, grinning. “Where do you want me?”
I point at the sofa. “It’s best if you’re sitting down.”
Giles sits, wiggling around and getting comfortable. Taking a deep breath, I place my hands on his chest and close my eyes, then concentrate on his inner spirit. I sense pain of loss hidden deep within, and sadness, but also goodness and joy. There is no innate evil in this man.
“Giles, do you wish to hurt me or my family?” A surge of strength comes through him, and I sense this man has always been a champion for the weak. I’m liking everything about him.
“No, I only want to protect you,” he replies, and I smile. He is being completely honest.
After removing my shaking hands, I plop onto the sofa beside him and take the glass of juice my father hands me. “Dad, we can trust him completely. He’s probably one of the most honest men I’ve ever met.”
“Did you hear that, Tristan? One of the most honest men she’s met.” Giles bows his chest out and literally thumps it with his fist.
Tristan rolls his eyes, and Giles laughs. “Yes, I heard.”
I pull off my wig and take out my contacts, blinking rapidly to clear my vision. It’s as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I’m relieved I can finally reveal myself to someone besides my father.
“Oh, holy mother, you look so different.” Giles’s eyes widen, and he picks up a strand of my hair. “Now are ya going to tell me what you are?”
Taking a deep breath, I straighten my spine, knowing in my heart this is the right thing to do. “My mother was fae, and my dad is human.”
“How come he doesn’t look human and he’s so young?” Tristan slaps my father’s shoulder, and Dad steps forward, grimacing.
“He and my mother were true mates and she bonded with him, giving him part of her power.”
Dad gives me a questioning look, I guess wonde
ring how I knew. I’ve never asked him about my mother and his relationship, but the book was full of information, and it didn’t mind sharing about this.
“She reminds me of the sisters, her bone structure and features.” Giles looks me up and down, pointing at my face. “I wonder if they are descendants of the fae as well?”
“Now that you mention it, I can see it. I would think it’s entirely possible.” Tristan rubs his chin, nodding thoughtfully.
Dad waves his hands in denial. “I doubt it. Her mother said it was forbidden to travel to this realm.” He points his finger down, emphasizing his point.
Tristan lifts a brow and shrugs. “Her mother did, so who’s to say others haven’t?”
“I guess anything is possible.” I feel the need to dissuade any more conflict, but I do wonder if there have been others. “I want to learn more about these witches before I agree to meet them. I’m still leery after what happened with the last one.”
Dad takes my hands in his and gives them a squeeze. “I know, dear, and you don’t have to anytime soon. We have plenty of time for that.”
For years, it’s only been the two of us, so I know this can’t be easy for him. Although he was saying I should get out more only yesterday, I don’t think he imagined me finding my mate so soon.
Dad straightens, looking from one man to the other and furrowing his brow. “What were you saying about a meeting downstairs?”
Tristan sits on the sofa beside me, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me farther away from Giles. “There have been some men come up missing close to the neighborhood, and we believe it’s the work of a crazed vampire named Minerva. I told Kane I’d be staying close to Zoey to keep her safe, and Giles agreed to hang around and keep an eye on the neighborhood also.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any spare rooms?” Giles stands, gripping Dad’s shoulder.
“We have an apartment downstairs that was vacated last month. It’s furnished. The two of you can stay there.” Dad’s shoulders slump. He has to know having the two vampires near is necessary, but he also knows he can’t deny my mate access to me.
“Sounds perfect. I’ll go back to the house and collect my things, along with blood.” Giles walks to the door but turns before he exits. “It has a fridge, correct?”
“Yes,” Dad and I answer in unison.
“I’ll also let everyone know where we are. I would imagine they’ll be investigating the neighborhood once I tell them about the missing men.” Giles bids us farewell and leaves to run his errands.
My dad retires to his room to see if he can learn anything about the men from the internet, and I lead Tristan to my garden upstairs. I’ve been wanting to get him alone ever since he walked into my home this evening. It would shock my dad if he knew what was going through my mind.
I love it up here. My plants give me peace. I walk to the swing, sit on it, and pat the wood beside me. Tristan sits, taking my hand in his and kissing my knuckles.
“It’s beautiful up here. You would never know you’re in the city.” Tristan sits back and pushes the swing gently with his feet.
“I know. It’s necessary for us to live close to the wolves, but I wish I could live near a forest out of town. When I was young, we lived near a pack, but my parents said they don’t like outsiders living near their lands, so we found Zeke and moved here.” I was young when we lived there, but I do remember how much I loved the trees and plants.
“Who is Zeke? I know he is full wolf, but he’s not part of the pack.” Tristan’s arm is lying along the back of the swing, and he’s twirling a lock of my hair around his finger.
“No, he’s not. I know he’s not from here and went through some bad stuff. The only reason I know this is I overheard him and Kane talking. I’ve always tried to hide what I am so I haven’t been free to question him. I did ask once if his family was from here, and he said no. They were from out west, and he didn’t get along with them. He clammed up, so I knew the subject was off limits. It’s one of the only times he’s ever been a jerk to me.” I could feel the pain emulating from him, and it took my breath away. I never brought up his past again.
He stares at the lock of my hair, rubbing it between his thumb and finger. “The other night, Kane introduced you to Lucy for the first time. You’ve known him for years and didn’t know he had a sister?”
“I was shocked, and yes I’ve known him for years. He never talks family and acted as if he didn’t have one. Maybe he tries to keep the two worlds separate.” I had thought Kane was a fairly open book. He told me about his mother needing chemotherapy for cancer, so I knew she was human. I just assumed he was a half-breed, and that was why he lived in the city and not with the pack. I never dreamed he had more family.
“True.” He chuckles. “He probably does, although that didn’t work out very well for him. His sister is now a vampire and mated to another vampire. Now he’s become pretty intertwined with my famille. You do know he’s an alpha, and therefore, even though his mum is a human, he is full wolf?”
Hmm, that’s interesting but not as interesting as Tristan’s lips. I climb onto Tristan’s lap, and he rests his hands on my hips, gazing up at me intensely. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
“I thought your father wanted us to get to know each other before we did anything like this.”
“I am getting to know you.” I lean forward and kiss him lightly. “I’m finding out how much I like kissing you.”
His hand circles the back of my neck, and he pulls me closer to him, deepening the kiss. Our tongues meet, and we catch each other’s moans. I run my hands through his hair, then grip it tightly and thrust my hips against him, loving the feel of his hardness.
He pulls back, gazing deeply into my eyes. “Zoey, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, but your father is downstairs.”
“I know.” I lean forward and touch his forehead with mine. “And I feel the same. I know I’ve only known you a day, and it’s soon, but the connection is forming so fast. I wonder if it’s this way for all mates?”
“I believe it’s faster because you already know about mates, and it may have something to do with your fae blood.” He kisses my nose. “I don’t know.”
Sitting back, I brush the hair off his forehead. “I need to get the book out and ask it for some answers. The only issue is it emits a ton of power when I ask it questions. I always go to a deserted place to use it.”
He furrows his forehead, frowning at me. “So you don’t just pop it out whenever you need an answer and then put it up?”
“I can use it to read up on history, but I have to not ask questions. That’s when its power comes forth. My mother warned me to go somewhere away from everyone to use it and to make sure no one with magic was around. It’s like a beacon. I usually leave the city and go west to the swamp. Dad and I have even gone out on a boat into the Gulf.” My dad grew up in a small town south of New Orleans, and his family owned a fishing business. He knows all about boats but didn’t want to go into the family business. He moved to the city to go to college and has only been back a few times since he and my mother got together. Because of what I am and my dad’s youthful appearance, he had to give up his family.
“What do you do? Make a list and ask all the questions you can think of?” Tristan takes my hands in his and kisses my fingertips.
“Basically, and sometimes it answers and sometimes not. It can be stubborn at times, but it’s usually a good source for information. Maybe we can find out if there are or were other types of vampires and if we have anything we should be concerned about with our mating. Surely it will give us these answers.” I smile reassuringly but am not completely certain what the book will do. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that I can’t ever predict how the book will answer.
Tristan
I nod at Kane as I enter the darkened room of the pub. He motions toward the bar, and my gaze instantly finds Zoey. She’s wearing her disguise. I wish I
could see her light-colored hair, but she has it completely covered. She looks up and smiles, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink.
I smile back, making my way through the crowd toward her. “How are you tonight?”
“I’m good. It’s not too busy, and Zeke’s here.” She tilts her head toward the big man leaning on the bar, laughing with one of the customers.
A customer yells for a beer and Zoey grins, walking off to fill their order. I move to a dark corner, and Kane comes to stand beside me.
“How are things? Is everything quiet?” I ask.
Kane glances up from his phone, lifting one side of his mouth in a half smile. “As far as I know. How are things with you and Zoey?”
“Good, we’re getting to know one another.” I sigh, remembering our time in her garden and wishing we could be back there instead of in this crowded bar with mostly men surrounding her. “I will say it’s strange with her father around.”
“How is this going to work?” Kane meets my gaze, raising his brows.
“What do you mean?” I ask absently as a customer grabs Zoey’s hand, but Zeke is immediately there, pushing him away from her.
“Are you going to turn her?”
I face Kane, giving him my full attention. “I don’t know that you can turn another magical being. I certainly feel compelled to, but it’s all new. I have some investigating to do, but for now, we’re simply enjoying being together.”
“Why don’t you ask the witches?” Kane leans against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Zoey doesn’t trust witches and doesn’t want them involved.” I lean back beside him, putting my hands in my pockets.
His chest moves as he chuckles. “Ah, that is a problem. I guess you’re going to have to take it as it comes for now.”
Giles joins us, slapping Kane on the shoulder. “Hey, gents, what’s happening?”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the house this evening,” I say. Giles and I had discussed him going and retrieving a few things, but he obviously had other plans.
