by Ford, Rinna
All of a sudden I felt nervous, like I needed to get out of that room. I didn’t want to run away as much as run toward something. Or someone.
“Oh, shit…”
It couldn’t be. Another? No. No way was there another.
The knife fell out of my hand and I took several steps back, my eyes locking with Xander’s in an apology. It wasn’t my fault, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I had another mate and he was here. A vampire for my newly awakened vampire side.
“What’s the matter?” Xan asked and took a step toward me. He held out his hands toward me but I shrunk back.
“I’m so sorry,” I gasped and took off running around him and out the door.
Chapter Fourteen
I ran down the hall toward the front door. The moment I made it into the foyer, the door burst open, shattering in splinters and I was swept up in a pair of tattooed arms. Dark red eyes stared down at me before lips descended down onto mine in a searing kiss.
Before I had a chance to wrench myself away, Xander was there, doing it himself. He pulled me from the vampire’s arms and threw me toward Amos, who was standing there, watching the whole thing unfold.
“She’s mine!” Xander growled and swiped his dragon claws at the new man.
Xan was fast, but the new guy was faster. He ran at Xan, shoving him into the wall with a sickening thud. Before the dragon had a chance to respond, the vampire held both of his arms against the wall in a strong hold. Xander strained his arms, but was unable to break the vampire’s grip. He screamed in annoyance and anger, but nothing would move the vampire.
The vampire bared his fangs and hissed deeply, moving his face closer to Xan’s. “She is mine, dragon. I know it as easily as I know my own name.”
I jerked out of Amos’ hold and shoved at the vampire’s shoulder, making him turn his attention toward me. “Stop it!” I screamed. “Both of you!”
The vampire let go of Xan, and Xan immediately jumped at the other guy, but I stepped in between and shoved them both back. They barely even noticed I had pushed them apart, their angry eyes turned on each other as they moved back toward each other, growling and hissing.
“Stop!” I screamed. I turned toward the new vampire. “I’m sorry, but I can’t be your mate,” I told him. He immediately stopped his pursuit and stood up straight, his confused eyes locking on me. Hot tears filled my vision and I made no attempt to wipe them away. He reached for me, but I just backed away and shook my head at him.
“Emi, I…”
Xander reached for me too, but I couldn’t be with him either at that moment. I needed to get away from everyone and everything. My emotions were all over the place and I didn’t trust them. So I did what anyone would do in my position. I ran.
I ran out of the house and up the coast, hugging the rocks that ran along the oceanfront until I felt I had gotten far enough away from it all. I stopped, seeing a stretch of barren sand and carefully made my way down the rocks to the beach below. The coarse grains of sand felt good between my toes as I walked toward the rolling waves.
Water was always so peaceful, so calming. I didn’t realize it until Xan and I arrived at the beach house and I got to sit near the ocean every night.
So much had happened and I felt like I was never going to catch up. How could I? I reached inside with my thoughts and my dragon nudged against me sympathetically. She loved Xan as much as I did, but she felt for me and the fact I had two other mates out there I couldn’t claim. At least I knew I had her on my side and I had hers as well.
She nudged me again, reassuringly. Sitting there, feeling out my dragon I realized she didn’t have a name. She was a part of me, a big part, and my constant companion. We had our differences at first, but she quickly became someone I relied on and I wanted to give her something. She perked up at the thought and made me laugh.
“How about Juniper?” I asked out loud. She huffed out her response, making me laugh again. “Okay, okay. Hmmm. What about Soleil?”
She thought about it for a few seconds then rubbed against me happily.
I looked out at the setting sun over the ocean and smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Soleil,” I told her.
“It is nice to meet you too, but my name is not Soleil. It’s Matias Alvaro.”
I jumped up and spun around quickly. The vampire from before, my mate, was standing in front of me, a slight smirk on his face. His jet black hair hung down into his light gray eyes and it looked as if he hadn’t shaved in days. I looked back at his eyes, wondering how they changed from red to gray, but then I remembered vampires only had red eyes when they were charged up. Matias was standing there, calm and smirking at me, even after I denied him.
I frowned and looked down at the ground.
“Why are you here?” I asked. “I told you I couldn’t be what you want me to be, so why didn’t you leave?”
“Oh, I heard you, I just thought I needed more of an explanation as to why. I’ve waited a long time to find you, so I hope you understand I won’t give up so easily.”
I sighed and turned back toward the ocean. I guessed I owed him an explanation. It was only fair after all. I sat back down, hugging my knees to my chest and watched the waves roll in. Matias sat down next to me, leaving about a foot in between us. I itched to reach across that divide to touch him, so I squeezed my legs tighter instead, determined not to give in.
“Does it have anything to do with the dragon back there?” he asked after several seconds of silence between us.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I just, just can’t do that to him. You see, he’s my mate too, and I’m already bonded with him.”
Matias scrunched his eyebrows in thought. “I do not understand. Were you a shifter before you were turned because that...”
I sighed and closed my eyes. “Yes, I was. And a caster too. I still am those things actually. I’m all three now, and I don’t know how to handle it all with three men vying to be my mate. It’s too much!”
“I still don’t understand.”
He was looking out over the ocean and I could sense his disappointment. My heart hurt for him, but I needed to make him understand.
I told him about how I came to be and everything that followed. He sat there in silence as he took it all in and when I finished, he sighed.
“That is a big story. It is almost too fanatical to be true.”
I shrugged. “I thought supernaturals were too fanatical to be true only a few months ago. Now? I think anything is possible. I mean, after waking up a vampire after being told of a prophecy that was made eight hundred years ago about just that, I will almost believe in anything right now. I’m sorry. I just can’t be the mate you need. I’m too…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
He gently smiled at me, his gray eyes filled with kindness and understanding. Matias reached across the distance between us and took my hand away from my shin. He brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of it, gently.
My entire body heated up when his lips caressed my skin, and in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on mine. I closed my eyes and told myself why I shouldn’t give in, why I needed to stay strong. Xander. I needed to be strong for him. He was my best friend and I couldn’t hurt him. Besides, how does a woman handle being in a relationship with more than one man? Sex? I could understand. The thought of it made my body burn in delicious ways. But relationships were much trickier than that.
“I understand,” Matias told me. “But the thing is…”
“Emelia. My name is Emelia.”
He smiled sweetly. “That is a beautiful name.”
Matias pulled my hand back to his lips, kissing it once more, and looked up at me through thick eyelashes. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. I gently pulled my hand away and wrapped it around my legs again.
He cleared his throat in a sort of chuckle and continued with what he was saying. “But the thing is, Emelia, I have been alone for a very long time. Longer than I care to think
about. You are new to this life, but being a vampire makes you a true immortal. Life without death can be very lonely.”
Matias broke eye contact and swallowed. I could feel just how hard it had been on him, being alone. My heart hurt for him.
“So no friends? No one to spend the years with?”
He shrugged his shoulders and began playing with the sand between us. “No one I’d ever want to spend eternity with. My maker was a good friend, but he has long since passed. A mate? That’s something vampires hold out hope for, even though it isn’t promised like it is with shifters and casters. We can spend our entire lives never feeling the pull of wanting to be near someone, even if I’m only to hold their hand.” Matias rolled onto his knees in front of me and held both of my hands in his. I gasped at his sudden nearness, but didn’t dare move away. “When I felt the urge to come to you, Emelia, I was the happiest I had ever been. And when I saw you,” he brought both of my hands to his face, “I knew for a fact I had to always be with you, no matter what. So, while I empathize with what you’re going through, I don’t plan on going anywhere.” He tucked my hands back around my legs and rocked back onto his heels. “I will stay by your side, forever, as your friend, if that’s all you’ll allow.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and nervously smiled at the vampire as I replayed his words in my head. Could I be his friend? Could I be around him every day and never give in to what I feel for him? I didn’t know, but I could tell by looking at him that I had no choice about whether he would stay or go. His confident smirk told me everything, including the fact he planned on spending as much time as possible with me.
I nodded my head in resigned defeat, making Matias smile even wider. Xander would not be happy, but unless he wanted to make the vampire go, he didn’t have a choice either. Something told me no one could make Matias do anything he didn’t want to do.
He stood in one quick movement and held out his hand to me, offering to help me up. I reluctantly took it and dusted off the back of my pants.
“I can do that for you,” Matias joked. I shot him a warning look and mentally rolled my eyes. Xander really wasn’t going to be happy. “Are you ready to go?” he cleared his throat and asked me, still holding onto my hand.
I looked up into his crystalline gray eyes and felt my body get warm all over again. He definitely wasn’t making it easy. I broke eye contact and let out a huff of a laugh. Deciding I needed to gain some traction against him and this attraction I couldn’t deny, I made a plan to knock him off his game just a bit.
“Sure, let’s go back.”
Before he could take off running, I closed my eyes and pictured the backyard of the house in my mind. I felt the familiar feeling of weightlessness as I transported Matias and myself back to where we met. Back to Xan.
Chapter Fifteen
I felt the familiar feeling of grass under my feet and I knew we made it. Opening my eyes, I looked to my left where Matias was still holding my hand. He stared down at me in awe, like he couldn’t believe I had done that. Honestly, I was surprised I could do it too, with how wonky it all felt to have three paranormal’s powers flowing through me. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure it would actually work, so the fact we made it, and without much trouble, gave me hope.
“You really are a hybrid, aren’t you, little one?”
I lifted one side of my mouth in a grin and shrugged. Matias shook his head in response and brought my hand to his waiting lips to kiss it once more.
“So you’re with him now?” Xander’s familiar voice boomed from the back door and he marched across the lawn toward us, ready to go at it again.
I dropped Matias’ hand like it had burned me and stepped aside. I wasn’t afraid of my mate because I knew he’d never hurt me, but I didn’t want to hurt him either and I knew what he had just witnessed was killing him.
“Xan, I…”
“Will you be okay with this dragon if I leave you two to talk?” Matias turned to me, cutting me off from what I was about to say to Xander.
“Of course she will be just fine with me. Thanks.” Xan stood inches away from Matias, ready to start round two.
“We’ll be fine, Matias. I promise.” I put my hand on his chest and gently pushed him back, away from me and away from Xander.
“If you are sure…”
“She’s real fucking sure…”
“Okay! You made your point!” I turned my attention to the pissed off dragon and gave him a look matching his own. I felt my fangs descend and I made no move to cover them.
“I will see you later then…” Matias looked like he wasn’t sure about leaving me anymore and I didn’t blame him. If I didn’t know Xander, I would have thought the same thing. Even pissed off, Xan would never hurt me. Not physically anyway.
“Bye, Matias,” I said reassuringly.
Matias reluctantly walked into the house, watching us as he went. Xan didn’t take his eyes off of Matias either, but his look was more of a look of challenge toward the other supernatural. It wasn’t a contest and Xander seemed to be the only one to realize it.
“What the hell was that? Did you run off so you could fucking mate with him where I couldn’t find you?” He pointed with his whole hand toward the direction I ran off to earlier.
That was it. I had it with Xan’s shit attitude and doubt in me. In us.
“Yes, Xander! I ran off with a vampire I didn’t know just so I could mate with him behind your back!” I screamed. Shit, I was pissed. “I get that I’m different now, but dammit, I’m not so different I would do something to hurt you!”
“Then why did you teleport back here with him?!”
“Because! I don’t fucking know how, but he found me and we talked! Then I brought him back because, even though I told him I won’t mate with him, he doesn’t want to leave.”
“I’ll fucking make him leave,” he replied in a low, menacing voice and began to walk toward the house.
I grabbed Xander by the arm and made him stop.
“No you won’t, Xander Liu!” He raised his eyebrows at my challenge and pinched his lips together. “Whether you like it or not, and I know you don’t, I’m a vampire now too! It’s not something you can help me with, and I sure as shit don’t trust Di or any of the other vampires in this house to help me!”
“So you trust him? A vampire you don’t know?”
“Yes.” The word came out quiet but sure because I did trust Matias. When he vowed to me he’d never leave my side, I saw how earnest he was. He wouldn’t lead me astray or teach me things only to use me as a weapon. “He’s not here to hurt me or use me, unlike the majority of the people here.” I sighed, all the fight leaving me. My fangs retracted back into my mouth and Xan watched it happen. “You’ve been in a bad mood since I woke up a vampire on top of everything else going on, and I get it, I do. I’m sorry that being mated with me puts you through this. I’m sorry I’m not the perfect shifter mate you always hoped for and I’m beyond sorry you have to deal with the fact that I have two other mates out there. I hate that you’re at odds with your dad and society because of what I am. I’m sorry for all of it. You don’t deserve any of it.”
He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, unmoving. After a few seconds I could see the anger behind his eyes crack just a bit, but not enough to feel confident in our relationship. We had only been together for a month and it was crumbling around us. I was foolish to think it’d last, especially with all the obstacles getting thrown up in our way, just as my dad predicted.
I decided to give Xan the only thing I could. A choice.
I sighed and turned away toward the house. “I told you I wouldn’t mate with Ronan because you didn’t want me to. I’ll make the same promise to you about Matias, but he is going to stick around and I will be asking him for help too, because I need it. If you don’t want to deal with it and everything I’m going through, I understand. There will be no hard feelings.”
I didn’t wait f
or him to respond, I just walked away from the first and the only man who had ever conquered my heart, so he could make the decision that could forever change our lives.
* * *
I walked into the house through the kitchen, grabbing a glass of blood from Matias in the kitchen as I went by. He held it out to me, knowing what I’d need, and did it without a word. His kindness was unnerving, but something I desperately needed at that moment.
I gave him a small smile and continued on my way up the stairs to my room. By the time I reached the bedroom, the glass was empty and my body was a little more satisfied. At least there was that.
I sat on the balcony for almost an hour, listening to the waves as they crashed against the rocks near the house, but Xander never came. Sounds of people talking below me grew louder, letting me know it was time for dinner. A lot of things had changed, but the need to be around others during those few times stayed the same, even if I only drank blood.
I walked through the bedroom, turning off the light and opened the door to the hallway, stopping short. There, leaning against the opposite wall was the dragon I was longing for. His hands were behind him as he leaned backwards into the wall and his gaze was on the floor.
“How long have you been out here?” I asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t like it, Emi,” he told me. I held my breath as he continued. “I don’t like it at all. The distance, the change, the new guy, any of it. I know none of this is your fault, so I’m trying not to take it out on you and I’m sorry I’ve been doing that. I wasn’t mad at you about it until you tried to get me to leave you.”
I stepped forward to go to him and furrowed my eyebrows, but was stopped in my tracks by his look.
“That’s not what I was doing,” I told him. “I was giving you a choice.”
“Oh, I know what you were doing, love, and I still don’t like it. You see, I don’t have a choice. I never did and you failing to see that pisses me off.”
