by J. S. Scott
RORY'S MATE
(Book 2: The Vampire Coalition: An Erotic Paranormal Vampire Romance Of Alpha Male Domination And Submission)
By
J. S. Scott
Copyright © 2012 by J.S. Scott
Chapter 1
Callie Marks sighed as she looked at the wedding cake on the table next to hers. She really wanted a piece. It was from one of the best pastry kitchen's in the city of Denver. Chocolate marble with a mousse filling and chocolate frosting.
No. No cake. She had already eaten enough from the incredible gourmet buffet at this reception to feed an army. The last thing she needed was a piece of that cake with enough calories to add a little more jiggle to her ass.
Callie had always been what one of her nicer foster mothers had called "curvy" when she was a teenager. Callie called it what it was...she was plump. She was constantly battling with an extra fifteen pounds that she didn't need on her body and was generally defeated by the call of delicious chocolate, rich foods and scrumptious appetizers.
I certainly went into one of the best fields to keep my weight down. I just had to be a chef.
She was head chef for a very highly regarded restaurant. Quite an accomplishment for a woman that was only twenty-seven years old. She loved her job. She loved to feed people. There was nothing better than creating a new gastronomical delight.
Callie pushed her plate away from her. It was completely empty. She sat back in her chair at the bride's table to watch the bride and groom dance.
Brianna Cole was her best friend. She had just gotten married after a whirlwind courtship to Ethan Hale, a rich, gorgeous and charming man. They looked so incredibly happy. Ethan looked entirely enchanted with his beautiful, slender, blonde haired bride.
Callie let out a long breath and tried not to feel a twinge of envy. She loved Brianna like a sister and wanted her happiness more than anything. Bri had been suffering from a rare form of leukemia that seemed to be in remission. Callie prayed it wouldn't return. She still had nightmares about the dark days of Brianna's illness and trying to come to terms with losing the only person she had that was like family to her, even though they weren't blood related.
Being even the slightest bit jealous is just selfish after what Brianna has been through. She deserves this fairy tale wedding and the man of her dreams.
Callie acknowledge that she was a tiny bit selfish. She just couldn't help it. But she was extremely happy to have her best friend happy and healthy.
She smoothed down the skirts of her blue maid of honor dress. It was a lovely pale blue with shimmering accents of pink. Brianna had let her pick the style, a fact for which Callie was highly grateful. She had chosen a high waisted, elbow length style that would hide her plump figure. Callie loved the dress. Too bad she would probably never wear it again.
She frowned at the thought, reaching up to tug at a stray curl of her dark, wayward hair. She had swept it up in a chignon, but it was curly and long. Tendrils escaped and curled around her face. She hadn't looked in the mirror but she was pretty sure her hair was a disaster.
With her dark brown eyes, hair and fair skin it was hard to detect what her origins were. Callie really didn't know because she was a foundling. Abandoned in a local park and never claimed, she was turned over to children's services and had gone the rounds of foster parents. She had never been adopted.
Callie jumped as a large, dark hand slid a plate across the table that stopped in front of her. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't seen the man approach the table.
Her eyes lifted to see Rory Hale sit down directly across from her, a piece of cake big enough to feed ten people sitting in front of him. He had slid a smaller piece--maybe only big enough to feed five people--in front of her.
"I don't want that," she told him, irritated now that she had to actually stare at the pasty in front of her.
"Why not?" Rory cocked his head and shot her an I'm-so-confused smile as he started eating his piece with obvious enjoyment. "It's fantastic."
Callie rolled her eyes, trying not to be charmed by the incredibly gorgeous specimen of manhood. For God's sake, did the man have to look perfect? He had eaten more in one evening than any normal man ate in a month and he still didn't look like he held one ounce of fat on his body. It was disgusting. Still...she tried to be polite. He was Brianna's new brother-in-law. "I'm trying not to eat sweets, Rory. I have to watch what I eat."
Rory continued to grin as he consumed his giant sized piece of cake. "Why watch it when you can eat it?" He paused to shoot her a curious look. "How do you know that I'm Rory? Liam was sitting here earlier?"
"Who else would you be? We were introduced at the rehearsal." She shoved the piece of cake to the middle of the table as she answered.
"Liam and I are twins. We're identical," he answered, polishing off the mammoth pastry and setting his fork on the plate. He stared at her curiously.
They weren't identical, Callie mused. Not really. Although they were both incredibly handsome with their midnight black hair that just touched the back of their collar and very dark eyes, Rory was just...different. Yeah...they were dressed in matching tuxedos and they looked very much alike...but she would never mistake one for the other.
She shook her head as she answered, "You aren't really exactly alike."
Rory looked perplexed. "Most people can't tell us apart."
Really? Liam was attractive as was his brother Nathan, but Rory...was a walking temptation. She looked around for Liam, but didn't see him in the crowd. She didn't have anything for comparison but she was doubtful she would ever confuse the two. Liam didn't make her edgy and nervous. Rory definitely did. It was like she could feel the male hormones coming across the table, making her want to jump the table and attack.
Callie crossed her arms in front of her and answered defensively, "I just don't think you're alike, that's all."
"Does that mean I'm the handsome one?," he asked hopefully, smiling brightly.
It was strange, but he wasn't flirting. It was almost as if he wanted validation. Callie refused to give it to him. His head was probably already fat enough. "No comment."
Rory's face fell. "I guess that means I'm not."
Callie searched his face for signs of conceit, but she didn't see anything except raw honesty. As she took in his perfect features and glanced at his wavy mass of dark hair with one little stray strand that seemed to separate from the others, she wanted to reach out and brush it back in place.
Come on, Callie. Get real. The guy has to know he's incredibly gorgeous. Don't feel sorry for him.
"I guess not," she answered, feeling even guiltier when he looked even more dejected. Wanting to see him smile again she offered, "Have my cake." She pushed it in front of him.
He pushed it back. "I know you want it."
"I don't," she answered firmly.
"You do." He started to smile again.
"Don't," she insisted.
"Come on, Callie. You were looking at the cake table like a tiger looks at raw meat. You wanted it. That's why I brought it."
Oh, shit. She groaned inwardly. Was she really that obvious. "I'm a chef. I was just checking out the competition."
"You wanted to taste the competition. Admit it." He took the plate from her and set it in front of him. He took a clean fork and scooped up a bite of the irresistible confection. He reached over the table and held it to her mouth. She opened automatically and he dropped it in.
Callie closed her eyes as the silky chocolate slid over her taste buds. She nearly groaned. It was near perfection. She opened her eyes to see him holding out another bite. She slid her chair back. "No Rory. I can't."
He looked perplexed. "Why?"
Callie was getting pissed. Did she need to spell
it out for him? "In case you didn't notice, I can't afford the calories."
Rory sat back in his chair, dropping the fork back onto the plate. "I didn't notice. You look fine to me."
If I looked so fine, you would be asking me for my phone number. You would ask me to dance. Why did he have to say that with nothing but confusion and detached interest?
It wasn't his fault. He just wasn't interested. Callie couldn't even blame it on the fact that he was attached. Brianna said all of the brothers were single and unattached. He just didn't want her.
She grabbed the plate of cake and pulled it in front of her. What the hell! She would be careful tomorrow.
Rory picked up a clean flute glass and filled it with champagne, saluting her before he raised it to his lips. He didn't quite smile but his lips were twitching.
God, he was irresistible. He may not be interested, but he was sweet. Her instincts were telling her he was completely genuine. He was certainly unusual. She could see a certain insecurity in him that spoke to her. She knew what that was like. It didn't matter that he was outrageously attractive, charming, genuinely kind. He just didn't believe he was anything special.
"Rory?," she queried softly between her luscious bites of cake.
"Yes," he answered in a low voice as he refilled his champagne and topped off hers.
She leaned slightly across the table, as if she were about to give away a huge secret. He leaned in slightly.
"You are the best looking of all of the Hale brothers," she whispered softly, just loud enough for him to hear.
His smile started with his lips and moved to his eyes. His whole face lit up. His eyes sparkled as he leaned over and she leaned in to hear his secret.
"Callie...you don't need to lose weight. You are the most ravishingly beautiful woman here." Still no interest, but his voice was sincere. He might have said it matter-of-factly, but he truly meant it.
She blushed. She tried to look another direction, embarrassed that she was blushing like an adolescent teenager.
When her face cooled down she sneaked a look in his direction. He was watching her. He lifted his champagne flute and she raised her glass to his.
With the clink of the glasses, a tentative friendship was born.
Chapter 2
Rory Hale awoke three weeks later from his day sleep in a very good mood. He sat up and stretched.
Although vampires didn't sleep like the dead, it was almost like hibernation. Their breathing and heart rate were almost non-existent and nothing could bring them out of the day sleep except their mate. It was a vulnerable time for any of his brethren and Rory had ultra high security around his home. He lived outside of the city and owned the five hundred acres of land surrounding the spacious, brick two story home. His land was surrounded by tall metal fences with only one entry gate and he guarded his home with magic. Metal shutters plunged the house into total darkness at daybreak.
He rolled out of bed completely naked, his cock completely flaccid. He hadn't had to worry about a wake up erection for three hundred years. He had lost all sexual function hundreds of years ago after he passed the age of one hundred. He was four hundred now. He didn't even remember what it felt like to have a stiff dick in the morning.
He used his magic to trigger the metal shutters to open, taking in the tranquility of the night.
It was a perfect late spring evening, unseasonably warm, and he could smell the profusion of flowers that surrounded his house and garden. The crickets were chirping merrily and loudly.
He was tempted to linger at the large window, but he stepped into the bathroom and flipped on his large walk-in shower. He put his head back, letting the massaging jet flow over his body.
Vampires could clean themselves, but Rory loved the feel of water. As he soaped his muscular body his hand ran over his mating mark. He covered it with magic most of the time and didn't see it very often, but now he stared at it, wondering what had ever become of his mate.
The mark was an intricate dragon, no larger than a half dollar. His brothers had similar marks as it was their family marking, but each one had some subtle variations, making it unique to each brother. As he surveyed the mark he was hit by a twinge of loneliness. He wished he knew why his mate had never called him.
Ethan had warned all of the brothers to not give up hope. Ethan suspected that the reason he was so late getting to Brianna was because he was no longer open to listening for her. He had thrown in the towel and become resigned to the fact that his mating possibilities were gone.
Rory covered the marking with his magic, sighing as he rinsed the soap from his body. He didn't want to give up hope. He tried to stay open to possibilities. But it was highly unlikely that his mate would show up after all of these years.
As he stepped out of the shower and toweled himself off he remembered the agony Ethan had gone through after he had found Brianna. Did he really want to go through that?
Hell yeah...he would. Finding his mate would be extraordinary. The one that was born for him. The guardian of his soul. What would it be like to be that connected to a woman?
He was lonely. That was probably why he was so happy to be going to Brianna and Ethan's for dinner tonight. He loved seeing Brianna. And he would see Callie. Ethan was doing barbecue, but Callie was making all of the side dishes. It was guaranteed to be a wonderful dinner.
Rory loved Ethan's mate Brianna. She fussed over all of the brothers and that was something his brother Nathan hadn't had since their parent's demise four hundred years ago. He and Liam had never known that feeling at all. He and Liam had been babies but Ethan and Nathan remembered the fallen attack that had taken their parents. Their parents had sacrificed their own lives for their children.
When the group of fallen had gotten past their parent's magic protecting their home, they had transported their children away and left them with friends before transporting back to their home to confront the fallen. It had bought enough time that the fallen couldn't follow their trail straight to the children. Nathan still hated his father's friends to this day for not letting him return to help their parents.
Rory was grateful. Had Nathan returned he would have been dead along with his parents. It had taken a gathering of ten ancients to destroy the band of fallen...and not without casualties. They had lost three ancients in that fight.
Nathan had gladly joined The Coalition and Rory knew he took great pleasure in destroying the fallen. Nathan's hatred for the fallen was nearly an obsession.
Rory paused in the middle of his bedroom, debating how to dress himself.
He frowned, wondering why he cared. His usual attire was jeans, a t-shirt and black leather boots. He never really thought about it.
But Callie would be there. He grudgingly admitted that he liked her. He liked her. He couldn't feel physical desire for any women, but he wanted to impress her. There was just...something about her. They had only run into each other a few times at Ethan's, but they had somehow become friends. He saw her...and she saw him. They were like kindred spirits who understood each other. He wanted her to like him, trust him.
She looks at me like I'm someone special.
Rory had never been special. His twin was a healer with extraordinary power. And Rory...was just the twin. He didn't envy his brother. Being a healer took enormous dedication and it was a huge weight on Liam's shoulders. But Liam was special and sometimes Rory wished that he could be seen for himself instead of just being the other twin.
He was proud of Liam. He admired him. They were extremely close because they were twins. But sometimes...just sometimes...he felt eclipsed by Liam.
That was why he valued Callie's friendship. She never looked at Liam the way she looked at him. She didn't talk to Liam or Nathan in the same way.
He clothed himself in an expensive suit.
Nope. Looks like I'm trying too hard.
He tried casual pants and a silk shirt with a thick gold chain.
Christ! I look like a pimp.
Okay...nice black designer jeans. Armani polo shirt. Italian leather casual shoes. Rolex watch.
Not bad. Better than my usual. I'll go with it.
Rory laughed at himself as he grabbed his car keys and let himself into the garage. He could hardly transport himself into Ethan's house with Callie there. Besides, he liked driving. He slid into his loaded Navigator, loving the smell and feel of the custom leather seats. The big four wheel drive was appropriate for winter in the Rocky Mountains and Rory liked the space. He need it to comfortably accommodate his body.
He pulled out of the garage and secured the house as he pulled out of the front gate. As he entered the private road that would take him to the main highway he started whistling a current tune.
