“Of course I’m going to worry about you. You’re my mate.”
Zane flinched, stepping back.
Melanie’s eyes widened. She turned her gaze away. “Oh. You were just saying that.”
“No...” Zane took her hand and led her to the bed, uncertain how to continue this. “Um… Melanie… about what Eldric said about vampire-shifter hybrids...”
She shrugged, not looking at him still. “What about it?”
Zane swallowed hard. “I… I might be one.”
“What?”
“Not so loud,” Zane hissed. He glared at her for a moment, but she just glared right back. “There is a possibility that Eldric is my father. But nobody can know.”
Melanie opened her mouth, then closed it again. Clearly too stunned to speak.
Mirthless laughter bubbled up Zane’s throat. “I’ve spent half my life fighting vampires. Now it turns out I might be the enemy I’ve always fought. But it makes sense. Vampire venom… it affects me differently. I have a high resistance and even when I’m in the rabid stage, I don’t lose my mind…not usually, at least. God! If I’m one of them—”
“It doesn’t change you.”
Zane was silent.
“If Eldric fathered you, that means he’s always been the one that fathered you. It doesn’t change who you are, Zane.” She cupped his face in her hands and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. “It doesn’t change the way I feel, or what you mean to me. You are my mate. I didn’t realize it until you said it, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. You’re my mate and I love you.”
Tears burned his eyes. Zane wrapped his arms around his mate, taking comfort in her presence. His mouth pressed to hers and they hungrily tore at each other, desperate to be close, to have this moment while the world faded away around them.
Chapter Eleven
Melanie
Melanie dressed slowly the next morning, wanting to avoid leaving the bedroom with Zane for as long as possible. He, on the other hand, dressed fast. Once he was done, he lounged on the bed and watched her, a small smile on his face. Anxiety sat like a twisting ball in her stomach, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
“The full moon isn’t for another few days,” he told her. “And I have time to train. I’ll be fine.”
She glanced over at him. “When are you going to tell your mother?”
Zane turned his face away and shook his head. “I’m not. The stress…”
And what if Eldric killed him? She didn’t say it out loud. If she pretended like there was no chance of that, then perhaps there wasn’t. Zane was strong. He was big, and fast, and a skilled fighter. Eldric was thin, like a little stick.
But every time they’d faced off already, he had been weakened by the blood transfer that allowed him to be in the sunlight. When he and Zane fought this time, it would be at night. The vampire would be at full strength. Being a vampire meant that he was a lot stronger than he looked, too. No shifting would be allowed, which meant that Zane would be weakened, having to stay in his human form.
That’s what the training is for, she reminded herself. Because he needs to be at top fighting form, and we are going to make sure he is.
Zane wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him. He nibbled at her neck. “I’ll be fine. But I do need to get busy training. Okay?”
Reluctantly, she nodded. She dressed quickly after that and went to the training room. They passed Hurricane on the way there and he gave them a distracted smile. His arm was heavily bandaged, and he walked with a slight limp. He didn’t say anything, though.
Four men waited for them in the training room. Zane introduced three of them to her as Kai, Carl, and Tom. The fourth was Typhoon. She scowled at him as he roughly greeted Zane and ignored her. Zane was tense himself, nodding stiffly at Typhoon before he murmured something to Tom and climbed into the fighting ring. Tom came to stand next to her, a grin on his face.
“So, you’re Thunder’s mate, are you?” He winked at her. “Lucky girl.”
“Yeah. I am.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and focused on the fight.
Her nerves thrummed as Zane and Typhoon faced off with each other. Carl called for the fight to start—and before Melanie even saw Typhoon move, Zane was on the mats. She gasped, clapping both hands to her mouth. Zane glanced at her, a worried look on his face, and Typhoon punched him across the face. Blood burst into the air.
“No fair!” Melanie screamed, starting forward, but Tom caught her and held her back. “He was distracted.”
Typhoon glared at her. “You don’t think he’ll be distracted during the fight? That he won’t get beaten and bloody and that when you scream he’ll look at you?” He helped Zane back to his feet. “When you’re facing off with Eldric, if you take your eyes off him for a second, you’re dead.”
Zane grunted, but nodded. Carl called for the second round to begin. This time, Melanie worked on keeping her emotional outbursts to herself. Even though she whimpered or grunted with sympathetic pain every time Typhoon caught him, she forced herself not to distract Zane any more than he already was.
It didn’t do much good, though. As the training wore on, for hours and hours, it was clear Typhoon was on top the whole time. By the time he called for an end, Zane was bloody and bruised, and Typhoon was hardly even sweating. Melanie had bit her tongue so hard she was bleeding and when Typhoon climbed out of the ring, she rushed past him to go to Zane.
“Take care of your mate,” Typhoon threw over his shoulder, though she wasn’t certain if he was talking to her or Zane. “Tomorrow Zane fights against Kai. You’re smaller and lighter than him. He needs to be prepared for speed as well as strength.”
He walked out without another word. Melanie took the first aid kit handed to her by Tom. Her hands trembled as she started to clean Zane up.
A week passed in much the same way. Against Tom and Carl, there was no contest. Zane came out on top every time. With Kai, it was far more evenly matched. But against Typhoon, there was no contest. Melanie tended to his injuries after the fights and stayed with him every day. Typhoon forbade Zane from training for two days before the fight, so that he could be fully healed from his injuries.
And then it was the full moon.
The fight was taking place in a large field, with a ring of trees around the edge. The field had been torn up and flattened, then compressed so that it was hard, flat dirt that the two would be fighting on. Melanie stood with Zane, her stomach tying itself into knots as Typhoon bound Zane’s knuckles and gave him a few last-minute pointers. In the lines of indifference on his face, Melanie thought she caught a look of concern.
Just as they were finishing up, a vampire came striding toward them. He was the most muscular of the vamps and had a scowl on his face.
“Cromwell,” Typhoon snarled. “Is your man backing out?”
“No. But he is insisting that he have a private word with Thunder, Melanie and yourself.”
Melanie frowned. What did he want? She glanced at the two men, and both scowled. Zane looked about ready to say no way, but Typhoon gave him a hard look and nodded. Cromwell snorted and they all headed across the field, to where a small tent had been erected for the vampires. Eldric waited for them inside the tent. He was shirtless and wore a pair of loose shorts. He was more muscular than Melanie had given him credit for, but still nothing compared to Zane. That helped ease her fears a little, but when he grinned at her, her stomach clenched again.
“Ah, good, good. I was hoping that you would come.” Eldric smiled at them. “I was hoping that we could make this little fight more entertaining. Higher stakes and all that.”
“Not interested,” Typhoon said.
Eldric gave him a disgusted glance. “I wasn’t talking to you, was I? No. Zane. My boy. If this is going to be the day one of us dies, then I want it to be well worth it. So, in that case, I propose that if you win, your father’s remains are returned to you.”
Zane’
s breath hitched, and Melanie took his hand.
“And if I win, then Melanie belongs to me. Since someone went and gave away my other subjects.” Here, Eldric glared at Cromwell, who looked nonplussed.
Even before Zane growled, Melanie knew what his answer was going to be. And she knew, deep in her heart, that she had to stop him. Because if he lost, she knew Eldric would find a way to get her anyway. And if he won? Well… he had to win.
“Deal,” she blurted, just as Zane said, “No deal.”
Zane and Typhoon both whirled to stare at her, and she squeezed Zane’s hand harder. “You’re not going to lose.”
Eldric chuckled. “If that’s what you want to think. Now can I have a word with my future bride alone?”
“No!” Zane yelled, but Melanie released his hand. She gave him an apologetic look. He stared at her, a growl on his lips.
Typhoon gave her a hard look, then grasped Zane’s arm and pulled him out. Cromwell looked between her and Eldric for a moment before he turned on his heel and marched out. Her cat hissed to be in such close proximity to the vampire, alone, but she folded her arms and lifted her chin, glaring at him.
“Well, what do you want?”
“To tell you that I’ve finally figured out how to make vampire-shifter hybrids and that I can’t wait to make you the mother of a new breed.”
The leer on his face was nothing compared to the looks she was used to getting at the Chubby Kitty. If he thought that it was going to frighten her off, he had another thing coming. Far from frightening her, his proclamation made a triumphant grin spread over her face. He didn’t realize it, but he’d just answered a question that had haunted Zane for over a week now.
“That means you’re not his father,” she whispered. “All these head games you’ve been playing with him. And you knew that.”
Eldric’s eyes widened briefly, then they narrowed. “Get out, girl.”
“Don’t get mad at me just because you messed up,” Melanie cooed, and quickly slipped away. She hurried out to where the other shifters waited. She gave Zane a grin, to which she got a puzzled look in return, and pulled him away from the tent. As Eldric came out and declared it was time for the fight, she pressed herself to her tiptoes and whispered in Zane’s ear. “He’s not your father. Now kill the fucking bastard.”
Zane glanced at her, surprised, but a smile spread over his face. He gave her a quick kiss, and then moved to face off with Eldric. Cromwell and Typhoon both reviewed the rules, and then backed away. Melanie chewed on her thumb, watching as her stomach started to curl in around itself. Zane would win. He had to win.
Unbidden, images of when Zane fought Typhoon came to her mind. Of Zane being beaten to the ground again and again and again.
Eldric made the first move. He zipped across the space separating them and cast a punch at Zane’s face. Zane sidestepped and grabbed Eldric’s arm. He slammed his palm into Eldric’s upper arm, causing the arm to jerk at an odd angle. Eldric let out a grunt of pain even as he whirled. His fist clipped Zane on the chin this time. Zane kicked out his feet.
The vampire used the momentum of his fall to wrap his legs around Zane’s. He swept Zane off-balance and they both fell heavily. Zane flipped over, ready to attack once more. Before he could, Eldric had rolled up and elbowed him in the neck. Zane fell again and Eldric wrapped an arm around his neck.
A scream tried to work its way out of Melanie's throat. She pressed both hands over her mouth. Blood tasted in her mouth, she bit her tongue so hard.
Zane threw an elbow back, hitting Eldric square in the jaw. The vampire reeled back. His hold broke, and Zane threw him off. They both scrambled back to their feet and circled each other, looking for openings. Melanie bit down harder on her tongue. Eldric’s eyes glowed and his fangs were bared. Zane panted, mouth slightly open, and he dodged in again. He seized Eldric and lifted him; it was a move he’d used against the others, throwing them down to the ground.
Only this time, Eldric grabbed his hair, yanking his head back, and sunk his fangs into Zane’s mouth.
“No!” Melanie screamed. She started forward, but both Tom and Carl stopped her.
Cromwell and Typhoon were both at the fighters in a second. They both seized Eldric and dragged him back. Eldric started to laugh as Typhoon released him, leaving him to Cromwell, and rushed to Zane. Worry was clear on his face now. Zane clutched at his neck as blood ran down it. The hands holding Melanie tightened as she struggled to free herself.
“If you go in now, you’ll get hurt,” Tom whispered.
“Well, that was against the rules,” a shifter behind them muttered.
Typhoon jumped to his feet and came at Eldric and Cromwell while Zane staggered to his feet. They argued quickly for a moment before Cromwell glared at Eldric and nodded. Relief washed over Melanie, thinking that it was over, that it was an automatic forfeit on Eldric’s part. But then alpha and king both moved out of the way.
“Since the shifter has been bitten, he is free to shift,” Cromwell declared. “You may resume.”
Before Melanie could even protest the unfairness of it, Eldric charged. He punched Zane in the face, stomach, ribs. Zane stumbled back, weakly trying to defend himself. She screamed his name and his head turned ever so slightly. Eldric went in, hands like claws. And in the blink of an eye, Zane had shifted into his huge black wolf. His teeth caught Eldric’s hand.
Melanie gasped. Zane snarled, tossing Eldric over his shoulder. The vampire landed heavily and screamed as Zane came at him again. The screams cut off abruptly, but Zane didn’t stop. Snarls and growls flew, accompanied by bits of Eldric. The vampires all drew back and even the shifters were afraid to get too close.
All except for Typhoon. He shifted into a wolf twice the size of Zane and bowled into him. Zane turned, snapping his teeth, but Typhoon seized him in his jaws and pinned him down. His gaze flickered to her and she knew without words what she needed to do.
“Wait!” Tom called as she raced across the field.
Melanie ignored him. She got to the two snarling wolves quickly and shifted. Though instinct told her to run, she instead maneuvered around their bodies to the bleeding wound in Zane’s neck and began to lick it clean. Zane snarled, jerked and then went still. She continued to lick and clean until he had shifted back to his human form. Then she shifted as well and locked her lips around his wound, sucking out the venom.
Typhoon shifted back as well, crouched beside them with a firm hold still on Zane. “You’re going to be okay, Thunder,” he promised. “You’re going to be okay.”
Chapter Twelve
Thunder
One Month Later
Zane undid his tie. The burning ball of anxiety and fear that had been in him every day for the past month was finally gone. He was back to full strength, having fully recovered from Eldric’s underhanded tricks. His position with the Savage Brotherhood was still secure, too, Typhoon simply making him promise never to pull such a bone-headed move again before telling him he’d take no disciplinary action.
And today, finally, the prisoners that Eldric had been keeping were released, and Zane had received his father’s remains. They were being kept in a morgue for now, until he and his mother could make all the arrangements to have him buried properly. Until he saw them for himself, he had been uncertain that the vampires were going to honor that deal.
Melanie wrapped her arms around his neck as the door swung shut. After the trauma at Zane’s house, his mother wasn’t comfortable staying there, but Hurricane had graciously allowed them to stay at his place for the time being. Zane smiled at his mate, wrapping his arms around her waist as she pressed herself to her toes to give him a small kiss.
“How are you?” she asked him.
“I’m good. Relieved.” Zane smoothed her hair from her face. “And you? How are you doing?”
“I’m not the one who got his father’s bones today.”
Zane hummed. “But you did put your father into a nursing home.”
Melanie flinched. “I know that it’s the best for him. He needs more attention than I can give him. Just from a medical standpoint, it needed to happen. I know that. It doesn’t make me stop feeling like a failure as a daughter, though. I am grateful Hurricane gave us the money to get him into that one he wanted, though. He seems to be settling in well. Making new friends.”
It was what the doctors had recommended, but Zane knew Melanie's reluctance. The fact of the matter, though, was that her father was in much worse physical health than his mother and could hardly move himself around anymore. In the place he was in now, he was receiving more care and his caretakers were able to give him more than Melanie could, including regular trips out to various sightseeing locations.
“He’ll be happier staying in Coalfell, anyway.”
Melanie nodded. “I promised to visit every weekend, though.”
“And I will be there at your side.” Zane twined his fingers through hers and brought their hands to his mouth, so he could kiss each of her knuckles. “Because that is what a mate does.”
“Mates.” Melanie’s face broke into a smile. She kissed him again, nibbling at his lower lip then grinning. “I like the sound of that. And to think, all these years I was saving myself for someone special… I never expected it to be my mate, though.”
Zane laughed softly, turning her so he could walk her to the bed. “I never expected to find a mate. Let alone one that could accept this… crazy life of mine. Are you sure you’re okay with being mated to a gangster?”
“Are you okay with being mated forever?” she shot back and winked. She grew serious quickly, though. “I love you, Zane. Being part of the Brotherhood is part of who you are. Yeah, there are things I don’t like. But in the end, I have to accept them if I’m going to accept you. You do a lot of good. And without you as the alpha, the local chapter might have an alpha more like Typhoon. Bloodthirsty.”
He tipped her back on the bed and took a moment for his gaze to trail over her. He felt himself swelling as she ran her hands over her own curves, tempting him with a sultry look. When she paused at her breasts and squeezed them, he nearly forgot what they were talking about.
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