Aunt Celeste put her head in her hands again with a cry of distress. “Oh, why us?” She looked back up at her husband. “How could she do this to us? We should have never let her volunteer or go out with her friends to do who knows what.” She let out a snort of humorless laughter. “Well, I guess now we know what she was doing, don’t we? Unmated and with child.” Aunt Celeste pursed her lips and shook her head. “A shifter child no less.”
Their attitude shocked Arianna. She couldn’t believe her aunt would say these things. Was she implying they should have stopped Naya from ever leaving the house? Naya was an adult and capable of making her own decisions. If her parents had not treated her like a child and if they’d actually explained the existence of shifters and how they would like her to stay away from them, maybe Naya would not be in this situation. The very thing they’d wanted to prevent, they had ended up causing. They didn’t understand that they were partially responsible for Naya’s condition. Instead, they were putting all the blame on her.
Now, Arianna understood much more about Naya. It was no wonder she’d spent time with humans. Naya didn’t see being the next queen as a privilege. With all the pressure her parents and the Council had put on Naya, it was a huge responsibility. She had been willing to forsake her own happiness by mating with someone she didn’t love and who didn’t love her. They hadn’t even taken notice of Naya’s displeasure with the situation. Even after everything Naya had been prepared to do for them and the vampire species, they’d acted as though she was the selfish and ungrateful one.
Arianna’s heart filled with sadness for Naya. She could only hope her aunt and uncle would come around because Arianna truly believed Naya cared for this Vaughn, or she would not have been with him in a sexual way. And Naya was about to be a mother. With pregnancy rare among vampires, Naya was probably happy about her condition, and her mother and father should be delighted to become grandparents.
Careful to control the emotions on her face, Arianna said, “I know you are unhappy with the situation, but waiting will not change anything. If you don’t feel comfortable telling Emerson and the Council why the betrothal will not happen, then do not tell them the reason. This is your right. You are, after all, the King and Queen.”
Uncle Marek sighed and said, “She’s right, Celeste. We can’t leave everyone to speculate. We need to address some of these issues. We’ll worry about Anaya and what to do regarding her situation at a later time. First, we must tell everyone the courtship is over, and there will be no betrothal.” He turned to look at Arianna. “Thank you, Arianna. What time will they arrive?”
“Nine o’clock.”
Uncle Marek nodded. “We will be ready and downstairs in time.” He closed the door without waiting for Arianna to respond.
At nine o’clock sharp, Hans showed Emerson and his mother into the foyer. Arianna had been right about the councilwoman. As Emerson’s mother handed her coat to Hans, Emerson glanced around before sending Arianna a secret smile. She still couldn’t quite believe he actually cared for her. Despite everything else happening around her, she felt like the luckiest female in the world. She hadn’t told Emerson of Naya’s situation since they had only been able to speak on the phone, but she had been able to tell him about her aunt and uncle calling off his and Naya’s courtship.
Arianna returned his smile as she heard her uncle and aunt coming down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Councilwoman Vanderbilt turned around, and Arianna schooled her expression. Aunt Celeste’s hair and makeup were done, but she was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Uncle Marek looked weary.
Everyone greeted each other properly, but Emerson’s mother paused when she got to Arianna.
She narrowed her eyes and studied Arianna. “You sure are a beauty, aren’t you?” the councilwoman said to her.
Arianna was confused at the direction of the councilwoman’s thoughts. “Thank you, ma’am.”
She took a step back and scanned Arianna’s body. “A little on the slender side. Your hips are not as wide as your cousin’s, but they should do fine to carry sons.”
Arianna was speechless. Did she know Naya was pregnant? And why was the woman concerned with her body? “Thank you?” She was uncertain if this was an insult or a compliment.
“Look at those purple eyes. You truly are a Kensington, aren’t you?”
“Why yes, ma’am. My father was Uncle Marek’s younger brother.”
She smiled and patted Arianna on the cheek. “Yes, I know, dear.” Then, she turned around and addressed everyone else. “Shall we begin?”
Arianna gave Emerson a quick questioning look. He shrugged in response.
Uncle Marek said, “Yes, Glenda. Why don’t you come into the sitting room? We will have Hans bring in some refreshments.”
Uncle Marek glanced at Arianna. She gave a slight nod, and he let out a breath of relief.
Arianna thought she saw Emerson’s mother watch her from the corner of her eye, but when Arianna glanced at her, her eyes were directed at her uncle and aunt.
They went into the sitting room and seated themselves. Emerson and his mother took the love seat directly across from the sofa where the King and Queen sat. Arianna was the last to be seated in a chair adjacent to both the sofa and love seat, and she realized Emerson’s mother had not asked about Naya’s absence.
How odd.
After they were seated, they waited for the food and drinks to be brought in before anyone spoke.
Uncle Marek cleared his throat. “Emerson, Glenda, thank you for taking the time to come here tonight. Emerson, I know you’ve been courting Naya for the last few months, but I am afraid nothing can come of it. Something has come up, and we cannot allow Naya to mate with you.” He held up his hands. “This is not Emerson’s fault. Our opinion has not changed regarding him. There are new extenuating circumstances preventing a betrothal.”
“What is the meaning of this? I do not understand,” Emerson’s mother said. Her words were cross but held no real heat behind them, and her facial expression did not show anger. It appeared as if she was forcing herself to frown.
Her uncle and aunt were too involved with themselves to notice.
“I’m sorry, Glenda,” Uncle Marek said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Please tell the rest of the Council we will give them more information as soon as we are able. I don’t have any answers to give you right now. My mate has been in some distress lately, so I would like to keep this meeting short.”
Aunt Celeste managed a weak smile when all eyes turned to her.
“Very well.” Councilwoman Vanderbilt stood.
Uncle Marek and Emerson followed.
“Thank you for inviting us and telling us in person. We’d best be on our way.” She looked toward her son. “I’ll get my coat and head to the car. Please don’t take too long, dear.”
After Emerson’s mother left the room, Aunt Celeste stood and said, “I’m going back to my room.” It was as if she’d completely forgotten Emerson was standing there, or perhaps, she just did not care. She walked past without a proper farewell.
Uncle Marek seemed to be at a loss. He stood and stared into space.
Arianna approached him and said, “I will see Emerson out if you would like to tend to Aunt Celeste.”
Her uncle appeared not to hear her. “What a strange encounter. I thought, for sure, she would be outraged and demand a Council meeting,” he said as if thinking out loud.
Arianna touched his arm, and he looked at her.
“Oh, yes. Thank you, dear.” He absentmindedly patted her shoulder and left the room.
As soon as they left, Emerson closed the distance between them. He drew her into his arms and placed a tender kiss upon her lips.
“What is going on?” Emerson asked her.
“You must promise not to speak of this to anyone.”
“You have my word.”
“Emerson, did you know shifters existed?”
“Yes, alth
ough I have never personally encountered one. Why?”
She sighed. “In Uncle Marek and Aunt Celeste’s”—she struggled for the right word—“overprotectiveness, they never told us shifters existed. Quite frankly, I’m amazed they ever let us leave the house.” She shook her head. “At any rate, Naya met a shifter somewhere when she was out with her human friends, and now, she is going to have his baby.”
Emerson raised his brow.
“Uncle Marek and Aunt Celeste are quite beside themselves. Now, no one knows what is going to happen. Naya was—is very upset with her parents. She actually left when she found out everything they’d kept from her, and she hasn’t come home. She won’t answer any of my phone calls either.”
“That explains a lot about Naya. No wonder the King and Queen called off the courtship.”
“Yes, they could never ask you to mate with Naya now. What do you think the Council will say?”
“That is a good question. I don’t know.” He smiled down at her. “However, it does make things easier for us.” He kissed her again.
“I don’t know when we will be able to tell them we want to be mated,” Arianna said after they parted. She hoped they wouldn’t have to wait too long to be together.
“Don’t worry. We will be together soon. I promise you this.”
He was undeniably wonderful to her, and Arianna rested her head on his chest.
“I love you,” she whispered.
It was enough to have Emerson care for her and want to be her mate, but when he said, “I love you, too,” it made her heart sing.
STRIPPING OFF HIS clothes, Damien dropped them by the front door of the cabin he’d inherited from his maternal grandfather. It was still under his pappy’s name, making Damien’s ownership a secret, and it gave him some much-needed privacy.
He’d left the lodge two days after the cat-shifter came to visit his father, and he had been here for almost two weeks. It had been the best thing to do at the time. His father had remained close-mouthed about the cat, and when it had gotten to the point where they were about to rip out each other’s throats, Damien had known he needed to leave before he challenged his father.
There was no question he would make a better alpha than Dwyer or that he would win. But it wasn’t time. Until the rest of the pack, the sentinels especially, was behind Damien, he would never have their full respect as alpha.
Shifting into his wolf, he jumped off the porch. Since it was technically in the Twin Cities area, these past few weeks had been his first time back to the cabin in years, and he’d missed it. Thankfully, he’d paid someone to maintain the land, keep the wood stocked in the shed, and clean out the dust and cobwebs every couple of months, so he’d only had to worry about bringing food, water, and clothes when he returned.
He was grateful his grandfather had left him the land, giving him a place to get away from his father. His grandfather had never liked his father and had kept the cabin a secret from him, even before willing it to Damien. And Damien was smart enough to keep it that way—not just because his pappy had wanted it that way, but because he didn’t trust his father and what he would do with it.
Damien wound his way through the trees, letting the cold wind blow over his fur, as he allowed the sights, sounds, and smells to invade his senses. There was always a certain peace when he let his wolf take over. He saw a rabbit sitting by a group of bushes, and he darted toward it. The rabbit took off, and he gave chase, enjoying the simple pleasure of hunting. He wasn’t really hungry, and after half a mile, he let the rabbit go. He pivoted and trotted the other way.
As he got closer to the cabin, his thoughts turned, and he knew he needed to go back to the lodge and do something about his father. He needed to discover his father’s plans if he wanted to stop Dwyer. He needed to talk to the other sentinels and explain how his father had brought them back home for the wrong reasons. Without his sentinels to help, his father couldn’t succeed.
Damien jumped onto the porch and entered the cabin, shifting back to human. After a quick shower, he dressed, made himself a quick meal, packed his stuff, and threw it all into his truck. He climbed behind the wheel, turned the engine over, and put the vehicle in drive.
One thing was for sure. Damien wasn’t going to give in without a fight.
A lot had happened in the two weeks since Naya found out about her pregnancy and the existence of shifters. She’d essentially moved into Vaughn’s apartment with him, and they had been learning more about each other every day, spending time getting to know one another better.
It was her third night at the apartment, and she sat on the bed, cross-legged, as she waited for Vaughn to get out of the shower. They’d discussed something they saw on the news the night before. She hadn’t felt like getting up once he had gone into the bathroom, so she waited for him to come out. Alone with her thoughts, she realized she hadn’t seen his cat side yet. Here she was, living with a shifter, and she had yet to experience that half of him.
It wasn’t long before Vaughn strolled out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and went looking for clothes.
“What do you want to do tonight?” he asked from his closet.
“I want to see what you look like.”
He walked out with a big smile on his face and dropped his towel. “You already know what I look like, but if you want to see again, I’m not going to complain.” He looked down his body and then back at her. “I mean, I don’t really blame you.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “No. I mean, I want to see the other side of you. I’ve never seen your cat.” She bit her lip. “I want to know what you look like.”
He lost his smile and dropped his chin as his eyes had filled with heat. He growled, and she felt it radiate to her core before extending out to her whole body.
Will he always affect me this way?
“Anything for you, baby,” he said with a rumble.
As he had begun to shift, she felt complete fascination that she had the privilege to watch something this special. His legs shortened, and his arms had lengthened, becoming hind and front legs. His body became fuller, and his head had grown bigger with a flatter nose. His ears moved up toward the top of his head. The black hair on his head sprung out and become fur that spread over his whole body. Surrounding his head was a lion-like mane although not as long and thick. He had to be at least two hundred and fifty pounds, all of which was muscle and very impressive. He was about the size of a jaguar but not as big as a lion or tiger. In the middle of his face, his eyes were the same incredible blue color. The beauty of his cat took her breath away and made the fact that he was not a human or vampire very real and very cool.
“Vaughn?”
He let out a small roar, and she smiled.
“I want to touch you.”
Roaring softly again as if saying she could, he walked up to her as she set her feet on the floor. He rubbed against her legs, and she ran her fingers through the fur on his head. He was surprisingly soft. She’d thought his fur would be coarser.
Wanting him closer, she scooted back and patted the bed next to her. He jumped up and rubbed along her midsection and chest before moving up to her face and neck where he had taken his time. She loved knowing Vaughn had used his cat scent glands to mark her as his.
Naya moved up on the bed, lying back, to let Vaughn stand over her. She’d wanted him to know she wasn’t afraid and that she trusted him. His cat could be intimidating to anyone who crossed him, but she wasn’t scared. He would never hurt her. The lick he had given to the side of her face had made her giggle. Just like a small cat, his tongue was rough.
“Thank you for sharing this with me. You’re beautiful.” She’d rubbed his ears and kissed his nose.
He rubbed his head against her and curled up on the bed. She propped some pillows up against the headboard and grabbed the novel she was currently reading. He scooted closer to her to put his head in her lap. She threaded her fingers through his fur in a continuous mo
tion, and he purred. The noise had been louder in his cat form, and she liked him purring next to the babies even though their hearing hadn’t developed yet.
That had been one of her favorite nights with him.
Naya still had insomnia and would sometimes awaken to hear Vaughn purring. When this happened, she would curl up on his chest, rub her growing belly, and listen to him purr as he slept. She wasn’t even sure he was aware of it, but to her, it was a special part of him that he shared with her, and the sound would lull her back to sleep.
Besides opening himself to her, he would be attentive to her needs. He would make sure she had plenty to eat and got plenty of rest. He had provided her with a key to his apartment, so she could come and go as she pleased. He’d also made sure she wouldn’t ignore her need for blood. It hadn’t quite been a month since she last fed, but the babies had sped up her hunger. She’d tried to put it off for as long as possible because the other times she’d fed, she’d been in the moment and hadn’t thought before she bit him. This time, she had been determined to ask him for permission first, but she hadn’t quite known how to go about it. In the end, it had turned out that she didn’t have to.
It was Saturday night. They’d been together for a week and a half, and they were out on a date. Their plan was to go to dinner and a movie, and so far they’d only made it to dinner. Vaughn was joking they could sit in the back and neck like teenagers when they got to the theater. Naya laughed in response, but it was mildly forced because what she really wanted to do was feed. She probably waited longer than she should have, and she would have to keep waiting because a public area was not the place for such a thing.
But after they left the restaurant, Vaughn brought them home. She’d been in her head, debating how to approach the feeding subject, during the car ride, and she hadn’t even noticed they were back at the apartment until he’d pulled into the garage.
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