“Really now. And does your soon-to-be quick departure have anything to do with the woman whose scent you’re wearing?”
Shit. Skylar didn’t think he’d be able to talk his way out of that one, but it didn’t mean he still wouldn’t try. “Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. I just have to go out for a while, but I’ll be back in time to take my shift over at your place.”
“Uh-huh. And why do I get the feeling you want to avoid the whole topic of the new scent I smell on you? Whoever she is, she’s not a werewolf. Is there something you’d like to tell me, Skylar?”
“Not particularly. If you must know, I have a date. Nothing more.”
“A date? With the mortal woman?”
“Yes. What of it?”
“So you’re telling me you just have a simple date with a mortal woman, and that there isn’t a chance of her being your mate?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s about it.”
Roxie closed some of the distance between them. “All right. Then prove it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Then prove to me you haven’t found your mate.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “And how would you want me to do that?”
“Easy. I want you to take the front of your shirt, hold it up to your nose and take a big old whiff of it. I have a feeling that’s where the woman’s scent is the strongest from you holding her against you.”
Double shit. “And what do you expect to happen if I do it?”
“If she’s your mate, you’re mating urge will be riding you. A good strong dose of her scent will be enough to get a reaction out of you. I’m betting it will make your eyes glow, and you won’t be able to control it.”
“I’m not going to smell my shirt.”
“Yes, you will, because if you don’t, I’m going to assume you’re too chicken. Come on. I dare you to do it.”
Skylar gritted his teeth. He was no chicken and daring him to do anything usually meant he’d do it just to prove to the person doing the daring he could. “Fine, I’ll do your silly test.”
Mentally bracing himself so he hopefully wouldn’t react to Braelyn’s scent, Skylar jerked up the front of his t-shirt and buried his nose in it. He took a deep breath. The smell of his mate’s scent mixed with his caused his control to slip. His eyes closed, and he drew in more and more of the mixture, filtering out his own scent until he fixated on Braelyn’s. Against his will, his body reacted. His cock filled with blood until the front of his jeans became uncomfortably tight.
“Open your eyes, Skylar,” Roxie said. “I need to see them, but as how other parts of you have suddenly gotten bigger, I’m pretty sure I know what I’ll find.”
He opened his eyes to find Roxie smiling while she gazed at him with an “I told you so” look. After one last whiff, he dropped his shirt and tugged it back down into place. “Not a word,” he said to her.
“You’re such a liar,” she said with a smirk. “Those glowing peepers of yours tell the truth. Not to mention certain other body parts.”
Skylar frowned and tried to turn the tables onto Roxie. “That’s twice now you’ve brought the subject of my manhood into the conversation. I wonder how Beowulf would feel about that.”
She laughed. “Manhood? Now you’re really showing your age. And keep Beowulf out of this. I know what you’re trying to do. You just want to steer me off the topic of your mate. And there is no use in denying it. The way you smelled your shirt, you looked like a starved man who’d just found a big juicy steak.”
“All right, you win. So I found my mate.”
“And you spent the day with her, obviously. Since you haven’t brought her home, you must not have claimed her yet, which is good. You know my rule about letting mortal mates have the chance to decide whether or not they want to be claimed. But I’m going to assume you’re well on your way to convincing her since your brothers did the same with their mates.”
Thinking it would at least put him in Roxie’s good graces, Skylar decided to tell her how he actually spent his time with Braelyn. “I’m working on it, yes, but not the way you think. I managed to get only one kiss out of her.”
“Then what exactly did you do with the rest of your time?”
“Clothes shopping,” he mumbled.
A smile tugged at Roxie’s mouth. “What was that? I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just say you went clothes shopping with your soon-to-be mate?”
“I know you heard me perfectly fine. And for your information, she considers it something she has to do to keep on top of her career.”
“Okay, now you have me interested. What exactly does she do that requires her to shop for her job?”
Skylar felt pretty certain Roxie would recognize Braelyn’s name. “I guess you could call her a famous fashion model. She’s Braelyn Whitmore.”
“Oh my god, your mate is Braelyn Whitmore,” Roxie shouted. “The Braelyn Whitmore, the Victoria’s Secret model?”
He winced. “Yes.”
Considering how loud Roxie had shouted, Skylar didn’t think it would be very long before everyone else present in the mansion came to investigate. Sure enough, the sound of more than one set of footsteps sounded in the hall that led to the kitchen. He groaned when every single person he lived with, accompanied by Beowulf, filed into the foyer.
Beowulf went to his mate’s side. “What’s the shouting about, Rox?”
“Skylar found his mate, and she’s Braelyn Whitmore.”
Roxie’s mate shook his head. “The name doesn’t mean much to me. Should it?”
Ansley, who was mated to Roan, spoke up. “She’s best known as a Victoria’s Secret model. She was also one of the models in their fashion show on TV the other night.”
Roan put his arm around his mate’s waist. “Ah, yes. I remember watching that, and picking out a number of bras and panties I thought would look incredibly sexy on you.”
Even though Roan was his true brother, and mated, the thought of him seeing his mate so scantily clad had Skylar’s hackles rising. It wasn’t as if he had to worry about Roan making moves on Braelyn, but the mating urge wasn’t letting him think too clearly. A low growl rumbled out of his chest before he could silence it.
Jager, his other true brother, loudly cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I think Skylar isn’t exactly in the mood to hear how many of us watched that particular show at the moment. If you know what I mean?”
The conversation, which had centered on his mate being famous and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, came to abrupt end. Skylar met Jager’s gaze and nodded in thanks.
Saskia, who was his sister-in-arms and the leader of the Protectors, said, “Jager’s right. I don’t think we need to torture Skylar like that.” She turned in his direction. “Though I am going to say I’m thrilled to hear another one of us has found their mate. At this rate, all of us will be matched up very soon.”
Kye, who stood at the back of the group, said, “Hey, I’m in no hurry. I’m quite happy just letting it happen when it happens.”
Deciding to make a break for it before things started to get out of hand, Skylar backed up the stairs. Seeing Roxie open her mouth to say something, he quickly said, “We can continue this conversation another time. I have a date with Braelyn this evening, and I don’t want to be late.”
Turning, not waiting for any of them to respond, he moved at preternatural speed the rest of the way up the stairs. It wasn’t until he was safely locked behind his bedroom door that he breathed a sigh of relief. He’d survived that close call. All he had to do was sneak out of the house before he became cornered again.
* * *
Braelyn managed to get all the shopping bags from her trunk into her parents’ modest two-story house in one trip. Her mom must have seen her pull into the driveway, because she opened the front door as soon as Braelyn stepped onto the porch.
“My, that’s quite a load,” her mother said after she shut the door behind her.
“At least you can afford to indulge.”
She headed up the stairs to what had been her bedroom while she’d been growing up. Her mom followed on her heels. Braelyn dumped the bags on the bed and looked through them for something in particular. Once she found the new dress she’d bought, she took it from the bag and shook it out. It was a black, sleeveless cocktail mini dress that had beading along the bust. The form-fitting garment only reached her mid-thigh and had had Skylar’s eyes almost popping out of his head when she’d come out of the change room to ask his opinion on it.
“That’s a lovely dress,” her mom said. “Are you planning on wearing it to have dinner with your father and me? I think you might be a tad overdressed if you are.”
Braelyn inwardly winced. She’d totally forgotten about her parents expecting her to eat with them. She’d only arrived back in San Francisco the evening before. “Um, I kind of have a date for dinner,” she said as she turned to face her mother. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“You’re back only one day, and you already have a date,” her mom said with a chuckle. “No, I don’t mind. So who is he?”
“His name is Skylar, and he’s from around here.”
“And how did you meet him?”
She smiled. “It’s kind of a funny story. He saw me crossing the street and followed me into a store—a lingerie store. Once he realized where we were, he got a little bit uncomfortable, especially when I started asking him which bras and panties he liked.”
Her mother shook her head. “You and your tests. Obviously, he passed or you wouldn’t be seeing him this evening.”
“He more than passed. Even though I dragged him to quite a few stores, not once did Skylar try to find a way to get out of it. I actually enjoyed having him with me.”
“Seeing the number of shopping bags here,” her mom waved her hand toward the bed, “you must have taken him on quite a shopping spree. You’re going to introduce him to your father and me before you leave, right?”
“I suppose so, though you know I’m no longer a teenager and can go out without my parents having to check out my date first.”
“I know. I’m just being nosy. And I know you have good taste in men.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll be sure to do the quick introductions and then usher Skylar out the door. That should satisfy your curiosity.”
“Oh, and talking about curiosity, something came for you while you were out.” Her mom left the bedroom and returned a minute later carrying a courier envelope.
Braelyn looked at who sent it and smiled. “It’s from my modeling agency.” She ripped open the envelope and pulled out a stack of smaller regular envelopes. “These must be fan letters. My agent had said she’d forward any that arrived while I was out here. She doesn’t like to be burdened with taking care of them and gets her models to deal with their own fan mail however we see fit.”
“I see. So I can expect more of these to arrive?”
“More than likely. I tend to see a bit of an influx after doing the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. And most of them seem to come from teenage males.”
Her mom laughed. “I guess I’ll leave you to your fan mail and let you get ready for your date. I’ll be downstairs getting dinner organized if you need me.”
“All right.”
After her mother left her alone, Braelyn pushed some of the bags aside and sat on the bed. Even though she mostly just sent out autographed pictures of herself to every person who wrote to her, she read every letter.
The first two letters turned out to be what she’d expected—teenage males writing to say how much they loved her. Braelyn put those aside to send a photo. The next envelope didn’t have any return address on it. She ripped it open and pulled out the single folded sheet of paper. Unfolded, she scanned the words printed in a large font.
Braelyn swallowed when she re-read the letter. It wasn’t exactly a fan letter, and it wasn’t the first of this type she’d received, either. Only a few short sentences, it said she was nothing but a slut who would one day get what she deserved. It also said that whoever had sent the letter would be the one to give it to her, and that she’d beg for more while it happened.
Even though there weren’t any identifying marks to give any clues as to who had sent it, Braelyn felt sure this letter had been from the same person who’d sent her the two other similar ones the month before. The large font used was the same, and the subject of the letter almost identical.
She wanted nothing more than to rip the letter up into shreds and burn it, but Braelyn refolded it instead and put it back in the envelope. The other two letters were back in her apartment in LA, and she’d save this one as well. So far, all she’d gotten were the letters, but in case it turned out she had a stalker and things got progressively worse, she needed to keep them as evidence.
Feeling a bit spooked, Braelyn finished reading the rest of her fan mail. The offending one, she stuck in the very bottom of her suitcase. She didn’t need one of her parents to find it. For now, she’d keep them to herself.
Chapter Four
By the time Skylar was ready to head back to San Francisco to pick up Braelyn, Roxie and Beowulf had already left the mansion. Dirk and Kye had gone with them. Later that night, Skylar would take Kye’s place and stay the night along with Dirk. Until Roxie gave birth, Saskia had decided two Protectors needed to spend the night with the couple to be on hand in case their former brother-in-arms made a power play during that time.
Miles, who was Saskia’s true brother and at one time a Protector, had gone to the dark side when he’d made the decision to make the switch five hundred years before. Instead of protecting the one they’d all sworn to do so with their lives, Miles wanted to gain control of the foretold one and use that person as a figurehead to rule the werewolf packs himself.
So far they’d managed to keep Roxie’s identity a secret from him. And, with the events that had occurred after Miles had taken Leif hostage, as far as Miles knew, his own daughter was the foretold one. It had been Jaden’s idea to pose as Roxie when her father had demanded the foretold one in exchange for Leif, her mate. At the time none of them, not even Jaden, had known Miles was her father. But when Roxie had turned Jaden before making the exchange her scent had changed, bringing out some of Miles’ recognizable scent that declared him her father.
As Skylar slipped out of the mansion and went to the garage, he pushed thoughts of Roxie, Miles and Jaden from his head. He got into his charcoal grey Infiniti G37 sport coupe and backed out onto the drive. Once he hit the street, he drove in the direction that would take him to the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.
Thoughts of Braelyn surfaced while he made the drive. He’d done a lot of thinking about her during the hours he’d had to wait to see her again. It also hadn’t helped when he’d come out of the shower to find someone—more than likely Leif—had shoved a copy of the latest Victoria’s Secret catalogue under his door. Skylar had looked through it a half dozen times at least, staring at every page Braelyn appeared on. It was bad enough he’d have erotic dreams of her when he slept that night—thanks to the mating urge—but the catalogue only added fuel to the fire of burning need that hadn’t really left him since he’d met her.
Finally across the bridge and in the city, Skylar drove to the address Braelyn had given him. When he arrived, he pulled over to the curb and parked in front of the house. It was situated in a modest neighborhood. He saw Braelyn’s BWM parked in the drive along with a Buick Regal. She’d said she had come to San Francisco to visit family, and from the look of the house, Skylar bet this was where Braelyn’s parents lived. It only made sense she would stay with them while here.
Skylar got out of the car and took a moment to straighten his clothes. He wore black jeans, a dark grey button-down shirt and his shit-kickers. When he’d dressed, he’d thought he would be dressed up enough for the Supperclub, but he hadn’t thoug
ht about the chance of having to meet Braelyn’s parents on their first date. He knew he would have to at some point since she was his mate and he had no intention of walking away, but he’d figured it would be sometime down the road after he’d claimed her.
After he shut the car door and used the remote on his key ring to lock it, Skylar walked toward the house. On the porch, he smoothed his hand along his hair to make sure all of it was still inside the ponytail at his nape, then rang the doorbell.
The door opened, and Skylar met the gaze of a smiling woman who appeared to be close to fifty. She had the same emerald green eyes as Braelyn and shared some of her looks. This obviously had to be his mate’s mother.
“I’m here to pick up Braelyn,” he said.
“You must be Skylar,” she replied. “Come on in.” Once he had, she closed the door behind him and held out her hand. “I’m Braelyn’s mom, Bev.”
Skylar took her hand and gave it a shake before he released it. “Yes, I’m Skylar. And it’s nice to meet you.”
“Braelyn will just be a few minutes longer. Why don’t you come and take a seat in the living room while you wait?”
He nodded and followed Bev into the room just off the front entranceway. The living room was done in light colors and had a loveseat, couch and armchair. He chose to sit on the couch. Braelyn’s mom sat in the armchair kitty-corner to the couch.
“My husband is working late tonight, something spur of the moment, or you’d be meeting him as well,” Bev said. “I’m sure you didn’t count on having to meet Braelyn’s parents when you asked her out.”
Skylar smiled. “I can honestly say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”
“Well, don’t worry too much about it. Neither my husband nor I are the type of parents who have to know everything our grown-up daughter is doing. So you won’t be getting grilled this evening.”
He felt himself relax. Bev reminded him a lot of Braelyn personality wise. They both were down to earth and a bit on the laidback side. Skylar could see himself having no problem getting to know his mate’s parents—at least her mother—better and grow to like them.
Skylar’s Devotion Page 3
