Accepting Fate

by Rivers, Brandy L

  Mike sat up, his eyes wide. “Hold on a minute. What?”

  She sighed. “Consider him a sexual vampire. He has the potential to drain the life out of his victims if he fucks them too long and too thoroughly.”

  “Uh, son-of-a-bitch. That’s not what I was expecting. At least he seems to have his shit together. He met a woman who straightened him out.”

  “Another of his kind?”

  He shrugged. “Believe so.”

  “Leanan?”

  “You know her?”

  “They aren’t common. She has a habit of helping her kind learn control.”

  “Interesting.”

  “So you never talked to him about any of your issues?”

  Mike shook his head. “Nope. He’s always had more problems than me. Didn’t feel right to burden him with my shit when he was barely coping himself.”

  “Anytime you need to talk, you talk to me. Okay?”

  He nodded.

  “Ready to work on wrangling your magic?”

  “Thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter 10

  Dishes. There was a reason he didn’t like cooking. Not to mention he sucked at it. At least Gwen was competent in the kitchen, among other places. The one positive thing about cleaning up, his attention wasn’t funneled to Gwen, though he couldn’t ignore her entirely.

  His phone rang. Groaning, he quickly dried his hands and swiped it off the counter, pressing talk. “Hey, Rox. What’s up?”

  “It’s poetry night. Want to come out? You can bring your mage friend.”

  “Why do you say it like that?”

  “Oh, let’s see. She walked out in those itty bitty shorts and barely there tank this morning and you got sprung.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed Gwen wasn’t listening too closely.

  “And I thought it would be good to see my big brother. It’s been a month. I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for this morning. I was a tad bitchy.”

  “You can say that again. Hang on.”

  Gwen looked up from her Kindle, her honey eyes locked on his. Pink lips quirked as she swept a loose lock of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. Curled up on the couch with a throw blanket, she was an invitation to settle in and get comfortable.

  Keeping his hands to himself was proving more difficult every moment he spent with the unavoidable temptation.

  Her brow arched. “Well?”

  He wet his lips. “Want to go to Poetry Night down at Jitterhouse? Maybe you can talk books with my sister.”

  “Love to. When is it?”

  He lifted the phone to his ear. “You going to be there early, Rox?”

  “Yup. Figured it would be nice to visit before everything starts.”

  “We’ll be there.” He pressed end and set his phone aside, before asking Gwen, “Can you be ready in an hour?”

  “Casual, right?”

  “Very.”

  “Only need five minutes.”

  He grinned. “Don’t know about you, but I could use a beer. Want to stop on the way?”

  “Sure.” She flipped the blanket off and bounced to her feet. “Be right back.”

  He watched her ass sway down the hall and held his breath. I officially dub this blue balls week—maybe month. Shit, I’m never surviving.

  Scrubbing a hand over his face he quickly finished the dishes then went back to his room to change.

  * * * *

  Gwen followed Mike out of the bar and watched him tense, then look around. He rubbed the back of his neck and met her gaze with a shrug.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered.

  Shaking his head, he started for the street. Gwen followed, but she felt something lurking too. Unfortunately, she didn’t have Mike’s innate ability to sense specific types of Others.

  His long strides ate up the two blocks to the Jitterhouse. She struggled to keep up without resorting to jogging.

  “Hey, Mike, short stuff back here. Give a girl a break.”

  His pace finally slowed as he looked over with a deep chuckle. “Sorry.” He opened the door and she slipped past him with a smile.

  Once inside, Mike’s shoulders eased, and he took in her appearance while biting down on his bottom lip.

  “Like what you see?”

  Looking away, he groaned and started for the counter.

  With a sigh, she caught up and tugged his sleeve. “Stop looking at me like I’m a buffet and you haven’t eaten in a week, and I’ll stop teasing.”

  He kept his eyes straight ahead. “I like the teasing. The problem is I don’t trust myself to touch you yet.”

  Yeah, that’s a problem all right. Every time he looked at her like that, she wanted to pull him to the nearest wall, corner, table, surface—hell, the floor would work for all she cared. She needed him inside her.

  Tremaine would be lucky if she didn’t kick his ass for this assignment. It was bad enough when Mike ditched her. Now, he clearly wanted a taste, but wasn’t willing to indulge. She wouldn’t push her luck because she didn’t want to fuck it all up.

  “A warning, if you keep looking pissed, Roxy might want to take you on.”

  Gwen’s brow arched. “Worried about poor little me?”

  “I have a feeling you can handle yourself. That’s not the issue. You’re going to be around me, which means Roxy, and,” he took a slow breath, “and I like you around.”

  Biting her tongue, Gwen nodded.

  “What would you like to drink?”

  “Almond mocha.”

  Mike put their order in and nodded to a table close by. “Looks like it’s just Roxy and Trevor tonight.”

  “That good or bad?”

  “Trevor’s clan has adopted me.” He snorted. “Probably think the poor mortal can’t take care of himself.”

  “I didn’t think that when I first saw you.”

  His voice dropped lower. “What did you think?”

  “Sure you want my answer?”

  Mike grinned. “That’s right. You made it pretty apparent what you wanted.”

  One corner of her mouth lifted as she shrugged a shoulder. “You’re a man hiding something. I wanted to delve in and find out what.”

  “They say curiosity killed the cat.”

  “Curiosity was framed.” She winked.

  Nodding, he laughed, then froze. He looked toward the entrance and paled. “Shit.” Drawing a deep breath, he closed his eyes.

  Gwen saw the willowy blonde with big green eyes. She guessed it was Amanda because her gaze was locked on Mike.

  Grabbing the drinks, she linked her arm through his. Sparks trailed across her shield as she pulled him toward the table.

  Gwen leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Sit on the inside.”

  He swallowed hard, and did as told without a word. Roxy’s brow creased with concern as Gwen slid into the booth beside Mike.

  The woman walked to the table. Extremely sharp incisors pressed into her bottom lip. Vampire. Several possibilities ran through her head. She had a good idea how Mike’s ex went from junkie to fanger.

  Question was, why show up now?

  “Mike, it’s been so long. I’ve missed you.” Her voice was soft and vulnerable, and her eyes full of unshed tears.

  His jaw clenched as his attention shifted to her. “I missed you for a while, but that was a long time ago.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “It’s too late, Amanda. I’m not interested in rehashing the past.” His gaze dropped to his coffee, and Gwen could practically feel the storm of emotions brewing inside him.

  “Please, Mike. If you ever—”

  She felt his magic building. He snapped, “No! I did love you, Amanda. You threw me, and my love, away.” He sucked in a breath. “Go. I’m with friends and family. I don’t have time for you.”

  “I’ll find you. We will talk.”

  The pain in Mike’s eyes was enough to gut Gwen. All she could think was, Mine!

  She stood up
and stepped into the girl’s space, glaring up at her without fear. “I think you’ve done enough damage. He said he’s over you. Five years, not a word. If you ever cared for Mike, you would have accepted him. All of him.”

  Amanda gasped. “I need to talk to him.”

  “Too late, babe.” She pushed her energy toward the vamp and infused some heat.

  Her eyes flashed red before she streaked out of the building. Gwen took a seat with a satisfied smirk.

  “What the fuck was that?” Mike asked.

  “Vampire.”

  “Va-vampire?” he balked.

  Roxy grinned at Mike. “Okay, I like her. Gwen, I mean.”

  Mike’s head swung toward his sister. “Why?”

  “Amanda tore your heart out and stomped on it for what she couldn’t understand. Gwen sent her packing.”

  “Shit. I…” He dropped his head into his hands and took a slow breath.

  Gwen’s heart fell to the pit of her stomach. “Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

  Mike caught her arm before she could slip out of the booth and into the crowd. His chest heaved as he gently took her face and pulled her attention back. “Don’t go. Please. Let me wrap my head around this.”

  “If you want to talk to her, I won’t stop you.” She tried pulling away, but found herself hauled closer.

  He gave her a possessive look that curled her toes. “Not a chance. I’m done with her.”

  She didn’t understand. “Looked like I gutted you when I told her to go.”

  “No, that wasn’t because of you. I wasn’t expecting to see her again. The reasons I’m glad we’re over rushed through me. It was overwhelming.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  He nudged her chin up. “Soon, Tremaine’s advice isn’t going to stand between us.”

  “What advice?” Roxy asked with a laugh.

  Mike ignored his sister. “You still with me?”

  Her heart thundered in her chest as she stared.

  His eyes were full of pleading. “Please, say something. Tell me I haven’t fucked up already.”

  Her breath caught. “You haven’t. Thought maybe I had.”

  “Nope. Seems to be the wake-up call I needed.” He ran his thumb over her lip.

  “Aww. See, you like her, Mikey,” Roxy cooed.

  Mike groaned, swinging his attention to his sister. “Stuff it. All right?”

  Trevor whispered in her ear, and she rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll keep my opinions to myself.”

  “Thank you.”

  Gwen’s brow arched. “I like your sister.”

  * * * *

  Once everything settled down, and the topic of Amanda was successfully tabled, Gwen started to relax. Mike knew, without a doubt, that whatever he shared with the mage, he wanted to explore. Amanda was firmly in the past, while Gwen was the present, if not the future.

  Only thing he felt when he saw Amanda was the same anger he experienced the other night, and when Cole mentioned her name. Done, done, and done.

  When Gwen tried to leave, he knew that would be a mistake. She got him in a way no one else did. Her sense of humor jived with his. He was so damned scared of hurting everyone around him, but with her, that was fading.

  “Do you like poetry?” Roxy asked.

  Gwen nodded. “I do. I’ve been known to write the lamest poetry. Much better at listening or reading it.”

  Her eyes dropped to where she knew his beast was inked into his skin. “And you do art, but in a different way. Did you draw your tiger?”

  “I did.”

  Roxy cut in, “He also drew the dragon wrapped around my thigh and hip.”

  Trevor slipped his arm around Roxy and caressed her thigh. “Aye, it’s beautiful.”

  Roxy looked into Trevor’s eyes and licked her lips before Trevor leaned in to kiss her.

  Mike bent his head to Gwen’s ear. “Tomorrow, I want you to train me hard.”

  She nodded.

  “Thank you, for standing up for me. I needed to hear that on someone else’s tongue.”

  She shivered, and he breathed her vanilla bean scent. Her breath came quick.

  “You’re welcome, Mike.”

  He pressed his lips behind her ear and she leaned into him, tangling her hand in his shirt. “Now who’s teasing?” she protested.

  “Sorry,” he leaned away and she turned, her gaze locking on his. “You’re damn near irresistible,” Mike admitted.

  “I’m trying to behave. It’s harder than I imagined.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ve got hard covered. And then some. So train me well tomorrow.”

  “You got it.”

  When he looked over, he caught Roxy watching them with a curious glint in her eyes.

  Not wanting to discuss the rest of what was on his mind in his sister’s presence, he changed the subject. “How was Ireland?”

  “Beautiful, amazing. Trevor knew all the best places to explore.”

  “I promised we’d go back, A Chroí,” Trevor murmured.

  Something passed over her face briefly before Skylar called Roxy up to the stage. Suddenly, Mike had questions, but wanted to get his sister alone.

  He already knew Trevor had exceptional hearing, so he’d have to convince Roxy to meet him for coffee in the morning, without Gwen.

  Roxy took the stage. “Hi, everyone. I’m fresh from my honeymoon, so forgive me if this is a little sappy. Love you, Trevor.” She blew a kiss, which he returned with a goofy grin. Smiling, she nodded to Mike. “And I’m happy to see my brother here.”

  Love of my life

  Only one for me

  So much to live for

  Into the future

  No looking back

  Graced with love

  Because of you

  Always cherished

  Baby, I’m yours

  You are mine

  Since we met

  Only one in my heart

  Real love happens

  Right time for us

  Years won’t fade our love

  Two lives intertwined

  Rapturous smile mends

  Every fractured piece

  Voiced emotions linger

  One truth for me

  Remember always loved

  Out of habit, he traced the first letter of each line on the table. Mike couldn’t breathe as he processed the hidden message. Then Roxy wiped a tear away.

  Oblivious, Trevor slipped out of the booth and crossed the distance to scoop Roxy into his arms.

  “What’s wrong?” Gwen whispered.

  Words wouldn’t come. He swallowed hard and sucked in a breath. Shaking his head, he blinked and cleared his expression while Roxy and Trevor made out at the bottom of the stage.

  “Shit,” he whispered. “Oh fuck.”

  “What is it?”

  “Not here. Can’t here. Shit,” he muttered.

  “You’re freaking me out, Mike. Are you okay?”

  “Not sure. Maybe? I hope to fuck I’m wrong.”

  Gwen frowned as she watched him. “Promise you’ll tell me what’s going on when we get back to your place.”

  He threaded his fingers through hers with a sad smile. “Maybe you can make sense of it.”

  “I’ll do anything I can to help. I promise.”

  “You don’t know how much I appreciate that.”

  * * * *

  Fighting back tears, Roxy stepped off the stage into Trevor’s embrace. He took possession of her mouth in a heated kiss. For a moment, everything fell away. Until she felt Mikey’s magic flare.

  She broke the kiss and met her brother’s gaze. His brow was pinched as he stared a question at her, concern and confusion written on his face. She knew he’d catch what she was terrified to say out loud.

  Not that her brother could possibly have a solution. She wasn’t even supposed to be able to conceive. The full moon was coming, and with it the loss of a piece of her heart.

  Telling Trevor wasn’t an opti
on. He’d blame himself. Over a century ago he lost his wife in childbirth. Caera had finally carried to term, and their child had been stillborn, after countless miscarriages.

  Roxy didn’t have the heart to tear his world apart with something they couldn’t change. He had no clue she was pregnant.

  Gently catching Trevor’s face, she nodded to the table with a smile. “Come on, I miss my brother.” She pulled him to the booth and slid in, making eye contact with Mikey.

  He managed a smile, but she could scent his anxiety. After Amanda’s visit, it could be blamed on her, but she knew that faded as soon as he convinced Gwen to stay at his side. Which meant there was something real between him and Gwen.

  Roxy hoped it worked, because Gwen was pretty freaking awesome, and Mike deserved someone who could push and challenge him, but also understand him the way she seemed to. There was a magnetic force pulling them together. It was good to see.

  “Tomorrow morning,” Mikey arched a single brow, “you and me, coffee date. Just the two of us.” His gaze slid to Trevor’s. “Sorry, big man, but I need time with my sis after you hogged her for an entire month.” He turned to Gwen, “And I promise, I’ll call you if I think I can’t handle my shit.”

  Gwen smiled coyly. “You can handle it, but that’s perfectly fine. Spend time with your sister.”

  Trevor pulled Roxy into his side and kissed her forehead. “I won’t complain.”

  Roxy’s head tipped in a nod. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll text you when I’m up, but it’s going to be early.”

  “I can live with that. We have stuff to catch up on.” He reached over and squeezed her hand, giving her that same protective smile he gave her anytime things got rough.

  And somehow, she knew in her heart, he would see her through the mess. If only she had hope for what couldn’t be.

  Chapter 11

  Amanda was still freaked out after that woman pushed power at her. It felt like she might catch fire for a second. It didn’t stop her from following Mike though. She had to tell him about Cole.

  As scary as Mike’s new friend—probably girlfriend—was, Amanda felt relief. He’d moved on, and the new woman made him smile. Amanda hadn’t ruined his life after all.