“To Zander and Rena.” Dante lifted his glass toward the two of them. “The newest members of our growing community. And for me, personally, it’s nice to have another member of the Fox Clan here on the ranch. So thank you, Zander, for bringing Rena home.”
Zander nodded curtly as everyone clinked glasses but, as usual, said nothing. Jeez. The man had practically become a mute since they’d arrived, and it was starting to grate on her. When they had walked over to the cottage earlier, Rena tried to talk to him about what they were going to say in regard to how he found her. All he said was, I’ll handle it. And when she asked him about how he planned on dealing with Zed’s situation, he just shrugged.
Infuriating!
His grunting, monosyllabic routine was back in full force and driving her to the brink, testing what little patience she had left.
Damn it. Rena had to keep the focus on something other than him.
“William, your mate, Layla, is a hybrid too, right?” Rena asked after a healthy sip of her Cabernet. “Cheetah Clan?”
“She is,” he responded coolly. “She sends her apologies but is delayed on an assignment. Layla’s a photojournalist, and this trip is taking longer than anticipated. No one is more unamused by her absence than I am.”
“What about you?” Rena shifted her attention to Tatiana. “I know you’re a doctor, but are you psychic too?”
“Not exactly.” Tati lifted one shoulder. “I can telepath with animals, and I use our visualization abilities to help me when I’m treating a patient—animal, human, or Amoveo. I was a veterinarian BD.”
“BD?” Rena had zero idea what that meant. “What does that stand for?”
“Before Dominic,” she said, smiling before taking a sip of her wine.
Laughter erupted from the group, and Rena found herself laughing right along with them. Even Dom, who spent most of his time scowling, cracked a smile when his mate pressed a sweet kiss to his scarred cheek.
“So the ladies are hybrid, but the guys are…”
“Pureblood,” William chimed in. “I am a member of the Falcon Clan—Gyrfalcon to be more specific. All of the hybrids we have found, so far, have been female.”
The guy was one cool customer. It kind of made sense to Rena that a man who could shift into a bird would be somewhat aloof. But every time he spoke of Layla, his demeanor softened.
If there was a single quality all of the Amoveo men had in common, it was the unwavering adoration of their mates. Pure, unadulterated love flowed freely between them, and Rena would have been lying if she hadn’t admitted to a pang of jealousy.
What would it feel like to have someone love her so completely and openly? No hidden agendas. No fear of discovery. Pure and simple love. The notion would have seemed outlandish only a week ago, and now, it was within reach. The universe was dangling it in front of her in the form of the brooding hunk of man next to her. How could she possibly make him see what she did?
He was supposed to be her mate. Not his brother. Him.
“I’ve come to loathe that term, however,” William added. “The Purists have turned pureblood into a dirty word.”
“Kerry was telling me that these Purists don’t like the fact that humans have been able to mate with your kind. The war started because they were trying to hunt down the hybrids?” Rena quickly added, “Us, I mean.”
Her face heated with a little embarrassment. This wasn’t an us and them scenario. For the first time ever, she was part of a group. Maybe even a family. She flicked her gaze to Zander. Her heart somersaulted in her chest. He was all the family she needed or wanted. She genuinely appreciated the kindness of the Amoveo, but none of it would matter if Zander weren’t there with her.
“Regretfully, that is true.” William was formal and stiff but not void of emotion. Sadness edged his voice. “This rift was unprecedented among our kind, and only recently have we been able to regroup. Part of that process has been finding the other hybrids and bringing them to the safety of the ranch. In fact, we are hoping to reinstate a new council when Richard and Salinda return from the summit. It will be the final step in reuniting our race.”
“The last four years have been rough,” Dante added.
“What happened to them?” Rena asked. “The Purists, I mean.”
“Their leader, Artimus, was killed.” Dominic’s deep baritone rumbled through the room in such a way that Rena thought he might actually turn into a tiger right at the table. “Most of the Amoveo who followed Artimus only stayed with him because they feared him. After he was killed, all but a few returned to their clans, but some…”
“The war got bloody on both sides,” Tati added. She covered Dominic’s hand with her own. “Dom’s sister was killed.”
“I’m so sorry,” Rena whispered.
Dom nodded, his expression grim and pained. Rena wasn’t sure how long ago he had lost his sister, but it obviously still hurt like hell for him to talk about it.
“It’s taken these past few years to try and heal a lot of wounds, physical and otherwise.” Tati jutted a thumb toward Kerry. “She and Dante have found almost all of the others like us, and we’ve worked really hard to show everybody that hybrids aren’t the boogeymen. Nobody is trying to breed the Amoveo into extinction, which was the nonsense Artimus was spouting.”
“I don’t get it.” Rena shook her head and looked from Dante to Kerry. “If your mates are predestined, then how could these Purist Amoveo argue with the universe if humans had become part of the equation? I thought there wasn’t a choice when it came to mates.”
“A common misconception,” William said quietly.
“Our bodies may be programmed to be attracted to each other,” Tati said, “but we have the freedom to choose whether or not to follow through and commit to it.”
“Fear,” Zander interjected. His tone was cold and detached, and the room fell silent as all eyes turned to the one person who’d barely spoken all night long. “Humans. Witches. Vampires. Amoveo. Whatever. All creatures fear what they don’t understand.”
Rena swallowed the lump that had suddenly developed in her throat. She knew what Zander was referring to even if they didn’t. All these years later, and he was still furious with the way the Amoveo of his time had treated the dragons. Rena took a huge swig of her wine and wished someone would change the subject.
Everyone nodded solemnly in agreement, and an awkward silence fell over the group.
Kerry was the one to get the conversation going again.
“So, how did you two meet?”
“Well…uh…Zander,” Rena began, “you’ve been quiet tonight. How about if you tell the story?”
“Not much to tell,” he said casually. “It was an accident, really. I was in Vegas for a little downtime, and I ran into Rena on the Strip. When I picked up her energy, I knew right away what she was. I called Isadora, and here we are.”
“I don’t believe in accidents,” Kerry murmured.
“Believe what you want.” He shrugged. “That’s the story.”
“No dreams?” Kerry asked before taking a sip of her wine. “Witches can walk in the dreamrealm.”
“Nope. No dreams. Sorry.”
“That’s a surprise.”
“Yeah.” Zander grunted. “Well, life’s full of ’em.”
Another painfully awkward silence fell over the group, and Rena wanted to crawl under the table from embarrassment. She couldn’t believe how rude Zander was being. However, Tati saved the conversation by changing the subject, and Rena could’ve kissed her.
“Layla was a foster kid too.”
“Really?” Rena said. “But I thought you two were sisters.”
“Well, officially, we’re adopted siblings. Layla came to live with us at our family farm in Maryland when we were all about twelve years old. Blood has little to do with loving someone. Although, my tw
in brother, Raife, is pretty awesome too.”
“You’re a twin?” Zander asked quietly.
“Yup.”
“So am I,” Dante said. “My sister, Marianna, favors the Bear Clan, however.”
“It’s not that uncommon.” Tati gave him a big smile and ran her hands through her brown hair. “We’re all fraternal twins, obviously. Raife lives in Maryland with his mate, Sylvia. She’s human, by the way. Psychic but human.”
“Have any of the Amoveo ever had identical twins?”
Rena tried to be nonchalant about her question, but she feared her energy signature would give her away. Based on her nerves, it was probably fluttering around the room like a bird frantically looking for an open window.
“No.” Dante shook his head as William and Dominic agreed. “No way.”
“Oh man,” Kerry said with a roll of her eyes. “That would be a clusterfuck of epic proportions.”
“I can imagine,” Rena murmured.
“Dealing with the Purists was bad enough.” Tati held up two hands and let out a curt laugh. “I can’t fathom the kind of jealousy and fighting that would happen if two Amoveo men thought they were mated to the same woman.”
“Or two Amoveo women, for that matter.” Dante laughed. “I’m with Tati. The Purists were bad enough.”
“Yeah,” Zander said flatly. “You guys seem pretty above it all. The Amoveo would never persecute anyone who was different from them. You’re all so civilized.”
A stunned silence fell over the group as Dominic and Dante exchanged a concerned look.
“Perhaps you should explain your meaning,” William said in a deadly quiet tone. “That sounded like an insult.”
Rena placed her hand on Zander’s leg and squeezed, praying he would keep his big mouth shut. “He didn’t mean—”
“Just saying.” Zander shrugged and sat back in his chair like he owned the place. “You had some harsh words for the Purists earlier.”
“They tried to kill our mates,” Dominic bit out.
“Right,” Zander scoffed. “The Purists were bigots, a bunch of assholes who hated what they didn’t understand—anyone who was different. Believe me, man. I get it. That’s a story older than time itself.”
“We don’t tolerate bigots,” William said flatly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Forget it, man,” Zander said on a heavy sigh. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Zander, Rena whispered into his mind. Why are you picking a fight with them?
I can’t sit with these hypocrites for one more minute.
You’re punishing these people for crimes committed by their ancestors. It’s ridiculous.
“It’s getting late,” Zander said abruptly. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Thanks for dinner, but we should be going.”
He turned his fierce, pale-green eyes to her, and they glittered at her between strands of dark hair. Rena tried to touch his mind to hers, but he shut her out, which flipped her switch from embarrassment to anger. After all of the stuff they had been through, he was shutting her out?
“Come on, Rena.”
“No.” Her jaw set, and she folded her hands in her lap. “I’m not ready to leave.”
“Fine.” He glanced at Kerry and nodded. “Thanks for the meal and the hospitality. I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. Rena is settled, and I think it’s best if I bug out sooner rather than later. Good night.”
“What do you mean you’re leaving in the morning?” Rena called after him. He stopped but didn’t turn around. Zander’s broad-shouldered frame filled the doorway that led out to the porch. “I—I thought…”
What about your brother and the curse? Tomorrow night is the deadline.
Not your problem anymore. I’ll get Zed out on my own. The hibernation chamber is damaged, and I no longer have the luxury of time. I’ll get him out and off the property before they even know he’s there. We’ll be out of here at sunrise.
You’re crazy!
“Don’t worry about it, Rena. Good night.”
“Zander!”
He stormed out of the house, the front door slamming behind him, leaving her alone, embarrassed, and furious. These people had welcomed the two of them here with open arms, and from the moment she and Zander had arrived, he had been acting like a big jerk.
“Oh,” Kerry said with surprise. “Um, okay.”
“I’m so sorry,” Rena whispered.
She fought her rising temper as she stood from her chair. She almost laughed out loud when all three men rose as she did. People rarely treated her with such reverence, and she wasn’t even sure how to handle it.
“Please, sit down. You’ve all been nothing but hospitable, and for reasons I can’t go into, the big chip on Zander’s shoulder isn’t because of the five of you.”
“It’s okay.” Dante sat in his chair again and gave Kerry a knowing smile. “We all understand how difficult the mating process can be.”
“You mean…all of you know that we’re…” She melted back into her chair. Rena wasn’t sure if she was relieved or concerned. She couldn’t very well go into details, now could she?
“I didn’t tell them.” Kerry made a cross sign over her heart. “I swear! They all figured it out on their own. All I did was confirm their suspicions. But like I told you earlier, the attraction between you guys is totes obvious.”
“Attraction?” Rena laughed out loud. “I thought that was a clear case of annoyed irritation.”
“And sexual frustration,” Dante interjected.
“Amen,” Dominic muttered. “I can attest to that.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad.” Tati elbowed him playfully.
“Speak for yourself, Doc.”
“You should go talk to him,” Tatiana said with one of her warm, comforting smiles. “Seriously, get out of here, woman. Nothing is going to get settled until you and that brooding fella get your shit straight.”
“Hear, hear.” Kerry raised her glass and added, “Plus, if you do decide to bond with Zander, your powers will really blossom.”
“She can telepath,” Dominic said flatly. He turned his dark eyes to her. “But you’ve kept your mind closed to us since I spoke to you at the gate.”
“Yeah, sorry, but it’s too personal or something. I’m not comfortable with it.”
“Understood.” Dominic nodded curtly but didn’t seem annoyed. “Some Amoveo only want to communicate that way with their mates, unless it’s an emergency.”
“Have you shifted yet?” William asked with his typical bluntness. “I would think not.”
“Uh…no.”
“None of us did at first either,” Tatiana added. “It didn’t happen until we were well on our way to committing to the mate bond.”
“How does that happen?” Rena asked. “The whole bonding thing?”
“I’ll tell you later.” Kerry winked.
“Oh.” Rena’s cheeks flamed. It obviously had to do with sex. “Right.”
“Yeah,” Kerry said slowly. “You don’t know much about your birth parents, do you?”
“No.” Rena shook her head briskly. “I don’t know anything about them. I was literally dropped on the doorstep of a police station. At least, that was the story I was told, but who the hell knows?”
“So no clue about your Amoveo heritage?” Kerry’s brows raised, and she gave Rena a skeptical look. “You have absolutely zero connection to any Amoveo.”
“Well…not exactly.”
Rena folded her arms over her breasts, unsure about how much she should say. Why had Zander left her here alone to try and navigate this situation by herself?
“There is a man…”
“Ha!” Kerry clapped her hands. “I knew it. The old guy, the one I saw when I touched you yesterday. He’s Vasallus.”
&n
bsp; “Huh?” Rena was feeling dumber by the second.
“When an Amoveo’s mate dies, the one left behind will begin to age, lose their powers, and basically become human,” Dante clarified. “We refer to those Amoveo as part of the Vasallus family. They usually choose to stay connected with our world.”
“But this guy obviously didn’t,” Kerry said quietly. Her brow furrowed. “What can you tell us about him?”
“His name is Vito.” She took a deep breath, deciding exactly how to word her response. “He’s from the Fox Clan, but I didn’t even know what he was until Zander found me. Anyway, Vito’s wife and daughter died a long time ago. I was a street kid in Vegas. Vito took me in and trained me how to be a PI. He brought me into his business. He took care of me, and now I’m taking care of him.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell you who and what you are?” Dominic’s deep voice was filled with suspicion. “That makes no sense. He would have to know you’re a hybrid Amoveo. Your energy signature gives you away. Vasallus lose their powers, but they can always detect energy patterns, especially another Amoveo.”
“To protect her?” Kerry hypothesized. “He must’ve known about the Purists.”
“Possibly,” William added.
“I don’t know.” Rena held up both hands as if in surrender. “Believe me, I’m as baffled by all of this as you are.”
“Where is he?” William sniffed. “We should speak with him.”
“It won’t do you any good.” A swell of sadness rose up as she thought of how confused Vito was when she’d left him at Sunnyfarm. Had it only been a few days ago? It felt like a lifetime. “Vito has dementia, like full-on memory loss. He doesn’t even remember who I am half the time. He gets me confused with his late daughter a lot.”
“I’ll speak to the prince,” Dante said quietly. “He may know who this man is or, at the very least, have heard about the loss he suffered.”
Rena bit her lower lip and looked at her fingers tangled in her lap. Should she tell them his real name? If she did that, would the prince figure out who Zander was? She didn’t want to lie to her new friends, but she also didn’t want to risk Zed or Zander’s safety.
Undiscovered Page 25
