A Mate for Lance (The Program Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

  “Wait a minute,” Lance said, putting up his hands. “If you plan on showing me snaps from their latest family holiday, you can spare me. I’m fine… I’m over it.” As in, not so much. As in, never going to happen.

  Stephany may have been his estranged mate but she was his mate. What putrid luck to realize what she meant to him, but only when it was too late to have her. Life was so unfair.

  He realized that he’d gone about things the wrong way, that he had been a grade-A asshole. He had gone too far in trying to get her back as well. Those had been dark days. It was no excuse but they had been dark. Pitch fucking black. He was glad that he had been able to put them behind him. He would never be able to fully move on or forget. He didn’t want to. To do so would mean to fall back into the same trap.

  “I’m not going to show you any more pictures or lecture you or any of that stuff. You know my feelings.”

  “Yeah…” Lance smiled. “I should find a nice female and settle down, raise a few kids.”

  Zane chuckled. “Something like that.”

  Lance shook his head. He felt himself smile even though it was against his will. “Mmmmm…sounds fucking riveting. I think I’ll pass.”

  “You might be pleasantly surprised at how awesome it is. I love being a father. It is hands down the best thing that has ever happened to me. My female doesn’t know it yet but when she goes into heat again…” Thankfully Zane let the sentence die, a faraway look in his eyes. “Eleanor said that there is a good chance it will only happen once Sam is weaned. I am trying to convince my mate that a nine month old boy does not need to spend his days attached to her breasts.”

  “Forgive me, my lord, but that’s rich coming from you. I’ve watched you with Tanya and you can’t keep your hands off of her in public, let alone in private. Brant is just as bad.”

  Zane raised his brows. “Her breasts are mine and I want them back.”

  “What, so that you can get her with child again? It doesn’t make any sense.” Lance thought on Zane’s little boy. The little tyke could sit on his own and one of these days he would be mobile. It wouldn’t be long now. “How is little Sam?”

  “He’s crawling as of this morning.” Zane beamed. His smile spanned across his entire face. It was freaky.

  Lance smiled. “That’s great.”

  Zane raised his brows and his smile died. “Actually, it’s pretty scary. We can’t take our eyes off of him for a second. He’s into everything, but”—the male grinned all over again— “it’s great.” Again, the smile faltered.

  Lance raised a brow. “What?”

  “There is something I wanted to ask,” Zane started, his expression serious.

  Lance nodded, wearily, not sure what to expect now.

  “Would you agree to becoming Sam’s godfather? Before answering…” Zane put up his hand. “It would be in conjunction with Xavier. There will be two godmothers. I know it’s a little out of the blue and Tanya tried to talk me out of it but…” The big male sighed. “I can’t think of anyone else I would like at my son’s side…at my side for that matter.” He put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and squeezed. “You were there that day. You’ve seen me at my worst just like I’ve seen you at your worst.” He hesitated, a pained expression flickering across his face, briefly. “Becky is one of the godmothers and she pretty much hates your ass. I have noticed how you do everything in your power to avoid her.” Zane smiled. “I’m hoping that you would do this for me.”

  Lance clenched his jaw. He felt a lump rise in his throat. After everything that he had pulled, Zane still wanted him there. He cleared his throat and stood a little taller. “I would be honored. Thank you.”

  “Are you sure?” Zane inhaled sharply. “Becky is going to give you hell. It won’t be fun being around her. There is a rehearsal as well as the actual event. Plenty of time for her to rip you a new one.”

  Lance shrugged. “You are my king and my friend.” He gripped the male by his shoulder. “I will deserve it.” He nodded his head. “I will deal. I’m an elite warrior.”

  “I would rather go to war then face a pissed off human female…especially one like Becky.” He nodded. “But I’m grateful that you have accepted nonetheless. Besides, she is running the human medical center so it is just a matter of time before you run into her.” He paused. “You would be welcome to bring a date.”

  “I’m sure that one of the vampire females would be—”

  “A date, Lance…not a fuck buddy. I wouldn’t mind if she was vampire, human…fuck, I wouldn’t mind if she was an elf or a wolf…hell, you could bring a dragon-shifter for all I care, just as long as she’s a date…the real deal.”

  “Firstly…vampires don’t date. I don’t fucking date and secondly…a dragon-shifter?” He choked out a laugh. “Dragon-shifters are a myth.”

  “If you say so.” Zane looked amused.

  “They’re a myth,” Lance repeated.

  Deadpan, Zane said, “They exist.”

  “No fucking way. With all due respect, my lord, you’re talking bullshit.”

  “Drop the my lord crap. I mean it. And some members of the species visited with my father. It happened twice… I saw them shift and fly away. Real dragons.” His eyes glazed over in thought. “The real fucking deal.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

  Zane shrugged. “We were sworn to secrecy but since I’m the king...” He shrugged again. “I trust you not to say anything.”

  “I won’t…no one would believe me anyway. I’m not sure I believe you.” Lance smiled.

  Zane’s expression turned thoughtful and he cocked his head. “You don’t have to. It’s not important anyway.” If it was true, it made sense why Zane pushed so hard at practice. They always had to work harder. Be faster. Be better. Where non-humans were concerned, the vampires were top of the food chain. At least, Lance had always believed that to be true.

  “Are they a threat?” Lance failed to keep the sharpness from his voice.

  Zane exhaled, slowly. “They have kept to themselves for all of these years. I doubt that it will change anytime soon. They live deep within the highest mountains. Their lands untouched by humans and the other species alike. They have existed like that for so long that they’ve become creatures of myths and legends, even to us non-humans.”

  “You still didn’t answer my question,” Lance observed.

  Zane raised his brows, nodding. “In one of my father’s journals, he mentions that one of the dragon-shifters let slip that there were very few females of the species, so maybe they suffer from the same fertility problems that the rest of us do. If that is the case, then they may just become desperate enough to come out of hiding. If their numbers of offspring diminish…who knows.”

  “It’s worrying. Are they as large as legends tell? Do they breathe fire?”

  Zane laughed. “They’re not as big as legends say. Maybe three to four times the size of a male when shifted. Bigger than a wolf-shifter but not overly so. They don’t breathe fire…at least… I don’t think they do. They have enormous wings of at least twenty-feet in diameter. As a boy, I was fearful of them.”

  “And as a grown male?” Lance raised his brows.

  “I would not make the mistake of underestimating them and I would rather ensure that we are on our guard.”

  “We will be ready,” Lance growled. “Besides, there has been no indication that they plan on making an appearance any time soon.”

  Zane remained silent, his frown deepened.

  “What is it?” Something was weighing on Zane. “Spit it out already…my lord.”

  Zane gave him a hard look. “I said to stop with the my lord bullshit. We are friends. I need a select few to be able to give it to me straight. You are still one of those few even if you fell off the rails for a while there. Did I mention that it’s good to have you back?”

  “I believe you did.” He had to smile.

  “What did it? What brought about the change?” Zane’
s eyes narrowed in on him.

  Lance shrugged. “I’m still as fucked up as ever. I’ve just learned to deal with it better.”

  Zane snorted. “Like fuck! There is more to it.”

  “Don’t change the subject, what’s got you rattled? Why did you bring up the dragons?”

  “There was a sighting.” Zane’s voice was low. Concern marred his features. “A human male in Canada spotted two dragons while walking his dogs. No one is taking him seriously because it was dusk and the light was bad. He had also been consuming alcohol. The male is adamant about what he saw though.” His king paused. “The human started a website for dragon spotters. He is a laughing stock but still persists that he is telling the truth.”

  Lance had known this male a long time. Zane was easy to read. “You believe him,” he finally said. “Why?”

  “One of his dogs ran away. The male claims it was so afraid that it broke free.”

  Lance nodded. He waited patiently for his king to continue.

  Zane looked him head-on. He finally nodded. “The male mentioned that the dragons had strange coloring. He said that the one had a silver belly, and that the other a golden underside. The gold one looked like it had dipped its chest in liquid gold. It was as spectacular as it was fearsome.”

  “I take it that the information is accurate.”

  Zane’s quiet expression said it all. “The majority of the dragon species have silver underbellies.”

  “Was he wrong about the gold?”

  His king shook his head. “Dragons with royal blood have golden scales. What I would love to know is, what the fuck is a royal dragon doing in Canada? What are they doing in human territory period?”

  “Is Brant aware of the situation?”

  “Yeah,” he answered. “I am calling a meeting between my heads of department. I want you to be there.”

  Lance was taken aback. He didn’t head up any of the departments. Not anymore. York had taken his place as leader of the Elite and Royal guard. Gideon oversaw the rest of the guards. Hell, he wasn’t even a second in command. Lazarus and Titan held those honors.

  “Your skills are invaluable. You’ve served me for many years and you were at my side when we were still in diapers.” Zane choked out a laugh. “I need you involved in this. The others won’t dare question my authority or my decision.”

  Lance gave a nod. “Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

  “Good,” Zane said, with some relief evident in his voice. As his king was about to turn away, Lance stopped him. “Yes?”

  “Thanks again for asking me to be Sam’s godfather,” Lance said, appreciating the gesture. “I won’t let you down.”

  “You’d better fucking not.” His friend smiled.

  Chapter 4

  Amber smoothed down her dress. So she’d broken down in the end, and had gone up to her suite to change. You couldn’t blame a girl. Besides, she was worried they were going to go straight to dinner from the meet and greet. The itinerary had shown a half hour gap between the two events, which wasn’t very long to freshen up.

  Her dress was simple. It fell to just above the knee, was black with a gathering to one side. It had small sleeves and a V neckline which showcased a hint of cleavage. Issy often joked that a hint of Amber’s cleavage was more than all of most women’s cleavages. A simple string of pearls and her gold studs were the only jewelry she put on. She finished off the outfit with a plain black, low, open toed heel.

  As she arrived for the meet-and-greet, she was glad she’d taken the initiative and had changed. The others had gone all out. Hair, make-up, nails. You name it and it was poofed, primped and preened. There were more labels on these women than on the red carpet at the Oscars.

  They were in one of the halls in the castle. It was immaculate. All crystal chandeliers and gleaming marble floors. The rugs looked like they were real Persian. No expense had been spared. Bethany pulled her shoulders back and was just about to reapply her lipstick when the main double doors opened and the vampires filed in.

  They were just as dressed up as the women. Collared shirts and slacks, designer jeans and cashmere sweaters.

  Amber had to force her mouth closed and hoped to god she wasn’t drooling. It was a struggle not to wipe her mouth, just in case.

  Wow!

  Just…wow!

  There were massive chests, narrow hips and thick biceps everywhere. They were all tall. Ridiculously so. A hush fell over the room. That, or her hearing had failed her, which was quite possible considering the eye candy.

  Amber swallowed thickly as her eyes landed on one of the men at the back. He was in a pair of faded jeans and a plain, light blue t-shirt. The only one that wasn’t dressed up. He had his arms folded over his chest and a bored expression on his face.

  And, oh what a face it was. His eyes were the brightest blue she had ever seen. His hair was so blonde it was almost white. His skin was honey kissed. He was tall and may not have been quite as heavy set as one or two of the others. It still made him bigger than any human man she had ever seen. And boy did he know how to draw the eye of every woman in the room with his sheer presence. That, and a decent set of broad shoulders. He radiated danger and raw sex appeal like nothing she had ever experienced before.

  “That’s Lance,” Bethany said, her voice breathy. “The most eligible bachelor. He is the only vampire left from the first heat. This is his last opportunity to find a mate.”

  As hard as Amber tried, she couldn’t tear her eyes from the sexy man across the room. He was speaking to the guy next to him. He had yet to take any notice of the women in the room. “He doesn’t look like he’s in the least bit interested.”

  Bethany shook her head. “Didn’t you read the paper? He’s openly stated that he doesn’t want a mate.”

  “Why is he here then?” Amber felt oddly deflated. He was, by far, the most attractive guy in the room. Although looks were not the most important thing, a mutual attraction was one of the ingredients to a successful relationship.

  Bethany sighed. “I don’t know; he said something about not being a quitter. Makes me wish I’d been in the first heat. He’s even more attractive in person. Shit… I could stare into those eyes all damn day.” Her voice had gone back to sounding all breathy.

  “What happened in the first heat?” Amber watched as Lance continued to talk with the guy next to him. The guy he was talking to, looked in her direction and, pretty much, stared right at her. At her. She had to stop herself from shuffling her feet. From looking away. The other guy winked. At her? No! Surely not. There was probably someone behind her. She wasn’t turning around. She wanted to check but she wasn’t going to actually do it. Instead, staying as casual as possible, she turned her attention back to Bethany, who was still eyeballing the hell out of the bored guy with the stunning eyes.

  “Lance apparently had sex with most of the human women in the first heat. He didn’t so much as touch a single one in the second heat and it looks as if he plans to continue his dry spell for this one.” She sighed. “Such a pity. Oh well! It looks like there are plenty of others. The one next to Lance is also pretty cute. I like the gruff look.”

  Amber glanced over just as the guy next to Lance turned his attention back to her. He had a five o’clock shadow and a cleft in his chin. He was very good looking. The guy smiled. At her. There was no doubting it this time.

  “Got one already interested in you,” Bethany whispered. “Lucky girl.” She gave another, long sigh.

  Lance stopped talking and followed his friend’s line of sight. His gaze landed on her, eyes darkening and his jaw…tightened. In short, he looked pissed. Then he rolled his eyes and marched to the bar.

  “Oh my god, he’s coming over.” Bethany sounded excited. “I’m going to mingle… I’ll leave you to it.”

  Amber wanted to answer with “No he’s not” as she watched Lance’s retreating back. Then she realized what Bethany had just said and turned to stare at her retreating back as well.
She suddenly felt very alone and very vulnerable.

  “Hi.” A very masculine voice sounded right next to her and she had to stop herself from running away. She was here to meet people, meet a vampire, so she squared her shoulders and made eye contact.

  The big guy with the five o’clock shadow stood directly in front of her, his eyes on her. “Hello,” she mumbled.

  “Your dress is beautiful” he said, as his stare drifted down, not moving further than her boobs, where it lingered a while.

  Amber had to bite back a giggle. She was used to people staring at her chest. In your face as Issy liked to say. She also giggled a lot when she was really nervous. His gaze slowly lifted, meeting with hers. “Your eyes are very lovely also. Very pretty.” He gave her a goofy smile. “I like brown eyes.”

  Amber giggled. He seemed really sweet. “I’m Amber.” She held out her hand.

  “Brynn.” He took her hand in his much bigger one. “It is really nice to meet you. Please tell me something about yourself.”

  “Um…okay…” She looked down at where their hands were still joined.

  “Oh.” The big guy gave her a wide grin. “Sorry.” He released his hold. “Forgive me, I was enjoying the contact.”

  “No worries.” She giggled. Again, and wished she could stop but Brynn didn’t seem to mind.

  He raised his brows. “You were just about to tell me about yourself.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything.”

  “I’m twenty-seven. I’ve never been married. I…” Work for my parents and live at home. Maybe she would skip saying that. “I…love the color purple.”

  “Mmmmm,” he said. “Tell me everything that there is to know about you.”

  “Okay.” She could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

  “Don’t leave anything out. I want to get to know you well…will you go on a date with me?”

  A loud chuckle sounded from somewhere over her shoulder. It was a really built, dark haired guy. He shook his head. “You’re coming on too strong, Brynn. Take a deep breath for fu…blood’s sake, give the female some space.”