by R. E. Butler
Sitting back on the comfy bed, she let out a long sigh and rolled her neck. The bed smelled way too good, all male and heat and sexy dreams. The double doors that Ryde had just shut clicked as they were locked. She snorted to herself. As if a lock on a standard door would keep her in somewhere she didn’t want to be. But she wasn’t interested in tempting fate, believing what he’d told her about it being dangerous outside of his room.
A little surge of anger swept through her.
He’d called her a bloodsucker. What a terrible, outdated term.
She hardly ever drank real blood anymore. Her sister did, of course – it was expected of a vampire of her status – but the blood she drank was collected from donors at labs, processed and cleaned the way human blood was collected for use in their hospitals. Dominique had been drinking manufactured blood for ten years now, ever since a team of scientists had created it, and it had the added bonus of her not having to pay exorbitant rates for real blood, or having to seduce a human into giving up a vein.
Her stomach rumbled and she glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Although she’d changed locations, she hadn’t lost much time. It was one thirty, and she was feeling a little peckish since she hadn’t eaten lunch. She inhaled slowly, sifting through the scents in the room and hoping she might find something to eat, but she picked up nothing but the overwhelming scent of her mate. How rude of him to not stash some candy or snacks around the room! If he’d transported to her room with some magical necklace, he’d have found a stash of dark chocolate candy bars in her jewelry box, plus a bag of caramel corn in her nightstand.
She heard talking outside of the room. Ryde was ordering someone to guard the doors and not let anyone out or in. She was tempted to call out and ask for some food but decided against it. Instead, she walked to the closet and ran her fingers over his clothes. One side was clearly for dress clothes; she found silk shirts and dress slacks, all of them either black or dark gray. The casual side of the closet was full of flannel shirts, T-shirts, and a shelf of folded jeans. He didn’t strike her as the homemaking sort, so someone must do his laundry for him.
Which pissed her off a little. Did he like the female? Was she special?
Not as if it mattered anymore. Vampires were monogamous, and she’d heard wolves were, too. And if he had ideas of not being loyal to her, then she’d make sure he understood her feelings on the matter. Assuming he came back to the room anytime soon.
Deciding she’d like to be dressed when he came back, since he’d insisted on stuffing his magnificent body into a pair of tight jeans, she pulled a green flannel shirt off a hanger and slipped it on. The worn fabric was soft and long enough to hit the middle of her thighs. She buttoned it swiftly and then turned to face the room. Spying his phone on the nightstand, she walked over to it, picking it up.
“Damn,” she whispered, disappointed that it was passcode protected.
“It’s my birthday,” a soft, feminine voice said.
Dominique spun with a snarl, her fangs descending. She faced a little girl with long dark hair, wearing a cartoon princess nightgown and holding a stuffed wolf. Straightening, Dominique relaxed and arched a brow.
“What’s your birthday?”
“The code.”
“And that would be?”
She rolled her eyes. “Where did you come from? You’re in my daddy’s room.”
“Ryde is your father?”
She nodded. “I’m Brigelle. Everyone calls me Bri, though. Are you going to be my mommy?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re wearing my daddy’s mating necklace. I did the spell for you.” She looked around, rocking back and forth on her bare feet. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know, but he’s not happy. Did he ask you to do the spell?”
“No. But he’s lonely and I want a mommy. All my friends have mommies, and I think it’s only fair that I have one, too. Daddy’s not around a lot because of pack stuff. Business.” She blew out a breath and hugged her wolf. “This is Comet.”
“Comet?”
“Like the reindeer. Do you think there are reindeer shifters?”
She smiled. Damn, the little girl was adorable. “I don’t know. Where is your mom?”
“She left Daddy to mate another male ‘cause I’m a girl.”
“What does that have to do with anything? I’m a girl.”
“She wanted a boy. Boys are alphas. Girls are moms.”
“Oh, you are so brainwashed, little one. Girls are just as awesome as boys. Even more so, actually.”
“How?” She tilted her head in question.
“Because we’ve got all the power. When you’re older, I’ll fill you in on the details.” Like how boobs could make a male do anything. Internally, she snickered.
“So you’re staying?” It was impossible to miss the hope that filled the sweet young voice.
“Yes, but I have to call my sister to tell her I’m okay. The necklace brought me here so fast I couldn’t say goodbye to my family.”
“Okay. If you promise.”
She held out her pinky, something she and Natasha used to do as youngsters. “Pinky promise.”
Bri hooked her little pinky around Dominique’s. Just as swiftly as the connection she’d felt to Ryde had appeared, she felt a sudden urge to protect and love Bri. She had no children of her own, but in her heart, Bri felt like her own daughter.
“Now, about your birthday?”
“February fourteenth.”
“You’re a Valentine’s baby? That’s adorable.”
Bri beamed.
Dominique paused as her finger hovered over the phone screen. Who did she think she would call? If she called Natasha, she’d flip out and send the army onto pack lands. Then there would be war, and sweet little Bri could be harmed.
But she couldn’t just not let her sister know she was gone. When she didn’t show up for the special meal, Natasha would send a guard to look for her, and when he couldn’t find her, she’d be frantic. It would be better if she hightailed it through the pack’s territory and into the neutral zone, and talked to her sister in person. She’d stay outside of the wall, of course, and then she’d come back and deal with her new mate. And the first thing she’d explain to him was how awesome vampires were for mates.
She put down the phone on the nightstand. “How did you get in this room?”
“There’s a hidden door at the back of the closet.”
“Clever little girl. Will you help me get out of here so I can make sure my family doesn’t worry?”
Her eyes narrowed as she frowned. “You promised to stay.”
“I know, but I have to tell my sister what happened so she doesn’t worry. I promise I’ll come back, and I don’t break my promises, okay?”
“Okay.”
Bri held her hand up and Dominique took it. They headed into the closet and through the secret door. In no time, she was saying goodbye to Bri and racing through the yard toward the woods that bordered the big home. She didn’t look back because she didn’t want to be tempted to stay. She had a finite amount of time before she’d be stuck outside in the sunlight in the morning, and she needed to be back to Ryde’s house before then.
She’d made a promise, after all.
Chapter 5
Ryde was feeling torn apart as he left the female in the room. He knew exactly who she was to him: his true mate. The necklace she wore was proof. Though he had no clue how she’d come by the jewelry, because it had been tucked into a drawer in his closet and forgotten. Someone must have opened the box and cast the spell on his behalf, which he hadn’t known was a possibility. He’d never intended to use the necklace; his plan was to choose a mate on his own, not to rely on magic to bring her to him. But there he was, with a gorgeous, naked vampire in his bed, and every inch of his being demanded he go back in the room and make her his in truth. Fuck her. Mark her.
Except he couldn’t do that. Not without losing everything, including – possib
ly – his life. If he went ahead with the mating, like his wolf was demanding, then according to pack laws, the best-case scenario was that he would be exiled, forced out of his own pack and marked as a rogue.
He ordered two of his best and most trustworthy guards to stand at his locked bedroom door. They’d ensure that no one entered or left the room while he was gone. It warred with every inch of his being to stalk down the hallway and away from his room and the tempting female in the tousled sheets, but he forced himself to.
In minutes, he was knocking on Tella’s door. She was the oldest female in the pack and held the knowledge of all their laws and history. He’d requested her counsel in the past, and trusted her to tell him the truth as well as keep his confidence. There weren’t a lot of people he trusted as much as Tella.
The door creaked open and she peered at him from the narrow gap. “Alpha.”
“Sorry to disturb you, but I need help.”
“Of course,” she said, pushing the door wide. She gathered her robe tighter around her as she walked ahead of him into the home. Plopping down in a kitchen chair that creaked under his weight, he watched her bustle around, opening cabinets and drawers before setting a plate of cookies and a glass of milk in front of him.
He wasn’t hungry. Except for his mate.
She joined him, picking up a cookie and tearing off a small piece. “You’re mated.”
His brows rose. “I’m not.”
“You smell of our males’ bonding scent.” She sniffed the air and he felt his cheeks heat. “Not entirely. You’re not mated, but you’ve met your true mate. Which begs the question of why you’re here with an old woman like me and not your mate.”
“This stays between us for now.”
“As you wish.”
“I went to sleep tonight, alone in my bed. I woke up with my true mate beside me. She was wearing the mating necklace, but I didn’t spell for her.”
Tella’s white brows rose. “Someone cast the spell on your behalf?”
“It must be the case, because I certainly didn’t.”
“Who?”
“I was hoping you might tell me.”
She made a face. “I’m not psychic, just old.”
He blew out a breath, frustration and arousal beating at his insides. “That’s not the worst part. She’s not like us.”
“Not a wolf?”
“Not a shifter at all.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Humans aren’t drawn by the power of the mating necklace.”
“She’s a vampire.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s… unfortunate.”
Sitting back in the chair, he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. “Tell me about it.”
She pushed the chair back with a loud creak and left the room, returning with a book of their laws. He’d been reading a similar book just a night earlier. She opened it and began to turn the pages slowly, her lips moving as she talked quietly to herself.
“Did you know that there’s a mate-by-combat law?”
“No. It sounds like I’d have to fight my mate.”
She chuckled. “No. The combat law is for males who would choose a mate that’s not of our kind. It’s an older law, but it’s still in the books, which makes it valid.”
His brows rose. “Who would I fight?”
Her finger skimmed along the script. She paused and looked at him. “Any male who would prefer to be alpha.”
With a frown, he leaned over and read upside down, confirming what she said. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re going to bring a vampire into our pack. In order to do that, you have to prove that you can keep her and the pack safe. When you bring your case to the pack, there will be males who will want you exiled immediately based on your mate. You can insist on the mate-by-combat, but in doing so, you’ll be required to fight any male who believes he’s a better fit for alpha than you.”
He settled back in the chair with a groan. “That’s at least five males.”
“That you know of. This sort of thing brings males out of the woodwork. Those who wouldn’t have otherwise thrown their hats into the ring, will do so now because the opportunity is broad. Instead of fighting their way up through the ranks, they can outright challenge you.”
He mulled over that for a moment. “It was always my understanding that a male who mated outside our kind could be killed.”
“I’m going to assume you didn’t read the mating rules yourself when you took over?”
“I never anticipated not mating a wolf.”
She hummed. “I’ve heard the rumors as well, but if you read our laws, it’s very clear. Death isn’t an option, except in cases of mating-by-combat. There are males in our history who have chosen to mate outside of our people and been killed by others for their position.”
“But not alphas.”
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen a mating-by-combat since I was young. It was a male of low rank in the pack who wanted to mate a human. He didn’t want to leave the pack, so he asked the alpha for combat, assuming that because he was low-ranked, no one would bother to challenge him. But the alpha didn’t want a human mate in the pack, and he offered the high-ranked males money if they would ensure that the male didn’t survive the trial.”
“That’s shitty.”
She shrugged and closed the book, scooting it across the table to him. “Read the mating laws and then make your decision. You can leave with your vampire and start over somewhere else, but keep in mind that Brigelle cannot.”
“What?”
She tapped the leather cover of the book. “Children born prior to a mating belong to the pack in the event that both parents leave. Her natural mother is long gone. If you were to leave with your mate, Brigelle wouldn’t be allowed to follow you. She’d become a ward of the pack and be raised by the next alpha.”
He gnashed his teeth at the thought. “I refuse to mate the vampire and I keep my daughter, but my wolf will be in torment forever. If I take the vampire, then I lose my daughter. I can’t win either way.”
“Unless you win the mating-by-combat. It appears, Alpha, as if you don’t have a choice in the matter. If you want to keep your daughter and your mate, you have to fight. And you best be quick about it. If wolves find out about your mate before you actually mate her, they could kill her as a sworn enemy of our people. The only thing that will protect her are your marks and your bonding scent.”
He lifted the book as he stood. “Thank you for your help.”
“You can bring me something sparkly next time you visit, and bring your mate. I haven’t seen a vampire up close since I was a teenager.”
He nodded and left, hurrying through the woods to his home. His mind was spinning as he considered the various outcomes. Although the easiest thing would be to take the vampire to the neutral zone and never see her again, his beast was railing at him at the mere thought. He’d have to fight. Fight for his right to stay alpha, and his mate, and his daughter. It would be a hard road, but he wasn’t alpha for nothing.
It occurred to him that his mate might be hungry. The idea of feeding her his blood had disgusted him at first, but now as he considered being the source of her nourishment, he was intrigued by the idea. He’d been told his whole life that vampires couldn’t control themselves around shifters, yet she’d not once tried to bite him in the few moments they’d had together. She could have easily snagged his flesh when they’d been kissing and drank from him, but she hadn’t.
Maybe what he’d been told about vampires wasn’t true, or only held partial truths. First, he’d offer her a vein and then, when she was sated, he’d mark and mate her to protect her. Then they’d talk, and he’d learn the truth of her kind.
He strode down the hall and found the two males still standing guard.
“No one in or out, Alpha,” Kuldra said. “It’s been quiet.”
“Dismissed,” he said. He waited until they had disappeared down the hall before he unlocked and opened
the door. His heart was pounding with anticipation as he closed and locked the door behind him.
Then he realized the room was empty.
He checked every inch of the bedroom and attached bathroom, finding no trace of Dominique. The window was still locked, so she hadn’t opened it and jumped.
Turning with a growl, he let out his wolf a little more to enhance his senses to see if anyone else had been in the room. If his guards were lying, he’d kill them.
He caught the scent of his daughter, and it was fresh. She’d been in the room with the vampire? Worry for his only child overrode everything within him for a hot moment. If Dominique had touched a hair on Bri’s head, he’d feed her to his pack, mate or not.
He followed the scent of his mate and his daughter into his closet, where it promptly disappeared. After moving aside all the clothes and finding nothing, he began to tap on the walls and listen. At the back of the closet, he heard the taps become hollow and echo. With a push, the wall swung open silently and he was staring into a corridor. It was short and narrow, and he had to squat down to follow it. It was dark in the tunnel, but he kept his hands on the walls to orient himself as the corridor sloped downward, turning abruptly to the left and sloping down again. He found himself at another door just before the next lowered level, and as he pulled it open, he was not surprised to find himself in his daughter’s closet. He hadn’t known about the secret corridor, and he wondered how she’d found out about it.
Worry for her safety spiked through him once more as he found her room empty. He didn’t scent Dominique in the room, but he caught both of their scents in the corridor as he took it down to the first floor. That door opened into the pantry, but he could hear the bustle of the housekeeping staff and knew they hadn’t seen a vampire or they’d have called for the guards. With the light from the pantry, he was able to see a metal ring in the floor near the door. He closed the pantry door silently and pulled on the ring. It lifted, revealing a set of stone steps.
