by V. Vaughn
A woman steps out and smiles. She’s the one I met at the Cat’s Meow on my lunch date with Keith. I smile back as wind sweeps her long, dark hair exactly like mine away from her face. My doppelgänger. She says, “Welcome, Victoria. Come on inside and get warm.”
I enter the cottage, and the scent of apple pie floats toward me. I stomp snow off my boots as the woman takes my coat. She says, “Why don’t you go sit by the fire, and I’ll bring you some tea?”
My voice sounds distant when I answer, “That would be wonderful, thank you.”
The prickling sensation of blood rushing to warm my chilled fingers hurts as I rub my hands by the fire. I turn to the woman when she comes to stand next to me with a steaming mug. She says, “You’re the one, Tori.”
I recall Keith saying that, and I smile as I take the tea. “Yes, I know.”
“Do you?” She cocks her head at me as she frowns.
“Yes. I’m the one Keith has been searching for.”
The older woman chuckles and says, “No. You’re the one I’ve been searching for.”
I shake my head. “You? Why?” It occurs to me that she knows my real name. The one I never use. “How do you know me?”
“I’m your grandmother. The father you never knew was my son.”
I gaze into the green eyes that are as intense in color as mine. I recall how Keith said to stay far away from this woman, and I wonder why. But I have so many questions about my real father, I push the warning away. “Tell me about him. My father.”
My grandmother reaches over and lifts a strand of my hair. She watches it slip through her fingers. “Your father, Victor Veilleux, was a very powerful man. You were named after him and meant to follow in his footsteps.” She grips my shoulders with boney fingers that dig into my flesh. “You, Victoria, are destined for so much more than a”—she snarls as her lip curls to reveals fangs—“a Le Roux.”
Her animal gesture makes the hair on my body stand on end. Veilleux? I recall Keith told me that is Jax’s clan. But she can’t possibly mean I should be with Jax. Not when my feelings for Keith are so strong. I ask, “What do you mean I will follow in my father’s footsteps?”
“That’s a conversation for later. Would you like some pie?”
My stomach growls loudly in response, and my grandmother laughs as I smile with embarrassment.
I know where I am before I even open my eyes. The intense heat of the man next to me has sweat slicked on our skin where it touches, and I slither out from under the heavy arm that is draped over my naked body. It’s still dark, and Keith groans before he asks, “Where are you going?”
A flash of the dream I was having before I woke up comes back to me. ‘You’re not destined for a Le Roux.’ The voice is familiar, and I want to figure out what it means. I mumble, “Bathroom,” as I stumble toward the toilet. I search my memory for what I dreamt.
Water rushes from the sink while I wash my hands, and I focus on what I remember. Victor Veilleux. What does that name mean? I stare at my reflection in the mirror. My hair is a tangled mess from sex, but my eyes are startling green, just like the woman in the café. And in my dream.
As I approach Keith, dawn illuminates the bedroom, and I take a moment to appreciate the defined muscles of his body and the curve of the largest cock I’ve seen as it lies in a flaccid state. Although that state is changing, and I quickly move my gaze up to Keith’s grinning face when he asks, “Like what you see?”
I stop at the end of the bed and glance back down at his lap. His erection is tall and proud when I say, “I do. And I think the feeling is mutual.”
I haven’t had a chance to taste him yet, but before I do, I feel driven to understand my dream. I say, “I just had a dream about that woman you told me to stay away from.”
Keith sits up. “Patricia?”
“Is that her name? We were in a cottage.”
He scrambles across the bed to grab my arms. “Tori, tell me the whole thing.”
The intensity of his stare startles me, and his fingers dig into my flesh. I pull away. “It was like a normal dream. You know, the kind where you only remember bits and pieces.”
He sits back. “Even so, I’m not taking any chances with you.”
Keith frowns as if he’s thinking about something, and I wait for him to go on. A flash of Patricia comes to me. ‘Victor Veilleux was a very powerful man.’
Keith told me last night that the Veilleux are one of the clans in the Northeast Kingdom. I ask, “Who’s Victor Veilleux?”
Something I guess is Keith’s bear flashes in his eyes, and he lets out a growl that is far from sexy. I tense in fear. He says, “He’s the man who killed Taylor.”
I stare at Keith as the woman’s words come back to me. ‘You were meant to follow in his footsteps.’ I step back and wrap my arms around myself. “I’m sorry.”
Chapter 11
Annie
I tasked Lucy and Sven with baking a sour cream coffee cake while I made phone calls to cancel the credit cards Helga stole. Carly and Brady are the first to arrive, and we’ve just finished filling them in when Ted, the chief of police, rumbles up the drive. I have the door open by the time he gets up the front steps.
I say, “Ted Granger, this is my fiancé, Tristan De Rozier.”
Tristan’s nostrils flare as the two men shake hands. My mate’s relief that Ted is a werebear is apparent by the way his shoulders relax. Ted says, “Ah, the vodka king.”
Tristan nods without a word, and I say, “Gentlemen, let’s go to the kitchen.”
Chairs scrape against the floor while coffee gurgles into mugs as Lucy pours it. I introduce her and Sven to Ted.
When we’re all seated, Ted says to Tristan, “Your mother is missing. She took Annie’s car and purse. I have an APB out on the vehicle, and we’ll put a trace on the cards. What else do I need to know?”
My spoon clinks against my ceramic mug as Tristan answers, “She’s in her manic phase, which is a euphoric state that lacks any filter. Helga will ignore rules and social norms.” His voice hardens as if he’s angry. “While she won’t get violent, she’s still dangerous.”
Ted asks, “Do you have any idea where she might go?”
“No,” says Tristan. “She doesn’t know anyone in the United States beyond here.”
I recall a conversation Helga and I had a few days ago about the beaches in Maine. I say, “She might have gone to the ocean. We talked about taking the girls on a trip this summer.”
“Any specific place?” asks Ted.
“A few,” I say. “I mentioned my favorite places along the coast. I’ll make you a list.”
Ted glances between Tristan and me. “That’s fine. It gives us a place to start. With any luck, we’ll catch her on the road tonight.” He pauses to take a sip of his coffee then asks, “How much cash did you have in your wallet?”
“Maybe fifty dollars. I didn’t have much gas, so she’s probably got about 400 miles if all she bought was fuel.”
Tristan says, “Don’t underestimate Helga. She’s resourceful and won’t need cash to get what she needs.”
I imagine what that means. Is Tristan’s mother a thief? Or does she get by with persuasion? Ted says, “Don’t worry. Your mother’s not the first rogue werebear we’ve had to capture. Leave it to me.”
Tristan scowls as he talks in my head, “He can’t be serious.” He lets out a low growl. “I won’t sit by and wait. That’s not how De Roziers do things.”
Brady speaks up in his alpha voice. “The Le Roux don’t either.” He turns to Ted. “I’ll put together a team, and we’ll work with you.”
Ted says, “Very well.”
The muscles of Brady’s jaw work as he speaks in his head, and I imagine he’s calling in Ashton and his warriors. When he’s done, he says to Tristan, “Get dressed. You’re going with Ashton.”
Tristan gives him a quick nod before he leaves. I follow after him as I speak in his head. “What can I do?”
“
Nothing, my love.” He stops and turns to me. His voice is an alpha tone. “Keep the girls safe.” My mate pulls me into an embrace and kisses me quickly.
I say, “I love you, Tristan.”
He nods and turns to climb the stairs.
I take a moment to watch him and then take a deep breath. I’m going to need to make more coffee, and I bet the cake is done.
Lucy must have read my mind, because a pan clatters on the stove when I go back to the kitchen to check on the cake. The aroma of cinnamon fills the room as I notice the girl cleaned up after herself. I speak to her. “You should go up to bed. There’s not much we can do now.”
“And miss out on coffee cake?” Her smile falls when she glances over at Sven, who’s poring over a map with Ted, and she adds, “I’m not sure I could sleep.”
A cabinet clicks when I open it to get plates. “Then let’s serve this.”
When Lucy and I walk over to the table to set the cake in front of people, I notice Brady and Carly staring at each other as they communicate silently. “What’s going on?” I ask.
Carly turns her gaze to me. “We have another problem. Keith thinks Patricia made a move on Tori.”
Lucy gasps, and Sven goes to her. The girl asks, “What happened?”
My blood runs cold as I recall how Patricia was behind poisoning Keith’s mate Taylor. It made her hallucinate, kidnap Sierra’s babies, and deliver them to Patricia. A situation that ended with the death of Taylor and the Veilleux’s alpha, Victor. Now she’s after Tori?
Carly says, “I’m not sure. But she’s safe with Keith.”
A thought occurs to me. What if Helga’s disappearance has something to do with this? I give myself a mental head shake, because it would be too coincidental. I say, “Tell me what to do to help.”
Carly says, “Nothing right now, but I need to go deal with it.” She hugs me tight and touches Brady’s arm as she glances at Lucy. “I’ll keep you posted.”
Lucy nods.
I speak to Brady telepathically. “Do you think Helga’s disappearance might have something to do with this?”
“It’s a possibility. Patricia might have been trying to create a distraction.”
Tristan’s boots clomp over the hardwood floor. He’s in dark pants and a tight black T-shirt. If he were human, I’d expect to see ammunition strapped over his shoulders and a gun at his waist. His white-blond hair and angular cheekbones befit the warrior he is. I go to him. “I’m about to be the worried mate.”
Tristan’s harsh exterior melts as he gazes down at me. “My love, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“I know. And what I’m about to say is probably crazy, but I think Patricia Veilleux might have something to do with this. Please be careful.”
Brady says, “We’re on it, Annie.”
His tone makes me snap, and I spin on my heels to face him. “Don’t you treat me as if I’m being stupid. The two men I love most in the world might be chasing after a setup. I have the right to worry about you.”
Tristan turns me by my shoulders and says, “Don’t worry, love. I’ve got his back.”
I slap my mate’s arm. “I thought you lost your cocky attitude around me.”
He winks. “Never. Now kiss your true mate goodbye.”
I shake my head and give him a kiss to remind him what he’ll come back to. Ashton’s car rumbles up the road while I do, and when I break away, I say, “I love you, Tristan.”
“I love you too, Annie. More than you know.”
Chapter 12
Tori
Keith informed me that Carly was coming over and I should probably shower and get dressed before she arrives. When I get down to the kitchen, Keith has made coffee, and he hands me a cup. That super-sensitive hearing is going to take time to get used to.
Carly’s at the counter with a mug in her hand, and she says, “Hi, Tori.”
“Hi.” Now that I know she’s a powerful alpha, I find her a bit intimidating. I lower myself slowly to a chair.
She says, “I hear you’re dreaming of Patricia.”
“Yes.”
Carly’s eyes are the same unusual shade of blue as Lucy’s, and they seem intense when she says, “Patricia’s an evil woman, and we’re worried about you.” She touches my arm, and the heat is like a warning as she says, “So tell me everything you can remember about your vision.”
I want to kick myself for even mentioning it, because I had no idea what a sensitive subject it was with Keith, and I think he’s overreacting to my normal human dream. I say, “I wouldn’t call it a vision. It was a regular dream, and as the day goes on, I remember less and less.” I take a sip of coffee. It’s too sweet for my taste, but I don’t complain, since Keith graciously had it ready for me when I came down.
“Maybe so, but I’d still like to hear what you remember.”
“Okay,” I say. “I was outside in the snow.”
“Can you recall where you were or what it looked like?” she asks.
I close my eyes and try to see the location. I remember lots of white and a line of trees. “I think it might have been a cottage on a lake.”
Keith is leaning against the kitchen island and inhales sharply, and I glance at him. Carly frowns, and Keith drops his gaze as if he didn’t make any noise. She says to me, “Go on.”
“The woman I met at the cafe the other day let me into the house and offered me pie. She said something about Victor Veilleux being a powerful man.” I shake my head as I remember the part where the woman told me I’d follow in his footsteps. I don’t have any intention of telling anyone that she basically said I have murderous tendencies. I say, “That’s all I can remember.”
Carly asks, “Did she give you anything at the cafe?”
“No.”
“You didn’t eat or drink anything she gave you?” Carly’s face is so serious that I wonder what they’re afraid of.
“No. We barely spoke. And that’s the only time I’ve ever seen her.” I grab my mug, and my hand shakes as I lift it to my mouth.
Keith sits next to me and puts an arm around my waist. His warmth isn’t any more comforting than Carly’s was, and I’m tempted to scoot forward. I ask, “What’s really going on here? It was just a dream.”
He says, “I don’t think it was. I never mentioned the name Victor Veilleux. You shouldn’t know he ever existed.” He sighs and adds, “Patricia lured Taylor to a cottage very much like the one you described. That’s too much of a coincidence for me.”
Carly says, “Tori, you’re human and can’t possibly understand what someone like Patricia can do. Trust me, I never would have.”
“But what would she want with me?”
Carly glances at Keith quickly before returning her gaze to me. “We think your biological father was a Veilleux.”
The Patricia in my dreams flashes in my mind as more comes to me. ‘I’m your grandmother.’ My grandmother. I frown as it dawns on me. Patricia does want me. “Oh.” I cover my mouth, but it’s too late. I say, “Please tell me Patricia had more than one son.”
Keith says, “She didn’t.”
I get up from the table quickly and knock over my cup of coffee. “Oh my god.” Nobody moves to clean it up as Carly and Keith stare at me, waiting for me to say more. I whisper, “I think Victor was my father.” Tears spring to my eyes, and I try to imagine what kind of cruel twist of fate made Keith fall for the daughter of the man who killed his wife. I say to Keith, “I’m so sorry.”
Carly says in a deep voice that doesn’t sound quite real, “You are not to blame for your biological family’s actions.”
Keith’s eyes are shiny with moisture, and he comes to me, pulling me against his chest in an embrace so tight it takes my breath away. “She’s right.”
I tip my head back to gaze up at him. “Keith.”
He says, “Tori, you never knew the man, or that family.”
“But what if it’s in my blood? What if I have evil waiting to get out? I could be a
killer, Keith. I could—”
Keith takes my arms and says, “No. It couldn’t be.” He kisses me, and I taste the flavor of the man I love.
When we break apart, Carly says, “Keith. You know what this means.”
He releases me as he says, “The bond.”
She nods.
I recall how he explained that to bond true mates forever, you have to have sex and a bite. For us, it means he also changes me with that bite. I shake my head as I step back. “Oh no.”
Carly says, “I’m afraid it’s the only way.” She licks her lips when she pauses, and I wonder what she’s hesitant to tell me. “There’s more to this than you know.”
I turn to Keith. “You know how you said I was handling this really well? And that you were surprised I didn’t run screaming? I’m really close to doing just that, because right now I’m officially freaked out.”
He reaches for my hand and captures it between the two of his. “I know. And I told you I’d never make you do anything you don’t want to do. But I think you need to hear us out before you make a decision.”
Carly reaches out her hand for me too. “Let me tell you a story about my best friend, Sierra. And if after you hear it, you still don’t agree, we’ll do whatever we have to do to find another way to keep you safe.”
Keith lets go of me and says, “We’re going to need more coffee and sugar for this.” He tosses me a towel to clean up my mess.
When I’m done, Carly sits at the table, and I place myself across from her. She says, “When Sierra and I came here, Keith was the one she came for.” Whoa. My boyfriend gets around. I frown because I don’t like thinking of him with other women. Carly continues. “Sierra was human at my wedding, and Victor was there. He bit her and forced her to change. Even though I ordered Keith to bite her at the same time with the hope that he’d complete their bond, it didn’t work because they weren’t true mates.”
I try to imagine being bitten twice, and I ask the question that scares me. “Does it hurt to change?”
