by R. E. Butler
“Sure thing,” Cella said.
She and Cyrus said goodbye and left Mishka’s office. “How about the grand tour?”
“Okay.”
They walked down the hall and out into the reception area. She greeted Angie, who stopped them. “Your cousin dropped off a bag for you,” Angie said, pointing to a large duffel next to the desk.
Cyrus made a surprised noise and lifted it off the floor. He set it on a nearby chair and unzipped it. Cella peeked over his shoulder and saw it was full of clothes and a pair of tennis shoes. Cyrus pulled a folded piece of paper from the duffel and read the note. “Thought you could use some things, Gavin.”
“That was so sweet of him,” Cella said.
Cyrus grinned. “It was. I’ll have to invite him to the club for a beer to thank him.”
He zipped the bag and set it next to the desk, then walked with Cella to the food office. She told him about that part of her job as she checked her email and ensured things were handled for the night.
“If you need to work, I could go to the restaurant to work too.”
“I thought we’d take the night off.”
“Oh?” His cat made an interested purr which made her smile.
“It’s not unusual for newly mated couples to take a day or two off. Plus, you wanted to video call your parents. I just wanted to make sure everything was handled here.”
“Good. I really didn’t want to go to work tonight.”
“Me either,” she promised.
After she finished checking on the food, they headed to the cubicles, where she’d lived not too long ago. Passing through the coven’s sleeping quarters, she showed him the storage rooms and the loading dock, where huge metal doors stayed closed unless a truck was being unloaded. They ended the tour in her office, where she logged into the video app while he texted his parents to tell them to open their laptop to accept a video call.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
He pulled a chair up next to hers and gave her a kiss. “Not at all. I get to share the most amazing news with my family and introduce them to my gorgeous mate. Nothing to be nervous about at all. How about you?”
She clenched her hands together to stop the fine tremble. “A little. I’ve never met parents like this before.”
“It’ll be great, I promise.” His phone buzzed and he looked at the screen. “They’re ready. Hit the button, baby.”
She pressed the button to connect the video call.
This was perhaps the most important phone call of their lives.
Chapter Seven
Cyrus wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t nervous about introducing Cella to his parents. They were good people, who wanted their son to be happy. There were some shifter groups that had rules about mating, preferring to stay within their own kind, but tigers had never been like that. Although the majority of the ambush were tigers, there were human mates, a wiccan mate, and even other shifters. He didn’t think a vampire had ever been mated to a tiger in the ambush’s history, but he was proud to be the first one.
The call connected and he smiled at his parents. “Hi.”
His parents waved. “Hello,” his father said. “How are you?”
“Is everything okay?” his mother asked. “I can’t remember the last time we video chatted.”
“Everything’s wonderful,” he promised. “In fact, it’s more than wonderful, it’s perfect. Last night I met my truemate.”
“Oh!” his mother gasped. “You did? That is wonderful news!”
Cyrus hadn’t realized that Cella had eased out of frame, and he grasped the arm of her chair and pulled her over. “This is Cella, my truemate.”
“Hello,” Cella said, her voice cracking a little.
Cyrus couldn’t help but grin. He put his arm around her. “Baby, these are my parents, August and Cora.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Cella said.
“You too,” August said. “So, I’m guessing by the fangs that you’re a vampire?”
“Yes,” Cella said.
“Did you meet at the restaurant?” Cora asked.
“We did,” Cyrus said. “I was working when she came in for a tour with Mishka and his mate last night, and the rest is history.”
“Congratulations,” Cora said with a broad smile that made her eyes dance. “That’s amazing news! I guess you were right about a change of scenery being just what you needed.”
“Absolutely,” he said. “We’d like to come visit on Friday so you can meet in person.”
“That’s perfect. You can come for dinner,” Cora said. “I have to confess I don’t know anything about vampires. Do you eat real food? Or can I... oh gosh, how would I even buy blood? Can you get it at the grocery?”
Cella chuckled and covered it with a cough. “It’s fine, I promise. I don’t eat food, and I drink synthetic blood. I can’t leave the club until after the sun has set, so as long as you don’t mind waiting until then for dinner, I can just sit and chat while you eat.”
“Oh, that wouldn’t be very polite of us,” Cora said. “We’ll eat before you come over.”
Cyrus laughed. “If that’s all settled, Mom?”
“It is now.”
“Good,” August rolled his eyes. “Have you talked to Midas?”
“Not yet. I wanted to tell you the news first. Although, full disclosure – Gavin was there when I met Cella, so he knows but he swore he wouldn’t tell.”
“That stinker,” Cora said. “I’ll have to talk to his mother about that.”
“Don’t give him too hard of a time. He was doing me a favor. It was my news to share after all.”
“Well, that’s a good point I suppose.”
“I’m going to talk to Midas after this. Would it be all right to invite him to your house Friday?”
“Absolutely,” Cora said. “The more the merrier.”
“Does your... what do you call the leader of your group?” August asked.
“The master of the coven,” Cella said. “And it’s Mishka.”
“I’ve seen him on television,” Cora said. “He’s very handsome.”
Cyrus rolled his eyes as his father made a disgruntled noise.
“What?” Cora said, feigning innocence. “He is.”
August cleared his throat with a side glance at his mate. “What I meant to ask was if you wanted to invite him along Friday?”
“Thank you, but no. Mishka doesn’t really leave downtown for safety reasons,” Cella said. “We’ll have a celebration for our mating at the club, and we’d love for you to come and meet everyone, if you’d like.”
“That sounds fun. We haven’t had a date night in ages,” Cora said.
“I can dust off the ol’ dancing shoes,” August said.
“Please don’t,” Cyrus said, thinking about the last time he saw his father dance during a mating ceremony. He looked like he was fighting off a swarm of bees.
“Fine, fine. Well, congratulations again to you both. We’re looking forward to meeting you, Cella. Welcome to the family,” August said.
“Thank you,” she said.
Cora blew a kiss. “Take care of my son. See you Friday.”
“I will.”
They said goodbye to his parents, and she ended the call. When the screen went dark, she sat back in the chair with a loud sigh of relief.
“I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
“You were right. Your parents are adorable and so sweet. They really were just happy to hear that you’d found me.”
“My parents are pretty straight forward. What you see is what you get with them.”
“I like that.”
“Do you want to video call Midas?” she asked.
“Nah, I’ll just call him on my cell.”
He settled back in the comfortable office chair and pulled Midas’s contact information up, then pressed the screen to connect the call. As it rang, he looked at his mate. “Have I told you today that you’re gorgeous
?”
“Not today, no,” Midas said.
Cyrus barked out a laugh and Cella smiled broadly. “Sorry, man, I was talking to my mate.”
There was a brief pause and Midas said, “No way? You found your truemate? When?”
“Last night. At the restaurant.”
“Well, damn, that’s great news! Who is she?”
“Her name is Cella. She’s part of Mishka’s family.”
Cyrus wasn’t sure if Midas knew what family meant in this instance, but it was clear he did.
“Cool. I haven’t met her, but I’ve met several males from his inner circle. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I wanted to not only tell you the good news but also talk to you about the joining ceremony. Do you have time to chat?”
“Of course.”
Cella busied herself on her computer while Cyrus explained that he and Cella were beloveds, and what that would mean when they bonded together.
“There’s a wolf shifter in the family, and when she joined with her beloveds, her allegiance to her alpha was altered. I’m not certain it would happen to me, but it’s a possibility. I want Cella to have the benefit of being part of the ambush, and as long as we’re officially mated before we become beloveds, then while I’d still recognize you as king, if my cat believes Mishka also warrants my allegiance, it won’t cause an issue with us being part of the ambush.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Midas said, “I agree. It seems the best option is for you to wait until after the joining ceremony to become beloveds. In order for me to join you officially, you’d still need to be in sole allegiance to me as king. If becoming immortal changes that for you, our ambush laws wouldn’t allow it.”
“I just want to ensure that if we wait until the mating ceremony to become beloveds, that I won’t have to leave the ambush assuming my allegiance changes.”
“You won’t. You’re still a tiger and still part of the ambush, no matter if things change for you physically. What matters is the mating laws, and I need to be the king of at least one person in the mated party during the ceremony.”
“That’s what I thought, thanks. I would absolutely choose Cella over anything else, but I’m glad I don’t need to.”
“What we do for love, huh?”
Cella shot Cyrus a smile. He winked at her.
“I’ve spoken to Mishka about the restaurant, and I’m going to finish out the job. Then I’ll take a position on the coven’s construction crew.”
“Excellent. I would understand if you wanted to take a pass on working at the restaurant, but I’m glad you don’t want to. You’re invaluable, and I’m going to be disappointed to see you go.”
“Gavin can just work twice as hard,” he offered, helpfully.
Midas snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
“I’m bringing Cella to meet my parents on Friday. Would you be willing to come meet her in person?”
“Absolutely. I’ll coordinate the times with your folks.” In the background Cyrus heard a knock. “I gotta get that.”
“Yeah, no problem. Thanks, Midas.”
“You’re welcome, and congrats again. I’m happy for you.”
Cyrus ended the call and put down the phone. He leaned over and nuzzled her neck. “Whatcha working on, beautiful?”
She sighed softly and sank one hand into his hair. “Nothing as important as whatever sexy thing is on your mind.”
“So sure I’m thinking sexy thoughts?”
“You smell turned on. It’s like the sexiest, panty-dropping cologne ever.”
He laughed and nipped her throat. “Then let’s go do something about it.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Eight
By the time Friday arrived, Cella was fully smitten with Cyrus. He was an amazing male with a great sense of humor, and she was enjoying taking the time to get to know him. If they’d become beloveds right away, they would have shared their memories during the process and they would have known everything instantly about each other. It was a fast way to bond. But there was something very sweet about waiting to become beloveds and getting to know each other the old-fashioned way.
Every night, he walked her to her office and gave her a kiss that devastated her senses, then he headed to the restaurant. He’d switched to the evening shift with the other vampires so that he and Cella were working at the same time. They met for breaks and the mid-shift meal, and then at the end of the night, when the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, he’d pick her up and take her to their chamber where they’d spend the day driving each other wild.
She couldn’t believe that after three centuries she’d finally found her beloved.
And she also couldn’t believe that she’d tried to push things with the human, particularly grateful she’d kicked him to the curb before she met Cyrus.
Her phone buzzed on the bathroom counter and she glanced at the screen, seeing a text from Angie that Gretel was in the reception area for their appointment. It had occurred to Cella that her normal way of dressing – in short skirts and tight tops – was fine in the club, but not so much for a parent meet-and-greet. Cyrus had told her that he loved how she dressed and that she shouldn’t change up the clothes she wore just because she was meeting his parents. But she wanted to anyway as a sign of respect.
Glancing at herself in the mirror for a last check, she tied the sash of her robe and opened the bathroom door, just as Cyrus finished buttoning his long-sleeved shirt and turned to face her.
“Gretel is here. I’ll meet you at the reception desk when I’m finished.”
She rose onto her toes and kissed him.
He slid his hands up the curve of her waist with a purr. “You could go like this. Very sexy.”
She swatted his shoulder with a laugh. “You’re crazy.”
“Just for you.” He wiggled his brows, then brushed his lips over hers. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”
Several minutes later, she met Gretel in her office and shut the door.
“Thank you for coming on short notice,” she said.
“It’s no problem,” Gretel said. “I enjoyed finding less revealing clothing. It’s not the norm for the club.”
She showed Cella several outfits that were more romantic and feminine than straight-up sexy like the clothes she usually wore. She draped her robe over her desk chair and took the first outfit, a pair of beige dress slacks and a lavender sweater. Gretel’s assistant angled a long mirror for Cella to look at herself.
“It’s a little... I don’t know,” she said.
“No good,” Gretel said. “It’s not you. Let’s try another”
The second outfit wasn’t quite what Cella was looking for, or the third one. She was beginning to wonder if she’d be able to find something she liked. She could wear anything, she knew, and Cyrus would be happy as long as she was. But she wasn’t happy yet.
And then she tried on a dress that made her eyes light up as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
The long, blue dress was a V-neck with small pearl buttons down the front. The floral-patterned fabric was lightweight and draped her curves beautifully.
Cella twisted and turned making the dress swish around her ankles. “It’s perfect.”
Gretel nodded. “It’s boho. I thought you’d like this one. It looks like you, feminine and lovely, but also sexy in a subtle way.”
She smiled at her reflection. “I’ll take it.”
“Just one finishing touch,” Gretel said, handing her a pair of blue tassel earrings in the same shade as the dress.
Cella put them in her ears then hugged Gretel. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like me to start including some items like this in your clothing deliveries?”
“I was just going to ask if you would.”
“Happy to do so.”
Cella walked Gretel and her assistants out to the reception area and said goodbye. Then she texted Cyrus she wa
s ready to go.
“Holy crap, that dress is beautiful,” Angie said.
“Thanks, I love it.” Cella felt positively giddy. The dress was perfect, and she couldn’t wait for Cyrus to see it.
There was a low whistle from behind her and she turned and smiled at Cyrus. “Damn, baby, you look fantastic!”
She hugged him. “Thanks.”
He helped her on with her coat.
Angie said, “Your escort’s waiting in the garage. Have fun!”
Cella waved at her and took Cyrus’s arm as they left the reception area and headed to the garage. Ven and Temple stood by one of the coven’s special SUVs. It was equipped with bulletproof glass, hidden weapons, and other safety features including the ability to become a haven for vampires in sunlight.
“Thanks for driving us,” Cyrus said, shaking their hands. “What’s the protocol?”
Cyrus opened the passenger door for her, and she scooted into the center of the bench seat.
“There are two other SUVs that will be with us. We’ll be taking a long route and ensuring we aren’t followed before we head to your ambush’s territory,” Ven said.
Cyrus nodded and climbed in next to Cella, pulling the door shut.
“This is a nice SUV,” Cyrus said.
Ven and Temple got into the front seats and Ven put the vehicle into drive, pulling in between two identical SUVs.
“It’s got all the bells and whistles,” Temple said. “But unlike the limos, it doesn’t have privacy glass.” He gave them some side-eye which made Cella laugh.
“We’ll behave,” she promised.
Cyrus made a face and then chuckled. He turned in the seat to face her. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh?”
He lifted a box from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. Inside was a tree of life pendant dotted with blue gems hanging from a delicate chain.
“It’s so pretty!”
Taking the box from her, he removed the necklace and put it on her. “I mentioned to Merrix that I wanted to get you something special, and he said the coven had a jeweler they used, so I called and had the owner bring me some necklaces to choose from. The tree of life is about immortality, and I thought it was a perfect way to celebrate our first week together. And I especially like the little sapphires, because they match your eyes.”