by Julia Mills
“Okay, sis. Have fun,” Amara giggled. “Cause I know I will when I find my mate.”
“Love you, Mars.”
“Love you, too, Tessie.”
Smiling despite the pain she felt for lying to her sister, Tessa hung up her cell phone and was just about to brush her teeth when Belle burst into her room with Gerri close behind. Raising her hands to explain, the Vaepanther didn’t get her mouth open before the matchmaker was yelling, “What the hell happened? Did that short-sided, arrogant, still-should-be-in-short pants dragon really turn his back on you because you’re half vampire?”
Gerri’s platinum bob bounced as she shook with rage and went on, “I swear to the Heavens, I try to help and this is what I get – a slap in the face.”
She spun on her toes, her hands flying over her head added, “I told Kayne to find that worthless fire breather and get him over here to apologize right away.”
Jumping to her feet, Tessa pleaded, “No, no, please not that. It doesn’t matter. There just must’ve been some mistake, wires crossed or something…”
“Oh crap,” Belle whispered, eyes wide, backing away from Tessa as Gerri spun around, her eyes now golden and glowing with fury.
Closing the distance between them faster than Tessa could track, the powerful shifter turned matchmaker tapped the tip on her red fingernail on the end of the Vaepanther’s nose as she growled, “I. Don’t. Make. Mistakes.” Gerri took a step back and leveled her gaze. “Neither does the Universe, little girl. So, you listen, and listen good. That lunkheaded dragon is your mate. The one and only you will ever get. No do-overs, no givebacks, no returns even if you kept the receipt. He is yours and you are his.”
“But…”
“There will be no but’s.” The matchmaker sat down, straightened the pleats on her skirt, acted as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened and in her normally pleasant voice explained, “Unlike you, Lennox cannot have a relationship of any kind, with anyone, now that he has met you.”
Tessa tried to interrupt, but the words froze in her throat as Gerri looked over the rim of her glasses and slowly gave a single shake of her head. When the Vaepanther was silent, the matchmaker went on, “So, where you’re only loss will be children if you mate with another,” her eyes got wide as she continued, “which is huge and I’m not underestimating it in any way.” Gerri gave another nod then grew even more serious. “Your dragon is giving up any chance of love and more than likely, his life.” She leaned forward. “I say this not to make you feel bad or obligated, because, let’s face it, he’s the one who screwed up. I’m telling you because I have no doubt that once Lennox pulls his head out of his ass, he’ll see the error of his ways and come crawling back. Which puts the ball squarely in your court.”
Waiting until she was sure the matchmaker had finished, Tessa thought carefully before speaking. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and I meant no disrespect when I said a mistake may have been made.”
With her nerves getting the best of her, the Vaepanther stood and began to pace as she continued, “I know you’re the very best at what you do.” She stopped to look out the window, before continuing to pace. “It’s just that…well, I think the stars got crossed, or Fate took a day off or whatever, because although I haven’t spoken to Lennox,” Tessa stopped and took a deep breath, turning as she slowly let it out. “What I do know is that he left me alone in the Clinic to wake up to one of his friends telling me he wasn’t there.”
She could feel her anger rising. Knew she was speaking louder with each word, but couldn’t stop the rush of emotions at finally being able to let out the pain the man who was supposed to love her more than any other in the whole world had caused. “If it hadn’t been for Calysta being honest with me, I still wouldn’t know what happened! Can you believe that shit? The bastard just left me there!”
Shaking, panting, sweat running down her back, Tessa had to work hard to keep her panther from springing forth. Belle ran forward, grabbed the Vaepanther’s hand and walked her to the bed. “Sit, Tessa. Let me get you something to drink.”
The little fox was halfway to the door when Tessa calmed down enough to say, “Please, don’t worry about it, Belle. I don’t want to be a bother and I’m really not thirsty. I need to take a shower and get something to eat.” She tried to smile, knowing it probably looked as sad as it felt then remembered, “And I almost forgot…”
Her questions about the Cambion were cut off as Gerri’s doorbell rang and a second later, Carlton, the butler, chef and all-around-great-lion shifter called up the stairs, “Miss Mooreland, you have a visitor.”
“See, Aunt Gerri told you he’d come for you. Ooooohhhhh, I just love a happy ending,” Belle squealed.
Opening her senses, Tessa was immediately filled with dread as she groaned, “No such luck. It’s my father…and he’s not alone.”
“Who else is with him?” Belle asked, her enthusiasm dying at Tessa’s ominous tone.
“Her Uncle Ulrac,” Gerri growled.
“And when he shows up, trust me, it’s never good news,” Tessa groaned, falling back on her bed.
Chapter Eleven
“I really don’t have time to discuss my love life right now,” Lenn protested, wanting to punch both Kayne and Maddox in the jaw for even bringing up Tessa. “Did you hear what I said? We found the Cambion and they are young, very young.”
“Teenagers, maybe younger,” Pearce added, picking up when the mad bomber was obviously failing in getting Maddox and Kayne to listen. “I’ve never seen such a thing. Usually, they’re undetectable until they’re much older because they haven’t fed yet.” He shook his head as his tone got louder. “So not the case with this lot. They are full-fledged Cambions.” The usually calm, cool, collected Guardsman threw his hands in the air. “Children! Are they mad? Teaching them to feed at such a young age is absolute lunacy!”
“Precisely,” the Panther King responded as he walked into Kayne’s kitchen. “I had a feeling we would find younger ones. The feeding patterns are just too erratic to be any being with any skill or practice.”
“There were nowhere near the forty or fifty you mentioned before,” Lennox suggested. “But it was still early in the evening, so some may have been out hunting or not awake yet.”
“You might be right.” Max stopped to think then quickly went on, “But it is more likely they have them split up. It’s what I would do.” He nodded as he took a sip of his drink. “Not have all your army in one place.”
“Army?” Pearce and Lennox asked in unison.
“But of course,” the Panther King casually replied, despite the gravity of the situation. “These Cambion are being used as soldiers for a Master Vampire, of that I have no doubt.” He took another sip of what Lenn could scent was rum and continued, “It is my belief that the Master is using the Cambion to weaken the prey for his Kiss or more specifically, his chosen few. It would make mind control virtually effortless and then leave the human ripe for the picking for the next batch of Cambion to feed upon. Together, the two parasitic vermin literally suck them dry, do away with the body and move to the next.”
Lennox thought about Tessa and the little bit he knew of her. She was kind and loving, nothing like what Max was describing. She’d been with him for an entire night, made love to him, slept alongside him and never once even let the tiniest mark on his skin, much less tried to suck his blood. Could he have been wrong about her? Were his friends right? Was he being prejudiced by the past? It was all too much to think about at the moment, he had to take care of the threat to his people then, if he still had doubts, Lennox promised himself to go find Tessa and talk to her.
“Are you listening, boy?” Maddox groused.
“Yeah, I’m listening,” he grumbled then added, “What did you say?”
The room erupted in laughter which eased a bit of the tension before Kayne slapped Lennox on the back and said, “Thanks, kid, I needed that. Now, what I’m wondering is, do you think we could se
t up some surveillance on that little cabin you found. See where they’re going, maybe find the others of their Family?”
“No problem. It’s close enough to the mountains that we can use them for cover. The Cambion either have no sense of smell or haven’t been taught to use it, because they never even looked up when Pearce and I were poking around. I would think getting the drop on them is gonna be pretty easy.”
His friend readily agreed, “It’s true. They were completely clueless, just sitting around, looking rather dazed and confused.”
“Don’t be fooled, mis dragones, Cambion are very tricky and have keen senses, not unlike ours. The young ones were either fully fed or newly transformed hence their docile state. We will need to be on guard at all times, for they strike like vipers.” The Panther King’s eyes had that haunted look that said he had seen more atrocities than he cared to remember. It seemed to be a continuing theme with all of them. The good guys, the ones who fought to save not only their own kind but just as importantly, humanity from all the creepy things that went bump in the night got left with the kind of demons a person just couldn’t shake.
“I understand,” Lennox agreed. “We need to speak to Rian and the others. Set up patrols. Get organized. We need to stop this shit now.”
Nodding, Max readily agreed, “Right you are. Because the ones you located are young, we have tonight to get organized. Unlike our vampire friends, they cannot tolerate the sunlight at all. They will burn and disintegrate from the slightest touch of UV light.”
Once again Lennox’s thoughts turned to Tessa. Had she suffered at his hand? He hadn’t even thought about her sensitivity to light, hadn’t known about it when he had carted her across the lair like a madman wrapped in nothing but a comforter. He wanted to say it served her right, but then again, he’d been the fool. How had he not sensed her vampire side? He knew without a doubt she hadn’t hidden it from him. It wasn’t in her nature. The woman he knew was honest and had a good heart, didn’t have an evil or deceptive bone in her body.
And oh what a body it is…
“Boy, I’m gonna whop you one again if you don’t stop that damn daydreaming. There’ll be time enough later to deal with your personal issues,” Maddox complained.
“Stay the hell outta my head, old man.”
“Shield your thoughts, young idiot.”
“Alright,” Kayne snickered. “That’s enough of the love fest, you two.” Putting his phone back in his pocket, he continued, “I just spoke to Rian and he will meet us in the Hall in about a half hour.”
“Good time for a shower,” Lennox commented, still glaring at the mad dragon who was doing the same in return.
“And get your damn fool head on straight,” Maddox growled.
Before Lennox could respond, Kayne stepped between them and steered the mad dragon towards the door, explaining as they went. “How about you and I go help Audrey with those muffins she’s sending with Rian? And don’t you need to touch base with Calysta? She’ll surely be wondering where you are.”
“Thank you.” Lennox spoke directly into Kayne’s mind using their unique link for privacy.
“You owe, big time. And shut the door on your way out,” the demi-god chuckled in return, disappearing out the door with the mad dragon in tow and Max grinning from ear-to-ear as he followed.
“Now, what have you decided about Tessa?” Pearce asked before Lennox had even gotten Kayne’s front door shut.
Rolling his eyes as he turned and stepped off the porch, the mad bomber admitted, “Hell if I know. I am drawn to her, there is no doubt about it. When we were…” He stopped and for the first time felt awkward talking to his long-time friend but went on, “Together, her mind was completely open to me. She hid nothing.” He thought as they walked up the back steps to the house they shared. “How I missed that she was part vampire is beyond me, and I guess…”
He stopped talking as he walked into the house and headed for the stairs. True to form, Pearce did not let it go. “And you guess that you’re the stupid jerk who jumped to conclusions and blamed your mate for your own failings. Does that about cover it?”
Stopping on the stairs, Lennox refused to turn around as he grumbled, “I hate you, ya know that?”
“No, you don’t. You just hate being wrong, hate having screwed up, hate admitting you’re wrong and hate having to grovel like you know you’re gonna have to do to get her back.”
“Yeah, like I said – I hate you.”
Laughing out loud as Lennox went on upstairs, Pearce added, “You love me and you know it. Now, hurry up so we can get rid of these damned Cambion and you can go beg for forgiveness.” The Guardsman laughed even louder. “Cause this I gotta see.”
I really do hate him sometimes…
Chapter Twelve
“How nice to see you, Uncle,” Tessa lied through her teeth as she addressed the Master of her Vampire Kiss before her dad, as was protocol in the vampire world.
A world I would gladly leave behind if I didn’t love my family so much…
“I just couldn’t be in the same city as my favorite niece and not stop to say hello,” Ulnac oozed insincerity and a stiff, practiced charm that made Tessa’s skin crawl.
Smiling sweetly as he kissed her on one cheek and then the other while leaning down from his seven-foot-one-inch height, the ancient vampire sniffed at the Vaepanther’s skin, adding to his creep factor by about a hundred points. It was something he’d always done, even when Tessa was a child. Her father had explained it away as just one of Ulnac’s ‘ticks,’ but Tessa had her doubts that was all there was to it. Even her favorite great-grandfather, Antonio, a full-blooded panther and former King of the Pride, had warned her to be careful with her uncle.
“I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule, Uncle,” Tessa acquiesced, having learned long ago how to say all the ‘right’ things to keep Ulnac happy and out of her family’s hair.
“It is my pleasure,” Ulnac boasted. “And I had to make sure your father got to see you, as I will be taking him with me on most of my business trips for the rest of the year.”
Tessa raised an eyebrow at her father as she hugged him tightly. A quick, whispered, “We’ll talk later,” floated through her mind. The only telepathic communication they could risk with Ulnac in such close proximity. The Master Vamp was powerful, with the ability to sense when others were silently speaking. He was also one ruthless bastard who hated any secrets he wasn’t privy to, even between father and daughter.
Nodding against her father’s chest, Tessa prayed her uncle didn’t know why she was visiting Gerri and that her father didn’t bring it up. Thankfully, the matchmaker showed up at precisely the right moment.
Holding her hand out, with a smile that Tessa couldn’t quite read, Gerri welcomed the Vaepanther’s father first. Tessa wouldn’t have thought anything about it, but the mischievous twinkle in the matchmaker’s eyes said she knew exactly what she was doing and was having a damn fine time at that. “It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Mooreland.” Her smile grew at Ulnac’s obvious discomfort. “Your Tessa here is a joy and a delight. I might just keep her.”
“Oh, please Ms. Wilder, do call me Thomas.” Her father’s smile was genuine as was his almost even and pleasant tone.
“Then you must call me, Gerri.”
“Thank you,” Tessa’s father accepted then turning to his right, “And may I introduce the Master of the Mooreland Kiss, Ulnac Mooreland.”
Tessa noted the straightening of Gerri’s spine and the way her smile turned to just shy of a grimace as the matchmaker broke protocol, waiting with her hand out for Ulnac to come to her. The Vaepanther would have laughed out loud had it not been for the fact that her uncle would’ve found a way to make her father pay for her insolence.
The tension mounted for a few tense seconds before Ulnac finally took the few steps necessary to shake Geri’s hand before masking his anger and smiling, “What a pleasure to meet you. I do hope you are taking care of our
girl.”
Stepping in as she saw Gerri’s eyes turning the tell-tale shade of gold that meant someone was about to get an ear full, Tessa chuckled, “I couldn’t be having a better time.” Then quickly added, “Would you all like to stay for some tea or coffee?”
“Actually, I wanted to see if we might spirit you away for some dinner. It has been so long since I’ve seen you and I’d hate for you to miss your dad’s last night before we go to the States.”
Trying to watch her father’s reaction out of the corner of her eye, not sure what he wanted her to say, Tessa finally gave in and agreed, “Sure, let me go and put something more appropriate on.” She pulled at the hem of her T-shirt. “I’ve only just gotten up. Do you have time for me to get a shower?”
“But of course, just be quick about it,” Ulnac smiled. “Your father and I have a conference call we can take in the limo while you get ready.”
“Great!” Tessa tried to act excited but felt the dread of spending the next several hours with her pompous uncle almost too much to bear.
Walking them to the door, mostly to make sure Ulnac didn’t insult Gerri any more than he already had, Tessa watched until the older vampires were in the back of the limo with the door closed before shutting the door and leaning against it. “I am so sorry, Gerri. I had no idea they were coming.”
Patting her arm, the matchmaker shook her head, “Don’t you worry about it. Your father is lovely. You look a lot like him, but that uncle of yours.” She rolled her eyes. “I’d like to kick him in the shins a time or two.”
Laughing at the visual of four-foot-eleven-inch Gerri Wilder kicking seven-foot-one-inch Ulnac floated through Tessa’s mind, making her tease, “Oh my Goddess, would I love to see that. Heck, I’d sell tickets and post a video on YouTube. That would be hilarious.”
Wagging her finger in mock irritation, Gerri joked, “Don’t tease me, girlie.” Both ladies erupted into laughter as Belle appeared from wherever she’d run off to hide, asking, “What’s so funny?”