I’m not actually sure what to expect. I try to dress as comfortably as possible. After choosing my favorite pair of jeans, I put on a magenta, scoop neck tee. I go for plain, black flip flops and take one last look in the mirror.
With only a few minutes to spare, I rush downstairs just in time to hear the doorbell ring. I know it’s Cody. I feel him nearby. As soon as I reach the door, I dismiss Finn and open the door wide. I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my life.
I throw myself into Cody’s arms and the tears begin to fall. He grips me tighter and whispers, “shush,” in a soft tone to get me to calm down. Little does he know, there’s no way to calm me down from the coming discussion. I’m living in my own personal hell and dragging him into it with me.
When I finally pull away, he wipes at my tears with his thumbs and kisses me gently. He kisses me as if I’m glass and he’s afraid to break me. I’m shattering anyways. Thankfully, my Mom walks in and sees what a mess I have become. She takes charge.
“Cody, why don’t you join us in the sitting room and have a spot of blood cocktail to drink? Callie just got down here and hasn’t had hers yet.”
“Sure, that sounds great,” he replies.
My Mom manages to pull me into the sitting room with Cody trailing behind. I curl up at one end of the couch and Cody sits next to me. He puts his arm around me and sorrow floods me. This could be the last time he holds me. He might never forgive me.
Mom already called the maid and she hurries in with a carafe of blood. She pours us all a cup and I down mine in two gulps. I’m going to need the blood high if I want to get this out without a complete meltdown.
“Where’s Dad?” I ask in between sniffles.
“He’s indisposed at the Moment and will join us in a little while. In the meantime, let’s get down to business Callie. This is your story, so I expect you to tell Cody. I’ll help when I can.”
I turn away from Cody as I begin my story. I am afraid I won’t get through this if I see the disappointment on his face. I tell him everything in a rush. First, I tell him about my outing with Jane, wincing at the sting of jealousy I feel through the bond.
Then I tell him about the next day and how Chase remembered. I talk about the mind wipes not working and how he is here. I tell him about the council’s arrival tonight and then I grow quiet. I don’t know what else to say and I am afraid of his reaction.
He is silent for a minute and I know it’s over. Despair washes over me and the tears fall faster now. Cody untangles himself from me and finally speaks.
“I just need a little bit of air to take all this in. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Cody turns and walks out of the sitting room. I hear the front door shut and I can no longer control myself. I have a full blown panic attack. I feel like the walls are closing in around me and prickles of darkness begin to flood my vision. I sob harder until I can barely breathe.
Soon, my vision is gone and I am trying to force myself out of the walls I feel closing in on me. I can’t hear anything but the sounds of my own hysterical crying.
I don’t know how long this goes on. It must have been a while because I am brought back to reality by Cody. He is on the floor, kneeling in front of me, with his hands framing my face. Slowly, my vision clears and I see the concern on his face.
“You don’t have to pretend. I know you must be disgusted with me. I won’t hold it against you if you want to back out now.”
Cody shakes his head and frowns. “No, Callie. That’s not it at all. This isn’t your fault. Yes, I’m jealous as hell, but I don’t love you any less. That’s just not possible. I will always have forgiveness for you.”
“How can you forgive me? I’ve brought shame to my family and yours by association. I should have told you before we mated. It was so selfish of me.”
“Even if you had told me, I still would have mated with you, Callie Andell. This doesn’t change anything. In fact, the only reason I went outside was to call my parents. They’re on their way over now. We’ll all figure this out together. I’ll stand by your side until this is over. I promise you things will work out.”
“I love you,” I manage to whisper.
“I love you too,” he says as he joins me on the couch, his arms wrapped around me.
“I’ll go get some more blood for all of us and check on Milo. He should be joining us soon.”
My Mom leaves the room and shuts the door. Cody pulls me to him and rains kisses down on me. He kisses my forehead, my cheeks, my closed eyes, my nose, my jaw and finally my lips. I return the kiss with a needy desire.
His kiss, lets me know he still loves me. A tiny bit of relief floods me, but it still doesn’t blow the remaining embers of shame out. When he pulls away, he uses his thumbs to wipe my tears away. Then we just sit there, with me, curled up in his lap.
The silence is broken after just a few minutes by the doorbell. It must be his parents. Finn answers it and guides them into the sitting room. I’m too scared and ashamed to look at them. I bury my face in Cody’s muscular chest. My Mom hurries in behind them and thanks them for coming.
Cody must not have told them much, because my Mom spends a few minutes explaining the situation to them. I don’t look up until she’s finished. When I do, I’m shocked at what I find.
Ginger has tears in her eyes and she looks at me with such sympathy. She doesn’t look angry at all. His Dad just looks resigned, but not mad.
Still, my emotions are on overdrive. When I look at them, I blurt out, “I’m so sorry,” before burying my face in Cody’s chest once again.
The door swings open and I feel Cody stiffen next to me. I feel anger and jealousy through our bond. It’s then that I realize who has joined the party. Chase.
I look up and he is staring at me and Cody. The only thing that registers is the cool look he gives Cody. That makes me angry. How does he have the right? One night together and he thinks he owns me. My anger flares and I glare at Chase. He just winks at me. He winks at me! Is he insane?
Cody’s own anger is in full force and I can feel his fists ball up around me. Chase has no right to antagonize my mate. If looks could kill, Chase would be dead. I’m giving him the death stare and don’t stop until my Dad follows, shutting the door behind himself.
“Nick, Ginger, thank you for coming. As you can see, we have quite a situation on our hands,” he says.
Nick nods. “I’ve never heard of this happening before. Do you mind if Ginger and I try to do it? Maybe another family might have a different influence.”
My Dad looks relieved that they aren’t more upset. “Absolutely, that would be kind of you. We’re at a loss here.”
“Wait, are you going to try to do that weird voodoo stuff on me again?” Chase asks.
“It’s a memory wipe and yes we are. It could be the only way you walk out of here alive,” my Dad tells him.
“I could just walk out the front door, you know. I should just leave and forget all this asinine bullshit. Callie obviously doesn’t want me here. You can’t stop me.”
“You’re right, I don’t want you here. You are playing with my life and you don’t even care. This is not some joke. This is as serious as it gets. Go ahead and try to walk out of here. You will be dead before you even make it to the gates. Humans die inside these boundaries. You aren’t allowed to be here,” I spit out in a rush.
“Callie, watch your tone,” Mom reprimands.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Fine, whatever, let’s just get this done so you can see this crap doesn’t work on me.”
We all wait in silence as they try the memory wipe on him. When they are finished, I anxiously look on in suspense. Then Chase looks at me and winks. He winks at me again! Not only did the memory wipe not work, but now Cody has jumped up and is on top of Chase.
I yell for him to stop, but neither one does. They are wrestling around like a pair of idiots. Finally, after Cody gets a good punch in, my Dad pulls him off Chase. Chase
just sits there on the floor, smiling. I have a sudden urge myself, to have my turn pummeling him. I rein in my temper and turn my attention to Cody.
Cody is fuming mad. I think steam is going to come out of his ears. He is flexing his hands into fists and the look on his face is murderous. I’ve never seen this side of him. It’s a little sexy, but now’s not the time to be thinking things like this. I have to calm him down, pronto.
“Cody, baby, are you okay?” I ask tentatively.
He gives me a stiff nod and I see his hands starting to relax slightly. I turn his head until his glowing hazel eyes rest on mine. I gently move in and kiss his lips. He melts at my touch and wraps his arms around me. I don’t stop the kiss from getting more intense. I’m just happy he’s okay and that there isn’t a dead Chase on our hands.
Someone clears their throat and I know we need to stop. I end the kiss and slowly pull myself away from Cody, as if any sudden motions will wind him back up. Once we are composed, my Dad speaks.
“It’s clear we have a serious problem. I’m not sure why he’s immune, but he is. The only thing that will save Callie is that they won’t take a true mate away. It’s like a death sentence for Cody. The real problem is Chase himself. I’m not sure what the council will do.”
“I called the council earlier tonight and told them we had a situation. They are assembling and should be here anytime,” Mom adds.
“Whatever happens, I can’t be apart from Callie. I will go with her if they take her. We already started the mating bond, so they can’t deny us,” Cody says.
“I understand, son. We will all stand by Callie no matter what the outcome is. She is like a daughter now and we take care of family.”
“Does Lana know something is wrong?” I ask.
“No, but we should call her over. She is going to want to be a part of this. I know her and she’ll never forgive us if we leave her out. She adores you,” Ginger says.
Ginger calls Lana and we wait silently until she arrives. We sip on the blood cocktail Mom has poured, in the meantime. I need my strength so I drink all I can. Finn lets her in the sitting room and she sees all the solemn looks on our faces. Then she sees Chase.
“Holy hot sauce, who is that?”
“Hi, I’m Chase. Who are you, gorgeous?”
Cody lunges for him again, but I’m prepared this time. I hold him back as best as I can. At seeing her brother’s’ reaction, Lana’s eyes widen.
“Okay, what’s going on here? Will somebody tell me why there is a hottie in the room and my brother is about to blow a gasket? And,why does Callie look like she’s been crying?”
“Sit down, it’s a long story,” I tell her.
The story is easier to tell the second time. Lana is quiet through the whole story. When I finish, Lana looks as if she is going to respond, but she doesn’t get the chance to. The doorbell rings and I know it’s the council standing on the other side.
The council is much like a jury. Currently, there are twelve seats on the council. My family has one seat. Actually, all royal families have a seat on the council. At least right now, I have two ruling families on my side. I can only pray they are enough to convince the others to plead in my favor.
The ruler is like the judge. Right now, Alexander Hermatige is our ruler. We will explain our situation to the council and they compile a case to send to Alexander. He, more than likely, will request our presence to announce the outcome. What he says is final.
It’s the finality of the situation that scares me. Once he has decided on a ruling, there is no changing the outcome. He literally holds my life in his hands and, at this point, Cody’s and Chase’s as well. While I may want to strangle Chase, I don’t wish death on him for this.
Finn gets the door and I can hear the group pouring into the foyer. I realize this room is getting smaller and smaller, the more people that enter. I’m starting to feel claustrophobic. It doesn’t help when Finn announces the remainder of the council’s arrival.
They all file in, one at a time. With twelve seats on the council, there are actually twelve couples. With four already in the room, twenty more people file in. There is only standing room left. I’m frozen in fear and curl into Cody’s arms.
To most vampires, the council is large and intimidating. I’m one of them. I cower in my spot on the couch. I can’t watch their reaction to Chase in the room. I even feel Lana scooting in closer to us.
First, there is a gasp. Then, all of a sudden, everyone is talking over each other until the room fills with utter chaos. When I do look up, I see my Dad tugging on Chase’s arm and placing a finger over his mouth to motion that he should stay quiet. Chase nods indifferently.
I know Cody can feel my fear, but I feel his unease through the bond. He’s afraid of what might happen. That doesn’t exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy. Finally, my Dad has had enough.
“Silence everybody! There is a serious matter at hand and I want to explain once instead of multiple times.”
Everyone quiets and looks his way. “It appears this human is an anomaly. Jane and Callie went hunting on Friday and this human, Chase, was Callie’s target donor. She did everything right, and wiped his memory when she was done.”
He gave me a grave smile and turned back to the council. “The next day, he ran into my wife and daughter outside of the nail salon with all his memories intact. Unsure what to do, we brought him here for fear of our secret getting out.”
Bless her heart, Ginger stands up and speaks for me.
“The memory wipe didn’t work and the Andell’s, as well as us, have tried since. He seems to be immune. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Of course, Mr. Monte is the one to speak up first. He has never liked me. I know after the blood ball escapade with Hannah that his opinion of me has yet to change.
“So you mean to tell me it was Callie whom jeopardized our existence? It was Callie whom brought in a human she knew would more than likely die at our hands.”
“Actually, I brought him here. I couldn’t risk letting him loose in the city until we could wipe his memories. As of right now, that has yet to happen,” Mom says.
I chance a look at the Lucia’s and get nothing but a frosty look in return. I wonder if their feelings have to do with the fact that I didn’t choose Thayer. My odds here are not looking good.
I’m practically all the way in Cody’s lap now and he softly kisses my forehead. Just his touch goes a long way to stave off a panic attack. I still feel fear and uncertainty through our bond. It chills me to the bone.
“Chase, Cody, Callie and Lana, could you all please step out and wait in the living room? We need to discuss this as a council. We will call for you when we are finished. Try not to kill each other.” Nick says that last comment pointedly to Chase and Cody.
We all nod silently and slip out of the room. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until we step out and it exits in a whoosh.
Once we’re in the living room, Cody sits at the end of the couch and holds his arms out for me. I’m still rattled by everything and climb into his lap. I need his comfort and soothing touch. It seems the closer we are getting to our official mating, the more I need him near me.
Chase sits in a chair, not looking our way. He’s completely silent and my focus quickly drifts away from him.
Lana sits cross-legged at the other end of the couch. She is eyeing us curiously, with a look between jealousy and confusion.
“I hope I find a mate at the blood ball next year. Being around you two is ridiculously uncomfortable, you’re so into each other. Don’t get me wrong, it’s sweet. I just can’t wait until you can get a room and stop mauling each other in public.”
“Pshh, we don’t maul each other,” I say with a cheery tone in my voice that I don’t actually feel.
Chase snorts and I glare at him.
“Um hmm, that is something we will agree to disagree on. So, do you want to tell me what you think is going to happen from this little mishap?” L
ana says, trying to pretend Chase isn’t even in the room.
“I’m terrified to find out. My biggest fear is that they are going to take Callie away from me. I don’t think I can survive that. She’s my true mate and my life is tied to hers now. We’ve already starting the mating so there isn’t any turning back, not that I would even want to,” Cody tells her.
“I wonder what will happen to the hottie over there. I can see why you picked him, Callie. He’s super yummy,” she says like a typical seventeen-year-old girl would.
Chase just flashes a wicked grin but remains quiet.
I feel Cody tense and jealousy spikes through the bond. I turn my head and lean into him. Our lips meet in a soft and gentle kiss that lets him know he is my choice every time.
The jealousy recedes and is replaced with overwhelming love. I actually smile at this one bright spot in a cloud of darkness.
“I feel responsible because I knew something was different about him. I didn’t know if it was attraction or something else. It was intriguing and I couldn’t help myself. If only I had steered clear the minute I realized he was different.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Callie. I wouldn’t have been able to resist either. That could just have easily been me. I’m definitely going to be more careful when hunting now. You have officially become the poster child for hunting gone wrong.”
Cody remains stoic and I know his brain is whirling at a hundred miles an hour. I can feel his jumbled thoughts and even catch snippets of them. Mind reading doesn’t happen with mates often. The prospect of having it with Cody overshadows my fears temporarily. I light up and Cody raises an eyebrow in suspicion.
I don’t want Lana to know so I bring my lips to his ear and let out a slow, breathy giggle, tickling him. He sucks in a breath and I know that I’m getting him worked up.
Then I whisper in his ear. “What was that about mating in a jail cell? You don’t really think that will happen do you?”
He turns to respond, frowning at my question. Then he gets it. His eyes widen and he smiles. He in turn, nibbles on my earlobe before saying anything. I inhale sharply at the extremely intimate gesture and struggle not to alert Lana.
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