“Well, that makes sense, I suppose. I guess it would be more chaotic and dangerous for y’all if you had people running amok, drawing more attention to your world,” I mused. “So…your change wasn’t exactly planned, and I’m assuming your creator didn’t have any plans of registering you.”
“No, I do not believe he did,” Simon said in a rich baritone. “I was lucky have been discovered by a benevolent delegato, a government official, a…deputy mayor, if you will, who took the time to ask me questions and allow me to explain my situation rather than disposing of me on sight. During that time, it was not uncommon for unregistered vampires to be executed immediately, as they were often uncontrolled and savage.” A sudden, wicked gleam filled his eyes. “It took a short while before I was able to repay my debt to May.”
“May? Maymuna?” I asked, astounded at what he had just revealed. “But that means she’s older than you? If she’s older, doesn’t that mean—I mean, shouldn’t she—”
“The leader of this clan?” he finished, amusement saturating ever word. “Well, in the beginning it was only the two of us, and she was my leader, until she mated with a beta. They had to leave to mate, and during her absence, I found Grace. It was obvious she was unregistered, but she was so kindhearted and pleasant, I was unwilling to allow the government to kill her, so I took her for registration before that unfortunate event could occur.
“Now, Maymuna could have easily attempted to form her own clan, but she had mated with a vampire who did not possess all of the traits of an alpha, so without that drive, any clan she could have formed could have been overtaken by an alpha couple had they ever encountered one.” He shrugged. “She chose to re-locate me, and given an alpha personality will not follow a beta, she and her mate were subject to my leadership.
“To be honest, I was rather stunned by her return. She knew my history, knew of my self-loathing and how far I was willing to go to repress my nature. I can only believe, for I have never asked, she trusted I would accept my nature at some point, whether it be of my own choice or…”
“Whether you were forced to because you met your mate?” I simply nodded my acceptance of his story, and then cocked my head to the side. “What exactly did you do that ‘repaid your debt’?”
“I saved her mate from being destroyed by hunters,” he responded. “We accidentally stumbled across the group in a forest just outside what is now the border between Germany and France. She recognized him as her mate right away, and instantly began to attack without thinking. They both would have been slaughtered had I not taken a few seconds to formulate a plan.”
He laughed. “While I am sure she is eternally grateful, she still does not like the idea that her mate was only saved with the assistance of the being that had been her follower.”
My lips lifted into a smile. “You sound proud of yourself.”
“Oh, I most certainly am,” he responded, beaming.
I nuzzled my head against his body and relaxed into the fingertips he used to pet my hair. I enjoyed the way he sounded when he was proud of himself. I enjoyed the way he sounded, generally.
We lapsed into silence, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one. My mind was busy sifting through the information he had related to me, and coming up with even more questions. I wasn’t in a hurry to ask them, though. It had been too long since I had felt so safe and cherished. Had I ever felt that safe and cherished?
I realized that my life was about to change. The revelation that there was a whole world of creatures out there – creatures that I had always assumed only existed in fairy tales and teenage romance novels – should have been enough to give me pause.
But then there was Simon.
And as I felt the warmth of his smile directed at me, and the light rasp of the tip of his finger trailing down the side of my face, I realized it didn’t matter.
I was ready for the challenge.
About the Author
Velvet lives in Georgia with her giant cat Jasper, and she has enjoyed writing since she was a teenager. Her first penned story was a retelling of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, which she wrote when she was seventeen. An avid lover of mythology, and more specifically mythological creatures, it is no surprise that she was quickly drawn to writing romantic tales involving classic figures of supernatural lore, such as vampires and dragons, and giving them her own, unique twist!
Feral: Book Two will be available on November 2014, so be sure to sign up for her mailing list to be notified when her new releases go live.
Feedback is always welcomed! If you enjoyed this book, please feel free to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Feral: Book One Page 11